Remember the day of the Monarch B757 divert and crew change well - was the tower controller at the time, I think the reason was they needed Cat 3 capable crew to get to Gatwick. Was the busiest diversion day I ever handled, made harder IIRC by having A/C parked on our bolt hole the compass bay.
One other question, in the 10 years I worked there nobody could tell me why stand 16/17 was called the ponder rosa - bet somebody out there knows!

Not many people realise just how long there has been an airfield at Luton.
About 10 years ago, not long before I retired, they were digging up part of the apron to rectify some cracking and subsidence. About 15 inches down they hit Roman mosaic. Work had to stop, and the archeologists were called in.
It turned out that almost exactly below the modern stand four there was a T shape of yellow tesserae, together with an IV and, to the left of the head of the T the word STOP in Latin. ( Can't remember the exact Latin )
Makes sense for them to have put an airfield there. Handy for Verulamium ( now St Albans ), Durocobrivis ( Dunstable ), easy access from Watling Street, and from the older Icknield Way.
Also, of course being on top of a hill, easy to defend when the tribes got a bit stroppy.

There was a western television series called Bonanza which ran from 1959-1973 (in the US I guess, prob a year or two later here) where the Cartwright family lived on a ranch called Ponderosa. The land attached to this (mythical) ranch was enormous and when someone saw stand 16/17 after it had been first laid associated it with that. Bloody stupid name that I always refused to use.

I thought it was reference by the McAlpine guys as The Ponderosa ....

almost professional - As far as the busiest diversion day, are you talking about the 3 x Laker DC-10s snowclo day or the big fog day which brought large numbers of LHR traffic as well?

Oxenos;- I think you'll find that correct reading of the latin inscription was 'Boudiccastrasse'. Those pesky Icenae....

Nice One Eleven picture- with 'BL in the picture 1970 I guess with a BY Britannia being broken up behind the hanger?

Couple of questions- how come so many OU One Elevens not in use (early morning?) and what elevated position was the photo taken from?

My guess is the corner of the McAlpine hanger or perhaps a de-icer. Its the wrong position for the Ops building.

The big LL fog day, came into work for the afternoon duty to find we were just about the only airfield open in the South East, aircraft parked everywhere, including nose in to the tower behind stand 9, fairly surreal to see the B757 sat in turning circle with steps and vehicles driving out to change crews.

Thanks VA, now I know!
As an aside, do you have any pictures of the Cv580 that Ryanair used before the 748/1-11 arrived, I know I do but blowed if I can find them

how about these ones https://www.flickr.com/photos/chrischenn76/6478627125/

Convair CV-580 - Large Preview - AirTeamImages.com

Can't be the big LL fog day I remember, that was in 70s with Sabena, Lufy, Lingus, Iberia everywhere all day, I think they even abandoned stand numbers with nose in & out everywhere....

No mid 80s, didn't start at Luton till 79 - VA will no doubt know the exact date!

Seem to remember in its later life that the Autair hangar was used to maintain 146's for a short while but the problem was that the T tail of the 146 was slightly too tall to get it into the hanger.

Some cleaver dick designed a small ramp for the nose wheel so as the aircraft's nose wheel went up the ramp the tail dropped by the required inches thus allowing it into the hanger.

Only airline I can think of would be Debonair.

Talking of diversions - early 1970 the firemen at Heathrow going on strike/work to rule resulting in not enough cover at certain times of the day especially early evening. British European Airways, Northeast, Sabena, KLM, Aer Lingus etc landed at Luton dropping off passengers and then positioning empty to Heathorw hoping for the fire cover to come up to the required status.
Also in the 1970s firemen at Gatwick went on strike just before Christmas (I think Christmas Eve) and Dan-Air, Laker and BIA aircraft were parked all over the place including the Bravo taxiway! Perhaps Vintage ATCO can verify?

22/4 -

The photo dates from August 1974, just after Court Line went bust, hence the fleet being parked up.

When I worked for Court Line (1970), they operated four 'waves' a day with the fleet all arriving LTN at around 0200, 0800, 1400 and 2000. In the summer, almost nothing was out of service - especially during the day.

Sorry, I can remember several days when we took a lot of diversions but not many specifics. They just happened from time to time.

The first I remember is before I validated so pre-1971 when we took 45 diversions from Heathrow on a Saturday morning. We parked them everywhere, inc along the apron centreline from stand 9, 'first in, last out'. We asked McAlpines if they had any movements that day and could we park a couple of aeroplanes on their apron. 'Help yourself' they said so two Viscounts later . . . .

The picture was probably 1970/1971 not 1974. GAWBL was a 1-11-400 series and if I remember correctly was the only 400 to be painted in Court Line colours, it was then sold to Cambrian in 1971.

The clue is above the hangar as the old Autair markings can still be seen. The hangar was then marked up as CourtLine.

The green 1-11 looks like G-AWBL which was disposed of on 20/01/71

So LTN Man I guess you know the date

I first saw 'XML on 9/5/70 ( 'fraid I was a spotter then)- Given how often I got to Luton it would have been under two weeks old at that point.

So most likely May 1970 then - possibly June.

There will be very little of my childhood Luton left soon- the hangar another nail in the coffin.

At least the main apron stand numbers to some extent remain.

G-AWBL Obtained 1/5/68 for Autair, to CourtLine 5/12/69. Disposed 20/1/71
G-AXML obtained 30/4/70 Leased to LANICA 22/12/71

So the photo was taken between 30/4/70 and 20/1/71. Seeing that there are 4 1-11's in the maintenance area I would guess the photo was taken before or after the main summer holiday flying programme for 1970.

If I had to pin it down further, looking at the shadows the sun is quite high so I would say first week in May 1970

Any way it's a great picture- 'ML looks beautiful.

Pity we can't resolve a registration on either of the Britannias (well I can't) - "Flying to the Sun" has 'NBF being broken up in May and 'NBA in June. The one behind the hangar would be awaiting its fate as I remember. Looks like a BKS Britannia in the hangar?

Oh and while I'm here another appeal for detail of the 1967 Sudflug programme - arrival and departure times destinations flight numbers.

One year before my Dad let me cycle to the airport so I can only remember them clattering over the house on Sunday afternoons - as a 12 year old.

Re. the One-Eleven picture.

IIRC Dan Air got there first One Eleven G-AZED at the end of 1971 after we re-built it from D-ANDY at Hurn. (me apprentice ).
So if this is 1970, is the Dan Air aircraft leased?

I think the legendary really busy diversion day when everything came in from LHR was 06 Jan, just struggling to remember whether it was '87 or '88.

"Is this a leased aircraft?"

Nope, the two ex American Airlines One Elevens came to Luton in 1969; G-AXCK, G-AXCP. Then there were two ex Eagle ones; G-ATPL, G-ATPJ. Your G-AZED might have been next.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps13757d93.jpg

This photo is dated 1969. No idea where is came from but the title is G-AXCK G-AXCP 4xAutair

A wonderful photograph. Oh, what happy memories!

Yes- a typical day in 1969, maybe I was in the old enclosure beside the terminal- was there most Saturdays. Where has the time gone?

Nice photo of the Britannia.
Wow suits and ties ............ how things have changed, you don't even get to see that in First Class now!

And loading through both main cabin doors, forward and aft.

What a concept, wonder what happened to it. :rolleyes:

If one is not on a pier then quite frequently one uses both doors

Autair Staff posing for publicity in their lunch-break Summer 1966
 

Everything in that photo has gone. Aircraft, wooden buildings, control tower and I guess many of the people in this photo are no more!

Thanks for editing your 'fattie post' LTNman - I'm sure Joan, middle right, would not have been amused! Joan was/is a particularly forthright Geordie and would have given you an earful. She was the Ops Office Telex Operator, (remember those Telex machines?) Next to her is Jackie who had/has a fine figure and was the Ops Manager's Secretary. I can't remember the names of the rest them apart from Lance Secretan and that includes myself!

Ah yes I can spot you O........Ops!

But what's that thing on your head?

As aye

FW
;)

Love the long gloves. Were they air hostess issue?


http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/ou1.htm

FW - I believe it was called 'Hair' - a very distant memory but a bald fact!

Best Tom.

This was probably taken in 1970 by the late Eddie Papps and I have full authority to publish it here.

http://i59.tinypic.com/15ejrja.jpg