[quote=Spiney Norman;9970741]Nope :ugh::E:E Was a Brit Flying club instructor, now flying 7474s for Air Atlanta last time I heard.

The Mooney was a nice replacement for RU, fast, but narrow cabin and yeah I had heard about the prop dinging.

EGGW.

What happened to the Britannia flying club? When Luton became light aircraft unfriendly did the club fold or move out of Luton?

Their aircraft used to overnight park in the Britannia hangar to avoid airport parking fees.

It is no longer associated with whatever the current incantation of Britannia is, but the aircraft remain in the light blue colour scheme and it trades as the Azure Flying Club based I think at Cranfield and Wellesbourne.

Should that not be incarnation?:{

As mentioned a while back in this thread.....

"The BAL flying club aircraft were "pushed out" by the airport shortly after EZY moved into H89..a lack of space was the given reason.

The aircraft moved to Cranfield and the club carried on there for a few years. After the merger with First Choice, the company withdrew any subsidies and the club became a private concern (Azure Flying Club) 1965 vintage PA28 G-ATHR is still with them but Mooney G-OBAL was sold a few years back"..

H89 is where they were maintained in the later years and was used in the winter for weather protection.....otherwise they parked outside.

H89 and the flying club
 

I'd love to see a photo of that if anyone has any?
(or anything in H89 not already on this forum for that matter)

I also remember PA28 BTNT. Latterly they added a Socata OTUI.

What happened to Luton Flight Training? I see JONI moved on in 95, I guess they shut down?

When did Streamline come to LTN? I remember they lost one Shed in Paris with crew fatal when a wing of an MD83 went through the cockpit. Had to be the last regular operator of the 330 in the UK. What else did they do apart from Paris, I seem to recall 2-3 aircraft on the ground.

Also OCS with the Bandits, they were registered to Willowair or Willowjet or something like that. What routes did they operate? Think they had a 330 too.

Luton Flight Training closed down when the Airport forced all light aircraft out. The charges they introduced made it not financially viable. I think it was about the same time that any visiting light aircraft had to have a handling agent.

Funny old thing, but when the airport was in the doldrums, they very much liked having Luton Flight Training, as every take off, landing and touch and go counted as 'movements' for the airport's stats.
But as soon as they started getting busier with the arrival of EasyJet, they started to want to impose stupid rules (and fees) such as a club a/c had to depart before 1000h and could not return until after 1500h (or some such similarly restricting conditions). The right to send student pilots on solos from the aiport had been 'sold' to the airport years before, so it was all becoming a big pain in the ar*e. The club sort of devolved over to Henlow, and whether that operation continues I know not.

A rare bird at Luton. Maybe the only one every to visit Luton? Note the high security fence and the gap!

https://i.imgur.com/cMq01D2.jpg
Unknown source

Israeli Air Force 25 Mar 1972
https://i.imgur.com/zENDefF.jpg

4X-FPX was present 25-29/3/72. 4X-FPZ also visited, landing at 1549 on 9/4/72, don't have the departure details. Here's a link to a photo:-
http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft...00113145L.html

Thanks to LTNman and vintage ATCO for posting the photos.

Would have loved to have seen that in the flesh. Must have been one of the last ones flying.

Are those doors/flaps at the rear cargo doors ? It seems a bit high for a ramp. Also the insignia on the tail, what is it ? It looks like the lovechild of the old SAA springbok and World Airways.

Several USAF ANG units were flying KC-97s up till 1978. The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation have just flown theirs after a lengthy restoration. Keep you fingers crossed that they can bring it across the Atlantic for a visit to European skies!

The Be35 Bonanza on the left of the KC-97 photo, G-ATII, is still flying in the USA as N77GV

There was a significant C-97 commercial operator of several of them out of Miami into the mid-1990s. They were based on the north side of the airport, in the old Cockroach Corner, right alongside the main taxyway. They had a major accident at Mexico City in 1987, coming down on a populated area, and Boeing said they "didn't realise there were any still in service". As they were quite prominent at a major US airport I felt it didn't say much for Boeing's understanding.

I spent a couple of winters in the Miami area back in the early 90's and would drive past Cockroach Corner often 'by chance' to have a look at the old birds therein. There didn't seem to be any spotters there back then and you could, if nice, be allowed to get close up to the beasts. Why didn't I take photos ??? I recall mostly DC-6/7's and some C-46's as well as a couple of C-97's. There might have been one based at Opa Locka up the road. The old birds flew mostly to South America and would fly out over the port/South Beach area clattering very loudly heading first east and then southwards. I'm off to youtube now ;-)

I too had to go to You Tube so I could hear those engines.