to
BRL and to
Vintage ATCO for arranging a great visit.
Eveepee and I met up at the Luton Airport Parkway station earlier than others to go and investigate the airport! The shuttlebus to the airport runs pretty much non-stop and it takes maybe 7 minuts to get from the station to the airport. London Luton is a modern, charming and small regional airport and for a Friday afternoon really not hugely busy. Very clear signs and desks, the statutory Tie Rack and bookshop and a small food-hall (bit like a shopping mall food area) with stainless steel furniture. A Burger King later (my second this year!) was lunch after which
eveepee and I returned to the station to meet up with the rest of the gang.
Thinking to be smart we hung out at the Parkway Express cafe area with the intention of spotting
BRL who was also arriving by train. At 1355 there was no sign of him so we went down to wait by the telephone booths (as ordered). Doing so we saw four folks in the middle of the car park but as they paid no attention to us we assumed they were nowt to do wi' PPRuNe. Ten minutes later
eveepee suggested we approach the Luton Parkway Four and if they didn't react properly to an "if I say PPRuNE do you know what I mean" approach we would retire without embarrassment! Needless to say the 'Four were our gang.
A short car ride to the Tower, where we were met by
Vintage ATCO and taken by lift to the top of the 157' (did I get that right?) tower - significantly taller than the towers at LHR and LGW anyway, as I subsequently found out. The working staff, three in all, were calm, professional, laid back and totally kewl with our being there and
Vintage ATCO explained how things work. The airport was reasonably busy with Easy, Britannia, Monarch and a few biz jets coming/going. When told that NATS is desperate for applicants I grumbled that my age is against me - why, if one's aptitude is fine and one's health is fine should one be disqualified by virtue of age alone!! T'ain't fair!!
I wanna be an ATCO :: pouts and stomps foot::!!!!!!!
We probably outstayed our welcome but no-one told us - at the 2hr point, however, another group was due to invade so we left the tower - impressed with the easy (no pun intended) way in which the whole process is run, from the printout from West Drayton to the taxi instructions (managing a cul-de-sac apron)!! It was for me too soon over, I could happily sit with a view of an airport all day!! Oh well ... dat's my weakness!
A quick decision was taken to round off the day with a couple of drinks and we hi-ed ourselves to Harpenden and the New Bell (something Bell anyway) Inn and hung out there for at least another hour! Thanks to
iainpoll and
dondcake (guess I should check the names) for the lifts - unfortunately
distaffbeancounter had a couple of errands to run and couldn't join us (I never did get to ask where she got her biplane gold jewellery from!).
Finally us train-going folks were taken to the station by
iainpolland Thameslink brought us home GO
BRL !!! D'you know it had not occurred to me before the other day that the leaves on the line "excuse" for trains being delayed is nothing to do with trains accelerating - more a question of can they stop!! Quite scary when you think about it!
Anyway ... thanks again to all who made the day possible!