As I thought, "heading select", from ATC, during the turn radius but surely the ATCO has to give a heading to achieve a track within the NPR? Is there a commercial or operational advantage to either ATC or an aircraft operator, to limit the bank angle and fly a wider turn? (In my day on the DC-10 this was classed as a "close in turn" and not easy to fly with a heavy aircraft).
PS to the above. A quick look at flight radar shows several departures off LGW 26L , following the NPR precisely. However the LHR south east traffic is routing via Redhill! Perhaps that's the problem, albeit with a much higher altitude.
Last edited by pembroke; 14th Jul 2016 at 19:32.