Originally Posted by
Talkdownman
It started life as a Decca 424, and dates from the early to mid-fifties, so it is around 60 years old. Story goes that Dan-Air procured in the early seventies from an ex-Navy source. Sadly the long and short range tubes gave up the ghost in 2013, and were disposed of along with the control panel, but the the head and turning gear remain. I understand that the head was tidied up and re-coated.
It gets the jets in...when it's not raining...
Don't know exactly when Dan Air installed the 424 at Lasham however the Ecko ARAA was still in use in the early '80s until Arthur Beaton left 'cos several guys from Farnborough visited late '70s with a view to doing relief duties for Arthur and I remember them describing it to me.
A retired Farnborough controller (the late Byron Jones) actually did join Dan Air, (must've been about '81 'cos I remember him trying to cope with Farnborough's new SSR equipped displays and they weren't installed until '81), and operated the ARAA, along with LATCC retiree Des Middleton.