LUTON History and Nostalgia
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The great thing about this thread is that while the common theme will always be about Luton the daily subject matter seems to cover so many different subjects. A couple of weeks ago all the posts were about Proctors, today we are talking about Italian airline Caravelles.
Hard to say when Luton had its most interesting period, as it will always be down to when people here first started wearing their rose tinted glasses.
I do remember my first visits to Luton when if I got my timings wrong there were next to no movements. Then the excitement would start to stir when I could hear a sole aircraft breaking the silence as it started its engines.
I got into the habit of timing my Sunday visits to a 3 hour time period when Luton used to get a bunch of movements over a short period before the famine started again.
Never forgot the piercing sound a BM Viscount used to make as it taxied past. It was fingers in the ears time.
Hard to say when Luton had its most interesting period, as it will always be down to when people here first started wearing their rose tinted glasses.
I do remember my first visits to Luton when if I got my timings wrong there were next to no movements. Then the excitement would start to stir when I could hear a sole aircraft breaking the silence as it started its engines.
I got into the habit of timing my Sunday visits to a 3 hour time period when Luton used to get a bunch of movements over a short period before the famine started again.
Never forgot the piercing sound a BM Viscount used to make as it taxied past. It was fingers in the ears time.
Last edited by LTNman; 3rd Nov 2017 at 05:26.
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Not strictly LTN, but it's then poorer neighbour Stansted, used to have a Scandinvasion every sunday evening when Caravelles of Sterling, 720's of Maersk and DC8's of Sunair (?) which arrived to ferry bus loads of students etc to the UK. It seemed the busiest time of the week at an otherwise empty STN. Did LTN also have some of these aluminium armadas from Scandinavia ? I realise that UK holiday makers were flown out in several aircraft from LTN on behalf of Pontinental etc, but was the reverse with foreigners arriving en masse to savour the delights of 1970s London, also true ?
I am assuming this day was diversions.
unknown
There was a Sterling invasion at LTN particularly on Sundays in the late 70's (as CJ has already mentioned a few pages back)
As far as interesting periods go, the lack of variety of types in the air these days will obviously make the days gone by seem far more interesting. I do recall how quiet the airport was at times in the late 70's through to the mid- 90's. However, this is what gave the airport more scope to accept a lot of diversions or a large amounts of visitors for events such as international football matches or other events as portrayed in pictures on this thread....
As far as interesting periods go, the lack of variety of types in the air these days will obviously make the days gone by seem far more interesting. I do recall how quiet the airport was at times in the late 70's through to the mid- 90's. However, this is what gave the airport more scope to accept a lot of diversions or a large amounts of visitors for events such as international football matches or other events as portrayed in pictures on this thread....
Last edited by boeing_eng; 3rd Nov 2017 at 17:01.
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Sterling switched 4 flights a week to Luton in April 1976. all Caravelles. Summer 1977 saw around 10 flights per week of which 6 were on a Sunday, including the first 727 flight Sun evening. Summer 1978 programme below (local times), with a 727 and 2 Caravelles on the ground at the same time on Sunday mornings. I suspect the photo above dates from then - definitely morning from the angle of the sun.
Last edited by cj241101; 3rd Nov 2017 at 11:47.
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Further to my previous, Sterling remained at Luton until spring 1981. Peak summer (i.e. June-August) 1978 and 1979 saw Scanair / S.A.S. with DC-8's, DC-9's and DC-10's plus flights by Kar Air, Maersk Air, Braathens, Linjeflyg and Transair Sweden. Scanair and Kar Air operated summer 1980 before defecting elsewhere.
Speaking of peak days due to sports events, there was a Dutch invasion in the early 70s (?) which involved Transavia, KLM & Martinair - Caravelles, DC-8, DC-8-63, DC-9 & F28.
I remember the apron being full, but not certain when it was. I think the team was called Ajax.
Anyone have any photos of that?
I remember the apron being full, but not certain when it was. I think the team was called Ajax.
Anyone have any photos of that?
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Speaking of peak days due to sports events, there was a Dutch invasion in the early 70s (?) which involved Transavia, KLM & Martinair - Caravelles, DC-8, DC-8-63, DC-9 & F28.
I remember the apron being full, but not certain when it was. I think the team was called Ajax.
Anyone have any photos of that?
I remember the apron being full, but not certain when it was. I think the team was called Ajax.
Anyone have any photos of that?
My photos are mostly rubbish but I'll post them here and apologise in advance for the quality.
PH-MAU
PH-MAU PH-TRN PH-MAR
PH-DEF
PH-DNA
PH-TRN PH-MAR
PH-MAT G-APND 9/4/70
The European Cup Final on 2/6/71 brought in a Pomair DC-8-30, Air Commerz 707-138B, Transavia 707 and several Transavia Caravelles. (I was on holiday in Cornwall and missed everything).
Last edited by cj241101; 3rd Nov 2017 at 20:37.
I'm loving the photos of the old liveries and aircraft, and if I may opine, the more raw images somehow have a charm of their own in that they were captured by a normal oik with a normal camera. A slice of LTN life back in the day.
I can't recall the airline 'Altair', but do remember seeing aircraft with that triangle on the tail, especially in the red livery and I recall seeing the Caravelles in the Air Inter livery at Paris Orly.
I can't recall the airline 'Altair', but do remember seeing aircraft with that triangle on the tail, especially in the red livery and I recall seeing the Caravelles in the Air Inter livery at Paris Orly.
Here's an interesting DC-9 scanned from one of my prints....It visited in April 1992.....I've no idea why it came to LTN but recall it certainly excited the local spotters!....
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Aircraft was returning after lease, possibly from somewhere in the Middle East, routing Naples-Luton-Keflavik 9/10 April 1992. Had ferried eastbound via Reykjavik-Shannon-Nice on 1/2 February 1992.
I was working nights...
Thanks CJ....The lease sounds possibly Hajj related...no doubt the crew were sampling the delights of London! (similar to the more recent Alaska 737 ferry flights through LTN!)
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Altair.....
GM doing Air, Altair Caravelle on tight slot approaching hold, B737 on 7 mile final. Mega delays if slot missed, so GM says to Caravelle (in his inimitable style) "Altair blah blah blah, with all the expedition you can muster, backtrack 26 !" Pregnant pause...B737 is painting bigger on the DFTI. Then, in a heavy Italian accent...."Luton, wad is dis mustad ?" He got it away.....just.
GM doing Air, Altair Caravelle on tight slot approaching hold, B737 on 7 mile final. Mega delays if slot missed, so GM says to Caravelle (in his inimitable style) "Altair blah blah blah, with all the expedition you can muster, backtrack 26 !" Pregnant pause...B737 is painting bigger on the DFTI. Then, in a heavy Italian accent...."Luton, wad is dis mustad ?" He got it away.....just.