The 1962 tower and the jet age
After the war Prestwick became a transatlantic gateway. A 1958 government plan brought a runway extension, a new terminal and a new control tower, completed in April 1962 (Secret Scotland). The USAF’s Military Air Transport Service used the airfield from 1952 to 1966 (ABCT).
The cab on the 1962 tower block is a faceted glass room with outward-leaning panes, the shape still seen on the tower today (2014 and 2016 photographs, CC BY-SA). Radar approaches were given from GCA trucks and a caravan by the runway, photographed around 1967.
The desk in this era
The plate shows a grey-green steel console with switch panels, a black dial telephone, a desk microphone, a strip board, a radar repeater set into the desk top, clocks, wind and pressure dials, binoculars and a red warning lamp: a typical UK layout of the period, not a record of Prestwick’s desk. Artist’s impression (AI-generated with Grok Imagine), typical UK layout.
// What happened
A 1958 layout drawing of the tower survives (atchistory). No source confirms whether today’s cab is the original 1962 fit-out.
- 1958A government plan proposes a new tower, terminal, runway extension and loop road. [Secret Scotland]
- Apr 1962The new control tower is completed; Orangefield House is abandoned by 1962. [Secret Scotland]
- Sept 1964The terminal is opened by the Queen Mother. [Secret Scotland]
- Feb 1966Orangefield House is demolished to make way for a taxiway. [Secret Scotland]
- c.1967Photos show GCA radar trucks and a caravan used for “talking down”. [atchistory: Prestwick Airport]
- 1971The Royal Navy arrives: HMS Gannet operates Sea Kings alongside the civil airport. [ABCT: Prestwick]
// Equipment in this era
| System | Status |
|---|---|
| ILS: localiser, glidepath and DME | Not known |
| ATIS: Prestwick Information 121.130 | Not known |
| Voice switch and telephones | Typical UK practice |
| Radio: VHF, UHF and standby sets | Typical UK practice |
| Radar displays and the ATM | At Prestwick (sourced) |
| Lighting control panel (AGL) | Typical UK practice |
| Met display | Typical UK practice |
| Weather instruments | Typical UK practice |
| Flight progress strips | Typical UK practice |
| Signal lamp and the Aldis | Typical UK practice |
| Binoculars | Typical UK practice |
| Crash alarm | Typical UK practice |
| NOTAMs and briefing | Typical UK practice |
| Military links and hotlines | At Prestwick (sourced) |
| UTC clocks and indicators | Typical UK practice |
Not yet in use: Surface movement radar and A-SMGCS.
// Photographs
