ATC History
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Steph started at LL in '83 and I thought it was the "early girls" causing the interest. All the years I worked with GC I didn't even know his wife's name, let alone the fact that she'd been in ATC!!!
Sue and Graham (along with Pete and Dot Wilde) were both controlling at Lindholme in '73 when I was there presumably moving back south when Lindholme closed later that year.
Yeah,T, this started with my enquiry about first female cadets - it's been established that Yvonne Pope was the first lady civilian ATCO, but that must have been about 12 years before No1 Cadet Course.
According to my info' Lindholme closed on 1st Nov 1977 - courtesy Mr G.
According to my info' Lindholme closed on 1st Nov 1977 - courtesy Mr G.
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Jeez you lot have dragged up some memories....
Cec H was a Cadet at Prestwick when Concorde was flight-testing. She got pulled from her position because it was felt inappropriate that a female should talk to such an a/c.
Judi H - I heard the barest of bones of a sad story about 10 years ago about Judi - could someone who knew the outcome PM me?
LG - she'd been in the Mil with a guy called Bob - surname forgotten, but a really nice and affable chap. They met one day in teh Ops Room at Barton Hall and he called her by her ex-mil nickname; she made him promise never to repeat it. Always have wondered what it was......
Cec H was a Cadet at Prestwick when Concorde was flight-testing. She got pulled from her position because it was felt inappropriate that a female should talk to such an a/c.
Judi H - I heard the barest of bones of a sad story about 10 years ago about Judi - could someone who knew the outcome PM me?
LG - she'd been in the Mil with a guy called Bob - surname forgotten, but a really nice and affable chap. They met one day in teh Ops Room at Barton Hall and he called her by her ex-mil nickname; she made him promise never to repeat it. Always have wondered what it was......
Lindhome Mil may have soldiered on until '77 but while I was there in '73, the civil controllers were getting posting notices for LATCC or Eastern and some were about to go/had already gone.
Judy H came to Farnborough at some time (more than 10 years ago, more like late '80s) and before she could validate, was diagnosed with a medical problem (can't remember exactly what but it could have been cerebral) and was posted to a desk job in London.
Judy H came to Farnborough at some time (more than 10 years ago, more like late '80s) and before she could validate, was diagnosed with a medical problem (can't remember exactly what but it could have been cerebral) and was posted to a desk job in London.
Lindholme
Chev', Steve Hobbs and I were on the same watch at LL and I can remember him telling me that at the end of his, 28, course he was posted there - so approx Summer '76.
From there on closure, much to his horror he was posted to ScatCC, Oceanic maybe. He was involved in producing a First Day Cover, dated 1st Nov '77, that commemorated the closure.
His escape tunnel finally reached LL c1980, joining up with Joe hanbury who had come direct from Lindholme in '77.
I believe on closure Eastern expanded to absorb some of its airspace, 'cos I remember a couple of guys being posted from LATCC to Watton and returning c'80 when that too closed.
BW
From there on closure, much to his horror he was posted to ScatCC, Oceanic maybe. He was involved in producing a First Day Cover, dated 1st Nov '77, that commemorated the closure.
His escape tunnel finally reached LL c1980, joining up with Joe hanbury who had come direct from Lindholme in '77.
I believe on closure Eastern expanded to absorb some of its airspace, 'cos I remember a couple of guys being posted from LATCC to Watton and returning c'80 when that too closed.
BW
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Judy H?
I worked with a Judy in the late 80s (can't remember her surname) in the LATCC Development department. She had MS and was quite capable of doing a desk job but was retired under the Loss of Licence Compensation Scheme which required her to completely give up work. There was no partial compensation available for the (probably extended) period when she was capable of making a contribution as an unlicensed person on a lower salary. She wanted to continue to work but it wasn't an option.
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Sorry to hear about Judy, worked with here for 3 years in Belfast..... good times!
On the female related thread I was at Border Radar in 74/75 and some one managed to organise an "All Female" flight, I believe it was a BA shuttle EGLL - EGPF with all female flight-deck / cabin crew and all female controllers.
ex-egll
On the female related thread I was at Border Radar in 74/75 and some one managed to organise an "All Female" flight, I believe it was a BA shuttle EGLL - EGPF with all female flight-deck / cabin crew and all female controllers.
ex-egll
Yvonne Pope
Certainly the first female ATCO, but I would have thought 1950 was very early for her start date, more like 1960. There was still a novelty value for female controllers when I started in 1963, Yvonne still being referred to as the "only" woman ATCO.
There were five females on my Cadet Course (No3) Angela Warren left before the end; Janet Bell and Penny Heirs (?sp) both married fellow course members and left ATC but their husbands didn't. Trudy Hollis worked at Heathrow for many years, then took early retirement to France with her husband Jack Frith, (lovely farm cottage they had!). Gillian Campbell left in the first year after qualifying to work as a "non-state" ATCO for many years at East Midlands, her married name was Reid-Buckle, and after being widowed by an air display accident, she spent several years as SATCO Guernsey then some time at Gibraltar, she still lives in Gib., although now retired.
My memory doesn't run to previous Cadet Courses, but I seem to remember some female cadets on 1 & 2 Courses but I can't supply names or locations.
On the subject of all female crew and Yvonne Pope, she went to fly for DanAir in the mid sixties, and I remember her as a Skipper in 1968/9. Once, I think in the summer of 1969, when I was the Tower Controller, she was attempting a landing in Jersey in a cloud-burst of Monsoon proportions, in an Ambassador with what sounded like a very young female First Officer. When the aircraft had aquaplaned about half of the runway without the loss of one knot of speed, she made the very professional decision to come back later! That was my first experience with an all female crew.
There were five females on my Cadet Course (No3) Angela Warren left before the end; Janet Bell and Penny Heirs (?sp) both married fellow course members and left ATC but their husbands didn't. Trudy Hollis worked at Heathrow for many years, then took early retirement to France with her husband Jack Frith, (lovely farm cottage they had!). Gillian Campbell left in the first year after qualifying to work as a "non-state" ATCO for many years at East Midlands, her married name was Reid-Buckle, and after being widowed by an air display accident, she spent several years as SATCO Guernsey then some time at Gibraltar, she still lives in Gib., although now retired.
My memory doesn't run to previous Cadet Courses, but I seem to remember some female cadets on 1 & 2 Courses but I can't supply names or locations.
On the subject of all female crew and Yvonne Pope, she went to fly for DanAir in the mid sixties, and I remember her as a Skipper in 1968/9. Once, I think in the summer of 1969, when I was the Tower Controller, she was attempting a landing in Jersey in a cloud-burst of Monsoon proportions, in an Ambassador with what sounded like a very young female First Officer. When the aircraft had aquaplaned about half of the runway without the loss of one knot of speed, she made the very professional decision to come back later! That was my first experience with an all female crew.
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Jay Doubleyou
The RAF museum lists her as:
British Civil Aviation in 1950 - Part 2
Whereas the BBC lists her in a Womens Hour programme as:
1960 Yvonne Pope becomes Britain's first woman air traffic controller. She will also became the first woman captain with Dan Air in 1975
Much as I like the BBC I will go with the RAF on this one.
Cheers
The RAF museum lists her as:
British Civil Aviation in 1950 - Part 2
Whereas the BBC lists her in a Womens Hour programme as:
1960 Yvonne Pope becomes Britain's first woman air traffic controller. She will also became the first woman captain with Dan Air in 1975
Much as I like the BBC I will go with the RAF on this one.
Cheers
yvonne Pope
Vercingertorix
Agree that it says so in the Museum's chronology, just it doesn't fit with my memory, unreliable as that is nowadays! Might be the usual hitch of confusing ATC staff, in general, with ATCOs specifically! Same applies to the DanAir captaincy seems later than I remember and very long time between ATCO and Captain, 25 years.
Just read the time line for 1975, it specifically says Jet Airliner captain, which matches my memory of her as a (non-Jet) Captain some years before.
Agree that it says so in the Museum's chronology, just it doesn't fit with my memory, unreliable as that is nowadays! Might be the usual hitch of confusing ATC staff, in general, with ATCOs specifically! Same applies to the DanAir captaincy seems later than I remember and very long time between ATCO and Captain, 25 years.
Just read the time line for 1975, it specifically says Jet Airliner captain, which matches my memory of her as a (non-Jet) Captain some years before.
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Thanks for the update on Gill Reid-Buckle.
I started my ATC career at that same non-state unit with Gill and a great bunch of people. The Approach frequency was the same as the year the airport opened, and the Tower is still 124.0MHz, so work it out for yourselves.
Just for the record, the staff were....
ATCOs:-
Dave Coulson. SATCO
Harry Polloock. Deputy SATCO
Ray Murman.
Dennis O'Connor.
Gill,
Terry Malone.
John Parsons.
Alec Flett.
John (the bins) Smith.
Maurice Buckby.
Pat Patterson.
Gerry Vines.
Bill Maffey.
Paul Whitcher.
John Hall.
John Flynn.
Paul Glasby and Gary Powis passed through as NATCS cadets.
ATCAs (er sorry ATCCs);-
ZOOKER
Julie Wisher.
Anne Conquest.
Linda ? (had a sports car).
Keith Kent.
Karen Smith.
Roger Guy.
Mary O' Dwyer
Mary Bartlett. Married to Chris, who flew PAZTs for Moseley and later ATP's for Loganair.
Fay Pennell, (ATCO u/t), who I believe ended up flying red and silver 747s for that chap with the beard.
The Late Mike Burlyn.
They all complained about the quality of the tea I used to make them!
Eric C. Dyer was The Airport Director.
John ("Day here") Day was the Ops Director.
Sue Carty and Audrey ? among others, ran PABX, below the VCR.
Jim Shepherd was the Airport Engineer
Sincere apologies to anyone I have forgotten.
I started my ATC career at that same non-state unit with Gill and a great bunch of people. The Approach frequency was the same as the year the airport opened, and the Tower is still 124.0MHz, so work it out for yourselves.
Just for the record, the staff were....
ATCOs:-
Dave Coulson. SATCO
Harry Polloock. Deputy SATCO
Ray Murman.
Dennis O'Connor.
Gill,
Terry Malone.
John Parsons.
Alec Flett.
John (the bins) Smith.
Maurice Buckby.
Pat Patterson.
Gerry Vines.
Bill Maffey.
Paul Whitcher.
John Hall.
John Flynn.
Paul Glasby and Gary Powis passed through as NATCS cadets.
ATCAs (er sorry ATCCs);-
ZOOKER
Julie Wisher.
Anne Conquest.
Linda ? (had a sports car).
Keith Kent.
Karen Smith.
Roger Guy.
Mary O' Dwyer
Mary Bartlett. Married to Chris, who flew PAZTs for Moseley and later ATP's for Loganair.
Fay Pennell, (ATCO u/t), who I believe ended up flying red and silver 747s for that chap with the beard.
The Late Mike Burlyn.
They all complained about the quality of the tea I used to make them!
Eric C. Dyer was The Airport Director.
John ("Day here") Day was the Ops Director.
Sue Carty and Audrey ? among others, ran PABX, below the VCR.
Jim Shepherd was the Airport Engineer
Sincere apologies to anyone I have forgotten.
Last edited by ZOOKER; 30th May 2011 at 20:26.
Yvonne Pope
I just had a brainwave - not like me really, normally not enough brain cells to wave! - went onto a website entitled DanAir Association and found a letter written by the lady containing a brief resume of her life.
I'm not clever enough to copy it onto here,so brief outline:-
Born Pretoria SA 1930,family moved to UK near Croydon Airport 1936 and like many of us her love of aviation was kindled by the proximity of an airfield.
Joined BOAC as a stewardess and learned to fly at their aero club. Married an instructor and became Mrs Pope. Sadly he died in 1957.
After instructing at Exeter for several years she joined the MOA in 1960 as a trainee ATCO.
Eventually flew with Morton and Dan but retired early in 1980 to be with hubbie No2 in Menorca.
I'm not clever enough to copy it onto here,so brief outline:-
Born Pretoria SA 1930,family moved to UK near Croydon Airport 1936 and like many of us her love of aviation was kindled by the proximity of an airfield.
Joined BOAC as a stewardess and learned to fly at their aero club. Married an instructor and became Mrs Pope. Sadly he died in 1957.
After instructing at Exeter for several years she joined the MOA in 1960 as a trainee ATCO.
Eventually flew with Morton and Dan but retired early in 1980 to be with hubbie No2 in Menorca.