Heathrow Photo Query 1960's
 

Can anyone offer any further information about the exact location of this BOAC Comet? In which direction are we looking at this lovely rural view of early Heathrow?

Photos: De Havilland DH-106 Comet 4 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

BTW: There's another excellent Heathrow shot by photographer David Gayden below, this time of a BOAC VC10.

Photos: Vickers Super VC10 Srs1151 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

I'd hazard a guess (probably wildly incorrect!) it's from the T3 area looking wsw with the 09R threshold towards the left of the pic and Perry Oaks sewage works to the right (where T5 is now).

The stand of trees certainly seems familiar from my visits in the 1970s.

Nice pics!

The Comet photo could be as late as 1965 (BA website says it was withdrawn that year after doing some emigrant charters to Australia). The wide concrete strip nearest the T3 apron is RWY 33L/15R ,the strip nearest the Perry Oaks trees is RWY23R/05L intersected (behind the Comet fin) by a taxiway (Block 58) at Block57 .RWY 23R/05L intersects 28L/10L at the top left. The taxiway branching from 'Block58' doesn't match the 1956 plan although it shows a taxiway 'Block66' parallel but further to the left out of photo. The construction work could be the beginning of the pier you see in the VC-10 photo, same trees? (The block nos are from a 1956 plan so underwent several changes as T3 piers expanded over this area and new taxiways evolved)

I agree with both of you re; looking vaguely SSW from T3. I looked at a few more photos on various forums and it seems to make sense. I always come over a bit nostalgic when I see these photos and have 'what-if?' moments!

What-if I was around to see all of the early central layout and the original runways patten in operation?

What strikes me with these early photos of Heathrow/LAP was the enormous amount of space they had for what were relatively small aircraft and a small number of movements. What foresight!

That Comet 4 is G-APDT, on its retirement from BOAC service it was sold to Mexicana who later sold it back to BOAC for use as an apprentice training airframe. The inside was stripped and refitted as a classroom under the supervision of a dear old gent Mr Arthur Evans. We ran the engines and generally played around with its systems, including fiddling with the radio which was curtailed after some rather none standard RT was broadcast!

That could have been interesting: "Speedbird 781, ready for take-off to Idlewild runway 33R" ! ATC sweeps the field and finds a BOAC Comet sitting there.

The scary thing about the VC10 photo is that the view from that window looks much the same today, less the aircraft.

Given the livery and fact that aircraft is a Super VC10 I suspect it's more mid/late sixties than early. The TWA livery visible behind also supports that view.

Lovely set of pics though.

<<"Speedbird 781, ready for take-off to Idlewild runway 33R">>

I can't find the date for the closure of 33R but I suspect it was long before Comets!

Good point HD. As far as I can see it closed about 1959/1960 but I can't find anything conclusive. Definitely open in 1957 according to one diagram I have.