WHBM
9th Dec 2003, 17:57
While rummaging through the loft (getting out the Christmas decorations, of course!) I found an aerial photograph of the whole Heathrow central area taken in 1974. Interesting to see what has changed and what hasn't in 30 years.
In fact so little has changed in a generation. For all that building work over the years, unless you look closely you might think it was a current photo. Only significant addition is the Europier between T1/T2, but even then there were remote parking stands along exactly this alignment, so only the pier structure is new.
The Irish gates of T1 are also new but again remote parking stands were stretched right along here (there's a Viscount on one of them, one of four prop a/c overall). An extension to Pier 5 at T3 is the only other apparent building work, and that has changed the taxiways in that corner quite a bit and given extra stands.
Terminal 3 probably had more 747s then than nowadays. There are 16 of them, including some on remote stands (some things never change!). Of course this was the time when they dominated the transatlantic schedules of BA, Pan Am, TWA, etc.
The road and parking structure appears identical to today.
T4 is obviously a new facility, but otherwise it makes you wonder how Heathrow has fitted in, what is it, triple the traffic from that time.
Looking at the dark areas of concrete where aircraft are not on stand makes you think - did aircraft drop more oil in those days - or are HAL better at keeping it clean now ??!!
In fact so little has changed in a generation. For all that building work over the years, unless you look closely you might think it was a current photo. Only significant addition is the Europier between T1/T2, but even then there were remote parking stands along exactly this alignment, so only the pier structure is new.
The Irish gates of T1 are also new but again remote parking stands were stretched right along here (there's a Viscount on one of them, one of four prop a/c overall). An extension to Pier 5 at T3 is the only other apparent building work, and that has changed the taxiways in that corner quite a bit and given extra stands.
Terminal 3 probably had more 747s then than nowadays. There are 16 of them, including some on remote stands (some things never change!). Of course this was the time when they dominated the transatlantic schedules of BA, Pan Am, TWA, etc.
The road and parking structure appears identical to today.
T4 is obviously a new facility, but otherwise it makes you wonder how Heathrow has fitted in, what is it, triple the traffic from that time.
Looking at the dark areas of concrete where aircraft are not on stand makes you think - did aircraft drop more oil in those days - or are HAL better at keeping it clean now ??!!