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Flight path into heathrow

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Flight path into heathrow

Old 7th Jun 2001, 00:18
  #1 (permalink)  
Captain Anorak
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Post Flight path into heathrow

Just flown back from SFO into LHR and the inflight map wasn't working. Anyone know what the route is ? Think we flew over tip of Greenland and over Central London but thats all I know. Curious to know where I was and what I was looking at down there.
 
Old 7th Jun 2001, 10:04
  #2 (permalink)  
Scottie Dog
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Rather a blank question?

If you were to supply date/flight number etc you might be more likely to get a specific response. Otherwise all you can hope for is a general reply and the route can vary in so many different ways.

Happy travelling.

Scottie Dog
 
Old 7th Jun 2001, 15:30
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Aluminium Importer
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Anorak,

Just checking that you were in the plane as a passenger and not as a member of the flight crew!

Once in UK airspace, there are two possible routes you could have taken depending on the position of the inbound North Atlantic Tracks:

1) Eastbound over Southern Wales, passing Bristol, Swindon and Newbury and then into Ockham in Surrey (near Woking) which is the southwest arrival point for Heathrow. Then heading east over South London before turning left and then left again and over Fulham, Putney, Richmond and Hounslow before landing.

2) Southeast from Scottish airspace, passing Manchester, Birmingham and Milton Keynes and then into Bovingdon (near enough to Watford)which is the northwest arrival point for Heathrow. Then heading southeast over North London before turning right and then right again and over Fulham, Putney, Richmond and Hounslow before landing.

Can't help you with the routes outside UK airspace.

AI
 
Old 8th Jun 2001, 12:22
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Jumbo Jockey
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From San Francisco to the UK the great circle track is over NW Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Manitoba, Hudson Bay, southern end of Baffin Island, southern Greenland, a little way South of Iceland, the Hebrides, Glasgow, Lake District and into Heathrow via Bovingdon, NW of the airport. Thence if you're landing towards the West at Heathrow yes it would be over central London on the way in, and very scenic too on a nice day.

HOWEVER!! The route flown between two cities on a long-haul network varies enormously from day to day, and we will go a long way off the great circle track (shortest distance) to take advantage of the best tailwinds or avoid the worst headwinds: What we are after is minimum time, not minimum distance. On the way back from California to Heathrow I have been as far South as New Mexico, Texas and New York in pursuit of the shortest time. Incidentally the number-crunching to find out how far off the great circle it is worthwhile going to find better winds is done in most airlines by a flight-planning department and a big computer.
 
Old 8th Jun 2001, 19:02
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Avman
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Typical of today's impatient youth; direct entry into PPRuNe as "Captain Anorak" when the first post suggests he/she merits no more than the UserName "Junior First Officer Anorak"!!!
 
Old 8th Jun 2001, 20:23
  #6 (permalink)  
wtpurser
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Ah the good old Bovingdon hold !
Heard many stories about this one, just enough time for a bacon sarnie !
 

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