Everyone had a choice, working for NATS isn't the only job going.

BD

ask your military colleagues about postings.

old saying, "a change is as good as a rest"

Transition went very smoothly (but we've had some practice at it) and things are holding up. Just a slight glitch getting the afternoon watch up from Manch due to the fog.

BD

Remind Shannon you have changed your name - I compromised on Manchester North this morning coming through LIFFY.... :ok:

Good luck to all the folks, will miss the odd visit at MAN.

Well as merely a listener since 1975, thanks for some hilarity and non standard phraseology on occasion to keep me amused - and the good service you gave to all. :ok:

Good luck to all of you ex MACCers whatever you are going to do now.

Suzeman

Not nice!
 

Having just completed an Afternoon shift at Manchester on the Airport side of the house I can honestly say that is was a very unpleasant days work!

Having to work in an Ops room that looked like something from the Mary Celeste, devoid of so many friends that were there yesterday and with a very eerie atmosphere, I came away feeling very depressed, and I know it probably sounds childish and imature, but I found it very upsetting.:{
Some may say "Get over it and move on" and I know I will and that this will pass as time goes on, but none-the-less it was very disquieting, so much so that you could almost say it was a "distraction in the ops room", which we seem to be banging on about these days as being a safety issue. Well this aspect hadn't been thought about I'm sure?

Now on a completely differing tac, it does get me very cross to have to say to Departures " Contact Scottish Control on 1*****" How stupid does that sound coming from ENGLAND?

Good luck to all who have moved on and to those who chose or were not given the option to. It's true what they say, you don't know what you'll miss until it's gone, - what a crap feeling:*

Adola69.

If its any consolation it was a wierd feeling from 5yrs and 3000+ miles away. Couldn't get the place out of my head yesterday.

You had to be there to understand.

Adola,
It's Marie Celeste....
And you "used" to whinge and bitch about MACC....even in the lift last night :ok:

About the same as coming from the UK

What?
 

Hi Lon More, I'm not be understanding your Dutch sense of humour for sure?

Not lost your bicycle again have you? :oh:

Adios amigo.

Now Chiglet,
The spell checker corrected the Marie to Mary, - Doh :*
I wasn't in the lift with you and I never did "whinge and bitch" about MACC - don't forget that I was a MACCer once, not a very good one I admit, but who would have thought that a PA-34 Seneca could outclimb an L-1011 going to Gatwick ??? - still, they missed !
The question is who are you confusing me with - and don't say a proper controller! :}

I've just done my second Afternoon shift and it's still a crap feeling!:(

Adola ( Ahhhh -those were the days :) )

I too had a moment of reflection for my former colleagues at MACC. 9 months since I left after 28 years there, so from 8000nm away the best of luck for the future and I hope in time PC turns out well. They were great people to work with. I was fortunate to have the best years of NATS at the best unit.

I met a very few of the MACCers when I visited both the tower and area (thanks Chiglet). I have heard many more during the time that I lived close to EGCC.

More recently, I have had to guess what MACC has been saying - where I live now, I can only hear those at the pointy end and have to guess what the controllers are saying.

Some good memories there!! Hope all goes well, both for those that have "gone North" and for those that have not.

Cheers!!

Nick

BBC News - New Prestwick air traffic control centre opens

Handles 9000 flights a year!! Nice reporting from the BBC

Prestwick Centre
 

BBC now updated - now states 900,000 flights

Can anyone tell me where the "Fourth Centre" was? We could have been posted there....instead......Me? Haven't gone north. Just thinking of the other guy/gals options....
I think that we should be told.......

Aah, welcome to the world of bright lights and small fridges.

As a pc vet one tip... bag a decent chair...your a:mad:se will love you for it.

West Drayton (now closed)
Swanwick
Manchester (now closed)
Prestwick

BD

Manchester was a small, "old-fashioned" intimate unit where everyone was friendly and there was a modicum of morale. I used to work at such a unit at LHR and laterly B Watch at West Drayton. I too felt the loss of intimacy, comradeship, friendliness, call it what you will when Swanwick opened accompanied by that poisoned chalice of privatisation. I can well understand the reservations of staff transferred from Manchester to Scotland. It could be worse, you could have been transferred to Swanwick!

Glad it all went smoothly.

To all those that havemoved up from Manchester, enjoy. I spent 24 years at Atlantic House and wouldn't have changed a minute of it.

The rest of the ex-MACC staff who have taken VR will finally be leaving work tomorrow, or later this week. Best of luck to you all :ok: