No, the original fire station was further right, in line with hangars 8&9 although the watchroom was the other side of the road and attached to the Percivals/Huntings factory. In the event of the alarms sounding they had to run across the road. They had a wonderful old fire appliance with polished brass. It ended up in a museum somewhere.

This fire station was in use when I started in 1967 but the 'new' one was built very soon after.

In this pic from 1963 the fire station is slightly left of centre in line with hangars 8 & 9. You can see the appliances parked outside. The watchroom was over the road on the corner of the Percival factory, the building with the low black roof.

https://i.imgur.com/ujIvr7I.jpg

Thanks for the replies which have answered my question. Interesting line up in the photo, presumably a Caribou outside hangar 9.

Yes, previously identified on this thread as Kuwati AF.

Former Firefighters confirm current fire station come into use in 1968.

There were about a dozen of those Caribous being ferried through from Canada on to the customer (Ghana?). I remember one batch coming in overhead my house as a stream-first time I had seen the type.

Don't think that was the original fire station at Luton. I think it was at the base of Luton's first control tower as seen on the right hand side of this photo which is around stand 13/14

https://i.imgur.com/cXGb75c.jpg
Heritage BAE photo previously published by Vintage ATCO

Okay the memory 1965 is vague but it still might have been possible to see the fire engines where they are shown - I remember peeking at them and that might have been from the approach road - the road the guys had to run across. Where would we have spectated from then? My vague memory has us walking around on the road behind the farmhouse and tower and ending up standing on the approach road near the end of the taxiway crossing to the flying club. Near what looks like the signal square shown in the 1963 picture. I remember tannoy announcements of flight departures that were audible. Two BY Britannias departed one in a basic white and grey/silver colour scheme. But could we have been closer- was there a viewing area at then north western end of the apron and in front of/beside the terminal?

By my next annual visit in 1966 the spectators area beside the new terminal was open. Wasn't allowed to visit on my own until 1968 when visits became frequent.

https://i.imgur.com/jBAFjR1.jpg
Published previously by Graham Alexander

What a superb picture of the 707, stunning.

I love it!

So did Britannia actually have a flight schedule for the 707 at Luton or was it Gatwick based and only came to Luton for maintenance?

For some reason I have a 123 passenger capacity in my mind for their 737-200 and 189 passengers for their 707. Probably completely wrong though.:confused:

189 pax 707
117 pax at first on the 732's in 1968 (same as Britannia 102's) then increased over the years to 130 eventually

the 707 saw work (not a lot) on ABC affinity charters across the pond and the Caribbean plus plenty of Palma's Tenerife's etc - sub's for BCAL and Dan Air Air Spain and others

BY had 2 707-320C's G-AYSI (the one in the photo above) and G-AYEX
both seen at MAN and LTN mainly - not often at LGW - I never saw them afaicr there
seen at BHX on a Palma series iirc

they were 'C' versions - cannot recall them doing freighter work but they may have done

Lovely to see that photo of 'YSI.

I went from Luton to Keflavik and then on to Oakland in 'YSI in September 1972 with Britannia.

Laurence

What was the ownership position re the Britannia 707s ? Looking on the G-INFO site for both aircraft there is no mention of Britannia Airways, unless I've missed it. I thought British Caledonian had some involvement with the pair.

G-AYSI leased from World Airways arrived Luton February 1971.
G-AYEX leased from Executive Jet Aviation arrived Luton October 1971.

Both aircraft disposed of to British Caledonian 1973.

I think that YSI was bought by Britannia from World Airways and subsequently went to British Caledonian.

"Flying to the Sun" (Geoffrey Cuthbert, 1987) says G-AYEX was leased from Executive Jet Aviation, but served with British Caledonian before and after Britannia and later with Monarch IIRC.

A 707 did a weekly winter Tenerife on Saturdays probably 1972/3 ex LTN. LAX was flown via Iceland - with 189 pax plus bags a tech stop might have been necessary anyway so LTN was fine for that, coming back non-stop. I remember a Kuala Lumpar ( listening to "G-AYSI cleared Kuala Lumpar cross Brookmans Park at 3000 feet climb when instructed by radar flight level xxx" was quite a novelty for us spotters in "spectators"). She was empty outbound I think.

They were rarely at Gatwick. Some ABC charters were operated from Stansted though.

I remember going to the airport in 1973 and being told they were going - as a schoolboy not that in tune with the market at the time it seemed a backward step to go back to an all 737 fleet. Again "Flying to the Sun" quotes Derek Davison as saying "there was no heart rending wake at Luton" when the decision was made.

G-AYSI was registered to Britannia on 24/2/71 and was delivered from Oakland, still in part World Airways colours, on 28/2/71. Sold to BCAL on 3/4/73 and was being painted in their colours when I peeked in hangar 89 on 8/4/73.
G-AYEX was registered to Caledonian Airways - later BCAL - on 12/6/70 then to Britannia 18/10/71, having arrived at Luton for painting on 1/10/71. It was reregistered back to BCAL on 16/3/73.
Both aircraft were regular at Luton, mainly on European IT flights, although they did operate flights direct to New York (JFK I think). I remember reading how the airport had brought another 200ft of "unused starter extension" runway into use to enable these flights to operate direct - not sure where that came from - the original runway length was 7054ft, declared distance now is 2162m / 7093ft (I'm sure it used to be 2160m / 7087ft so it must have grown by 6ft somewhere). Los Angeles flights operated on Wednesdays at some stage in 1972, with a fuel stop probably in Keflavik. Return flights operated direct. I have records of other long haul flights to Montego Bay and Singapore - not sure how regular these were.

QUAQUKGF ops our posts crossed - had to do some research

We really should get together and write a book!

22/04 Your 0952. Me too! Used same source Cuthbert.

G-AXRS was the 707-355C leased by Monarch from BCAL summer 1981. Used for the Saint Lucia flights previously operated on the 720B's which needed a fuel stop in the Azores each way. The 707 operated the return legs direct, still needing the fuel stop outbound. Colour scheme was slightly different from the 720's, with the yellow line paler and dropped down to the windows, then the black line below the windows. Lower fuselage was bare metal as opposed to the painted grey on the 720's.