al20a

I thought maybe an ex Air Traffic Controller maybe able to answer a question that I have about ATC aircraft movement logs at Heathrow. I know that aircraft movements where logged in hand written log books in the early 1970's and in the late 1970's they became computerised to record aircraft movements at Heathrow airport.
What I would like to know is, was this the only record of an aircraft's visit to Heathrow or was an aircraft's identification sent to other departments at Heathrow. i.e. accounts departments or individual airlines them selfs. So they could keep up to date with where there fleet was on a certain day.
I know old archived movement logs are now held at a Surrey library, but the logs I have seen for 1978 only recorded flight numbers and the only identification or registration logged are of private and military aircraft and aircraft posioning in from other airports. Was there no historical record kept of aircraft visiting Heathrow in the 1970's in the airport it self, apart from local enthusiats making notes from the Queens Building. Which them selfs didn't cover every days movements.
If they where sent to other department's where are there records held now.
If any still exist.

regards
Albert

Eric T Cartman

@ Albert
I was an ATCA @ Heathrow from 1970-72 & helped compile the movement logs as one of the Tower ATCA duties. We took the relevant info from the ATCO's flight progress strips - unless the aircraft used it's reg as the callsign, it's individual identity didn't have to be logged (although sometimes it was by enthusiasts ! ), as it was of no real significance to ATC.
The Ground Movement Controller had a ticker-tape running across the desk in front of him which gave the aircraft callsign, registration & parking stand. This was produced by a department known as "Telemove" & was from info supplied by the BAA Apron Control. Whether the BAA kept logs as well, I couldn't say - perhaps "Heathrow Director" could help ?
DM

HEATHROW DIRECTOR

Presumably the airlines had detailed records of their aircraft movements and, as Eric indicated, the Telemove system (replaced by BASIS??) provided registration information for all flights. I'm pretty sure the handwritten logs carried on for a long time, although I don't know when they ceased. There's probably six million miles of Telemove tape stored away somewhere!

al20a

Cheers Guys,
Perhaps if there's someone out there who use to work in the Telemove department or with BASIS is a member of PPRuNe might be able to take this further. If the tapes where binned or other records where made from them.

Albert

HEATHROW DIRECTOR

Doubt if there will be many ex-Telemove types as that system went QRT many years ago. The ops were Communications Officers, mostly into their late years so I suspect some of them are now QRT too. The one really excellent thing about Telemove was that they used to run their own tuck shop and didn't mind us ATC wallahs buying the odd choccy bar!!

windowjob

Yeh HD -but that was only after the "trolley" stopped!
Ticker tape and certain GMC controllers fishing in the bin at the end of the desk whilst speaking very slowly trying to find the stand - memories!

ex-EGLL

Been there - Done that!!

Happy days indeed