Barcelona Circling Approach 2001?

[Chris the Robot]

In Autumn 2001 I flew as a passenger onboard a BMI Boeing 737-400 from Heathrow to Barcelona. When landing at BCN the aircraft appeared to conduct a circling manouvre. Looking now at a map of the airport, it appeared to track the ILS for Runway 20 then make a left turn to towards the south before making a quick right over some fuel storage tanks to line up with (what was then) Runway 25.

On the return flight for Heathrow there was a circling approach to (I think) Runway 23.

I was fairly young back then but since I've tried to read up on it but never found any information given that it certainly seemed fairly spectacular at the time.

[chevvron]

Don't know about Barcelona but approaches to 23 at Heathrow in 2001 were always radar vectored to final as there was no ILS due to T4 parking area.
(Thinks: can't have been much before 23 was withdrawn from use as a runway)

[kcockayne]

Chevvron

I'll take your word for it, as you probably have greater knowledge about it than me, but I dimly seem to remember seeing information about an ILS on 23 in the 60s eg LOC frequencies & codes, GP frequencies, OM, MM, IM locations etc. ( although not for 05 ).
What's your input on this. Am I delusional ?

[Talkdownman]

There was an ILS on Heathrow 23 until Terminal 4 and its associated taxiways swallowed up the site of the 23 LOC aerial (1986?). After that SRAs were provided. 05 had no ILS. When 05 was in use, which was very rarely, 'back-to-back' 2nm SRAs were provided.

[kcockayne]

Thank you, Talkdownman. I thought that I had seen the info. about 23 ILS somewhere. By the time I joined ATC, 1971, 23L was only rarely used (usually when there were screaming south/south westerly winds). However, as you say, 05 had no ILS & was even more sparingly used. Nevertheless, I have an abiding memory of seeing a KLM DC8-63 being vectored downwind left hand to 05R (just to the west of LATCC) during a break. That was in a period of gale force north easterlies & 'LL were on 05R all day. I saw plenty of downwind arrivals on the radar, but the KLM was the only a/c I saw "in the flesh". Very impressive sight over Sipson (was it?). I can't remember which runway 'LL were using for departures, though. I would guess 10R.
I'm thankful that I am not totally gaga, yet !