LUTON History and Nostalgia
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Best I can come up with is 16/12/75. I was working a late shift (1430-2300) and suspect the photo was taken in the morning. The Lear Jet G-BBEE was present along with 125 G-BCJU and the Aer Turas Brit. Euralair Lear Jet F-BSRL was there which may be the one behind G-BBEE. The NLM F27 and the BA Tristar must have gone already. The only airliner diversions were 6 BA Tridents during the time I was there.
The previous day the airport took a total of, I believe, 47 diverted flights which was the highest in one day at the time (this number probably included executive aircraft). At least 18 were BA aircraft, plus an Alitalia DC-8-43, 4 Aer Lingus 737's, 4 K.L.M. DC-9's, a SATA Caravelle, a Sabena 737, an S.A.S. DC-9, an Air Alsace Corvette and an R.A.F. HS748. That is all that I recorded airline-wise while I was there (1415-2130).
The most diverted flights in one day was on 8/1/87 when the figure hit (I think) 72. I remember a BA 757 and an Olympic A300 getting parked on the eastern taxiway for several hours with their pax still on board.
The previous day the airport took a total of, I believe, 47 diverted flights which was the highest in one day at the time (this number probably included executive aircraft). At least 18 were BA aircraft, plus an Alitalia DC-8-43, 4 Aer Lingus 737's, 4 K.L.M. DC-9's, a SATA Caravelle, a Sabena 737, an S.A.S. DC-9, an Air Alsace Corvette and an R.A.F. HS748. That is all that I recorded airline-wise while I was there (1415-2130).
The most diverted flights in one day was on 8/1/87 when the figure hit (I think) 72. I remember a BA 757 and an Olympic A300 getting parked on the eastern taxiway for several hours with their pax still on board.
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The most diverted flights in one day was on 8/1/87
And what a shift that was
As CJ mentioned, close on 72 divs, squeezed together in the NW corner, down the taxi-way centre line, they were everywhere.
I remember that day well as I worked about 18hrs. The last movement I was involved in was a Dan Air 1-11 ferry to LGW but it was out of trim so the options were (a) crew jump back in the taxi and head off to a hotel or back to LGW or (b) find more ballast. All usable ballast had been used on other aircraft so I put my thinking cap on and headed off into the night to a building site I knew was not too secure
and returned with several breeze blocks 
Job done....
And what a shift that was
As CJ mentioned, close on 72 divs, squeezed together in the NW corner, down the taxi-way centre line, they were everywhere.I remember that day well as I worked about 18hrs. The last movement I was involved in was a Dan Air 1-11 ferry to LGW but it was out of trim so the options were (a) crew jump back in the taxi and head off to a hotel or back to LGW or (b) find more ballast. All usable ballast had been used on other aircraft so I put my thinking cap on and headed off into the night to a building site I knew was not too secure
and returned with several breeze blocks Job done....
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only picture I took that day for some reason (wasn't at work so could only take landside shots).
quick summary of what I recorded:-
BMA 2x DC-9-32, 3x DC-9-10, SH360
Air Malta 2x B737, B720B
Air Portugal 727-200
Dan Air 4x 1-11 (200/300/500)
Manx SAAB 340. SH360
Iberia 2x 727-200, A300
Nigeria B707
Aviaco DC-9-30
BA 2x 737-200, 757
B.I.A. 1-11 400, 1-11 500
Olympic A300
N.L.M. F28, F27
B.A.F. Viscount
Luxair 737-200
A.T.I. DC-9-32
J.A.T. 727-200
Sabena 737-200
Maersk DHC7
That's only around half the total which would have included diverted executive aircraft as well which I haven't tried to list.
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DIVERSION DAYS!
My first taste of a diversion day was on Saturday 4th January 1969. It was a cold, mainly sunny day without much wind. I went outside on hearing an aircraft which I guessed was probably an Autair Herald on one of the domestic schedules. I was slightly surprised to see a Viscount heading NW and climbing, having presumably departed from runway 26 and taken the (permitted then for non-jets) right turn across the town. I was even more surprised when binoculars identified it as an Aer Lingus machine. Viscounts during the winter months were rare; Aer Lingus unheard of.
Come lunchtime I was looking out of the window and saw what binoculars revealed as a Vanguard out to the west. These were a common sight routing Daventry-Garston inbound to Heathrow. This one, however, seemed much lower to the horizon than usual but also closer. Then it began a left turn and I watched it as it made its approach to runway 08. At the same time another Viscount - also Aer Lingus - came overhead at around 6000ft heading SE. The radio was on in the kitchen and I caught one of the lunchtime news headlines referring to widespread fog across the south east having closed Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with flights being diverted to several airports including Luton. So I cycled up to the airport as fast as I could pedal. Sitting at the traffic lights at the end of Harrowden Rd. (long before the large roundabout and Vauxhall Way were built) I could hear the sound of jet engines running, concluding that there must have been some jet aircraft diverted in as well as the prop variety. I was hoping maybe half a dozen flights perhaps on diversion, or maybe something big like a B.U.A. VC-10. I wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted me as I came past the Monarch hangar 7/8, with aircraft squeezed into every available nook and cranny. 20 aircraft were present out of the 34 reported as having been diverted in during the day. Add on half a dozen of the resident Autair and Britannia fleets (1 Ambassador, 1 HS748, 1 737, 3 Britannia 102's) gave a total of 26 airliners on the ground - how many parking stands were there in 1969? At a guess 17).
Only picture I managed to get was this one:-
(previously posted a couple of years ago but kindly deleted by our good friends Photobucket).
2 K.L.M. DC-9's were taxying out as I arrived. Also present were 3 Aer Lingus Viscounts, 2 B.E.A. Vanguards, 3 Trident 1's, an Argosy, 2 B.U.A. 1-11's and a Herald, a Channel Airways Viscount, Cambrian Viscount, BKS Britannia and a Viscount , plus the Austrian and Swissair Caravelles above.
I watched the K.L.M. DC-9's take off from the (only just opened) spectators car park. The 2nd one seemed to leave a trail of greyish-white smoke behind it, which I soon realised was actually a bank of fog that was creeping slowly north across the runway and went on to envelope the rest of the airport in a few minutes. Hence the lack of photos.
Will post some diversion photos from the 1980's in due course - watch this space....
Come lunchtime I was looking out of the window and saw what binoculars revealed as a Vanguard out to the west. These were a common sight routing Daventry-Garston inbound to Heathrow. This one, however, seemed much lower to the horizon than usual but also closer. Then it began a left turn and I watched it as it made its approach to runway 08. At the same time another Viscount - also Aer Lingus - came overhead at around 6000ft heading SE. The radio was on in the kitchen and I caught one of the lunchtime news headlines referring to widespread fog across the south east having closed Heathrow and Gatwick airports, with flights being diverted to several airports including Luton. So I cycled up to the airport as fast as I could pedal. Sitting at the traffic lights at the end of Harrowden Rd. (long before the large roundabout and Vauxhall Way were built) I could hear the sound of jet engines running, concluding that there must have been some jet aircraft diverted in as well as the prop variety. I was hoping maybe half a dozen flights perhaps on diversion, or maybe something big like a B.U.A. VC-10. I wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted me as I came past the Monarch hangar 7/8, with aircraft squeezed into every available nook and cranny. 20 aircraft were present out of the 34 reported as having been diverted in during the day. Add on half a dozen of the resident Autair and Britannia fleets (1 Ambassador, 1 HS748, 1 737, 3 Britannia 102's) gave a total of 26 airliners on the ground - how many parking stands were there in 1969? At a guess 17).
Only picture I managed to get was this one:-
(previously posted a couple of years ago but kindly deleted by our good friends Photobucket).
2 K.L.M. DC-9's were taxying out as I arrived. Also present were 3 Aer Lingus Viscounts, 2 B.E.A. Vanguards, 3 Trident 1's, an Argosy, 2 B.U.A. 1-11's and a Herald, a Channel Airways Viscount, Cambrian Viscount, BKS Britannia and a Viscount , plus the Austrian and Swissair Caravelles above.
I watched the K.L.M. DC-9's take off from the (only just opened) spectators car park. The 2nd one seemed to leave a trail of greyish-white smoke behind it, which I soon realised was actually a bank of fog that was creeping slowly north across the runway and went on to envelope the rest of the airport in a few minutes. Hence the lack of photos.
Will post some diversion photos from the 1980's in due course - watch this space....
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Most memorable Diversion day - sometime between 1980/89,involved Monarch B757 on which crew were not Cat 3 capable so could not get into Gatwick. We were full so it landed 26, shut down in the 08 turning circle, crew changed, and it departed for Gatwick. Took about 20 minutes!
Last edited by almost professional; 26th Nov 2017 at 13:58. Reason: Spelling!
Whilst I have never been to Luton in the 60s as only White Card on the squadron I was frequently diverted to Manston, and often stuck there for the weekend. On more than one occasion there were so many military and civilian aircraft there the amount of fuel that could be uplifted was severely limited
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RAF Instrument Rating system - Green and Master Green could descend to the published minimum approach height (cannot recall its official name), baby pilots with a white card had to add ISTR 300ft. Took about years (for me anyway) to accumulate skill and experience to upgrade from White to Green
Not Luton, but I remember seeing 35 diversions at Hurn (Bournemouth) on my way to work one morning about 1972.
All of Courtline's 1-11s, 4 or 5 Lufthansa 727 or 737s, many Dan-Air Comets and 1-11s, TMAC CL-44, 2 Laker DC-10s, Some Tridents and many others I can't recall.
Every available bit of space was used including the BAC factory site.
Wish I had taken some photos.
All of Courtline's 1-11s, 4 or 5 Lufthansa 727 or 737s, many Dan-Air Comets and 1-11s, TMAC CL-44, 2 Laker DC-10s, Some Tridents and many others I can't recall.
Every available bit of space was used including the BAC factory site.
Wish I had taken some photos.
aceatco, retired
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I was on duty 4 Jan 1969 and in the pic posted by CJ above the Austrian Caravelle is actually parked on the apron centreline between stands 9 and 10 as there was no where else to put it. To complete the 180deg turn it put so much power on that we thought the roof was going to come off building 50!
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Here's a photo I have not seen before, 1951 . . . .
Control tower being built which would open in 1952. York and Prince on the apron. Napier's Lincoln top left I think, plus others.
Control tower being built which would open in 1952. York and Prince on the apron. Napier's Lincoln top left I think, plus others.
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I think I read somewhere there were a number of Uni-Seco prefab houses there after the war for people who had been bombed out. May be them.
aceatco, retired
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The large field in the top of the photo was Powdrill's farm and the line of houses top right seemingly along side the field although that was Crawley Green Road was where my parents lived from 1936 until the 70s.
Ken Cartwright, who use to fly the Napier Lincoln, told me he always had his eye on that field in the event of an emergency. Covered in houses now of course.
Ken Cartwright, who use to fly the Napier Lincoln, told me he always had his eye on that field in the event of an emergency. Covered in houses now of course.
baby pilots with a white card had to add ISTR 300ft.
[QUOTE]Quote:
Originally Posted by EGGW View Post
Aaah, RU, I went solo in her at Leavesden in 1986
EGGW
Ah, Sent solo by D Davidson no doubt!/QUOTE]
Nope. But D Davidson did Prang RU at Old Warden a year or so after.
EGGW.
Originally Posted by EGGW View Post
Aaah, RU, I went solo in her at Leavesden in 1986
EGGW
Ah, Sent solo by D Davidson no doubt!/QUOTE]
Nope. But D Davidson did Prang RU at Old Warden a year or so after.
EGGW.
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With regards to weather diversions in82/83 manston received 43 diversions in one day this was due to only being airport open in southeast have seen some pictures air Europe 737 also Danair 111 also numerous caladonian aircraft except dc10 this was due to turning off points on this day some fantastic pictures in the history museum at manston of this day
[quote=EGGW;9970668]
I’d have said that it was probably Bernard Clack who sent EGGW solo in 1986. Issues with RU and G-ATHR were pretty rare but the Mooney (G-OBAL) was regularly dinging the prop on the ‘Light aircraft entry exit point’.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EGGW View Post
Aaah, RU, I went solo in her at Leavesden in 1986
EGGW
Ah, Sent solo by D Davidson no doubt!/QUOTE]
Nope. But D Davidson did Prang RU at Old Warden a year or so after.
EGGW.
Originally Posted by EGGW View Post
Aaah, RU, I went solo in her at Leavesden in 1986
EGGW
Ah, Sent solo by D Davidson no doubt!/QUOTE]
Nope. But D Davidson did Prang RU at Old Warden a year or so after.
EGGW.
