Heathrow May 1968
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Yes British Eagle Britannia of course.
Just spotted the Aer Lingus Viscount.
VC-10? Think I was mis-identifying a quick head-on shot of a Trident turning into the ramps!
Hmmmm 3 engines not 4? Offset nosewheel? AAH! It's a Trident. I resign as a spotter.
Just spotted the Aer Lingus Viscount.
VC-10? Think I was mis-identifying a quick head-on shot of a Trident turning into the ramps!
Hmmmm 3 engines not 4? Offset nosewheel? AAH! It's a Trident. I resign as a spotter.
Great clip thanks for posting. made em think when was the best time to be an LHR spotter perhaps a couple of years later when there was a mix of wide body and narrow body longhaul to add to what was on the clip
At the time of the clip for short haul were of course flocks of tridents , viscounts , vanguard ?? plus 727 737 and assorted length DC9s, Longhaul though would have only been 70s DC8 and VC10 whereas not much later 747 DC10 and Tristar would have been added.
Fast forward to 2020 shorthaul at LHR almost exclusively Airbus , assorted lengths again very occasional 737s and that about it . Long haul no more 74s, no more 380s after mid year either so just triples, mostly 300s except BA and 330s almost all -300 . Not a lot of variety there aside from the very occasional and noisy DHL A300. Of course a little after mid year a few oddities started to appear so perhaps not as bad as I am painting.
Then again go back to early 60s and you have ahead mix of jet and piston at the same time, spotters with telescopes. Ian Allen Civil aircraft markings and few if any scanners let alone the replicas of all of Southern Englands airpsace whole on lap top on car roof lol. Nice to have such kit but gone forever the excitement of something really unusual suddenly appearing on the approach -happy days
At the time of the clip for short haul were of course flocks of tridents , viscounts , vanguard ?? plus 727 737 and assorted length DC9s, Longhaul though would have only been 70s DC8 and VC10 whereas not much later 747 DC10 and Tristar would have been added.
Fast forward to 2020 shorthaul at LHR almost exclusively Airbus , assorted lengths again very occasional 737s and that about it . Long haul no more 74s, no more 380s after mid year either so just triples, mostly 300s except BA and 330s almost all -300 . Not a lot of variety there aside from the very occasional and noisy DHL A300. Of course a little after mid year a few oddities started to appear so perhaps not as bad as I am painting.
Then again go back to early 60s and you have ahead mix of jet and piston at the same time, spotters with telescopes. Ian Allen Civil aircraft markings and few if any scanners let alone the replicas of all of Southern Englands airpsace whole on lap top on car roof lol. Nice to have such kit but gone forever the excitement of something really unusual suddenly appearing on the approach -happy days
Of course this was just before Concorde so a quick question to which I don't have the answer
When was the first Concorde landing at Heathrow? Presumably before service so a prototype or pre production
thanks in advance
When was the first Concorde landing at Heathrow? Presumably before service so a prototype or pre production
thanks in advance
Gnome de PPRuNe
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I think Brian Trubshaw took 002 in Heathrow in September 1970 during Farnborough week - weather preventing a return to Fairford as I recall.
Gnome de PPRuNe
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I remember seeing it from Kew Gardens on approach in September '75, doing route proving I believe. My first sighting...
Just trying to recall the transports I saw at Heathrow between early '75 and 1984 when my occasional spotting daytrips ended.
Viscount, VC-10, Vanguard, Herald, 1-11, F-27, F-28, A300/310, 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, DC-6, DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, Electra, Tristar, Caravelle, HS748, Beech 99, IL-18, IL-62, CL-44, Tu-134, Tu-154, IL-86?, VFW-614, DHC-7, Metroliner, C-130, Concorde, S-61N, Argosy - 36 distinct types, plus execs and the odd lighter aircraft (eg Air Anglia PA-31s).
Two summers ago, spent a morning there with a mate:
B737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787, A320 family, A330, A340, A380, ummmmm. Maybe Bombardier and Embraer types...
Just trying to recall the transports I saw at Heathrow between early '75 and 1984 when my occasional spotting daytrips ended.
Viscount, VC-10, Vanguard, Herald, 1-11, F-27, F-28, A300/310, 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, DC-6, DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, Electra, Tristar, Caravelle, HS748, Beech 99, IL-18, IL-62, CL-44, Tu-134, Tu-154, IL-86?, VFW-614, DHC-7, Metroliner, C-130, Concorde, S-61N, Argosy - 36 distinct types, plus execs and the odd lighter aircraft (eg Air Anglia PA-31s).
Two summers ago, spent a morning there with a mate:
B737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787, A320 family, A330, A340, A380, ummmmm. Maybe Bombardier and Embraer types...
I was at Farnborough that day and saw the “flat” display Trubshaw put on - worthy of a fighter.
Apparently, it had been suggested that he should cancel because of the low cloudbase but he was determined to put on a show for the people who had paid for it.
it was announced later that he had diverted to Heathrow due to the weather, but I wonder if he was just taking advantage of the situation. After all, for a real Wx diversion, he could have landed at Farnborough.
Apparently, it had been suggested that he should cancel because of the low cloudbase but he was determined to put on a show for the people who had paid for it.
it was announced later that he had diverted to Heathrow due to the weather, but I wonder if he was just taking advantage of the situation. After all, for a real Wx diversion, he could have landed at Farnborough.
Last edited by India Four Two; 26th Feb 2021 at 15:02.
Duma : great post .Locked down and enjoying the week-end scroll down Prune, took a glance & then thorough read of your terrific opener & following posts. Fabbo memories. Being a Brighton boy, still got up to Heathrow a lot as my Dad was working overseas and became a regular transit. There to see him off and welcome him back throughout the 50's ,60's and early 70's.
My wildest career ambitions were achieved and this little old Brighton School-boy boxer later got to fly Viscounts, tridents, 76 and 340's in and out of an incredible airfield. This thread had me welling up-again ! Rotters !
My wildest career ambitions were achieved and this little old Brighton School-boy boxer later got to fly Viscounts, tridents, 76 and 340's in and out of an incredible airfield. This thread had me welling up-again ! Rotters !
Probably get arrested for doing that these days!
New York, Idlewild, early '60's. BOAC crew, and a then girl friend of mine was a stewardess on another crew departing that night. Together we spent part of the day with a friend of mine living in New York and then in the early afternoon she went back to the hotel to get her pre-flight rest. Around her call time my friend and I went to the hotel for him to say goodbye to her again - he fancied her too ! - and at pick up time he suggested that he drive her to the airport, this gave him more time to chat her up, despite my presence ! For reasons that I now forget the journey to the airport took longer than anticipated such that she was late for the crew briefing, so my friend suggested that he drive her around to the aircraft to join the crew by then embarking. We literally drove on to the apron and deposited her at the base of the aircraft steps, as were used in those days. My friend then suggested that on taxying out she look out of one of the portside windows and we would wave her goodbye, at which he parked the car just off the ramp and we walked back to a point visible from the aircraft and literally waved to her as the aircraft taxied away.
Try that today ? Get arrested ? Get shot more likely.
New York, Idlewild, early '60's. BOAC crew, and a then girl friend of mine was a stewardess on another crew departing that night. Together we spent part of the day with a friend of mine living in New York and then in the early afternoon she went back to the hotel to get her pre-flight rest. Around her call time my friend and I went to the hotel for him to say goodbye to her again - he fancied her too ! - and at pick up time he suggested that he drive her to the airport, this gave him more time to chat her up, despite my presence ! For reasons that I now forget the journey to the airport took longer than anticipated such that she was late for the crew briefing, so my friend suggested that he drive her around to the aircraft to join the crew by then embarking. We literally drove on to the apron and deposited her at the base of the aircraft steps, as were used in those days. My friend then suggested that on taxying out she look out of one of the portside windows and we would wave her goodbye, at which he parked the car just off the ramp and we walked back to a point visible from the aircraft and literally waved to her as the aircraft taxied away.
Try that today ? Get arrested ? Get shot more likely.
I was at Farnborough that day and saw the “flat” display Trubshaw put on - worthy of a fighter.
Apparently, it had been suggested that he should cancel because of the low cloudbase but he was determined to put on a show for the people who had paid for it.
it was announced later that he had diverted to Heathrow due to the weather, but I wonder if he was just taking advantage of the situation. After all, for a real Wx division, he could have landed at Farnborough.
Apparently, it had been suggested that he should cancel because of the low cloudbase but he was determined to put on a show for the people who had paid for it.
it was announced later that he had diverted to Heathrow due to the weather, but I wonder if he was just taking advantage of the situation. After all, for a real Wx division, he could have landed at Farnborough.
Ref Concorde landing LHR on 13/9/70, I was on duty in AIS that night (in the Queens Building...same room as Flight Clearance) In the early hours of the 14th, a rather dishevelled character walked into the room, plonked a bit of paper in front of my mates in Clearance and said "Can you do something with this, please, chaps? I want to get back to Fairford for breakfast". One Brian Trubshaw, no less, with the flight plan back to "base".
Sorry, my mistake!
28R it was....got carried away, looking for anything interesting in the backgrounds of the clips!
28R it was....got carried away, looking for anything interesting in the backgrounds of the clips!
Last edited by folkyphil; 25th Feb 2021 at 19:38.
