At Luton 1966. Credit aviationphoto company.Photographer unknown. cj241101 you were spot on with date 1967 for first image!
http://www.aviationphotocompany.com/...77982140-3.jpg

Further info on G-ASZT - it departed to Wymeswold on 20th March '68 where it was presumably prepared for delivery as TN-ABC. Delivered Wymeswold -Gatwick 15th August '68 en route to Aero Service Africa, Brazzaville. Found a rather poor B&W photo in Air Pictorial if anyone is interested.

Autair's B170 G-AIFS Luton 1966. Scrapped 1968. Did it ever fly?
Photograph by Ken Fielding.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...2867194%29.jpg

Looks like a flyer in the picture here...

https://www.airphotographicinternati...ter-mk21-luton

Was it involved with Spain somehow, what with the flag on the tail ?

Also, when did B170's peter out in service ? I'm sure that one visited Ringway in the 90's.

Previously EC-ADL one of three B170s obtained from Aviaco by Aviation Traders Southend in part-exchange for Carvairs.

G-AIFS flew as EC-ADL for Aviaco 1948-1961 before getting sold to Autair on 31/1/61. Hence the Spanish flag. It was the only surviving Mk.21. It had been withdrawn from use long before the photo of it rusting away, probably at the back of hangar 62, was taken in May 1966. By June 1967 it had been relocated to the grass north of the Autair Helicopters hangar. I remember seeing it there, in pieces, in December 1967.
The longer nose Mk.32 Superfreighters continued in service with Midland Air Cargo until early 1973, having seen service with Silver City, Channel Air Bridge then British United Air Ferries (later British Air Ferries), mainly on cross-channel vehicle ferry services.
Instone Air Line then acquired a Mk.31 from New Zealand in March 1981. Although sold in Canada as CF-DFC on 20/12/88, it remained in the UK until its unfortunate demise in an accident at Enstone on 18/7/96. Instone also briefly had a 2nd Mk.31, G-AMLK from 10/9/82 to 4/4/84.


https://i.imgur.com/mw8OGE4.jpg
G-BISU Luton 28/8/81

https://i.imgur.com/UnkVQal.jpg
G-AMLK Luton 15/9/83

Press Photo currently offered on well-known auction website. The hostess on the left is lovely Cherry Mason whose image appears on Autair timetables of the period.
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/i/20223...-1/s-l1000.jpg

Thanks for the knowledgable replies. As to the Manchester sighting, it was most likely the crashed B170, a bit more info here

Anyone go back far enough to remember when the ground frequency started to be used? Originally 123.55 but it changed to its present 121.75 probably mid-70's.

123.55 was never a GMC frequency but Luton Director (App was 129.55 even then). We started using 123.55 as GMC when it started to get busy, maybe very early 70s, and got a mild b@ll@cking for it from the CAA (or whatever they were called then). As some wag put it 'Luton Director on the Ground'. 121.75 came along soon after and 123.55 became 128.75 in time.

Thanks vintage ATCO for a comprehensive answer. I guessed around 1970 when I first noticed aircraft being transferred to "ground" which was of course the start of the Court Line era.
At one time I can remember no less than 5 frequencies being in use. Approach on 129.55 was overloaded with GA aircraft wanting zone transits, radar service or flight information, including all the aircraft out of Denham/Leavesden/Elstree heading to the Cheddington training area. "Luton Director" as I think it was known on 128.75 was for inbounds and outbounds, with "Luton Radar" on 127.3 used for SRA's on to 08 before the ILS was installed that end.
At some stage the tower frequency was changed briefly to (I think) 133.975, probably in the early 90's before 132.55 was allocated.

Tower use to be 120.2 when I started which we shared with Shannon and Lille. Cubana Brits en-route Russia-Cuba but with a tech stop at Shannon used to call Shannon for their weather over BPK. And a certain HS125 out of Coventry for Lille use to call them in our overhead. He told me to be quiet one day so he could copy their weather! My reply was not approved phraseology.

We also shared 127.3 with Cherbourg and on good high pressure days could sometimes hear their controllers.

We had a UHF Freq for a time 378.6 (I think?) for any mil wanting a zone transit.

Happy days!

Think Luton Tower was briefly on a 119.XXX (119.92?) frequency after 120.2 and before 132.55 but don't remember exactly what - never remember 133.975. I think GND started to be used in 1969- sure I remember "Autair Golf Golf Papa approaching holding point Delta") using it. Was 128.750 ever used, however briefly too?

127.3 and maybe 123.550 was used for SRAs to 26 before the ILS was fully available (1969?) of course.

I loved listening to SRAs and that tense moment when one waited to see if the aircraft had landed. Eastern Europeans and Sterling Caravelles seemed "best" at marginal conditions. And that high pitched whine which seemed to always be in the background.

From the UK AIP 21/11/69:

https://steemrok.com/LTN%20comms%201969%20v2.jpg

22/04 I think you're probably correct - 119.975 rings a bell. 133.975 also rings a bell - could it have been the ATIS frequency for a short while before it became 120.575?

Thanks for publishing the above - lots of interesting info there. Not least the runway heading 262M, now of course 255M. Runway 07/25 I believe is imminent.

Balkan operated the TU-154 into the airport on Saturdays during summer 1984. I was initially puzzled as to why they had 5 flight deck crew. Two pilots and a flight engineer, yes, but what did the other two do? Air marshals? KGB agents? I soon cottoned on to one of them being some kind of navigator as he seemed to spend the turnround studying Jeppesen charts. The pilots rarely spoke to any of the ground/handling staff and communication was always through the other (5th) flight deck member. For the departure he occupied the jump seat behind the 2 pilots and donned a headset. Discreet enquiries revealed he was actually the interpreter - he handled all radio communication with ATC and translated their instructions to the pilots.
So what happened during a half mile SRA on to 08? The one day I was despatching the aircraft in bad weather i.e. cloudbase 200ft, can't remember the RVR's, runway 08 was in use. I had a trainee with me, so, just to show off a bit, I had my little airband radio with me and we sat in a despatch car around stand 16 listening to ATC doing the SRA talkdown. At a late stage in the procedure, the instruction "you're left of track, turn right 3 degrees" was passed. We then heard a loud roar as the aircraft came practically over the top of us as it initiated a go-around. I often wondered if the ATCO doing the talkdown realised he wasn't actually talking to the pilot flying the plane, and that his (or her) instructions needed translating before being actioned. Obviously not translated quickly enough, at least not on this occasion.

https://i.imgur.com/BdpZlWt.jpg
LZ-BTR 6/10/84

1965 Outside the Autair Hangar (Erected 1964) Photographed by the late Paul Howard.

CCTV was installed on the roof of the ops office here in late 1966 which gave us a splendid view of arrivals on R/W26 having previously been obscured by the new terminal. Have listened to many SRAs relying on the skills of the Controller to get our old kites in.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....3a0d4f5522.jpg






https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/full_si...0423-large.jpg

I did 524 half-mile SRAs on the Plessey ACR430 in my time (I was sad enough to log them all), starting on 2 Nov 1971 and my last with MO421 Beech 200 on 2 Feb 1986. It was shortly after that the radar head caught fire and we lost it forever. Air Spain Coronados were exciting, you had to talk very fast!