LUTON tower visit.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Brighton. UK. (Via Liverpool).
Posts: 5,068
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't think there will be one to be honest. Its up to our sponsor if he will go through it all again. I don't want to push it and ask for another one so soon, that might be asking a bit much. We had a pretty good day at EGKK and i don't want to ruin any chance we have of another by being a pain in the bum by asking all the time. I am sure if we are able to go back they will let us know in thier own time. 
Rainbow Chaser
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: At home, mostly!
Posts: 608
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
are we all set? .... and
does anyone want to get there a little earlier and grab some lunch maybe?
I have never been to Luton Airport itself and am thinking I might get there early to have a snoop around!
I have never been to Luton Airport itself and am thinking I might get there early to have a snoop around!
aceatco, retired
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: one airshow or another
Posts: 1,431
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
If you pitch up early you'll have to park in the public car park and pay the charges. Food in the terminal is the standard airport fare, and prices (inc Burger King!) Plenty of nice pubs just outside Luton in the villages. Lemme me know if you want more info.
Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.
------------------
vintage ATCO
www.stevelevien.com
Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.
------------------
vintage ATCO
www.stevelevien.com
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Brighton. UK. (Via Liverpool).
Posts: 5,068
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't forget to be at the pick-up point at 1415 if you get there early and decide to wander around. Not sure if you can meet at the gate of the tower but saying that i don't want to start rearranging plans now at this late stage.
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: kent
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks to all those involved in arranging a great day - Interesting and enjoyable. It was also nice meeting some more Ppruners and the beer in the pub afterwards wasn't bad either !
Rainbow Chaser
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: At home, mostly!
Posts: 608
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
a BIG thankyou ..
to BRL and to Vintage ATCO for arranging a great visit. Eveepee and I met up at the Luton Airport Parkway station earlier than others to go and investigate the airport! The shuttlebus to the airport runs pretty much non-stop and it takes maybe 7 minuts to get from the station to the airport. London Luton is a modern, charming and small regional airport and for a Friday afternoon really not hugely busy. Very clear signs and desks, the statutory Tie Rack and bookshop and a small food-hall (bit like a shopping mall food area) with stainless steel furniture. A Burger King later (my second this year!) was lunch after which eveepee and I returned to the station to meet up with the rest of the gang.
Thinking to be smart we hung out at the Parkway Express cafe area with the intention of spotting BRL who was also arriving by train. At 1355 there was no sign of him so we went down to wait by the telephone booths (as ordered). Doing so we saw four folks in the middle of the car park but as they paid no attention to us we assumed they were nowt to do wi' PPRuNe. Ten minutes later eveepee suggested we approach the Luton Parkway Four and if they didn't react properly to an "if I say PPRuNE do you know what I mean" approach we would retire without embarrassment! Needless to say the 'Four were our gang.
A short car ride to the Tower, where we were met by Vintage ATCO and taken by lift to the top of the 157' (did I get that right?) tower - significantly taller than the towers at LHR and LGW anyway, as I subsequently found out. The working staff, three in all, were calm, professional, laid back and totally kewl with our being there and Vintage ATCO explained how things work. The airport was reasonably busy with Easy, Britannia, Monarch and a few biz jets coming/going. When told that NATS is desperate for applicants I grumbled that my age is against me - why, if one's aptitude is fine and one's health is fine should one be disqualified by virtue of age alone!! T'ain't fair!! I wanna be an ATCO :: pouts and stomps foot::!!!!!!!
We probably outstayed our welcome but no-one told us - at the 2hr point, however, another group was due to invade so we left the tower - impressed with the easy (no pun intended) way in which the whole process is run, from the printout from West Drayton to the taxi instructions (managing a cul-de-sac apron)!! It was for me too soon over, I could happily sit with a view of an airport all day!! Oh well ... dat's my weakness!
A quick decision was taken to round off the day with a couple of drinks and we hi-ed ourselves to Harpenden and the New Bell (something Bell anyway) Inn and hung out there for at least another hour! Thanks to iainpoll and dondcake (guess I should check the names) for the lifts - unfortunately distaffbeancounter had a couple of errands to run and couldn't join us (I never did get to ask where she got her biplane gold jewellery from!).
Finally us train-going folks were taken to the station by iainpolland Thameslink brought us home GO BRL !!! D'you know it had not occurred to me before the other day that the leaves on the line "excuse" for trains being delayed is nothing to do with trains accelerating - more a question of can they stop!! Quite scary when you think about it!
Anyway ... thanks again to all who made the day possible!
Thinking to be smart we hung out at the Parkway Express cafe area with the intention of spotting BRL who was also arriving by train. At 1355 there was no sign of him so we went down to wait by the telephone booths (as ordered). Doing so we saw four folks in the middle of the car park but as they paid no attention to us we assumed they were nowt to do wi' PPRuNe. Ten minutes later eveepee suggested we approach the Luton Parkway Four and if they didn't react properly to an "if I say PPRuNE do you know what I mean" approach we would retire without embarrassment! Needless to say the 'Four were our gang.
A short car ride to the Tower, where we were met by Vintage ATCO and taken by lift to the top of the 157' (did I get that right?) tower - significantly taller than the towers at LHR and LGW anyway, as I subsequently found out. The working staff, three in all, were calm, professional, laid back and totally kewl with our being there and Vintage ATCO explained how things work. The airport was reasonably busy with Easy, Britannia, Monarch and a few biz jets coming/going. When told that NATS is desperate for applicants I grumbled that my age is against me - why, if one's aptitude is fine and one's health is fine should one be disqualified by virtue of age alone!! T'ain't fair!!
I wanna be an ATCO :: pouts and stomps foot::!!!!!!!We probably outstayed our welcome but no-one told us - at the 2hr point, however, another group was due to invade so we left the tower - impressed with the easy (no pun intended) way in which the whole process is run, from the printout from West Drayton to the taxi instructions (managing a cul-de-sac apron)!! It was for me too soon over, I could happily sit with a view of an airport all day!! Oh well ... dat's my weakness!
A quick decision was taken to round off the day with a couple of drinks and we hi-ed ourselves to Harpenden and the New Bell (something Bell anyway) Inn and hung out there for at least another hour! Thanks to iainpoll and dondcake (guess I should check the names) for the lifts - unfortunately distaffbeancounter had a couple of errands to run and couldn't join us (I never did get to ask where she got her biplane gold jewellery from!).
Finally us train-going folks were taken to the station by iainpolland Thameslink brought us home GO BRL !!! D'you know it had not occurred to me before the other day that the leaves on the line "excuse" for trains being delayed is nothing to do with trains accelerating - more a question of can they stop!! Quite scary when you think about it!
Anyway ... thanks again to all who made the day possible!
Last edited by brockenspectre; 19th Oct 2002 at 14:33.
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Dorset, UK
Posts: 619
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Very many thanks to Vintage ATCO & BRL for organising the trip, which was most interesting. And many thanks to the tower staff, who answered all our questions with much patience. I wonder if they get fed up with all the visitors disturbing their peace?
It was lovely to meet other Ppruners, & to put faces to names. Sorry I did not get to the pub in Harpenden, but I had to fight my way through the Luton rush hour traffic, to the garage to get a fuse(I think?) replaced on the traction control. (The poor old car gets a lot fewer Check As, that the A/c!). After that I thought that I ought to go home sober & upright, as I had my annual MEP test booked for 0830 yesterday morning. (& yes I passed )
brochenspectre Many thanks for explaining that your handle refers to circular rainbows. Its amazing what you learn from Pprune . I will be looking out for them from now on. As for the jewellery, I have several pieces with assorted aircraft motives, that I have just spotted in shop windows, over the last few years. The biplane I bought several years ago from a high street chain, but have not seen a similar one since. The earings with airliners, were made for me by a jeweller friend, who I persuaded to learn to fly.
It was lovely to meet other Ppruners, & to put faces to names. Sorry I did not get to the pub in Harpenden, but I had to fight my way through the Luton rush hour traffic, to the garage to get a fuse(I think?) replaced on the traction control. (The poor old car gets a lot fewer Check As, that the A/c!). After that I thought that I ought to go home sober & upright, as I had my annual MEP test booked for 0830 yesterday morning. (& yes I passed
)brochenspectre Many thanks for explaining that your handle refers to circular rainbows. Its amazing what you learn from Pprune
. I will be looking out for them from now on. As for the jewellery, I have several pieces with assorted aircraft motives, that I have just spotted in shop windows, over the last few years. The biplane I bought several years ago from a high street chain, but have not seen a similar one since. The earings with airliners, were made for me by a jeweller friend, who I persuaded to learn to fly.
aceatco, retired
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: one airshow or another
Posts: 1,431
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
The biplane I bought several years ago from a high street chain, but have not seen a similar one since.
Sold in the shop at Old Warden. . . .
--------------------
vintage ATCO
www.stevelevien.com
Why do it if it's not fun?
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Bournemouth
Posts: 4,779
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BRL,
Since you were (I think) the only person to see both Luton and Gatwick, can you do a quick comparison between the two for us?
Thanks, Brock, for the great write-up!
FFF
-----------------
Since you were (I think) the only person to see both Luton and Gatwick, can you do a quick comparison between the two for us?
Thanks, Brock, for the great write-up!
FFF
-----------------
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Brighton. UK. (Via Liverpool).
Posts: 5,068
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Pretty hard one that FuFu. Looks similar inside except Gatwick has a big desk on the right when you walk in where the boss sits behind. Much the same equipment really, almost identical. More people in Gatwick too...... Can't think of how, exactly to do a real comaparison. 
Thanks to all for turning up. Big thanks too for Vintage ATCO for setting it all up. There will be another one if people want to go up in November. (subject to demand)
Thanks to all for turning up. Big thanks too for Vintage ATCO for setting it all up. There will be another one if people want to go up in November. (subject to demand)
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Florida,Essex, or Shoreham.
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Really interesting, as an accasional A/G operator it was good to see how the pro's do it!
Thanks to Big Red and VintageATCO for organising it.
Thanks to Big Red and VintageATCO for organising it.
Last edited by iainpoll; 23rd Oct 2002 at 18:18.
