When Geoff Rosenbloom started flying for Loganair in 1966 the Riverside runway in Dundee was made of grass.
Now aged 85, he was the fourth pilot to join the airline before it had scheduled routes.
After eight years of flying fighter jets for the RAF he wanted to get his commercial licence, but needed training on a simulator.
As he knew Loganair had one, he phoned up managing director Duncan Macintosh asking if he could borrow it.
The director invited Geoff over for a chat and he landed a job with the airline before he’d finished his commercial licence.
Emergency landing at Riverside Park
Back then, Loganair had three pilots, four small aircraft and no scheduled routes.
During the fair fortnight, Geoff did pleasure flights from Riverside Park for locals.
One of his earliest flight has always stayed in his mind, even 55 years later.
Geoff found himself having to make an emergency landing after losing a wheel.
He recalls: “There was a bang as I took off. That was the wheel hitting the plane as it was suspended by the brake hose.
“The brake hose broke, so the wheel dropped onto the grass.”
Cool under pressure, Geoff immediately came up with a plan.
“I briefed the passengers that we would land normally and I’d hold the wing up high as long as I could, until eventually the airspeed dropped and the wing would definitely drop too.
“The strut would dig into the grass and the aircraft would rotate 180 degrees and face the other way.
“I didn’t expect any great problem, and that’s exactly what happened.
“We all climbed out and about two hours later the aircraft was back flying again.”
Loganair’s past and future
Landing at Riverside Park in the 60s is something Geoff remembers very well.
As the landing strip was a grass field, he had to phone the parks and cemeteries department before landing.
They headed out and took down the goal posts so he could land on the football field.
Both Loganair and Dundee airport have evolved greatly in the past 60 years.
The airline now operates routes to London City and Belfast, and soon Sumburgh from Dundee.
Unlike Geoff, 23-year-old pilot Aaron Dickson flies regular routes in and out of the city.
The young pilot started with Loganair in 2020 after working as an instructor for Tayside Aviation.
While the two pilots have different backgrounds, they both say that since they were little they have dreamed of flying.
“It’s interesting to hear Geoff’s stories from back in the day,” says Aaron.
“You get a sense of how it’s changed from when he started out to now.
“It makes me feel inspired.”
Future of Loganair is green
After two challenging years, chief commercial officer Kay Ryan is grateful to be able to celebrate the anniversary and bring the two pilots together.
“It’s fantastic to see Geoff who joined in 1966 and was our deputy chief pilot together with young Aaron who joined us just before the pandemic,” she says.
“To arrive at this major milestone in the shape we’re in feels absolutely amazing.
“It’s been tricky for everyone, but in particular aviation the last two years.”
Ms Ryan says the airline has come out of the pandemic in as good a shape as it could have hoped for.
She believes the next 60 years will be about making the airline greener.
“We’re working very hard on the environmental side,” she says.
“We have partnerships in place with companies who are developing hydrogen and electric powered aircraft.
“The train is going and we need to be on it. We need to play our part as every transport provider does.”
