Reminds me when another demo 767 visited Britannia and everyone had to wear high viz jackets to walk up the steps to the aircraft. It looked odd to say the least as they all looked like passengers.

http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/...psa4esw3vl.jpg

http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/...psumi4lllw.jpg

no butz I was there that day, the aircraft must have been positioned to other stands as my Monarch 1-11 was parked next to them. I wandered over to have a squiz and marvelled how futuristic the flight deck looked compared to the 1-11.
I also remember a Monarch Hostie giving me an orange juice which I promptly spat out ....... she had forgotten she had put a "little extra" in it!:= Anyway after that, off to sunny Spain I go in the 1-11.

What was the first Airbus to land at LTN? And if different, the first pax flight?

I may be wrong but I have feeling that TEA (Trans European Airways) brought one of their A300s into Luton in the late 70s. I am sure someone out there will confirm or not. OO-TEF was c/n 2 and was a rare A300B1.

TEA A300
 

OO-TEF ON 10/5/78, football supporters (Bruges IIRC) playing Liverpool at Wembley, Cup Winners cup final probably.
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1464204457
OO-TEF Luton 10/5/78


Aircraft also visited twice on the night of 16-17/10/86, not sure why

First one I saw was Bavaria-Germanair D-AMAY on Easter Monday 11/4/77

I remember going on the 767-400 for a look around. They were handing out goodybags as you entered and turned right into the cabin.
I got on, got a bag, asked to look in the flight deck then got another bag as I came out and into the cabin.
Haven't got a clue what I did with them!

I reckon you're right cj - here it is coming past the Spectators.


http://i67.tinypic.com/33lh4zq.jpg

I remember the first B757-200 (G-MONB), landing at exactly 0757 on its delivery flight to Monarch, with Captains DD (Don) McAngus and Ted Kingston at the controls. Proud day for us Monarch Engineers.

It was certainly DDM in command but not Ted in the other seat as he was still on the 737 then. Believe it was Capt Geoff Hall (aka the Silver Fox) in the other seat.

Percivals built five Jet Provost T.52s for the Sudan Air Force, all delivered between Nov 63 and Jan 64. DC3 ST-AAG in the background along with BEA Viscount G-AMOH, presumably a Heathrow diversion.
Credit: BAE Systems Heritage, Warton - Hunting Percival Archive

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...0AF%201963.jpg

101 Jet Provost T.51 for the Kuwait Air Force, FM1031 Provost Malaya Air Force and WH912 Canberra B.2. 1962. The only scant info I can find about the Canberra it was used by Huntings, not Napier. Anyone know more?

Euravia (later Britannia) hangar being built in the background.
Credit: BAE Systems Heritage, Warton - Hunting Percival Archive

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...rra%201962.jpg

A well known airframe, no. 20 off the production line in 1953, G-AMZM was a Provost T.1 used by Hunting Percivals as a camera platform and demonstrator to Turkey in '53. It even completed in the National Air Races in 1955 and 1956.

Civil registration was cancelled in 1961 as it was converted to military spec and sold to Royal Malaysian AF as FM1036. Believed preserved at Kinrara as M13-06.

Credit: BAE Systems Heritage, Warton - Hunting Percival Archive

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...Pics/GAMZM.jpg

It did a flypast before coming into land.
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1464709311
G-MONB Luton 22/3/83
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...pssaxtfr3r.jpg


one of the aircraft it replaced looks rather uncared for in the engine run bay; can't be sure but I think it was G-AZFB. All 3 of the original Monarch 720B's were sold to Jet 24 in the US, getting cannibalised for the KC-135 programme.
http://i1380.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1464710117
N24666 Luton 13/3/83 ex G-AZNX

"The only scant info I can find about the Canberra it was used by Huntings"
I'll ask around as I haven't got a clue.
One (very) wild guess might be a connection to Hunting weapons testing.....
P.S. I remember Barry Radley climbing out of that Provost after an aeros display and the old man introducing me to him :
"Bloody rough up there today!" he said.
Such things stick in the mind of a small boy......

Didn't a Canberra set an altitude record from Luton? I might be wrong here but I seem to remember a couple of rockets where attached to it.

Yes, WK163 with twin Napier Scorpion jet engines. Here is it being tested at Luton.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...20Canberra.jpg

To be restored, apparently https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djAntunvnMc

I have posted this before but it was a scanned pic from a newspaper. This is from the Luton News Archive.

27 Feb 1952 Comet 1 G-ALYP flown into Luton (and landing on grass) by John Cunningham after fog obscured both Hatfield and Heathrow. It left the following afternoon.

On 10 Jan 1954 this aircraft was lost off Elba whilst en-route Rome Heathrow.

Luton Airport's 'new' control being constructed, the old tower is visible beneath the wing of the Comet. Avro York and two Percival Pembrokes in the background.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...at%20Luton.jpg

Hard to believe that anyone would land a large passenger jet on grass now. I guess there was a different psyche in those days about grass

No, I think it is just an indication of how precious and less practical we have become. What's the problem with grass as long as the substrate is solid enough? The Russians design most of their fast pointy things to do it as routine...