I happened upon "Psychedelic Monster" N6578D when the Valiant Air Command was looking after her at Tico in Florida in 1984 - she was sharing ramp space with the one and only Bird Innovator N5907.

Looked her up and, very sadly, it seems she has fallen on hard times and is looking very neglected at Franklin, Virginia. Hope someone can wave the "$$$$$ no object" magic wand...

Yep, four Darts. The wing was based on the Shackleton I think.

Commonly referred to in RAF service as the "whistling ti*"!

I think Britannia started off in a hangar built by Luton Corporation who built it to attract an airline to the airport. Around 1970 they moved into their newly built hangar 89 next to the terminal. Court Line then moved into their old hangar to maintain the Tristar's.

At some point while keeping hangar 89, which was too small for the 757 and 767, they moved back into hangar 65 which was rebuilt.

Years later Easyjet moved into hangar 89 leaving leaving Britannia with just hangar 65.

Britannia built H89 around 1969 when the 737 entered the fleet. 757's did fit easily inside (at an angle) and it was common to see two undergoing maintenance at any one time. Cut-outs in a section of doors were made to accommodate the 767 with the tail outside but they rarely were seen in that hangar. The exiting of H89 had nothing to do with the withdrawal of the 737's in 1993. It was part of a cost-cutting exercise around 10 years later (although the lease was almost-up and the airport were keen to get rid of the EZY tent on the East apron!)

The original single bay H61 was built around 1983 prior to the 767 entering service in 1984. It was extended to the current two bay hangar in the early 1990's by demolishing the old Court Line hangar.

One from the scrap book.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psb0dad32b.jpg

Amazing how close the aircraft used to get to that fence. The smell and sound of the DC8 are alive from that photo :ok: No doubt a 'Sangria Special' down to the Costa del Sol ?


SHJ

A video for the sounds, between 1.00 until 3.30 to save watching the whole thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K_m5YKP-SI


SHJ

The fence was so low that if you kicked a football onto the grass from the spectators area you went and got it.

I think The Iberia DC8s were regulars on an Aviaco flight but if not would almost certainly have been a Easter w/e/ flight. Either way Aviaco flight number I suspect.

A seasonal pic from a few years back!.....

http://s7.postimg.org/jse6mop7f/tz_adl.jpg

From Tanzania if my memory serves be correctly. Thought it had a giraffe painted on the aircraft though.

Air Mali, became G-BMMZ for Britannia. Operated for 5 years by them. Scrapped in Toulouse 2004 :ok:

EGGW

TZ-ADL photographed early in 1986.

The aircraft was ferried from Mali to LTN gear down all the way!:eek:

Gear down all the way – blimey!

I once had to ferry a Dan 1-11 from Toulouse to LGW with the gear down. Tech log entry cleared for one flight only no pax.

I FILLED it up with fuel (5oo series ) and set off. It was soon obvious that the burn was not conforming to the ops manual burn with gear down.

The upshot was that I arrived at LGW on fumes, and a very tight bit of me, in a place best not mentioned. It would be interesting to know how much that 737 burned on the ferry mentioned above.

5H-MRK
 

Air Tanzania 732 was 5H-MRK which hid in the Britannia Hangar for a few weeks around 1986.

Ah....5H-MRK (another one I remember well!) Both the Air Tanzania 737-200's had heavy checks at LTN that year. There were no fancy stick-on graphics in those days...(an artist came in and painted the Giraffe's freehand!):D

Here it is after being washed prior to starting the check......I've got a lot of LTN pics going back this far (must get them sorted and scanned sometime!)

http://s23.postimg.org/slf2vov17/5h_mrk.jpg

ahhh that's the one I remember, thought I was suffering from memory loss!

Something a tad larger in the days before the pier.

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps4df67ba1.jpg

Are their any images of the Jet Provosts built at Luton - especially the T Mk.1s?

Also look at post 69 page 4
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psecc69215.jpg

MZ
 

Personally involved in changing every Indicating (Korry) Light, every Flight deck light plate & Decals on acceptance check, All were in French, must have cost a fortune. Remember The strange wildlife we found all over the aircraft, Quite a large display by the end of the check!!

I remember seeing the first six or so Jet Provost Mk.1 variants in formation overhead for a photo sortie c.1956.....
Then, a couple of years later, Barry (?) Radley (CTP) coming in low and fast over our house in Stopsley and pulling up in to a loop. Didn't realise at the time that Haraka Snr. was in the RHS.
Radley subsequently retired to S.A.(Cape town) I believe, anybody perchance know any more?

Barry Radley:

thetartanterror.********.com/2011/11/barry-radley-1923-dec.html

I hope that this works?

Barry Radley
 

Vampiredave.
Many thanks indeed!
Got it , and also noted many other names on that site to follow up.
Sad to see that he had passed away 10 years before my arrival in S.A.
Compliments of the season,
Haraka

Haraka:

You are welcome.

It would be good to see more references to the Jet Provost because of Luton's association with Hunting Percival?

Season's greetings to you, also.

DW

Another Luton line up

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...psd5d9809b.jpg

Lovely story about Edgar Percival ( and there are many!)
Apparently he was so incensed about the silly rules regarding suppliers of "authorised components" that he basically ignored some of them ,locally purchasing many aeronautical latches and catches from 'Gibbs and Dandy' in Luton.

Seen at Luton but what is the aircraft?

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps8901b6a7.jpg

de Havilland Albatross?

Yes I agree it's an Albatross.
I feel I should be able to put some names to the people but can't for the moment.

I believe the photo was taken on 16th July 1938 when the airfield was officially opened.

I have looked up the de Havilland Albatross and I would say it is definitely that aircraft.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q_zNrj0GpM

Nice movie of the opening day, including a take-off and flypast by that Albatross (the prototype) and the Short Mercury separating from the Maia:

East Anglian Film Archive: Luton Airport, 1938

Nearly 77 years ago, wow. Pity there was no sound with that EAFA clip.

In 1955 I made my qualifying cross country flight for the PPL, from White Waltham to Cambridge, with the require intermediate stop at Luton. Back then is was just a large grass airfield with a tower that looked like a lighthouse. What a difference in the later photographs in this thread! And how nostalgic is the post of the opening day video!


Edgar Percival came up with some fine aircraft. I once flew with a friend in his Proctor, and enjoyed it very much. I also remember the prototype Prospector being demonstrated by the late Harold Best Devereaux, who flew it into White Waltham.

Another Luton mystery I hope someone can solve. What is the aircraft in the distance?

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ps056c0f3a.jpg

A Warwick? a development of the Wellington.

mmm don't think so. The photo shows the engine exhaust in the middle of the engine while the photos I have just looked up show the exhaust of the Warwick coming out of the bottom of the engine.

Judging by the shape of the tailfin, the nose and the under-fuselage pannier, it is almost certainly a Warwick Mk. 3. Napiers had a Flight Development set up at Luton, so my money is on a Warwick being used as a flying test bed, which would explain the engine looking "wrong".

Looks like it's a Warwick C3 with Napier Sabres.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ww2images/6903545381/

(oxenos wins by a short head! :p)

Can't see that,treadigraph - haven't got flikr.
Found this though,
hawker tempest | blackburn firebrand | 1945 | 2284 | Flight Archive

C3 with Sabre mk VI

Super photograph - Cold Miserable Luton Airport Day - New Year's Resolution Gone for a Burton - Warming up with a fag or two and a game of Pocket Billiards!