CJ no doubt has photos of the infamous 24hr period when all of south UK was fogged out and LTN turned into a massive car park for aircraft. Can't remember the date, '87 or '88 maybe. Loading breeze blocks from the building site opposite the old Britannia building into the forward hold of a Dan Air 1-11 to ensure it was in trim for the ferry flight to LGW. All good until we ran out of breeze blocks !!

foreign operators 1979
 

Including domestic carriers (Britannia, Monarch, Dan Air, Midland, Redcoat) but excluding Linjeflyg and Kar Air as their programmes were miniscule, the number of airlines using the airport peak summer 1979 was the highest ever at 24.

Sterling Airways Caravelle 6R/10B/12, B727-200 all year, around 8 flights per week with large number of student flights Jun-Aug
Condor B727-100/200 Fri/Mon evenings from Jan-Sep, 2 flights Fri/Mon evenings 6/4-11/6
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1431620277
D-ABIR 25/5/79

Trans Europa Caravelle 10R Palma Fri late Fri evening/early Sat Jan-end Apr then late Sun evening 6/5-28/10
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1431622584
EC-BRJ 13/6/76 - didn't manage any from 1979 as they only came in after dark....

Aviaco DC-9-30, Caravelle, Madrid Thu evening Jan-26/4,Sun afternoon 8/4-29/4, DC-8-50 ad-hocs August
Austrian DC-9-51 late Sun evening all year
Air Malta B720B (leased from P.I.A./plus own a/c) 707-123B (leased from Transasian) Tue evening Jan-Apr, Tue morning from 22/5-30/10 Sun morning 8/4-6/5 Thu evening 12/4-26/4
Tarom IL-18 Bucharest Fri morning from 30/3-27/4, Sun morning from 8/4-22/4, 1-11 500 Constanta Sat 0930-1020 19/5-22/9


http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1432032262
YR-BCJ 19/5/79

Hapag-Lloyd 1-11 500 Thu/Sun evening from Apr-Sep (following their takeover of Bavaria-Germanair)
Inex Adria DC-9-30 Split Fri evening 4/5-26/10, Pula Mon evening 7/5-29/10 , Pula Fri evening 25/5-26/10
J.A.T. 727-200 (Yugoslav Govt), B720 (Aeroamerica) B707-320C (BCAL) Fri x2 flights from 11/5-27/7 then their own 707-320C 3/8-26/10
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1431621199
N734T 22/6/79 JR2222 from Pula

Royal Air Maroc 727-200 Tangiers Fri 2040-2140 11/5-19/10

http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1431619982
typical Fri evening 8/6/79

Kar Air Caravelle (Finnair) can only find 2 flights 31/5 and 14/6
Scanair DC-10 (S.A.S. – 3 flights) DC-8-50/62Jun-Aug
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1431620504
SE-DBD 3/7/79

Maersk Air B720B B737-200 May-Aug
Linjeflyg Fokker F-28 12/6, 14/6, 3/7, 26/7
Itavia DC-9-30 Milan-Malpensa Mon 0920-1020 18/6-3/9
Middle East Airlines B720B Tue1955-2055 3/7-28/8 Milan-Linate
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1431620785
OG-AGB 3/7/79

Europe Aero Service Caravelle 6 29/6-1/8 10 ad-hoc flights
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6osvt6vn.jpg
F-BXOO 5/7/79
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...psrzzjbcxk.jpg
F-GBMJ 5/7/79

Aer Turas Britannia, CL-44 from May '79
Geminair Britannia

Skyways Cargo based an FH-227 from 2nd May, operating to Amsterdam each night
Air Bridge based a Vanguard Merchantman for nightly newspaper flights from 1/11

fog on 8/1/87
 

DC-9-32 this was probably the day you are referring to. A quick count in my log has 36 diverted airliners. I believe the official figure from the airport was over 70 which probably included biz-jets. They parked a (fully loaded) Olympic A300 and a BA 757 on the eastern taxiway which meant a single taxiway only was open. I only managed ONE photo that day shown below:-
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1431623186
5N-ABK 8/1/87

Great pictures CJ , please keep them coming! Any pictures of the Germanair? A300 which i think only came in the once..?

I think we have a Luton encyclopaedia amongst us.

The 720's best asset was the FL370 cruise, hardly anyone else made that level then, and they could make it by the UK FIR boundary, so very rare for slot delays.

FL410 was the magic number for MON's B720. No one else was at that level at the time.

Germanair A300
 

Yes, only the 1 visit I am aware of on 11/4/77. Sadly no picture, think it was Easter Monday and Luton were playing Chelsea....

As ever your memory better than mine VA !

Britannia 720B
 

Britannia leased this example from Eagle Air/ILFC 5/79-12/79
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1431640829
TF-VLC 14/5/79

I did some great jump seat rides on the 720. Coming back from Athens we were offered FL430, out came the tables and they worked out we could, but only just, so up we went but not much above the stalling speed.

Coming out of Ibiza we got direct climb to FL390, it didn't takes us long to get there either.

In the good old days when we were allowed to use our initiative, it was common to try and get direct climb to anything London would give us in the middle of the night. Off 08 they only climbed to 3000, this particular night 720 airborne, rang London to see what they could give him. They were most impressed when I cleared him direct to FL 370 and route direct Midhurst, you could here the cheering in the background!

CJ
 

Have replied to your PM

Another of Britannia's 707's. Did they actually operated from Luton and if they did where did they fly?

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

Britannia 707s did operate from Luton. Certainly did some ABC (advanced booking charters) to the US including I think Los Angeles which required a tech stop outbound, although these were also (more usually?) operated from Stansted. Also ad hoc charters- I certainly remember one of them operating to Kuala Lumpur (direct so probably empty given take off weight restrictions) and a regular Tenerife ex LTN, probably on a Saturday in 71/72.

Remember on cross-windy day when the 707 went around although a MON 720B on approach ahead of it landed.

For a time, the BAL B707 use to go to and from KLAX. Can't remember why now. Obviously not direct there but they often came back direct.

We rarely got an inbound FPL, the first we would know is when London rang with an estimate or the acft called us for the wx.

BTW looks like the Court Line Navajo in front of the hanger (G-AYEI) in the photo

Yes, mostly group affinity charters to and from the US - Los Angeles etc. and Canada - you had to be a member of the South East Bedfordshire Bowling Club - join at check-in! to get round the strict rules in those days. Also flew to Hong Kong and if my memory serves me correctly did some IT flights for Thomson. G-AYSI was another B707-323C operated by Britannia. I am sure other colleagues on hear will be able to enlighten us further. Sorry 22/04 did not read your post before posting about flying to LAX apologies all round.

The pedant in me wants to point out that G-AYSI was a 707-373C - ex World Airways customer designated aircraft. ('YEX was a 355C)

yes YSI was an ex world a/c 373C and YEX a 355C from Cale

BY did some IT's for Thomson's Skytours Riviera holidays with the 707's
Palma Tenerife Las Palmas springs to mind and some subs for BCAL

Monarch 720B and FL430
 

I wasn't sure if my memory was at fault, but now someone has also flown at FL430 on a Monarch 720 maybe it isn't. Zurich-Luton on G-AZNX 18/5/78 - I thought were came back at FL430 but wasn't sure if they really could make that level. Only my 2nd flight on the type. And the only true "greaser" landing I have experienced, where you realise you're on the ground only from the rumble of the wheels - the customers (mainly Swiss nationals) broke into spontaneous applause. Same skipper as the 0-FL330 in 4½ minutes related yesterday.