Great thread, this. Me and my parents popped into Stansted on the way back from London in, I think, about 1986 or so and as has been mentioned, there were loads of exotic aircraft sitting around but nothing actually moving. I've got some old photos (probably not very good quality) that I'll scan and upload.
Has anyone got any aerial photos of the airfield or in particular the old terminal and apron? Would be interesting to see the contrast between then and now...