I was on that 1st flight to Iceland. It was a bit of bum-clenching take off. I remember that trip well as I got food poisoning and was ill for the next 3 weeks.

LTN's heaviest aircraft
 

Passengers on this aircraft (TF-ABQ, flight CC691 to Keflavik 5/5/2001) should have been given a certificate as it would have been the heaviest aircraft (490-odd passengers and 80 tonnes of fuel) ever to have lumbered into the air from Luton's runway.


When BA took the England football team to the 2002 World Cup in Japan/South Korea, they stopped off en route - think it was Dubai. The aircraft was Boeing 777-236 G-YMMJ. This aircraft loaded up with 90,000kgs of fuel, albeit with only around 125 passengers. Someone in authority, either airport ops or BA themselves, decided the aircraft was too long to safely turn in the turning circle, and would have to enter the runway at A1 to be then attached to a tug and pushed back into the turning circle from there. The skipper thought this sounded like a lot of "faffing about" and asked us to confirm the runway length from A1 (1771m). After consulting performance tables, he announced he would depart from there (this in spite of a wet runway-see pic). The aircraft was airborne by the fire station. Says a lot for the power of the RR Trent engine (93400lbs thrust each) over the P&W JT9D-7 engine on the Atlanta 747-200 (47,900lbs thrust each).
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1428999814
13/5/2002

LTN's 1st 747?
 

Back in 1978 the airport managed to procure the Stansted Scanair summer programme. This ran from mid-June to mid-August, bringing Scandinavian students to language schools. Ten of these flights were due to operate on S.A.S. DC-10 aircraft, with the rest a mixture of Scanair/S.A.S. and Transair Sweden aircraft (actual programme below). The S.A.S. DC-10 fleet seemed to have reliability problems, and on 3 occasions were substituted by 2 smaller (DC-9/DC-8) aircraft. On 2nd August 1978, the penultimate DC-10 flight was due in empty from Copenhagen at 0630 (DK8955). Rumour the day before was the planned aircraft was AOG somewhere and the flight would operate on an S.A.S. 747. Dan Air were the handling agent and confirmed this. Unfortunately, the weather on the morning in question was diabolical i.e. heavy rain and thunderstorms. I duly arrived at the airport, went to see Dan Air who advised the aircraft would be operating through Stansted instead. This because of the lower regulated TOW imposed by the wet runway, which increased the stopping distance in the event of an emergency during the take-off run. So yes, I drove to STN, in the pouring rain and rush hour traffic, to see what was probably the 1st 747 to be planned into LTN. Apologies for submitting a picture taken "over there".http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...psvjqgvebn.jpg
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...psov56pslb.jpg
OY-KHA STN 020878

Nice view from the old tower of a BM Viscount with the old luggage bay in the background. In those days after the bag was weighed it had to be man handled onto a single belt that run below the airline offices and than it was manually sorted onto each lorry.

See a photo of the aircraft now http://www.dtvmovements.co.uk/Info/B...s/RS_GAZNA.JPG as it might surprise you.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...pszzkomu9c.jpg
Mark Lysons

That was, for me, the nicest of all the BMA colour schemes, before they spiralled into changing the scheme seemingly every few years before being sold off.


SHJ

http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/o...20-%20Copy.jpg

Not the greatest picture, this was taken from the jumpseat of a Britannia 737-200 returning from Naples, probably in 1991. Visible is a Britannia 737-300 (ex Orion aircraft?), a couple of BIA One-Elevens and an EMS Electra freighter.

Did BIA have a base at Luton for a while?

Interesting story about the SAS flights in 1978 cj241101...

I vividly remember a SAS DC-10 going over Stevenage on finals that summer at what looked like no higher than 2000ft...It made plenty of folks look up!

Seeing all these old pics reminds me.....Does anyone know what has happened to Dave Gearing's photos? He was a regular sight for many years wandering around with a camera airside (also hollering at vehicles going too fast!):}:}

BIA mark 2 went bust in 1990

British Island
 

1st Feb 1990 to be precise. My records have them as a new operator at LTN in March 1988, which continued until their demise, using 1-11 400's. One of these was based although I cannot be sure of the time period, possibly both S88 and S89. 4 of the aircraft ended up being stored at LTN.
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1429121853
G-AXOX, G-AXMU, G-AXMG, G-AYWB 070490

This was the other BA 747 to land at Luton. It arrived on 09th March 2006 at 4:15 in the afternoon. I can't remember why it was there or how I knew it would be there so I could capture it in the rain.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psg3ksbgbt.jpg

If my memory serves me I believe there was a major IM failure at LHR. The Capt was told not to divert to LTN but choose to do so, this was in some part due to presence of a towbar, the intention to wait and then position to LHR. After landing it transpired there was no towbar therefore a/c had to be disembarked without the baggage.

Crew ran out of time anyway and the towbar took some time the aircraft only getting back to LHR about 10 minutes before the night ban.

The A340 from Brunei was part of the sultan's royal flight, painted like the airline (RBA)for some reason.

If I remember correctly wasn't it full of furniture as the Sultan had bought a stately home in Hertfordshire somewhere!!

The legend that was LX-KCV
 

more mid 80s bits n pieces
 

Pair of ROMBACS

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psvl7isvwg.jpg

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pszde86jwo.jpg

selection of BY Subcharter exotica

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...pstmiuqq6q.jpg

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psbhyzmpbg.jpg

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/...psmm82r236.jpg

these hardly ever moved "last hurn delivery" + sistership