LUTON History and Nostalgia

[22/04]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71xTqrnP26o

Here's another with some footage of G-ARUM taxying for cj241101 (rather fast unless its speeded up) - they all bring back forgotten memories- those smoke marks from thrust reversers around the rear fuselage of 737s - forgotten about those until reminded by this.

[boeing_eng]

Luton airport 1990

Fond memories of when flying from LTN was a pleasurable experience!

[22/04]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-HPg5oGlww

Not always!!! In fact 1975 did not turn out to be "desperate" but rather quiet as we now know. The two TriStars were still there but going nowhere.

I wonder if we lost one our "big two" today Luton would return to being a much quieter place!

[LTNman]

BRITANNIA NEWSPAPER FLIGHTS

In the 70's did Britannia fly newspapers to Belfast from Luton using 737's with freight doors and reinforced floors? It was at the time of the MOD contracts to West Germany so might have increased the utilization of the aircraft?

Assuming these aircraft did have freight doors did Britannia buy the aircraft with freight doors or were they put in by Britannia or a third party for Britannia?

[vintage ATCO]

Britannia use to run a schedule service to Belfast using the spare capacity of the trooping flights. I don't recall any of their 737s with freight doors.

[oldbalboy]

2 x freighters, NA & NB delivered with doors from boeing.

[DaveReidUK]

[cj241101]

Originally Posted by 22/04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71xTqrnP26o

Here's another with some footage of G-ARUM taxying for cj241101.

Thanks 22/04, G-ARUM is on the back burner until I can figure out how to get rid of the blue prop spinners . Loads of other FS stuff on the go at the moment - Jersey 1967 and the Dutch invasion on 8/4/70 amongst others.

On the subject of Britannia 737's, G-AXNA and G-AXNB were -204C's i.e. convertible from pax to cargo config. Looks like the picture of 'NA is of a horse flight - at a guess they look like they were loaded in containers. Must have been a lot of deep cleaning needed afterwards before the aircraft did it's next pax flight!

[mpenage]

Overnight conversions each way to install/remove the cargo rollers & ball mats by Lofty and his gang! There were a couple of rows of seats retained at the back of the aircraft with a sawdust dam constructed in front of them. This was due to the "liquid" from the horses running aft on take-off and climb!

[LTNman]

So did any airline do newspaper flights in the 70's from Luton? Seem to remember a service to Jersey but that might have been a different decade.

Also seem to remember a newspaper flight from Luton crashing which I think was also going to Jersey but that might have been in the late 90's or early 2000's.

[pppdrive]

LTNman

Air Bridge Carriers had a Merchantman (Vanguard) based at Luton for nightly newspaper run to Glasgow and other cargo runs during the day. This was in 1981 and 82 at least. Paul

[Bigt]

Mr LTNman may be referring to the incident involving EI-AWG Aer Turas DC-7C/F on 3/3/74 which over ran the runway. I think the flight was bringing in newspapers from Dublin with equipment and grooms for a return horse flight

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by LTNman

Also seem to remember a newspaper flight from Luton crashing which I think was also going to Jersey but that might have been in the late 90's or early 2000's.

That would be the Channel Express F-27 that stalled on approach to Guernsey in January 1999.

[kenparry]

BRITANNIA NEWSPAPER FLIGHTS

In the 70's did Britannia fly newspapers to Belfast from Luton using 737's with freight doors and reinforced floors? It was at the time of the MOD contracts to West Germany so might have increased the utilization of the aircraft?

Not sure about BFS but I flew at least one night newspaper run to Edinburgh sometime in the 80s; about 10 tons of loose-loaded bundles, not on a freighter, but a normal passenger aircraft. A few seats were broken in the process.

The MoD Germany contract was about half a 737's work. Extra work was always welcome, if it was at the right price of course.

[cj241101]

Originally Posted by LTNman

So did any airline do newspaper flights in the 70's from Luton. Seem to remember a service to Jersey but that might have been a different decade.

Also seem to remember a newspaper flight from Luton crashing which I think was also going to Jersey but that might have been in the late 90's or early 2000's.

The Air Bridge - later Hunting Cargo - Merchantman continued to operate the 6 nights a week newspaper flights to Glasgow during the 1980's, Aer Turas did newspapers to Dublin circa 1970 with DC-4/DC-7 aircraft. They returned to operate the same flights with DC-8-63 aircraft in the mid-80's. Skyways Cargo used their FH-227 to take newspapers to Amsterdam during 1979.



EI-BNA 19/1/85. The airport wasn't very good at snow clearance then either.

The aircraft that crashed on approach to Guernsey was Channel Express F-27 G-CHNL on 12/1/99. The inquiry found the cause was the aircraft C of G was outside the flight envelope and the deployment of full flaps on final approach moved the C of G further aft causing the aircraft to stall. No blame attributed to the loading team, incidentally.


http://aviation-safety.net/database/...0112-0&lang=en

[Marchettiman]

There was a small airline called Euroair, which was started in the late 70's by Don Daines, a fellow member then of the Tiger Club. I flew their Islanders and Cessna 404 Titans on single pilot newspaper flights for several years, the routes were Luton-Dublin and Luton-Prestwick. I doubt whether many photos exist, we waited for the vans to arrive from Fleet Street around midnight, helped load the aircraft and then departed into the night. The Dublin route was the worst as fuel wasn't available until 4am at Dublin, I used to get a couple of hours kip in the Aer Lingus crew-room before setting off empty back to Luton. We carried the Daily Telegraph and the Sporting Life, rather more of the latter than the former to Dublin which also provided the luxury of a GCA in those days.

[hatters united]

In the early eighties there was a company called Air Continental running Navajo Cheiftains and Kingair 100's on newspaper runs every night. They certainly went to Geneva ( Navajo reg G-NEVA ) and Leuchars in Scotland on each weekday night. Their offices were between the Flying Club hangar and the Helicopters hangar and one of the pilots flying for Air Continental is now the owner of Titan Airways at Stansted. If my memory serves me right I think the owner also set up the company "TrafficMaster" in one of the units on the old Vauxhall training site.

[lotus1]

Flew with euroair in 85 on page and moy charter to Amsterdam for the Dutch Gp they then had a viscount it was great flying over the North Sea and seeing gas rigs with there flames blowing away through the big viscount Windows

[The AvgasDinosaur]

I think one of the B.737-204QC's was leased to Pelican for a short time. Never seen a photo though. She had BY fuselage and Pelican tail colours.
Be lucky
David

[Level bust]

There were several operators flying newspapers around Europe in the 80s. Air Continental (Navajos and Beech 90 King Airs), Hubbardair (Cessna 404s and Twin Otters), National (King Airs and Beech 200s). Euroair (Islanders) to name but a few.

They were always operated single crew and good for a right hand seat ride, if you didn't mind flying round Europe during the middle of the night!

There were also small package operators such as Air Foyle (Aztecs) Nightflite (Navajo) and probably a few more that I have forgotten!