ATC History
Join Date: Jun 2003
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i can remember - for some odd reason! - a S650 radar sitting on the maintenance area car park roof at heathrow. was it ever used??
we had a cracking ASMI in those days which went rapidly west one dark night shift when the steering gear broke spilling an exxon valdez amount of oil down the tower windows. a sad demise for a terrific piece of kit.
we had a cracking ASMI in those days which went rapidly west one dark night shift when the steering gear broke spilling an exxon valdez amount of oil down the tower windows. a sad demise for a terrific piece of kit.
Join Date: May 2002
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Back to Gailes and Loki's query. Yes they had type 7 and type 14, which I vaguely remember came as 14 high and 14 low. They also had height finders which looked like a type 7 turned through 90º vertically and nodding rather than rotating. I'm not 100% certain of my ground here as, although I was briefly at Redbrae and Atlantic house, I never actually got inside Gailes. Incidentally did one of them not have a fairly slow rotation rate.
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Mr Grubby
Ah the 264, so good, they gave us 2 of them....coverage was still ropy, especially prone to tangential fade, the AD210 came in very useful to guesstimate where on base leg the blighters were.
Ah the 264, so good, they gave us 2 of them....coverage was still ropy, especially prone to tangential fade, the AD210 came in very useful to guesstimate where on base leg the blighters were.
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SATCC was in 'Block number 1', toooo close to the Peggy Bedford for Government Work.....
Spent the afternoon in the Croydon VCR today. Not many movements. The lines to Pulham and Lympne were down too.
Ace was asking the Croydon location indicator. Anybody remember? GACA? Heathrow was GALA and Gatwick was GAKA.
Spent the afternoon in the Croydon VCR today. Not many movements. The lines to Pulham and Lympne were down too.
Ace was asking the Croydon location indicator. Anybody remember? GACA? Heathrow was GALA and Gatwick was GAKA.
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Talkdownman
According to this handy site
Scramble Locations Database
Croydon was GABA
Mind you it gives Heathrow`s original locator as GAAA
According to this handy site
Scramble Locations Database
Croydon was GABA
Mind you it gives Heathrow`s original locator as GAAA
Join Date: Mar 2002
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For Loki, et al - your Type 14 can still be found at the Museum of Flight, over at East Fortune. Anyone remember what the big back-to-back thing was on the hill above Gailes/Loans ?? Some sort of jammer ??
More than just an ATCO
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Liobian It was some sort of over the horizon thing IIRC
Slightly off topic, remember the various canteens? The one on North Side should have carried a health warning. Even the cockroaches wiped their feet as they left.
Slightly off topic, remember the various canteens? The one on North Side should have carried a health warning. Even the cockroaches wiped their feet as they left.
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<<Spent the afternoon in the Croydon VCR today.>
Ahh.. I used to go to school very close to Croydon, which is why I did so bad with my GCEs!! One of my masters used to fly a Dak there part time..
Malc.... did u know that JK used to work at Croydon?
Ahh.. I used to go to school very close to Croydon, which is why I did so bad with my GCEs!! One of my masters used to fly a Dak there part time..
Malc.... did u know that JK used to work at Croydon?
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hey HD - JK used to work at croydon?? that'll be the only place he worked then!!
mind you - 28L single/ Pan Am 74 on DTY followed by Lufthansa 73 DVR / Trident @4nm
74 cleared for t/o - rolls. then lufti cleared for t/o before 74 airborne / lufti rolls / trident cleared to land. no probs = could only have been JK!
happy days
jc
mind you - 28L single/ Pan Am 74 on DTY followed by Lufthansa 73 DVR / Trident @4nm
74 cleared for t/o - rolls. then lufti cleared for t/o before 74 airborne / lufti rolls / trident cleared to land. no probs = could only have been JK!
happy days
jc
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1. According to the 'Records Broken' displayed on the sixth floor SBU wall JK held the record for the most aircraft cleared for take off at the same time.
(HD, can you remember any of the other dubious 'records' ? I Can't, I havn't had the nurse yet....)
2. Croydon Tower is open first sunday of every month 1100-1600. See:
http://www.croydonairport.org.uk/
Be warned. There isn't a lift nor a Stannah.
Free entry for any ATCO called Mr. Cholmondly-Warner.
3. ISTR that GAAA was the London Airport Comms Centre. For routing W/T messages probably.
Aaaah....Lamson tubes.....
(HD, can you remember any of the other dubious 'records' ? I Can't, I havn't had the nurse yet....)
2. Croydon Tower is open first sunday of every month 1100-1600. See:
http://www.croydonairport.org.uk/
Be warned. There isn't a lift nor a Stannah.
Free entry for any ATCO called Mr. Cholmondly-Warner.
3. ISTR that GAAA was the London Airport Comms Centre. For routing W/T messages probably.
Aaaah....Lamson tubes.....
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<<(HD, can you remember any of the other dubious 'records' ? I Can't, I havn't had the nurse yet....)>>
Only other record I recall was PB taking a short break one day... I've certainly been the phones man when Jake had about 10 cleared for take-off - the last just crossing the northern dual for 28L. Nobody before or since has shifted planes like him and the pilots loved it; they probably wouldn't nowadays!!
Only other record I recall was PB taking a short break one day... I've certainly been the phones man when Jake had about 10 cleared for take-off - the last just crossing the northern dual for 28L. Nobody before or since has shifted planes like him and the pilots loved it; they probably wouldn't nowadays!!
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<<Only other record I recall was PB taking a short break one day>>
Wot? All in one day? Was he in the country at the time......?
JK, PB, AC, HD......'Living Legends'....the list goes on......tap the info before it is too late....!
[ ' Interesting that they were all on 'A' Watch..... ;-)) ]
Wot? All in one day? Was he in the country at the time......?
JK, PB, AC, HD......'Living Legends'....the list goes on......tap the info before it is too late....!
[ ' Interesting that they were all on 'A' Watch..... ;-)) ]
Regarding Heathrow Director's concern over the innaccuracies of ADS-B information, the current situation is that arond 80% of flights in European airspace are fitted with ADS-B and are broadcasting...BUT...most are not yet certificated. When they are, the information should be better than radar.
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Bergerie1. I'd be very suprised if 80% was the figure; very few business jets or military aircraft transmit ADS-B and many airlines aircraft do not - e.g. some British Airways aircraft. I would suggest that the figure is closer to 60%. Obviously it is not mandatory in any EU airspace so I accept that many aircraft may have the capability.
I would be interested to know how ADS-B will better ground-based radar. ADS-B depends on the crew properly setting up the equipment and in my experience a significant number do not. I was watching a European airline B737 "landing" on Ascot Racecourse a day or two ago; in 30+ years of using ground-based radar I never saw a similar occurrence.
I would be interested to know how ADS-B will better ground-based radar. ADS-B depends on the crew properly setting up the equipment and in my experience a significant number do not. I was watching a European airline B737 "landing" on Ascot Racecourse a day or two ago; in 30+ years of using ground-based radar I never saw a similar occurrence.