I can remember a Gulf 1 owned by Brown Air.

Edit: G-BRWN.

I flew from Luton to Belfast Harbour on 21/3/89 in a Shorts 360 G-OLGW branded as Capital. I seem to remember it was quite uncomfortable as he had to climb to 13000 feet (?) to dodge some weather and it was unpressurised. It subsequently went to Titan as G-ZAPD and then to the USA.

Capital had a range of imaginative registrations on their 360s:

G-OLBA, G-OLGW, G-OLTN, G-OEEC and G-CPTL plus (in-sequence) G-BNDM.

They also briefly operated a couple of 146s: G-OSUN and G-OSKI.

Capital started off as Brown Air as stated above flying a Cessna 441 between Leeds/Bradford and Oslo. The company specialised in plant equipment. The MD of Capital was a 'character' called Adrian Thomson whom many stories abound of which, unfortunately, could not be published here. I met Gordon Brown - a totally different animal - through a mutual friend several times.

Re. the 1-11 noise complaints, does anyone know what year the hush kits were introduced?

If I remember correctly around 1979/80!

That would be about right. Mind you, I never thought that they reduced the noise !

Does my memory serve me correctly in that we had a noise monitor display by the Tower desk and had to pass the readings?

I don't have records as to exactly when Capital began operating Luton-Belfast City other than it was at least November 1988 or before. Flights to Dublin started 27th March 1989 using a Viscount leased from British Air Ferries (G-AOYN), replaced by their first 146 in August 1989. The company went into administration on 28th June 1990.
Further info from Wikipedia:-
Capital Airlines (UK)

Some photos:-
https://i.imgur.com/DYH7fOu.jpg
G-OLTN 4/5/89


https://i.imgur.com/TBzsaQl.jpg
G-OSKI 28/8/89


https://i.imgur.com/P164jkl.jpg
G-AOYN 27/5/89

I remember seeing the shorts360 at manston doing the weekly jersey run this must have been around 89/90 operated by travel scope holidays

Yes, I remember that way back when Bernard was AD. Soon got a bit dubious when crews worked out where the micophones were. Then we had in the late 70s very early video recorder to record the radar to check they were on the NPRs. If I recall the VC10s were the worst noise readings

Yes, I think it was balls out for the first part of the climb out, pull back all the power to go over the noise monitors, then foot to the floor for the rest :ugh: I think we referred to it as the 'clapometer'? :-)

Ah yes, I remember it being called that, think it was only in use at beginning of my training, so 1979/80

It was mounted below the anemometer display on the left of the Tower seat, (or AIR as it would probably be now known). I seem to remember that the record reading was 110 for a Dan air B727. What he got for ‘artistic merit’ wasn’t recorded.

I also seem to recall that its use was suspended after a G2 or similar was passed his noise reading and commenced a climb to it!

All this talk of noise readings in the Tower reminds me of JR on night duties. His snoring made the 1883 Krakatoa eruption sound like an Ant breaking wind!

Is my memory also correct that Chanex used to use the Herald into LTN? I remember the F27 BNIZ clearly into mid 90's. What routes did they operate? I seem to recall mail to JER mid 80's. And did the Electra ever visit? I remember them, but maybe they were STN

Channel Express used to operate the HPR7 Herald from Luton In the late 80s and early 90s on mail routes, EDI I think. I remember going there to do Daily's or "A" checks when the usual engineer was not available.

I don't remember Channex Electras operating from Luton but Hunting Cargo did for DHL.

Handley Page at Radlett was only a few miles south of Luton. I have an old book somewhere that had photos of Herald's clearing customs at Luton for their delivery flights.

With regards the noise readings, I remember being called into Monarch's Chief Pilot's office (Don Richardson RIP) to explain a reading/complaint about a departure I had done off 26 a few nights earlier.
I said we carried out the standard noise abatement procedure and it was probably due to the aircraft being a 1-11 plus departing in thick fog, if memory serves me correctly the reading was 118. Anyway that was the last I heard of it.

102PNdB was the night time limit, 112 (or was it 115?) was the daytime so 118 is pretty good going! :)