Where are they now..........
 

Anyone know what happened to some of the characters of ATC.

Such as The Harkins twins, Jim McC, and TGP - all ex A watch of the 80s.

:D

One of the Harkins twins got a job with Eurocontrol in EBBR.
Last time we spoke he was trying to get back into NATS!!!! (mad Scottish Fool)

Jimmy Mac I last heard of was living with his father in Scotland.

TGP ??? Who he ? I know a TCP.

Mr G.

Harkins is now in Rome!! duuno quite what he does there ....but it probably is female with a pulse:D :D

eastern wiseguy

...........but it probably is female with a pulse.

Stevie must be mellowing in his old age.
Obviously more discerning now.
Use to be 'a recent pulse' was enough !

Mr G.
:) :) :)

Why dont you
 

TRY POSTING ON THE NATS FORUM

TT,

No need to shout!!

Perhaps some of the people concerned are now ex-NATS therfore they wouldnt see the post?

I believe that TCP is alive and well as a Flow Manager (probably the incorrect title) on B Watch at Swanwick.

Anyone know what happened to 'Bucket' Mills?

Sorry BB apparently my message was misunderstood
 

...post somewhere else

Hydroforming Bushmaster

Now there's a character. Tony 'Bucket' Mills.
I spent many hours alongside him on the south bank, D Watch LATCC in the seventies.

Great guy. Interesting to work with !

The last I saw of him he was driving out the main gate at LATCC on his last day, wearing a balaclava and driving his old Morris Minor back to Wiltshire.

Mr G.

Excuse TT, he's had a bad weekend. I think someone accused him of being Lon More:D

Could have been worse..
 

They could have accused you of being Traffic Traffic....or from Swan....oops better stop there!

You live and learn, I never realised that Harkins came in pairs, one was enough!! Last I remember of Stevie, was working with him in EGAA back in the late 70's

ex EGLL. I think the split happened after being at West Drayton for about 6 or 7 years.

And where's Ron Hall, ex D watch

HALIFAX

I was speaking to Ron yesterday.
He is alive and well living in Farnham, Surrey.

We will be having a beer soon. If you mail me your ID I will pass on any message. He is still the same. What a waste to ATC.

Mr G.

I know I'm going off too far off topic but (a) I'm too tiddled to start a new thread and (b) those nice folk at Maastricht would get cross that I wasn't posting in a private forum.

Anyway - has anyone got a copy of Not Airway that they could scan in? Or upload to a website?

No connection with any previous posts intended of course

HB

Hydroforming Bushmaster
 

Oh dear, I do believe that any mention of NotAirway contravenes Forum Rules and The Public Health Act.

Last I heard, those responsible had had their ears sewn to their knees, and placed in a septic tank in Arbroath.

Harkins.........?

The last time I saw him (Sept 00) He had a bust nose and was shouting expletives with his pants 'round his ankles in a well known British bar in Luxembourg!


I wouldn't be where I am today without the professional and social guidance of Harkins....!


:cool:

Harkins Twins
 

A spectacular circus act as I recall. Previous correspondence on this subject is correct inasmuch as there was originally only one Harkins (mono version). The miraculous conversion came about during a particularly hectic inbound rush on TMA(SW) one day, summer, mid 80s. Stevie became so excited, he accidentally reproduced himself via binary fission, and became Nice Steve/Nasty Steve aka The Harkins Twins (stereo version). We can only hope and pray, in these days of Dolby Pro Logic Surround Sound, that the process is complete.

I remember Stevie and Jim McC very well, good drinking buddies and v.dangerous to boot, and bloody good controllers.

Bucket Mills is now a doorstop at The Tate Modern.

On a completely separate topic, what was that story about Uwe the eurocontroller who received a charming postcard ?

...or was that Grenville Padgett ?;)

Is that the (in)famous Jim McCormack, originally at Redbrae in early 70's? He used to drink Guinness out of a four pint Tea Pot?
Spill the beans on the PC to Uwe.

Bluenote.
Great post. One flaw though.
As far as I remember, the twins never did the TMA.
West End, DVR/LYD and SFD/WOR/HURN only and DFR.
Mr G.

Did the twins not do LUS and LMS as well or is the old memory playing tricks?

Mr.Grubby

You are quite correct. Such was the strange and terrible power of the twins that they sometimes appeared to be where they were not, a bit like C Watch spinners.

Can anybody remember the true story about Jimmie Mac and the Grenville Paget comment?

Before we bury the Twins and Jimmy can we just reflect on the plus side.
Stevie, along with Criss Herbert, Clint Gurry, Steve Hobbs and Nigel Warner started UKATTS back in the 80’s. Whatever happened to them ? How many people have had cheap/free flights as a result of their unpaid efforts ? Well, as for Jimmy, the hop industry in Kent would not have survived without him ! Stevie was responsible for getting whole football teams to all over Europe for the annual Controllers Football Cup using his various contacts.
Real characters.
Simon.

simon niceguy

As far as I can see, nothing detrimental to either Steve or Jimmy has been posted so far, indeed it reads like a valediction. Their combined exploits would fill a website. None of them (if you count Steve as two) ever sought praise or recognition for their hard work, nor did the others mentioned. As for Clint Gurry, well.......

Hydroforming, If my memory serves me well, Mr. Chips, (havent seen a post from him for ages, perhaps he's changed IDs) used to have a mint copy of 'Not Airway'. Try him.

Simon. Just on a minor point of historical accuracy. Chris Herbert of Heathrow and Doug Maclean of Prestwick started the UKATTS idea and asked the others you mentioned if they would like to assist in spreading it across the UK. Clint Gurry was a bit later than the original team and you for got Joe Hanbury. A couple of others were involved who never became known because at that time it was all hush hush in case CAA management had a go - ergo the original need to be a Union member for protection.

The Harkins twins also were involved briefly around the time Clint helped. The twins were not used for the delicate tasks of approaching airlines - for obvious reasons :)

There were some characters in the 70s / 80s. Shame the new breed so boring. They show no interest in anything normal such as being abusive, getting drunk and pulling the girlie ATSAs.:D

Good lord, zygote, I had no idea such shenanigans ensued during those heady days. Most of my time was spent perusing MATS Pt.II, and the strongest language heard on sector in those times was "Gadzooks!". This new lot sound just what is needed - a bit of moral fibre to set an example to the more lax brethren.:rolleyes:

Findo

Feel I must take you to task about your comment re the Twins.

……….the twins were not used for the delicate task of approaching airlines …….

Far from it.
They (he) was responsible for most of the early airlines that chose to join UKATTS.
BIA/Air Florida (EGKK/ EHAM £5) Malev, Long Weekend, Confirmed Seat. Full Board 5* Hotel £149. British Midland. BA long talks with Jock Lowe. (initially ID 80%), Egypt Air. Air France (before Senior Management pulled the plug.) Then there were all the Yugoslavian Airlines that came on board as a result of his contacts. Monarch. Air Europe. Orion. All joined. Kuwait across the pond for £15. (no booze though !) Then he spent many evenings showing Interline staff round LATCC doing a PR job with Hobbs and Gurry. Getting tanked up all the time for the benefit of the membership was not easy. Don’t forget these were the days before low cost airlines. ATC staff had no access to cheap flights. OK they were only available to ACTOs at first. There was a little resistance when it was suggested that ATSAs be admitted to the scheme. But most people involved wanted to get the Club up and running before embarking on a major expansion of the membership. But UKATTS survived to be where it is today.
First class job.

Simon.

What happened to Andy Bardsley - once at LATCC, believed to have gone to MACC.

Yes Andy "you turkey" Bardsley finally escaped to MACC. His ever smiling face and love of NATS management is sorely missed at Swanwick. I am sure his unrivalled P.R. skills could have sorted this mess out by now.

Andy Bardsley is On "B" watch at MACC {the watch that I am on..:rolleyes: He has been "Castgated" for his "displays" :D
we aim to please it keeps the cleaners happy

How many people are still around from the old Preston Centre?

Now that was a unit and a half.

Drinking and sex was compulsory, work was optional and no one of my era had anything but the time of their lives their.

Anyone have any memories of characters?

Kath Jackson and Myra. From PATCRU, me and a few others:D
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

I was at PATCC. Agree with the previous comments. Especially the drinking, and then maybe climbing the mast instesd of going to the bog. LOL. Then there were the billetts. I think there were more men in the womens billett most nights. Climbing on the roofs and dropping 'bangers' down the chimneys of those that had fires lit, especially if there was some 'hanky panky' going on. Oh those were the days when ATC was enjoyable!!
;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

Where are they now
 

Jimmy Mac is living in Linlithgow in Scotland, his father is dead