Missed this thread until now.
An airport in Docklands was the idea of the Development Corporation's chief exec, Reg Ward (along with the DLR, and pushing along the first and still most prominent high rise there). Reg was ex-RAF, not a pilot, but knew Harry Gee, chief pilot at Brymon. And from there it grew. Harry did the various trial flights into Heron Quay.
I was there for the first landings, a Sunday afternoon in September 1987. Brymon and Eurocity Express came together, made some surprisingly close (for airliners) formation passes over the airport, and landed.. There was quite a crowd. I remember going onto the runway while the aircraft were on the ground and inspecting its first ever rubber marks. On departure I watched Brymon head straight out westwards, it must have been co-ordinated with Heathrow approach, A nimby group came to take sound levels by the west end, asked for silence just as Harry Gee (again) lifted off overhead and their moment of fame was due - but someone drove an old VW Beetle with a blown exhaust over the Connaught Bridge right behind them and drowned the Dash-7 out. Everyone laughed. Ruined !
Both airlines ran to Paris, which was the majority of trade, I think Brymon did Brussels as well, and Eurocity Amsterdam, and one of them did Jersey on summer weekends, but that was pretty much it. Described above was how they initially came in outside controlled airspace, until one had a too-close encounter with descending skydivers at Headcorn, and operations were halted for a short while. This may have been before Thames Radar started. Things then slowly dropped off, and the 146 expansion came only just in time, I think it would have closed otherwise. Brymon had done Paris in association with Air France, I think when they finally let go the latter took over with an F70 for a year or two. As noted above Brymon later moved closer to BA and adopted their livery, but I don't think were ever branded as such here at City. The Dash 7 went out of production, both Brymon and Eurocity got some of the last new examples as the line was closing.
As well as the Dash 7 Brymon brought in a few times a Twin Otter, not sure what for. It was notably noisier.
I learnt lots of my PPL RT exam from listening to City Tower and Thames Radar on an airband receiver. Various chats with the latter then ensued over time, never a chance with the former !
Originally Posted by
chevvron
I recall in the early days of ops into City from the west country that London Control wouldn't allow them to descend west of Heathrow; they had to go via OCK and then descend to the east of BIG; this happened with outbounds to the west too.
Still sort-of like that. Last summer, BA Cityflyer E190 to Jersey, departure on westerlies, turn east to overhead Southend, then Lydd, then jog-trot right along the coast to Portland before turning for Jersey.