London Airport North 1962

[BCALman]

hi, I am looking in to the Safari services operated by Hunting and Airwork back in the 1950s / 60s when they had Vikings on the route. The flights originally left from Bovingdon and Blackbushe respectively, but towards 1955 / 56 both airlines used the Brompton Road Air Station and took passengers by coach to "London Airport (North)"..........Blackbushe is west of London, Bovingdon is North (near Watford)........so does this refer to Bovingdon please? or maybe part of LAP (pre naming to Heathrow)........or Northolt maybe? Any help would be much appreciated, thank you. ps I found a reference on wikipedia saying the last flights left from London Airport North in 1962 (Pan Am, TWA etc) - not sure if this is a referring to the same place

[Max Tow]

I'd suggest this refers to the temporary terminal/apron on the north side of Heathrow (or London Airport as was then) used for international flights until Oceanic terminal (now T3) opened at the end of 1961.

[DaveReidUK]

London Airport North is a reference to the passenger terminal on northside, adjacent to the Bath Road, which served longhaul flights until the Oceanic Terminal (later renamed Terminal 3) was opened in the Central Area in 1961.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1338x881/northside_terminal_ca2f2f26c2a9c535cf7d271b72026397c28f38b6. jpg

[southside bobby]

Great photo.

[l.garey]

As DaveReid says, LAP North was the old terminal site along the Bath Road in the 1950s and 1960s. I just went back to my spotting records and marvel at the lists of "classic" sightings I made there at the time from the well appointed spotters' corner.
Like this departing PIA Constellation AP-ACQ in 1959.

Laurence

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/600x400/16_7_59_ap_acq_lhr_small_b7f1b3f943fd66282dd677bf52f3e318759 c25c5.jpg

[Jamesair1]

Can I refer you to Airline Timetable Images (http://www.timetableimages.com) for reference. Looking at the 1954 timetable for Airwork, they and Hunting Clan seemed to have operated a dual Viking service, both departing each Monday at 0900 with one leaving from London (Blackbushe) and the other leaving from London (Bovingdon) under flight numbers AW005 and HT401. Fascinating to look at the route taken offering gradual acclimatisation for the passengers. In 1959 Hunting Clan operated the service from London Airport (central) and Airwork from Gatwick with the aircraft switched from Viking to Viscount.

[northsands]

From multiple 1950s HCA/Airwork joint timetables for the Safari services I have, plus entries in various issues of ABC & Bradshaw's Air Guides, the sequence appears to be as follows:
(1) initially Airwork flew from Blackbushe and Hunting-Clan from Bovingdon, the airlines' respective London area bases..
(2) sometime between May and October 1954, Hunting-Clan switched their service from Bovingdon to London Airport (=Heathrow), and this would have been the North side as the Central area was only inaugurated in April 1955 (by other operators); most likely Hunting-Clan switched from early October 1954, as this was when they definitely switched to Heathrow their domestic schedules from Newcastle.
(3) Airwork subsequently made the switch from Blackbushe to London Airport North to join HC sometime between January and April 1955.
(4) both companies services shifted from the North side to London Airport Central sometime between May and October 1957 - most likely October, when the Viscount was first introduced on some flights.
Hope this helps.

[Expressflight]

Pan Am were still using North Side in 1960 as I remember my family stopped off on the way home to Essex from a West Country summer holiday so that I could try to read off the registrations from the Bath Road. I'm think it was 1960 because there was at least one Pan Am DC-8 there and they only entered service into Heathrow in 1960, although maybe they operated from there as late as August 1961?

[DC3 Dave]

Pan Am were still using North Side in 1960 as I remember my family stopped off on the way home to Essex from a West Country summer holiday so that I could try to read off the registrations from the Bath Road. I'm think it was 1960 because there was at least one Pan Am DC-8 there and they only entered service into Heathrow in 1960, although maybe they operated from there as late as August 1961?

You must have had a wonderful family to indulge your passion like that after a long drive up the A38 and A4. Or are you from a long line of aviation enthusiasts?

[Expressflight]

Not really but my father was in the RAF in the war so took me to airshows at Southend Airport from an early age. The Kings Cup air races at SEN in 1953 and a military air drop exercise there in 1954 being the first I remember.

Not many people seem to recall that air drop and I've only discovered very recently (credit to Peter Clark for the details) that it was carried out by ten C119 Packets of the 517th TCW, US Air force who dropped a British Army assault force (the RAF had no suitable aircraft at that time) to 'attack' a mock-up village set up on the airfield. Very exciting for a five year old kid watching it from the top of Warners Bridge!

[DC3 Dave]

You should consider a biography. Apologies to all for thread drift but Expressflight’s post reminded me of the same journey 10 years later. I arrived in Essex for the first time and have been there since.

[Expressflight]

You should consider a biography.

Now there's an idea.

Thanks for your PM. No problem at all, just nice to recall happy memories.

[BCALman]

Many thanks to all, that is s super set of replies and helps me a great deal, thank you. It is indeed the Viking services and working out what happened between Bovingdon / Blackbushe and LAP (N) was proving tricky, but you all have helped knit that together, thank you. I am just on with the hotels used on the night stops, which is proving easier oddly enough. It is easier to find info on a hotel in Sudan than an airport in the UK. Many thanks again to all, Dave T.

[Barling Magna]

Mentioning Southend Airport reminds me that Trek Airways and African Air Safaris flew Vikings and DC-4s on safari services from SEN to Johannesburg from 1954 until 1959. Quite a journey.....

[Expressflight]

The Trek Airways Viking route to Johannesburg used to vary a little but one routing was Nice - Malta (N/S) - Benghazi - Wadi Halfa (N/S) - Khartoum - Juba - Entebbe (N/S) - N'Dola - Johannesburg. So you arrived at destination on the fourth day. Not for the faint-hearted but it must have resulted in some interesting dinner party stories.

[rog747]

There is some Airwork Hunting articles on the BCAL website Vikings into Africa (http://www.british-caledonian.com/Vikings_into_Africa.html?fbclid=IwAR2-kyasorCrTpp1EL7jpp3pxnDTMiP5c80PsKoVqYxccaAVEjU2lnIOfqw)

[Max Tow]

FYI the PPrune AH & N thread "Viscounts at Wadi Halfa" has a new video of the Airwork Viking service Nairobi/LAP North mentioned above.

[vctenderness]

I clearly remember going to the North Terminal around 1957 to meet my aunt from USA. Two vivid memories one the aircraft a Constellation and two seeing the, then, big pop star Wee Willie Harris disembark wearing a bright pink draped coat!

[southside bobby]

Blimey...I had to look him up...
I remember then though the name of the bakery he worked for before stardom..."Peek Freans".