Heathrow Memories
I was based on the south side in the mid sixties.This was the original Harmondsworth Airport. The southern perimeter road from Hatton cross would take you past the Pan-Am base (best canteen on the airfield), the executive aircraft park, then what were known as the Comet hangars. Hunting Clan was based there, I remember the 'Clan' being painted out as it became the base for Fields, Shell Aircraft Ambassadors with Douglas Bader being a regular visitor as he kept his twin Beech in the hangar, One hangar was used as a freight shed for Seaboard & Western Airlines CL44 aircraft and another housed all the snow ploughs and runway clearing equipment. Fields often had aircraft for maintenance, the Syrian Arab DC6, Iraqi Viscounts and the Misrair Comet come to mind. Further round the peri track you would find the Air India base and the flashing beacon, which was a large cone of green flourescent tubes. There was a glue factory (hoof & horn) down that way and if the wind was right down the runway, everybody knew about it. Regarding the Northside, it became very congested and restrictions were made on Britannias using reverse pitch in the area. Although the Europa building was eventually finished the West London Air terminal at Brompton continued with check-in and the BEA half decker buses with their baggage trailers were a regular sight. Anybody remember collecting mushrooms off the airfield? The best ones were to be found near the runway holding points where the hot air would pass over the grass.