Garston Hold

[airsmiles]

I was reading an account of the 1965 BEA Vanguard accident at Heathrow recently and it made a reference to aircraft stacking at the Garston hold. I've never heard of this before and wondered if it still exists or what became of it.

Does anyone know of the Garston hold?

[Loki]

Didn't that used to be Ongar? It was a long time ago.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Garston is now Bovingdon.

[Sygyzy]

Well...almost. Wasn't Garston the VOR located on Leavesden Airfield. We used to use a radial from Garston to find Elstree in the mid sixties.

HD I bow to your greater knowledge/memory-just trying to keep the record straight.

S

[obwan]

Burnham +3 Beacon Hill at 4. Happy days:D

[DaveReidUK]

Well...almost. Wasn't Garston the VOR located on Leavesden Airfield. We used to use a radial from Garston to find Elstree in the mid sixties.

Yes, the hold at Watford was replaced by the Leavesden VOR in 1962, with the name changed to the more radio-friendly Garston the following year.

Garston was in operation up to 1970, when it was replaced by Bovingdon.

[DaveReidUK]

Didn't that used to be Ongar?

Ongar was renamed Lambourne in 1974.

[chevvron]

GAR was situated very close to Watford ATC Squadron's hut. I seem to recall there was also a WAT NDB for use when GAR was on maintenance.
Ongar was re-named supposedly because with some non native English speakers, it sounded very similar to OCKHAM when spoken in full (some of those old 'D' men being a bit hard of hearing!).

[airsmiles]

Thanks all. I didn't realise there was so much history to Heathrow holds!

[Vercingetorix]

chevvron

(some of those old 'D' men being a bit hard of hearing!).

My hearing is A OK, thank you.

:p

[Minesthechevy]

Say again all after 'my hearing '......

[chevvron]

I only said 'some'.
I remember P.B-S; not only would he 'cup' his ear when you spoke to him saying 'what was that my blossom?' but hand him an FPS and he would first of all squint at it from about 6 inches, then hold it at arms length to read it!

[Fokkerwokker]

Sygyzy is quite right about using the GAR to perform 'unoffishul' let downs into Elstree. It used to be a good instructor wheeze to pile 4 into a Cherokee, on a grotty day, to see how quick the weather check to GAR and back could be done.

ISTR the Watford NDB was situated a couple of fields to the north of Elstree? Remember peering out of the back of a British Eagle Viscount in that hold looking down on 'Fred's Sheds' at Radlett and all the Victors parked out there.

[Lon More]

(some of those old 'D' men being a bit hard of hearing!).

Not just the d men. Some of their Lordships couldn't tell the difference between West Raynham and West Drayton thereby condemning many to spend their working lives in an old prison :sad:

IIRC wasn't GAR next to the road to St. Albans at a set of traffic lights just N of the Green line Garage? Or was that the NDB?

The ünofficial" approach to Elstree contributed to the death of Graham Hill and his passengers I believe

[Talkdownman]

WAT NDB was at Aldenham just behind the 'Round Bush' Peugeot Garage, 279 K/cs ISTR. The EGLL northern hold was relocated to a new facility LEA VOR located on Leavesden Aerodrome, 112.3 M/cs ISTR. WAT NDB was retained because it was an airways point source aid. "Leave Leavesden" was a bit of a mouthful so it became Garston GAR, same installation, different coding. Thereafter replaced by Bovingon DVOR on Bovingdon aerodrome. DRuk seems to have the dates at his fingertips. I was a D-Man and I am now deaf with Tinnitus. My AME tells me it is the result of wearing a headset for 46 years. Say again all after 'over'...

[cambioso]

You might be deaf as a post, blind as a bat and a Grumpy Old Bastard Malcie.........................But I will always love you!!!
Regards,
Jezza
P.S. And a Sad Old Git for knowing all that twaddle as well!!!!
I wouldn't have got where I am today by knowing twaddle...................

[chevvron]

Talkdownman an ex 'D' man? But the minimum age for that was 70, or so it appeared from the ones on 'D' Watch at LATCC.
Don't tell me you've been fooling us all these years, making out you're only a couple of years older than me.

[Talkdownman]

D25/25E.
You were on the wrong watch...

[2 sheds]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8425/7603522012_d2533479d4_m.jpg

[Fokkerwokker]

2 sheds

Need a bionic eye to see that!!!

:p

[Talkdownman]

Ah, Sweet Neuralgia! I remembere eet well (he says in voice of Maurice Chevalier....). I can see it through my monocle. But feel free to enlarge it (The chart I mean). May I have a full-sized copy for posterity, please?

Those were the days when every 707 in the world would fit line abreast across Amber One at Dav...124.6 and all that...

[ZOOKER]

Is that tantalising nugget from a 'Birch and Bramson' book Sheds, or do you have the whole chart?

Wherever it's from, please will you scan the rest of it. including the date. :ok:

[Eric T Cartman]

When I was about to leave British Railways for a career in ATC, the District Operating Superintendent at Euston commented to me that he lived in Garston & often saw & heard aircraft holding over his house - however he was about to leave them behind and move to Bovingdon. Let's just say he was not amused when I told him the hold was moving there too ! :)

[Lon More]

Is that tantalising nugget from a 'Birch and Bramson' book
Must be a newer edition than mine then.
Just a handrawn map with a Blue 1 and a Green 1 and a Red 1.

I feel a song coming on.