Departure Lounge 1961
 

By way or contrast with LTNman's 80's shot here is the departure lounge in April 1961.


This was in the wooden building (airport building no. 50) at the base of the Control Tower which lasted so long and ultimately hosted Britannia, ATC Briefing Unit and the Tels section. Oh yes and some chap's office in the corner overlooking the ramp.


http://i65.tinypic.com/4ruic5.jpg


Credit Waller Studios

Depends who you mean by "some chap's office in the corner overlooking the ramp". I was only there 1992-94 before I de-camped to the other end of the building.

I am having difficult reconciling the view inside with the view outside. Which way round do you reckon that is?

I can see the Britannia hangar being built through the window.

I see the Captain has his hat on and the F/O is holding his in his hand:D

I remember a certain Britannia Captain DN who always for years carried his in a plastic bag. Eventually I believe the powers that be caught up with that and put a stop to it.

The terminal 1962

http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/...ps64wmq09m.jpg
Luton News

Yes, indeed, but it was my recollection that their were offices at that end of the building, occupied by Autair; obviously added later.

Your outside pic must have been taken shortly after the building was complete as you can make out the signal square immediately in front of it. That was soon re-positioned on the other side of the taxiway.

DH87B Hornet Moth in the distance which I would put money on being G-ADKL.

Another view inside the 'new' terminal, presumably taken around the same time.
Barclays Bank which became the Flight Briefing Unit, the passageway to the right leading to the cafe in the previous photo.

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

V-A, `and probably the wing of `AMXL` next to it`....

I have never seen an inside photo before of that end of the terminal. That must have been as big as the wooden terminal got before the "new" terminal opened in I think 1966 or 1968.

I can see a Piston and a Jet Provost ?.

Yes as LTNman says I assume it's looking west.


Here's another nice view in mid 61. PH-VIG - presumably a diversion.


I'm pretty sure the chap on the wing is John Webb who became Bonded Stores Supervisor in the early seventies.


Photo credit Napiers.


http://i64.tinypic.com/2r4iwbr.jpg

Aaah - what a wonderful Photograph - sums it all up!

Not sure if this is the same occasion, I can't quite make the registration out. It is dated 1962 and presumably came from the Jim Hannah collection.

Probably the first occasion KLM diverted to Luton after they announced it was their no. 1 diversion airfield.

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

Ref post #1547. Capt DN and his plastic bag. I remember several occasions where I had to lnform him that Capt DD was on the next A/C or in the crew bus or just walking down from ops etc.

Classic picture. The diagonal stripe tail was substituted later for horizontal stripes when marketing decreed that that diagonals were off putting to passengers!! Out of interest can anyone say where the DC7CF, presumably a Heathrow diversion, had originated? At that time the usual KLM freighter for Heathrow from Amsterdam was a Dak.

Transatlantic flights which could not get into Amsterdam used Manchester as a diversion point. One glorious Saturday in the early 1960s saw two Connies and a DC7C and we just missed out on a DC8 which was later and had enough fuel to hold as the fog lifted.

After blowing the photo up it looks like a BKS Ambassador in the background and a couple of Jet Provost's behind the tail of the DC6.

Also there are piles of earth on what became the North West Corner so maybe that is under construction.

Stand numbers query
 

Learned Contributors,
Can some one please advise of the stand numbers opposite the terminal building in the early 1970's where the Britannias used to frequent notably the Eurafric one on the Irish register and the RedCoat ones.
I was an infrequent visitor from Manchester at the time and have often wondered.
Thanks for your time and trouble, and thanks for a wonderful experience on this thread.
Be lucky
David
"The Avgasdinosaur"

LTNman, as I said in my post, it is a DC7CF which is a DC7C converted to a freighter. Recognition clues:
Taller, slimmer tale than a DC6
Four bladed props
Few windows
Freight door at rear.

Ops sorry philbky typo mistake:O

I have enlarged part of the photo on the previous page. Is that really the end of a wing sticking out through a slot in the hangar door? It so what would it be as I have seen a photo of their Lincoln parked the right way around so I can't think what would be bigger than their Lincoln that would need to be parked sideways.

http://i1079.photobucket.com/albums/...ps45ty4nyu.jpg

That has got to be a question for Vintage ATCO. I have only ever know the hangar line to be stands 10 to 15 with 10 being outside the Monarch hangar and 15 being outside the Britannia hangar but I don't know if it was different in the early 70's

I would agree with LTNman on this one. 10-15½ are the stands that I have recorded in my anorak log from 1976 onwards. What became 15L was known then as 15½. Further to this, the area referred to as "The Pond" i.e. what has been Signatures stand 16 for several years until recently, was known as 16, 17 and I believe 18 at the east end. I stand to be corrected, of course.