Luton in the Fifties. Grass track runway.

[GliFly]

I flew in G-ANZH, the other LFC Tiger, that day according to my original log book.
G-AOGS was named by Steve Mantzales for the 17-year old Bernice Hobbs who, I believed worked at Napier Engines. She was indeed a gorgeous young lady, even when she got lost on her final cross country for her PPL and when trying to land at Horsham St. Faith in the Tiger she hit a runway lamp and the aircraft turned over. I think she was 'entertained' in the Officers Mess until Fred Pinchin arrived in an Auster to 'rescue' her.

[vintage ATCO]

This is G-AOGS along with Turbi G-AOTK, snapped by me with my Brownie 127 around 1960.



The other Luton Flying Club Tiger was G-AOZH which is still around and comes to deHMC events (it's yellow mil now). G-AOGS was sold to the US in 1971 as N82TM.

Howard Brunt was the then CFI. The controller instructor then would have been Malcolm Lewis ('Lew'). Another controller who became an instructor and then went to fly for McAlpines (and later Monarch) is John Turner whom I still hear from occasionally.

G-ARUM was indeed the Coal Board Dove, pilot was Basil Allum. Nice bloke.

[sycamore]

I learned to fly at LFC,starting in Feb`60,soloed in July 60,after about 7hrs,and got my PPL in July `61.The reason it took so long was that I was an Apprentice at Halton,and not all weekends were free,pay was about £3-4 /week,to buy polish,blanco and Tizer in the NAAFI; so ,it was a case of hitch-hiking/walking to Luton every couple of weeks for about 30-40 mins. in an Auster,with DC,or the lovely Elizabeth(God help you if she was within earshot,and you called her Liz !).After about 20 hours I converted to the Tiger(AOZH/AOGS),and then a bit later the Chipmunk (APAC),as it was a bit easier/comfortable doing the X-country phase. Did the FHT with DC in `AOGS`.One used to be able to climb up to about 5-6000`,about 1-2 miles S of the runway and do aeros and spinning,then back `overhead` for PFLs and circuits...all non radio,except the Chippie,just expecting Lew to flash the appropriate `colours`.One also spent a lot of time refuelling,starting engines,pushing a/c into/out of the hangar,but worth it as one got offered extra rides with other owners/club members,such as a trip in the Turbi with Nick Mitton.I think it took about 20 mins. to climb up and do a circuit...
The `FLEET`; AusterJ/1N; -AIJI,AIGT,AGXH .;Autocar.-AOHZ..
Tiger Moth, AOGS,AOZH;later,-ANLR,AISR
Hornet Moth, -ADKL.
Chipmunk, APAC, later`62-AMXL; `63 -AMMA.
Prices/hr appx,Auster £3.7/s6d; Tiger, £3.12s.6d; Chippy £5.5s(guinea)

Other names at the time, Don Mayne,`Jock` Taylor,B.Bulpitt,S.Chew,H.Brunt,T.Olney,D.Baker.W.Myson, Dizzy Addicott,drafted to Hunting for J-P testing as a result of Elizabeth`s husband`s death,Ken Cartwright,Napier`s Lincoln T-P..
There were many other `characters`,including FP,the Manager; Sunday lunch time,the Bar was always full,then a gaggle would get airborne to raid Panshanger,or Sywell,or Stapleford and checkout their Bars,,,,
It was a great place to learn,not only about flying ,but of the wider world...Wouldn`t have missed it for the world..

[Antek]

LFC

Other names from the early 70s from memory, refreshed where necessary from the log book - (the late) Brian Matthews, Martin McMinn, Colin Stevens ("if I ever get my IR, I'll shave my beard off"; later of Colton Aviation, Lt Staughton, I think), the late, great Dave Hughes (and dog, called Gemma?), Bob Pickernell, Johnnie Johnson (engine failure over Harpenden "we'd better have a bit of a Mayday..."), Danny Duffin (a Court Line FE. Remember them? FEs that is, as well as Court Line...).

Seemingly endless circuits at Leavesden.

Anyone remember the Christmas Revues? Instructors dressed as aeroplanes doing formation stuff on a stage in the bar.

ATC procedures "cleared to land 18, in the event of a missed approach remain north of the main..."

A happy place. Anyone got any pics?

[merv32249213]

Luton

The coal board Dove G-ARUM at Macs gave me a full blown course at DH Engines at Leavesden and airframe at Hatfield . Aircraft looked after by Mc's in the 50/60's consisted of Helio Couriers G-ARLD, G-ARLM .Piaggio166's G-ASWY, G-ASPJ,. Doves,G-AMXW (Rolls Electromatic), pilot "Dinger Bell". G-AKSW(Enfield Rolling Mills) pilot Lord Verulanium,Mc's DH Rapide, Colin Chapman's aircraft, Jim Clarks also. The list is endless .
Basel Allum of the Coalboard Dove, once regailed a story of his fleet Air Arm Days when he was on approach in an Attacker or Sea Hawk the wings started to fold and he was lucky to land it safely.
Mention the Flying Club and we went to the aid of a Cessna that landed, lost his nosewheel and the leg stuck in but the A/C did not flip over .
The names mentioned by others all click my memory bank.
Merv

[almost professional]

ATC procedures "cleared to land 18, in the event of a missed approach remain north of the main..."

Not a procedure we would get away with now!
That takes me back-my 10 years as Assistant and Controller at Luton set me up for the rest of my ATC career, did manage circuits on all three runways at once on one occasion, think Phill Petitt (now B747 FO) was flying one of them-never did it again! such tricks of the trade passed on by VA and his compatriots have stood me in good stead though

[Level bust]

Ah, they were the days, parallel landings on 24 and 26. Mind you, I should never had cleared a C152 to take off on 24 with a B737-200 holding at what is now B2. As the BY captain came up to the TWR to remind me!!

The spot landing competition was always fun on 18, especially when someone tried to do a touch and go with full flap still selected.

[blaireau]

My first ever flight was from Luton grass on August 5th 1953 with my father as the pilot of the Auster. He doesn't record the registration in his RAF log book. Pity. At the time he was on an engineering course at RAF Henlow.

It made a suitable impression, and I continue to fly to this day.

[almost professional]

I remember that afternoon Level Bust
All stood in tower watching the A/C in question scrape over the hedge and wondering if a vacancy was about to arise in ATC!

[l.garey]

GliFly: so we were not far apart that day in 1958, you in NZH and me in LTW from Marshalls.
Recalling various crashes when Luton was full of (more interesting?) types than these days, does anyone remember when a Socata Horizon landed, I think wheels up, and blocked the runway for some hours? I think it was in 1972, but I am not sure. I was just passing through.

Laurence

[Level bust]

I have a vague recollection of a Horizon doing a wheels up (I was still at school at the time!). I think it was probably GASJY the Court Line 'hack'.

[l.garey]

Would that have been 1972, maybe July?

Laurence

[GliFly]

Someone mentioned the time John 'Cats eyes' Cunningham landed a 125 'wheels up'. There were 2 amusing things that came from this. JC said to a friend of mine who was a senior Hatfield person, "You know, Frank, the thing I found most strange after the aircraft stopped was how tall the fireman seemed as they looked into the cockpit. The other thing was Pat Fillingham, another Hatfield TP who never really got along with JC, said nothing about it - he just wore a black tie to work for a couple of days!

[vintage ATCO]

Ah, they were the days, parallel landings on 24 and 26.

Ah yes . . . . I once had Dave Hughes final for 24 grass and a B737 final for 26. I said to Dave 'in the event of a missed approach, can you remain north of the main?' 'Yes' he said (naturally) so I cleared the B737 to land on 26 with traffic info on the 24 traffic. 'Just like Heathrow then' he said. Er, yes, sort of.

Statute of limitations apply . . . . ?

[22/04]

I'd like a general LTN nosaligia thread -

But in the absence of that I will post here.

I have a Sudflug DC7 scale model on order, as a result of remembering them lumbering overhead our Welwyn garden on (I think) 1967 Sunday afternoons.

Can anyone remember what schedules these aircraft operated; were they bringing in German tourists or operating British ITs from Luton to the resorts?

[airborne_artist]

I did my RAF Flying Scholarship at Luton in 1977 - which unlike the summers of 75 and 76 was was wet and horrible for weeks.

FIs in my logbook are Johnson (CFI), Bulpitt (a large lad at the time), Maxwell (ex RN surface fleet officer hour-building for a CPL) and Hawkins, who I don't recall at all.

Happy memories of early evening flights on the rare nice days landing on 24 watching the rabbits scurry away, and the first time I took off from 26 in the middle of a sunny and very convective day and hitting the updraught from the Vauxhall roofs and it lifting the port wing right up as the starboard dropped right away ...

[Roy H Pinchin Sr]

Barb a q at Luton Flying Club

I was there, a young boy threw a rock at the rudder which swung the plane around and nosed into the bar causing a large hole in the wall. My two brothers Fred, Bernard, Fred's Wife Moria and my mother were tending bar at the time. Needless to say they were quite shocked at the event.

[Buster the Bear]

A bit before my time.

Went out to Libya in 1966 whilst being operated by Autair from 1966 to 67.

[Buster the Bear]

Luton?

[Buster the Bear]