Court Line

[Lee Baker Street]

Whilst I was a wee bit too young to remember Court Line I did purchase the book From Take-off to Touchdown (having witnessed a Court Line staff re-union at the former spectators building around 1994 period?) which is one of the most interesting airline books I have ever purchased, however I thought I might advise your group that Luton Culture have recently released a book written by Peter Simpkins titled London Luton Airport-75 years Anniversary Book.

There are plenty of pictures covering the 30's til the present day.

[Jaqui Maschera]

Luton Culture

Thanks for the info about the book. I will contact them and see what we can do about it.

[Jaqui Maschera]

LOCKHEED

Anyone have a contact address for the Lockheed group that were in Luton with us at the start - Rodney Boon, Bill Garley, Ed Muselli, John Patterson, Charlie Marks to name the most famous!!!

[lynne philpot]

1967 LUTON CRASH

My father Harold Dryhurst and another pilot were killed when their plane crashed near Kimpton road on the roof of Vauxhall motors on 23/12/67. Apparently a plaque was placed some where near the incident.
Does anyone know where it was or is? He was training captain for Autair international and instrument ratings examiner for CAA at Stansted and was killed during a training flight in Beecham's H S 125.
I am happy to pay a fee for the plaque, so if you know anyone who works in Vauxhall's archives?
Some suggested the plaque was placed on or in E block, now demolished.

[Lindylu]

Blast from the Past

Hello Dave Williams,

I remember you well. I was in passenger services Autair & Courtline and did my cabin crew training in 1968. I left a year before Courtline folded to fly private with McAlpine. I flew with them for 7 years and have lived abroad for many years. I now find myself back in Luton very happily retired.

Do you remember me?

I flew many times with your Father (he was quite scary !!!!)

Best wishes

Lindy Underwood. xx

[Lindylu]

Memories

I think I may have been that "LULU" in question. I vaguely remember being delayed and missing a couple of New Years Eve parties that I had promised to attend in Luton.

best wishes

Lindy (LU)

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

The Lovely Lindy Underwood !

[LTNman]

lynne philpot You could try here Contacts Listing

or here Vauxhall Media - United Kingdom - Heritage Centre to see if any contacts can put you in touch with the right person.

[rog747]

callsign?

was rather nice to see a Court 777! - also anyone remember the Courtline call sign please was it Halcyon?

Jetabout - Fantasy takes flight

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Homag...071856?fref=nf

[Halcyon Days]

Its a long time ago now but I think we simply used registrations in those days-although a lot of airlines were using companies type call signs.
i.e Golf alpha xray mike golf etc.
It may have changed just before their collapse-but I had left by then?

[22/04]

Almost always registrations as call signs, sometimes preceded by Court Line e.g. "court line golf mike golf". Best one I remember was when the TrStars had US crew, training

"Luton Approach TriStrar Trainer Triple Alpha"

Flight numbers were used for a while in I think 1970- I think because it was easier during some kind of European ATC dispute. Britannia changed at this time too and never reverted to registration callsigns but Court Line did and kept them to the end.

[rog747]

many thanks for the replies

[rog747]

court tristar question - black 80 painted on nose?

may i ask what was the large black 80 painted near the nose of the aircraft on the forward fuselage please

http://www.al-airliners.be/b-c/court/coutri.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8497/8...8977f919_z.jpg

Photo Court Line Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar G-BAAA

what was it for and what did it mean

thanks!

[treadigraph]

Rog, I'd guess it was exhibited at the Paris Air Show - all aircraft there used to carry an exhibition number for some reason...

[Level bust]

It was indeed for the Paris Air Show, Ian Allen did a day trip to the airshow full of 400 enthusiasts out of Luton. In them days (1973) Le Bourget was still in use, as De Gaulle either wasn't built.

As it parked in the display area it had to have a show number.

[rog747]

wonderful replies!

thanks guys

[RAFBOAC]

Peter Parrott

Hello Adam
I have just picked up this thread. I was cabin crew with BOAC/BA the day Courtline closed. My father, Peter Parrott, was Ops Manager by then, having returned from Libya where he actually ended up working for Gadaffi on Dassault Falcons. I answered the phone when he called to give us the news. It was a sad day indeed for him and he cared desperately for all those who became unemployed as a result. He flew for 35 years before his Courtline appointment. It was his last job directly in the Airline industry. He died in 2003.
I am currently trying to assemble his biography. If anyone has any anecdotes or stories about him I would be very grateful as, apart from his log books, I have very little first hand material post 1944!

[Brian Equator]

We used to go on holiday with Clarksons / Court Line every year in the early 70's and I remember the Clarksons brochure had a page about flying with Court Line and it had a picture of one of the pilots, the same one every year, a chap with a beard called Captain Larkman, hoped every year he would be the pilot on one of our holiday flights but he never was. Funny what small details stick in your mind as a child.

[bean]

Captain Arthur Larkman was Operations Manager/Director of Dan-Air and had a beard

[Halcyon Days]

I am sure we didnt have a Captain Larkman-probably confusion with Dan Air by the sound of it?