Strubby in the Old Days.
Fareastdriver,
Thanks for the Link. Looked it up. And we think we've had troubles with our Air Force !
"I don't think the pilots are flying any more, but the Hunters are" This I've got to see !! (Or did they just flog them back to us ? - UAVs, perhaps ?) There's a story here, FED - please tell us......D.
MPN11,
That made me sit up straight ! Never heard of it ! Straight to Google, turns out to have been some greater entity of which an AN-CPN-4 forms only a part. So that's what you had for a GCA (you had it good).
The picture is wonderful - where to start ?
The tower has been rebuilt. We were in a Mk.1 wartime job, with a sort of pigeon loft stuck on top for Local Control. That was draughty, wet and freezing cold in winter (which as you know, is 11 months of the year in those parts). I think they had an outside staircase to get up on the roof to it.
The CR/DF console looks the same, but what a runaround they gave you ! The CR/DFs I worked there ('55/'58) took only VHF, and when I met UHF for the first time (at Leeming ('67/'72), it was all CA/DF. Never had a dotted line on the tube. No ILS at Strubby in my time.
Squawk box (to GCA?) in front of you. Monitor on the right looks about 50W, should fill Albert Hall. (Can't see your teacup - your Assistants slacking ?)
Note Mount Fuji of dogends at Controller's elbow - fags needed to calm your shattered nerves. But it was a good place to start for you, if you can hack it in a pilot training school, you can hack it anywhere else with one hand tied behind your back.
I was on the School mid '64 to autumn '67. You must have been on your Course when I was there. What were your dates ? You and I are going to have a lot to talk about, for I intend to pick your brains mercilessly, if you'll let me.
Don't go away,
Danny.