View Full Version : Turboprop landing at Heathrow ?
outnumbered
17th Mar 2006, 16:20
Heathrow's on Easterly Operations at the moment, so we are treated to most of the landing traffic going over our village. I was astonished this afternoon to look up and see a twin turboprop of some sort interspersed between the usual heavy jets in the arrivals queue.
Presumably this wasn't a regularly scheduled flight, as I've never seen a turboprop on the ground at LHR.
Any ideas what it was ?
Flightman
17th Mar 2006, 16:27
Heathrow's on Easterly Operations at the moment, so we are treated to most of the landing traffic going over our village. I was astonished this afternoon to look up and see a twin turboprop of some sort interspersed between the usual heavy jets in the arrivals queue.
Presumably this wasn't a regularly scheduled flight, as I've never seen a turboprop on the ground at LHR.
Any ideas what it was ?
KLM have been operating F50 turboprops out of EGLL for a while now. Not unusual to see one. :ok:
AlphaWhiskyRomeo
17th Mar 2006, 17:17
Klm operate F50 Cityhoppers into LHR from Rotterdam and Eindhoven.
You will also see the occsasional twin prop on an exec flight, or a medical flight (though these sometimes occur very late or very early)
Dash-7 lover
17th Mar 2006, 19:25
Mind you - I've sat on the jumpseat of a JEA F27-500 (G-JEAE - if i remember?) going into LHR on a charter about 8-ish years ago. We positioned empty EXT-CWL flew CWL-LHR for NISSAN and then back to EXT empty.....about 4 miles out we were quizzed by ATC about going into LHR quote ''What are you doing here?'' not because we were a prop but because we were JEA and a LGW regular straying into unknown territory....The Capt got quite upset that we were asked in the first place and the f/o ranted all the way to the stand which I think was near Reading!....you could taste the snobbery in the air...
outnumbered
18th Mar 2006, 08:37
KLM have been operating F50 turboprops out of EGLL for a while now. Not unusual to see one. :ok:
Ah, thanks. I always fly out of T1/2/3 at LHR so wouldn't normally be able to see KLM on the ground at T4.
HEATHROW DIRECTOR
18th Mar 2006, 08:38
Dash-7 Lover I suspect ATC was just curious and definitely not snobbish. We had a fantastic rapport with OO-SCA, the SABENA F-27 for several years. They did anything for us short of flying backwards. In return we would always strive to give them the runway closest to their parking gate. When the service stopped we presented the crews with a huge picture of their aeroplane sitting on 28L, which we all signed, and they presented us with an F27 turbine blade inscribed: "To London ATC, with sympathy. The SABENA F27 pilots OO-SCA March 70-October 72".
Doesn't happen like that now......
Avman
18th Mar 2006, 09:34
When the service stopped we presented the crews with a huge picture of their aeroplane sitting on 28L, which we all signed, and they presented us with an F27 turbine blade inscribed: "To London ATC, with sympathy. The SABENA F27 pilots OO-SCA March 70-October 72".
Doesn't happen like that now......
Not even a Christmas card these days!
Gone are the days of cases of Champagne/Wine, boxes of (Swiss) chocolates and exchange of gifts as reflected above. What a mean (they call it "cost-efficient" now), cold world we work in now :ugh: :( :sad: