wieesso

Found this photo.
Need help to identify the location of this massive concrete hangar.
The year is a guess - MEA got the first Comet 4C 15 Dec 1960.

http://www.airlinehobby.com/fullsize.../681703680.jpg

Any help available?

Martin

sabredog

B.OA.C. Hangar,Heathrow.

wieesso

Wow! Seven minutes! Thanks!

chevvron

Originally built for Stratocruisers, and mostly still extant albiet much modified.

Speedbird48

Chevvron,

I think you will find that it was built to house the Brabazon, hence the very large archways. It had a 230ft wingspan, I believe, if the grey stuff serves me right after all these years. You could put three or more Stratocruisers or Connies in each bay easily. Also VC10's and 707's which were often inside three at a time.

The end of the building from the first floor up was offices and through the center. The ground floor was all workshops and they were very comprehensive in their abilities. Today I expect it is all penpushers!!

Speedbird48.

alisoncc

Quite tiny in comparison to the big one at Cardington. Now that was (is?) a biggy.

chevvron

Thanks Speedbird; as soon as I clicked submit I began to have my doubts but convinced myself BOAC weren't that forward thinking! I based my statement on the many photos I've seen with Strats parked outside.

tornadoken

SB48 & Chev. Heritage Locations - Heathrow Maintenance Base
You are, sort of both right. BOAC American Aircraft Engineering Centre was extradited in 1949, to save $, from Montreal to Filton, alongside Line 3 HQ. In 1954 they moved in to (to be) Technical Block D, which had been specified in 1949 "to take the largest envisaged aircraft". That was indeed T.167...but BOAC succeeded precisely then in escaping any commitment to it, and it was reduced to "Research", gently anaethesised in 1952. Additional "Interim" proper aircraft would be bought for Bring Over American Currency, self-$-financed, while waiting for the Medium Range Empire, ordered by Govt. for them 29/7/49, into Service 1/2/57 as Britannia 102. The doors were modified to let their tails breathe freely. Meantime TBD served Strats and Connies.