STPO.Not heard that phrase for years. I must be getting old!

In the 90s, we had several ATSAs at Farnborough who'd originally been STPOs.
When I was 'recruited' to be an ATCA by NATCS starting in early 1969, (I'd actually passed the interview in late 1967 but then there was a freeze on civil service recruiting with NATCS being part of the Board of Trade) I was told to report to West Drayton. On arrival that first day, I was amazed at the number of times we were asked to either 'go and have a cup of tea' or 'have you had a cup of tea?'
There were about 12 of us starting that day, and after we'd had a cup of tea, we were redirected to the LATCC Training Section which was in the old SATCC at Heathrow,(where the Compass Centre now stands) which still housed the radar part of LATCC - only the procedural side was at West Drayton. As I was still living with my parents in Chesham, Bucks, the journey to WD was an easy commute in 35-45 min. We spent a week at Heathrow, then went to the College of ATC at Hurn for our 4 week Initial ATCA Course.
I spent the following 8 months at WD, then went to the radar unit at Heathrow for training as a CCTV board assistant. 12 months later, in early 1971, I was on the watch which closed down the LATCC radar unit when Mediator Stage 1 commenced. In Sep 1971, I left LATCC to commence my ATCO Cadet course and I must say I enjoyed every minute I spent at WD. I did several liaison visits to WD between 1974 and 2006, my final experience of WD was to attend simulator training and famil with Thames Radar/SVFR prior to the introduction of the extended Farnborough LARS in 2007 when LACC had already moved out. Shortly after this of course, LTCC moved to Swanwick and WD closed.

When I was a lowly-paid clerk in the Min of Av in the early 1960s the white block on the north side of London Airport was always referred to as the "Southern Centre" and its full name was written on the outside wall in large metal letters.

The Centre Superintendent's name was Len something (I can't recall his surname). Come the day when workmen took down the metal letters to do some repainting some ATC wags on the night duty rehung some of the letters to read "Len's Cafe". Next morning the car park was full of lorries.....

Does anyone know how far down the LATCC building went? I was told about 5 floors but I never investigated in case I had an accident down there, never to be found!

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"Come the day when workmen took down the metal letters to do some repainting some ATC wags on the night duty rehung some of the letters to read "Len's Cafe". "


HD, how do you get letters for LEN'S CAFE from SOUTHERN CENTRE ?? There is no L, A or F in.........

You women are so picky:ok:

There was with 'AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL' in the middle...

Thanks folks.

In my defence, modom, I did say:

"referred to as the "Southern Centre" and its full name was written on the outside wall in large metal letters."

By "full name" I meant the whole thing.

We went walkabout one night duty, passed through a number of unlocked heavy fire or blast doors and ended up in a large ampitheatre. Further exploration was bought to a halt by the appearance of a number of pissed-off Rockapes
I forget what my miserable pittance was when I joined in '67. Suffice to say it was so little that i also got meal vouchers.(worth 3/6 p.w. IIRC) . Come my next birthday i got an increase of 2/6 p.w. but the meal vouchers stopped. :ugh:
I'm now getting an OAP from the UK for the three years undetected (mostly) crime I committed there. It's more than I was paid back then each week by the Campaign Against Aviation

I did an Air Britain visit to Southern Air Traffic Control Centre in about 1966 when there were still radar heads just outside the building and 'procedural' and FIR were still there. By the time I was summoned to West Drayton about 3 years later, the procedural side and FIR had moved there leaving just radar at Heathrow.

All the time I worked at the Heathrow Radar section of LATCC I never knew there was a bunker underneath. Heathrow Mil, forerunner on LonMil, operated above ground mostly in a separate room but they did occasionally operate from a couple of 'fonts' in the civil radar room under the guise of 'SEJAO', which eventually became LJAO.

The man who recorded VOLMET also operated at the old radar unit. One of my colleagues incurred his wrath one morning when he accidentally beeped his car horn; a VOLMET update was just being done and the 'beep' went on the tape, so he had to start again! Apparently the window flew open and a stream of profanities was directed at my colleague!

Lucky he wasn't at Aberdeen, waiting for the last Danair of the day. :O

Did you hear the one about the last Dan Air of the day at Glasgow and the Glasgow ATIS?

I thought it was Aberdeen and the Aberdeen ATIS??
Yep heard it!!!

Aberdeen, Danair, LATCC, No Swanwick, Happy days!

I love living in Hampshire, hated west Drayton, and the M25/ M4 drive. Best thing NATS have done for years, move from that dump.

I loved living in Hampshire but it was Swanwick I hated.

Worked both the Southern Centre on EGLL Northside and LATCC and it was a hoot, great bunch of people. No regrets, glad I didn't move to Hampshire as I lived in London W2 (Sussex Mews).
Reason for leaving NATS was the coming forced move to 'ampshire.

:uhoh:

Fag-ash Lil was another good reason to get out

Fag Ash Lil made a mean steak and chips.

if you could ignore the little extras on the plate and the state of the cooker on North Side

Not talking about 'Gypsy Rose' are we? Did the 'night duties' in the WD canteen?
Len Vass once told me he went down about 4 am and asked for 'egg and chips'. After a few minutes, she poked her head out and said 'are 3 eggs enough dear?'. When she brought his plate out there were 3 eggs on a huge mountain of chips and she said 'not much there, that'll be 1/6d!'(pre 1971 so one shilling and sixpence to you uneducated youngsters - 7.5p in todays money)