Heathrow - Your first flight
This was the fantastic machine that took me on my first flight from Heathrow, taken using my Brownie 127 camera. TWA L1011 N81025 to Boston in the summer holidays of 1981. The older TWA livery, the crew coach and the PanAm ground equipment give the photo a yesteryear feel.
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zetec 2
Guess what I saw a few weeks ago!
(I wish I could oblige with all the other great aircraft mentioned on this thread, especially Seaboard World Stretch 8's. I remember seeing them and many others, but no camera then.)
Guess what I saw a few weeks ago!
(I wish I could oblige with all the other great aircraft mentioned on this thread, especially Seaboard World Stretch 8's. I remember seeing them and many others, but no camera then.)
Buttonpusher
My first flight into Heathrow was when I was 6 or 7 my dad saved up enough money to put me, my sister and my mom on a flight from Birmingham to Heathrow just for the hell of it.
My dad worked on the shop floor for Goodyear for years to save enough money to do this, as he knew I wanted to become a pilot.
We went on a Viscount with BEA in the red square colours, I remember going to the flight deck and not being so much impressed with the all the instruments and switches, but with the cupholders that kept the cups of tea in place thereby stopping all the slushing !!
My first trip to Heathrow as a captain was just earlier this year and bought back a lot of childhood memories spending time during summers taking photos of 707's, 747's and VC-10's.
It was nice to be on the other side of the fence !
My dad worked on the shop floor for Goodyear for years to save enough money to do this, as he knew I wanted to become a pilot.
We went on a Viscount with BEA in the red square colours, I remember going to the flight deck and not being so much impressed with the all the instruments and switches, but with the cupholders that kept the cups of tea in place thereby stopping all the slushing !!
My first trip to Heathrow as a captain was just earlier this year and bought back a lot of childhood memories spending time during summers taking photos of 707's, 747's and VC-10's.
It was nice to be on the other side of the fence !
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My first arrival at Heathrow was around 1970 ish and possibly the most embarassing thing you could do in aviation !! Myself and an Airline Pilot flew from Norwich to LHR to collect some overhauled radio / nav equipment from Field Aircraft Services, that may sound very sensible, but we were flying in one of these (sample photo) a Gardan GY-80 Horizon
We landed (I think ) on 27R and touched down and stopped on the 'pianno keys' the tower controller could not believe this and asked if we could speed up to the next taxyway turn off, we almost took off again to get there quickly !!! I remember little of the taxying over to Fields at the other side of the airport, but can remember joining the line of aircraft to take off, in front was a BOAC VC-10, and ahead of that was a Pan-Am (I think) Boeing 707, the VC-10 was not a problem as its jet engines are very high above the ground ! but when the 707 increased thrust to move forward we almost took off in the slipstream from its jets
But all was well and we left safely although urged by the controller to 'do a left' as soon as possible !!!
Happy Daze ?
Keith.
We landed (I think ) on 27R and touched down and stopped on the 'pianno keys' the tower controller could not believe this and asked if we could speed up to the next taxyway turn off, we almost took off again to get there quickly !!! I remember little of the taxying over to Fields at the other side of the airport, but can remember joining the line of aircraft to take off, in front was a BOAC VC-10, and ahead of that was a Pan-Am (I think) Boeing 707, the VC-10 was not a problem as its jet engines are very high above the ground ! but when the 707 increased thrust to move forward we almost took off in the slipstream from its jets
But all was well and we left safely although urged by the controller to 'do a left' as soon as possible !!!Happy Daze ?
Keith.
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Hallo there,
I've just unearthed my old flight log and see that my first flight from LHR was to Paris Orly on 29 April 1965 in Trident G-ARPE. Reason for the flight was to visit my German girlfriend who had moved as au-pair from Fleet to a family in Paris and who would cause me to move to Frankfurt 3 months later. Still here, and we are still in contact.
The return five days later was in G-ARPI.....ASN Aircraft accident Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 1C G-ARPI Staines
brgds
Alan
I've just unearthed my old flight log and see that my first flight from LHR was to Paris Orly on 29 April 1965 in Trident G-ARPE. Reason for the flight was to visit my German girlfriend who had moved as au-pair from Fleet to a family in Paris and who would cause me to move to Frankfurt 3 months later. Still here, and we are still in contact.
The return five days later was in G-ARPI.....ASN Aircraft accident Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 1C G-ARPI Staines
brgds
Alan
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Heathrow to Accra as a passenger
At the end of 1957 or thereabouts, when I was about four and a bit, my mother, my baby sister and I flew with BOAC from Heathrow to Accra to join my father. I remember landing at Rome; it was hot and dark, the plane was apparently refueling, and for some reason we all had to disembark. The walk to the terminal, I remember as a tired and very thirsty toddler, seemed to go on forever, and I complained vociferously to mum.
Later in the journey we encountered severe turbulence and a storm with big air pockets. The plane was tossed from side to side and up and down. I thoroughly enjoyed bouncing around in my seat and threw myself from side to side to increase the fun. Mother, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified, presumably along with most of the other adults on board.
My sister was thrown out of her cot and had to be retrieved from the other side of the cabin, and thereafter the stewards had difficulty serving food because most of the crockery had been smashed. Children have a different perspective on events. Sadly I don't remember being allowed to go down the spiral staircase or explore the other areas of plane. I was excited to land at Kano, but tired out by the time we got to Accra.
Later in the journey we encountered severe turbulence and a storm with big air pockets. The plane was tossed from side to side and up and down. I thoroughly enjoyed bouncing around in my seat and threw myself from side to side to increase the fun. Mother, on the other hand, was absolutely terrified, presumably along with most of the other adults on board.
My sister was thrown out of her cot and had to be retrieved from the other side of the cabin, and thereafter the stewards had difficulty serving food because most of the crockery had been smashed. Children have a different perspective on events. Sadly I don't remember being allowed to go down the spiral staircase or explore the other areas of plane. I was excited to land at Kano, but tired out by the time we got to Accra.
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About 2-3 years old, BOAC Comet flight to Rome then on to Montevideo. The delayed departure from Rome was suddenly brought forward and we had to run from the restaurant to the plane. Climbing up the steps I suddenly realised I had left my half-eaten sausage roll behind in the rush and ran off across the apron to try to find it, and I still remember causing a large amount of chaos and shouting. I remember crawling around the cabin looking at other passengers, these are my earliest clear memories.
British eagle Britannia trojan LAP to Barcelona summer 1964 and back on the bounteous,
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March 58, 6pm Elizabethan to Jersey [honeymoon] new wife's first flight Pionair return. Fare for 2 £16 16 shillings 
Last edited by avionic type; 6th Aug 2013 at 17:33. Reason: fare added
goodness Malta for a trident 3 with a full load must have been a struggle?
28th June 1978 G-AWNK, BA B747-136 to Bermuda to visit family. Dad tells me I was a very upset plane mad 13yr old as it wasn't a VC-10
Junior Jet Club, Mid-Atlantic visit to cockpit and first ever sensation of walking down the steps of an aircraft into truly tropical warm air...that sensation will stay with me forever
Junior Jet Club, Mid-Atlantic visit to cockpit and first ever sensation of walking down the steps of an aircraft into truly tropical warm air...that sensation will stay with me forever
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After 27 years in professional aviation I finally did my first LHR....in an A380. Cant be many Brit airline pilots that take that long to finally get there!
G-AWNC - BA 747-136. LHR - ORD as my supernumery trip with BOAC. That was June 1973.
First ever flight was BHX-GLA (Renfrew) on a BEA Elizabethan then GLA-EDI (Turnhouse) on a BEA DC3 back in 1960.
First ever flight was BHX-GLA (Renfrew) on a BEA Elizabethan then GLA-EDI (Turnhouse) on a BEA DC3 back in 1960.
Last edited by crewmeal; 11th Aug 2013 at 06:34.
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1st March 1963 G-APFN BOAC 707 to New York. Captain Ayres.
In those days people used to dress up to travel. These days some passengers think dressing up means their best pair of trainers and T-shirt with favourite motif!
TCU wrote
I remember that sensation so well, the sense of wonderment.
From that infatuation with flying that I gained as kid I cannot even start to explain the exhileration I got the first time I flew a commercial aircraft out of LHR which was in the early eighties.
I also flew in March 1966 on G-APFF,another BOAC 707. Captain's signature in junior jet club book hard to read but looks like Kerrigan. Before boarding I remember all the suitcases were lined up underneath the fuselage and before you climbed up the steps you pointed out your suitcase and someone moved it a few feet and then it was loaded in the cargo hold.
That is the first time I can remember any form of passenger baggage security at Heathrow. No memory of handbaggage being checked. It was like getting on a train, noone checked.
So a question, when did airport security at LHR come into effect for checking passenger handbaggage, frisking etc?
In those days people used to dress up to travel. These days some passengers think dressing up means their best pair of trainers and T-shirt with favourite motif!
TCU wrote
first ever sensation of walking down the steps of an aircraft into truly tropical warm air...that sensation will stay with me forever
From that infatuation with flying that I gained as kid I cannot even start to explain the exhileration I got the first time I flew a commercial aircraft out of LHR which was in the early eighties.
I also flew in March 1966 on G-APFF,another BOAC 707. Captain's signature in junior jet club book hard to read but looks like Kerrigan. Before boarding I remember all the suitcases were lined up underneath the fuselage and before you climbed up the steps you pointed out your suitcase and someone moved it a few feet and then it was loaded in the cargo hold.
That is the first time I can remember any form of passenger baggage security at Heathrow. No memory of handbaggage being checked. It was like getting on a train, noone checked.
So a question, when did airport security at LHR come into effect for checking passenger handbaggage, frisking etc?
Last edited by suninmyeyes; 10th Aug 2013 at 21:17.
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Heathrow first flight
1949/50'ish, Dragon Rapide G-AGJG Island Air Services with Monique Agazarian up front, quick 10 minutes round the circuit & back, enjoyed it so much Mum & Dad paid for me to have another go this time in G-AGUF, started me on an aviation career, long time ago ! seem to remember Rapides still operating at the time the TU104 made it's first appearance at LHR, sure someone will have dates when that happened, PH.
Last edited by zetec2; 10th Aug 2013 at 16:22.
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First flight out of LHR was in September'80. A BA Tristar to Kuala Lumpur via Bahrein and Colombo. First flight inbound was on a BA Tristar from Bandar Seri Begawan via Bangkok and Muscat in July'81.