Classic British Flight Sim

We have visitors from Australia staying with us, an old RAF pal and his wife. We hadn't met since 1958 until yesterday.

We went to Brooklands Museum today, where we met DaveB. He gave us the grand tour of his much cherished Vanguard/Merchantman, and allowed us to park our weary backside on the flight deck.

It was a great thrill for us to be together again around the prop-jobs. Much water has gone under the Wey bridge since we worked on Transport Command A/C.

So thanks Dave, for making us welcome. It was much appreciated.

Dennis & John (Joe)

Yup.....Dave is very amiable....don't think i have ever thanked him......

Nice one Dave....

Tony

Hi Dennis

The pleasure was all mine. I hope I didn't bore you all to death as I'm difficult to stop once I get started Some Wednesdays, we have Joe Public everywhere and a few manage to negotiate the steps to have a look inside.. see there's not much to see and promptly leg it. Today, we had a fair old number and they ALL showed an interest. I don't think I've talked so much in years I'd sooner it be like that than to spend hours sitting on the FD listening to LATC ;-)

Tks very much for coming to say hello. It's always nice to meet folk off the forum and put a face to a name. Hope Joe and his wife enjoy the rest of their stay ;-)

ATB

DaveB :tab:

DaveB wrote:I'd sooner it be like that than to spend hours sitting on the FD listening to LATC ;-)

Pah, some people just have no taste.
PP

Even this throws up some interesting snippets every now and again mate. A few weeks ago, LATC were handing over and giving aircraft a 'none standard frequency'.. they were at pains to point this out with each aircraft and it got us all thinking.. why?? Most unusual :think:

Nice on a clear day with 27's being used as you can listen to ATC and watch the aircraft moving down the stack Couldn't do it as a job though. Far too many things to go wrong and the consequences of one small faux pas can reap dire results :o

Still waiting for your 'EP' induction anyway Pete

ATB

DaveB :tab:

May i just point out that NATS at West Drayton are called......LATCC......I worked there so i should know...... :dance:

Its 24.5 seconds away from my house......

Tony

Techy111 wrote: Its 24.5 seconds away from my house......

Tony

We know where you live

Garry

Techy111 wrote:May i just point out that NATS at West Drayton are called......LATCC......I worked there so i should know...... :dance:

Does anyone work there now, Tony? You're right about West Drayton being LATCC when you worked there - it was that from it's opening until AC moved to Swanwick - but it's name changed in 2001 to LTCC with Swanwick becoming LACC. However, following TC's recent move to Swanwick, which now house both LACC and LTCC (the 2 elements that made it LATCC), West Drayton, as far as I know, ceased to be anything - unless, of course, you as a local, know something different? :o

I think that Dave - not being one of the chosen few ;-) - was probably using "LATC" as an abbreviation for "London Air Traffic Control" in a generic sense rather than any specific unit - I'm sure he'll correct me if he wasn't.

Pete

DaveB wrote: A few weeks ago, LATC were handing over and giving aircraft a 'none standard frequency'.. they were at pains to point this out with each aircraft and it got us all thinking.. why?? Most unusual :think:

I don't know the particular circumstances on this day, Dave, but it's usual practice, especially in busy areas like the LTMA where a number of frequency changes are required in quick succession, for pilots to pre-select the next expected frequency so that the change can be made at the flick of a switch. The mention of the frequency being "non-standard" was probably a defence mechanism - a nudge in the ribs, if you like - by the controller to help prevent pilots not picking-up that it was a different frequency than the one that they'd pre-selected. You have to remember that pilots aren't the brightest things on two legs - otherwise they'd have been controllers - so we try to make it as simple as possible for them. I'd be willing to bet your annual income, though, that there would still have been one or two who went to the wrong frequency - there always is!

DaveB wrote:Nice on a clear day with 27's being used as you can listen to ATC and watch the aircraft moving down the stack Couldn't do it as a job though.

Funnily enough, I did that very job for 10 years from the early 80 to the early 90s, running the LAM and BNN stacks.

DaveB wrote:Still waiting for your 'EP' induction anyway Pete

I'm very much looking forward to it - it'll probably snow! ;-)
Best
Pete

Snow!! Now you've done it

Bang on the nail with my 'unnofficial' abbreviation ;-) Believe it or not.. the first time I typed that, I put ATC but then thought briefly that other readers may have presumed it was LHR so zapped an 'L' on the front Hope I've not caused a stir with the ATC police

Tony.. yeh, it was LATCC when I was a kid too matey. Was one not suffixed MIL too :think:

ATB

DaveB :tab: