PDA

View Full Version : Where are they now..........


Direct HALIFAX
3rd Jan 2003, 21:25
Anyone know what happened to some of the characters of ATC.

Such as The Harkins twins, Jim McC, and TGP - all ex A watch of the 80s.

:D

Mr_Grubby
4th Jan 2003, 14:51
One of the Harkins twins got a job with Eurocontrol in EBBR.
Last time we spoke he was trying to get back into NATS!!!! (mad Scottish Fool)

Jimmy Mac I last heard of was living with his father in Scotland.

TGP ??? Who he ? I know a TCP.

Mr G.

eastern wiseguy
4th Jan 2003, 20:40
Harkins is now in Rome!! duuno quite what he does there ....but it probably is female with a pulse:D :D

Mr_Grubby
5th Jan 2003, 09:38
eastern wiseguy

...........but it probably is female with a pulse.

Stevie must be mellowing in his old age.
Obviously more discerning now.
Use to be 'a recent pulse' was enough !

Mr G.
:) :) :)

TrafficTraffic
5th Jan 2003, 15:30
TRY POSTING ON THE NATS FORUM

Bev Bevan
5th Jan 2003, 17:33
TT,

No need to shout!!

Perhaps some of the people concerned are now ex-NATS therfore they wouldnt see the post?

Hydroforming Bushmaster
5th Jan 2003, 18:14
I believe that TCP is alive and well as a Flow Manager (probably the incorrect title) on B Watch at Swanwick.

Anyone know what happened to 'Bucket' Mills?

TrafficTraffic
5th Jan 2003, 19:28
...post somewhere else

Mr_Grubby
6th Jan 2003, 09:44
Hydroforming Bushmaster

Now there's a character. Tony 'Bucket' Mills.
I spent many hours alongside him on the south bank, D Watch LATCC in the seventies.

Great guy. Interesting to work with !

The last I saw of him he was driving out the main gate at LATCC on his last day, wearing a balaclava and driving his old Morris Minor back to Wiltshire.

Mr G.

Lon More
6th Jan 2003, 15:01
Excuse TT, he's had a bad weekend. I think someone accused him of being Lon More:D

TrafficTraffic
6th Jan 2003, 15:21
They could have accused you of being Traffic Traffic....or from Swan....oops better stop there!

ex-EGLL
6th Jan 2003, 15:22
You live and learn, I never realised that Harkins came in pairs, one was enough!! Last I remember of Stevie, was working with him in EGAA back in the late 70's

Findo
6th Jan 2003, 15:52
ex EGLL. I think the split happened after being at West Drayton for about 6 or 7 years.

Direct HALIFAX
6th Jan 2003, 16:08
And where's Ron Hall, ex D watch

Mr_Grubby
6th Jan 2003, 18:39
HALIFAX

I was speaking to Ron yesterday.
He is alive and well living in Farnham, Surrey.

We will be having a beer soon. If you mail me your ID I will pass on any message. He is still the same. What a waste to ATC.

Mr G.

Hydroforming Bushmaster
6th Jan 2003, 23:15
I know I'm going off too far off topic but (a) I'm too tiddled to start a new thread and (b) those nice folk at Maastricht would get cross that I wasn't posting in a private forum.

Anyway - has anyone got a copy of Not Airway that they could scan in? Or upload to a website?

No connection with any previous posts intended of course

HB

Bluenote
7th Jan 2003, 11:57
Oh dear, I do believe that any mention of NotAirway contravenes Forum Rules and The Public Health Act.

Last I heard, those responsible had had their ears sewn to their knees, and placed in a septic tank in Arbroath.

Spooney
7th Jan 2003, 12:55
Harkins.........?

The last time I saw him (Sept 00) He had a bust nose and was shouting expletives with his pants 'round his ankles in a well known British bar in Luxembourg!


I wouldn't be where I am today without the professional and social guidance of Harkins....!


:cool:

Bluenote
7th Jan 2003, 15:47
A spectacular circus act as I recall. Previous correspondence on this subject is correct inasmuch as there was originally only one Harkins (mono version). The miraculous conversion came about during a particularly hectic inbound rush on TMA(SW) one day, summer, mid 80s. Stevie became so excited, he accidentally reproduced himself via binary fission, and became Nice Steve/Nasty Steve aka The Harkins Twins (stereo version). We can only hope and pray, in these days of Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound, that the process is complete.

I remember Stevie and Jim McC very well, good drinking buddies and v.dangerous to boot, and bloody good controllers.

Bucket Mills is now a doorstop at The Tate Modern.

vertigo
7th Jan 2003, 19:02
On a completely separate topic, what was that story about Uwe the eurocontroller who received a charming postcard ?

...or was that Grenville Padgett ?;)

Lon More
8th Jan 2003, 13:34
Is that the (in)famous Jim McCormack, originally at Redbrae in early 70's? He used to drink Guinness out of a four pint Tea Pot?
Spill the beans on the PC to Uwe.

Mr_Grubby
8th Jan 2003, 16:45
Bluenote.
Great post. One flaw though.
As far as I remember, the twins never did the TMA.
West End, DVR/LYD and SFD/WOR/HURN only and DFR.
Mr G.

A I
8th Jan 2003, 17:01
Did the twins not do LUS and LMS as well or is the old memory playing tricks?

Bluenote
8th Jan 2003, 19:46
Mr.Grubby

You are quite correct. Such was the strange and terrible power of the twins that they sometimes appeared to be where they were not, a bit like C Watch spinners.

A I
9th Jan 2003, 07:13
Can anybody remember the true story about Jimmie Mac and the Grenville Paget comment?

simon niceguy
9th Jan 2003, 15:52
Before we bury the Twins and Jimmy can we just reflect on the plus side.
Stevie, along with Criss Herbert, Clint Gurry, Steve Hobbs and Nigel Warner started UKATTS back in the 80’s. Whatever happened to them ? How many people have had cheap/free flights as a result of their unpaid efforts ? Well, as for Jimmy, the hop industry in Kent would not have survived without him ! Stevie was responsible for getting whole football teams to all over Europe for the annual Controllers Football Cup using his various contacts.
Real characters.
Simon.

Bluenote
10th Jan 2003, 11:43
simon niceguy

As far as I can see, nothing detrimental to either Steve or Jimmy has been posted so far, indeed it reads like a valediction. Their combined exploits would fill a website. None of them (if you count Steve as two) ever sought praise or recognition for their hard work, nor did the others mentioned. As for Clint Gurry, well.......

Biggin Koksy
10th Jan 2003, 11:45
Hydroforming, If my memory serves me well, Mr. Chips, (havent seen a post from him for ages, perhaps he's changed IDs) used to have a mint copy of 'Not Airway'. Try him.

Findo
10th Jan 2003, 13:23
Simon. Just on a minor point of historical accuracy. Chris Herbert of Heathrow and Doug Maclean of Prestwick started the UKATTS idea and asked the others you mentioned if they would like to assist in spreading it across the UK. Clint Gurry was a bit later than the original team and you for got Joe Hanbury. A couple of others were involved who never became known because at that time it was all hush hush in case CAA management had a go - ergo the original need to be a Union member for protection.

The Harkins twins also were involved briefly around the time Clint helped. The twins were not used for the delicate tasks of approaching airlines - for obvious reasons :)

zygote
11th Jan 2003, 17:54
There were some characters in the 70s / 80s. Shame the new breed so boring. They show no interest in anything normal such as being abusive, getting drunk and pulling the girlie ATSAs.:D

Bluenote
11th Jan 2003, 20:36
Good lord, zygote, I had no idea such shenanigans ensued during those heady days. Most of my time was spent perusing MATS Pt.II, and the strongest language heard on sector in those times was "Gadzooks!". This new lot sound just what is needed - a bit of moral fibre to set an example to the more lax brethren.:rolleyes:

simon niceguy
12th Jan 2003, 19:17
Findo

Feel I must take you to task about your comment re the Twins.

……….the twins were not used for the delicate task of approaching airlines …….

Far from it.
They (he) was responsible for most of the early airlines that chose to join UKATTS.
BIA/Air Florida (EGKK/ EHAM £5) Malev, Long Weekend, Confirmed Seat. Full Board 5* Hotel £149. British Midland. BA long talks with Jock Lowe. (initially ID 80%), Egypt Air. Air France (before Senior Management pulled the plug.) Then there were all the Yugoslavian Airlines that came on board as a result of his contacts. Monarch. Air Europe. Orion. All joined. Kuwait across the pond for £15. (no booze though !) Then he spent many evenings showing Interline staff round LATCC doing a PR job with Hobbs and Gurry. Getting tanked up all the time for the benefit of the membership was not easy. Don’t forget these were the days before low cost airlines. ATC staff had no access to cheap flights. OK they were only available to ACTOs at first. There was a little resistance when it was suggested that ATSAs be admitted to the scheme. But most people involved wanted to get the Club up and running before embarking on a major expansion of the membership. But UKATTS survived to be where it is today.
First class job.

Simon.

zygote
15th Jan 2003, 07:51
What happened to Andy Bardsley - once at LATCC, believed to have gone to MACC.

SwanFIS
16th Jan 2003, 11:03
Yes Andy "you turkey" Bardsley finally escaped to MACC. His ever smiling face and love of NATS management is sorely missed at Swanwick. I am sure his unrivalled P.R. skills could have sorted this mess out by now.

chiglet
19th Jan 2003, 22:33
Andy Bardsley is On "B" watch at MACC {the watch that I am on..:rolleyes: He has been "Castgated" for his "displays" :D
we aim to please it keeps the cleaners happy

PATCC forever
19th Jan 2003, 23:11
How many people are still around from the old Preston Centre?

Now that was a unit and a half.

Drinking and sex was compulsory, work was optional and no one of my era had anything but the time of their lives their.

Anyone have any memories of characters?

chiglet
20th Jan 2003, 10:49
Kath Jackson and Myra. From PATCRU, me and a few others:D
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

Biggin Koksy
20th Jan 2003, 11:13
I was at PATCC. Agree with the previous comments. Especially the drinking, and then maybe climbing the mast instesd of going to the bog. LOL. Then there were the billetts. I think there were more men in the womens billett most nights. Climbing on the roofs and dropping 'bangers' down the chimneys of those that had fires lit, especially if there was some 'hanky panky' going on. Oh those were the days when ATC was enjoyable!!
;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

Vercingetorix
22nd Jan 2003, 15:25
Jimmy Mac is living in Linlithgow in Scotland, his father is dead