For the avoidance of doubt (as the lawyers say), I was pulling the OP's leg about that part. :O

About 1954 or so I flew into Heathrow in a BOAC Argonaut.The journey took about a week due to 3 returns from flight with an engine feathered.The customs facility at that time was a large military style tent or marquee.

From Scotland? Blimey... ;)

DaveReidUK....are you sure about the runway pair in direction 15/33 being initially designated 16/34? It's new to me and I thought there was visibly a 10 degree slant relative to the original central 16/34 and it was all before the magnetic shift.
The position of Perry Oaks sewage plant continued to dictate the layout of Heathrow, preventing T4 from being built between the runways instead of on Perry Oaks (as T5 eventually was)

Runways Number 2 (the original 16/34) and Number 6 (the later 16R/34L, subsequently 15R/33L) were dead parallel, as can be more easily seen in this 1955 photo than in present-day ones:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...port,_1955.jpg

Fascinating - have just read the 'Heathrow Thread' for the first time - I spent a few happy years based in the Central Area with BEA Flight Servicing. Looked after departure snags on Viscount (700 and 800 series) Elizabethans, DC3 and finally Vanguards). Memories of the York freighters and Super Connies take-offs when on night shift - loved the sound of those powerful engines.

Treadigraph - My omission - the flight was from Singapore,my father was an engineer with the old Malayan Airways.

Some interesting Heathrow nostalgia here....


In fact there's a quite a few in the 'Look at Life' series with aviation content.

How did Heathrow used to look?
 

Some tales from the very early days (1947) included here.

Early Days at Heathrow

Ha! I'm a lawyer (retired) and use that expression regularly, conscious that I'm often adding to the doubt considerably!

It is likely off-topic here, but see

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathrow_(hamlet)

and the external links listed at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathr...External_links

for Heathrow when it was country and a village before the airport came.
And:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor...athrow_Airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_West_Aerodrome

Another Heathrow landmark will soon be no more, as after 15 years since R23 became defunct, the famous old gasholder at Southall with 'LH' on it in big letters on the approach to R23 is finally being demolished, as the last part of the old Southall Gas Works left.
Demolition started a few weeks ago, and as of this morning the top third or so is now gone, with only the bottom half of the 'LH' now visible.

I always thought it was there to help Lufthansa pilots :O

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmf...0fa16f17ba.jpg

Don't think the Luftwaffe, I mean Lufthansa :E ever needed our help in finding places in the UK.......

Pan Am and Air India on the other hand.............. :ok:

Lufthansa 707 came close on 28 April 1964, Wiki tells us. Only a red flare from ATC prevented them joining this less-than-illustrious club. "There but for the grace of Gott.."

Some pilots just won't take "NO" for an answer. :O

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmf...d2a148471b.jpg

hello - brings back happy memories - I was a Radio Mech. based in the wooden hut which appears in front of the fire station, on the apron. Access was through a pedestrian tunnel which ran from the Central Terminal building surfacing just behind the Viscount.

In the 1990s, BTW, what was by then designated simply Rwy 23 was available for landing only and its reciprocal was not available, except for taxiing.

It may have been mentioned before but in the summer of 1955 long-haul ops were still conducted from marquees and huts on the North side. Seemed quite primitive - even to those of us arriving from darkest Africa. I see that there used to be a parallel taxiway north of the contemporary Rwy 10L/28R. Was the North terminal north of that taxiway?

Yes, in an earlier thread the consensus was that 05 was officially withdrawn in 1993, although it probably hadn't been used for some time prior to that. It was certainly in use when Terminal 4 opened in 1986, but obviously not by the time the T4 remote stands (441-457) were opened.

The terminal, and main apron, were to the north of the parallel taxiway, with a smaller apron to the south.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmf...3590e383c2.jpg

Re 23/05, I did see 23 in use often during my visits to the Queen's Building in the '70s/'80s but never 05.

Odd memory just popped up of a BA 747 landing on 23 (only widebody I can recall seeing doing so) and a large sheet of flame emanating briefly from No 4 while reverse thrust was in action.

I have landed twice on 05 at LHR : Oct 1974 suspected burst tyre and May 1975 unusually strong wind.

I seem to recall in the '90s that 23 was available for landing if winds were SW above 20kts or so, but 1 or 2 hours notice was required to clear the T4 remote stands.

Many of you will remember that G-ARWE, which had experienced an engine fire after take-off on Rwy 28L in April 1968, expedited a landing on the then Rwy 05R. From afar, the subsequent pall of smoke was a chilling sight.

Conditions favouring the use of the comparatively-short Rwy 23 for landing by large a/c in the 1990s would obviously involve a limiting crosswind component on the westerly runways. That could be a southerly W/V gusting over about 30 kt, but more commonly a SSW, with gusts from the SW. In the case of a south-westerly, the gusts tend to come from the WSW, which reduces the advantage of Rwy 23. Similarly, in the days when Rwy 05 was still available, the most benefit over the easterly runways would have been when the W/V was between north and NNE.

Today, the absence in South-East England of any large runway catering for a southerly or northerly gale is less than ideal, although Stansted sometimes does the job. In that respect, Heathrow has lost the plot. Whereas the Dutch have Schiphol...

Interestingly, in a strong SW wind, Heathrow disregards the runway alternation programme and uses 27L for all landings, because the BA 747 hangars can cause unpredictable gusts on the 27R final approach.

I landed on 05 at 1610 on 19 Nov 1991 after 20 minutes in the hold and an SRA from around the Southampton area. Not sure if it was used after that but as mentioned above, was not abandoned until 1993.

An approach that has evidently stuck in your mind in the succeeding years... What was the W/V?

Dave,
Yes, in a strong sou'wester 27R is a bit like Rwy 27/26 at Gatwick used to be before they removed the 1960s hangars from the south side of the landing threshold. Sporting...

I don't remember the date but I certainly remember seeing a concorde overhead coming into Heathrow at Northolt Park station one day in the 90s.

I remember once hearing Heathrow Tower telling an Air France Caravelle on approach to 23 to "Keep your speed up, I have a Concorde behind you".

Landed 23 in a PIA 747 c.1990

Lived in or around Harrow over various periods between 1980 and 1986, part of it on Bessborough Rd looking towards Harrow Hill. If the landing runway was 23 we'd get a constant procession of airliners, including widebodies and Concordes, passing our front window.

Later, using the commuter service from Euston, would be aware of odd days when there was a stream of airliners crossing the line in Kenton area. Stopped by mid nineties IIRC.

During strong southerly, south westerlies I landed on RW23 a few times in my GF TriMoth.
Twas interesting!

Back in November 1969 and never having departed from that runway before, I was happily surprised to note our 707 was taxying out for take-off from 23L, giving me some new views during our take-off roll. Then, very soon afterwards, despite my previous LHR flights, it was another new experience to see the ''LH'' beacon flashing past beneath us.

Incidentally, they say these things come in threes - later, all of us passengers (except one!) and also the crew, were extremely surprised to learn we would actually be en-route to Havana!

.

Never landed on 23 but returning from our honeymoon in 1977 England was gripped in some bitter weather and a strong NE wind meant our T3 from faro landed on 05. We seemed to fly right over head LHR at maybe 6000 ft turning left to the north of the airport then a long downwind leg to the west before turning back towards final approach . I think from my airband radio days they used a radar controller based approach with constant changes in heading of a few degrees and advice as to above or below glideslope not ILS as 05 didnt have it ( the wooden approach light poles were a give away that 05 was the Cinderella of LHRs runways )

Of course stretching my memory back further I can remember lots of take offs and landings on the parallel 23R/05L mostly prop stuff and a vague recollection of a BA DC3 Dakota landing over Bedfont on the long long gone Se-NW runway that i think went when T3 was built.

Only time I was on 23 was a landing in a Manx Viscount from IOM! As they were phased out in 1988, this was a couple of years before.

A 2nm termination range SRA was the only way of making an instrument approach to runway 05R although I stand to be corrected.
The controller would pass advisory heights or altitudes at 1nm intervals rather than saying above or below the glidepath.
Wooden approach light poles were in common use at many airfields; they had to be 'frangible' ie would collapse easily if accidentally touched by an aircraft.

Heathrow has (had) three now long gone SE/NW runways over the years. The first disappeared to make room for the Central Area and was replaced with a parallel one further west, which in turn was closed when Pier 7 was added to Terminal 3. The third one went, I think, when T1 was being built.

Chevron
thinking about it a bit I seem to remember there was a more accurate aid than SRA -Precsion something radar?, where the controller gave a running commentary of turn right 3 degrees , just below the glide etc . all very small corrections. (of course I can remember that from 196X but not what i had for breakfast today )

ATC also asked aircraft to report crossing the Thames which I think was at Laleham nr Staines -no outer marker on that runway and also reminded the crew to check wheels down and locked . At some point nearer the runway they just announced cleared to land approach completed and I assume left it to the crew to decide to land or not at decision height
The other thing about 05 R was that the approach passed over a massive fuel farm at about 100-150 ft so any undershot was going to end in a mega catastrophe.