Northolt
Join Date: Sep 2008
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........... situated east of the tunnel entrance, to access the public viewing areas which gradually moved south until they were in the Central Area.
On one visit, we had to walk across an active taxiway to access the public viewing area, the crossing being guarded by what I believe may have been airline personnel. I remember seeing my brother and sister walking across and I ran to follow, only to be snatched back by a man in a dark airline style with as something large with 4 engines was fast approaching (DC4 or 6 type).
Of course as I was only about 4 years old and this occured well over 60 years ago, some of the details of my recollection may be inaccurate, but the incident certainly happened!
On one visit, we had to walk across an active taxiway to access the public viewing area, the crossing being guarded by what I believe may have been airline personnel. I remember seeing my brother and sister walking across and I ran to follow, only to be snatched back by a man in a dark airline style with as something large with 4 engines was fast approaching (DC4 or 6 type).
Of course as I was only about 4 years old and this occured well over 60 years ago, some of the details of my recollection may be inaccurate, but the incident certainly happened!
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The Dragon Rapides are from the 10 minute joy-riding operations of Island Air Services, which departed from a ticket hut in the spectators enclosure (I have read). These ran in the 1950s, and at summer weekends could double the air traffic. They were eventually removed as being a nuisance to regular traffic.
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The enclosure between the taxiway and the closed 28R seems to have been open in 1952 also .........LAP/Heathrow from 1946 here https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/locatio...tted&order=asc
Last edited by A30yoyo; 28th Sep 2017 at 23:38.
I remember the Rapides and on one occasion a couple of Meteors landed and parked next to the enclosure, one being a 2-seater (canopy opened sideways instead of sliding backwards).
On at least one visit we took a coach tour round the airfield and as we got to the hangars being constructed on the east side, a Comet arrived overhead and then landed.
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Northolt memories
In the Summer of 1953 my brother and myself were posted off to an old aunt who lived in Hillingdon, whilst our mother was hospitalised. Her house in Grosvenor Crescent was a few doors down from the extended centre line of Northolt's main runway so we were treated to a daily procession of aircraft skimming the rooftops when landing from the west or appearing over the houses behind when departing in a westerly direction.
In the main the aircraft were BEA Vikings and Dakotas, Aer Lingus Bristol Freighters and US military C47s and C54s, with the occasional BEA Dragon Rapide and RAF Prince. I recall the C54s being particularly noisy when departing to the west causing the house to vibrate somewhat and the Bristol Freighters were not much quieter.
Aircraft were so low we were clearly able to read the names on the sides and our favourites were the gloriously named Sir Cloudesley Shovell of the BEA Admiral Viking fleet and Sir Sefton Brancker of their C47 Pionair fleet. The Aer Lingus Freighters were named after saints and I seem to recall, although I may be mistaken, that one was named St Patrick O Toole.
We did on one occasion visit the spectator enclosure at Northolt and my abiding memory of that is of a BEA Viking taxying past, brakes squealing and the cockpit window open with a Union Jack flying in the breeze.
This episode started my long term love of 'propliners', but when we returned the following year most of the activity had been transferred to Heathrow although I do recall seeing my only Viscount then, departing in the direction of Heathrow.
Subsequently, my focus switched to Southend, which I have followed for 60 years through it's ups and downs but that, as they say, is another story.
In the main the aircraft were BEA Vikings and Dakotas, Aer Lingus Bristol Freighters and US military C47s and C54s, with the occasional BEA Dragon Rapide and RAF Prince. I recall the C54s being particularly noisy when departing to the west causing the house to vibrate somewhat and the Bristol Freighters were not much quieter.
Aircraft were so low we were clearly able to read the names on the sides and our favourites were the gloriously named Sir Cloudesley Shovell of the BEA Admiral Viking fleet and Sir Sefton Brancker of their C47 Pionair fleet. The Aer Lingus Freighters were named after saints and I seem to recall, although I may be mistaken, that one was named St Patrick O Toole.
We did on one occasion visit the spectator enclosure at Northolt and my abiding memory of that is of a BEA Viking taxying past, brakes squealing and the cockpit window open with a Union Jack flying in the breeze.
This episode started my long term love of 'propliners', but when we returned the following year most of the activity had been transferred to Heathrow although I do recall seeing my only Viscount then, departing in the direction of Heathrow.
Subsequently, my focus switched to Southend, which I have followed for 60 years through it's ups and downs but that, as they say, is another story.
