Landing a small plane at LHR/LGW

[treadigraph]

G-AXXB Navajo

I recall that parked in the BA maintenance area on occasion - it was eventually a Colemill Panther conversion with Q-tipped props and reregistered as N7XB - and painted red; I'm sure I saw recently that it is still about in the UK.

[possel]

Originally Posted by Dairyground

I recall reading several years ago about a group of engineering apprentices who built a small aircraft at Heathrow, and were allowed to have it flown out from a specially cut grass runway.

I woud guess that was the Terrier 3 G-AVYK, which was completed by BEA apprentices in the 1970s.

I won't try to list all the 125s that used to live on the south side in the early 70s ( I think it was 8 or 10 ish), but I do know that the Beagle E.3 ("Mark Eleven") G-ASCC was there for a good while as well. And there was a Jodel (D.11?) parked near the BEA hangar fr a good while as well - I think it was French registered, but I never knew whose it was or why it was there!

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by possel

I would guess that was the Terrier 3 G-AVYK, which was completed by BEA apprentices in the 1970s.

Not quite.

G-AVYK was registered in 1967 and, like all Beagle Terriers, was a modification of a post-war ex-military Auster.

In this case it was a 1952 AOP6 whose conversion was abandoned by Beagle and subsequently completed by BEA apprentices at LHR, making its maiden flight on New Year's Eve 1968.

[NeilMaybin]

Cessna 525 CitationJet CJ1 landed on 27L five or ten minutes ago. Any ideas?

[treadigraph]

It was SP-DLV.

[airbourne]

Well it has been done in EWR, LGA and JFK!

You Tube

[pax britanica]

Thnaks for posting that very interesting video , JFK a ghost field -nothing moving on the ground at all amazing

[suninmyeyes]

I flew a Beechcraft King air into Heathrow in the early 1980's and it was not a big deal. In the 1990's a BA manager owned an ex Hamble Piper Cherokee and he arranged to fly it into LHR at about 1 am and parked it in the BA hangars where the engineers spent a couple of days preparing and respraying it and then he flew it out again also in the early hours. He had a beautiful paint scheme and it was all done very cheaply. I very much doubt it would be possible these days. Having said that a few years ago I was taxing out at Heathrow, departures were halted briefly as 4 helicopters took off simultaneously from the terminal areas. I think it was a wedding party for someone extremely wealthy. (He certainly would not have been quite so wealthy after that.)

Reference a previous post I too have flown into Dallas Fort Worth in a Cessna 172 and a Cessna Cardinal, almost 40 years ago. Everyone was up in arms because it used to be free but they had just introduced a $7.50 landing fee! On one occasion they told me to land on a taxiway so I did. It was quite exciting taxiing out behind a queue of DC10's. ATC were very good and used to say to the guy in front, "Go easy on the power 'cos yah got a li'l fella behind you. "

[c52]

There seems to be a mini fly-in at Gatwick today with half-a-dozen single-engined aircraft making an approach.

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I saw a couple apparently doing an approach and go around at Gatwick earlier on.

Also a Tiger Moth at 86300'!

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A Cirrus from North Weald has just flown an approach/go around at Gatwick There's certainly not much other traffic there so I imagine ATC must be pleased to see them!

[chevvron]

Saw (from about 4 miles east of Bagshot Mast) what might have been a Cirrus heading towards Heathrow at 9.30 am from the Farnborough direction; same one maybe did Gatwick then Farnborough?

[treadigraph]

There was a Chrerokee heading east around your area at that time - looks like it may have popped into Biggin. The Cirrus went back to NW.

[Seloco]

So here in deepest Sunbury-on-Thames we are now not only being entertained by a rather different selection of helicopters from normal but also by an almost daily parade of low-level light singles. It was interesting to see an elderly Piper Cub a few days back, then a C150 yesterday and today an RV7 has buzzed over at 900 feet and headed up to central London. Since fellow residents are now asking me what this is all about, I'm wondering whether anyone on here can advise as to what rules (if any) have changed in the current situation to allow this? Or is it simply that with so little airline traffic at the moment ATC is grateful for anything to control, however small?!

[SpringHeeledJack]

The RV7 buzzed over me earlier before heading east and then north and then west.

[Fright Level]

I'm sure in the mid 80's you could land one of the BA Flying Club's planes at LHR on Christmas Day for £50 inc handling. I never did it, so not sure if it is true. Also heard they flew their fleet of PA38s there to be painted in the BA paint shop. Again, could be fake news?

[runway30]

I did take a TB10 into LGW, off peak I think the compulsory handling fee was more than the landing fee. As a previous poster has said, I was asked to maintain cruising speed on the approach because I had a 737 behind me.
On departure I was asked to make an early left turn, AVOIDING THE TERMINAL!

[Juggler25]

Originally Posted by Fright Level

I'm sure in the mid 80's you could land one of the BA Flying Club's planes at LHR on Christmas Day for £50 inc handling. I never did it, so not sure if it is true. Also heard they flew their fleet of PA38s there to be painted in the BA paint shop. Again, could be fake news?

I do believe they used to get the P38's painted there. Heard a story once of a P38 in full fresh BA livery taxing behind a BA 747. The American Airlines pilot in the queue behind found this hilarious and piped up on the radio with 'Hey Speedy bird, looks like you just gave birth!'

[WHBM]

Smallest I saw in recent times was about 2006, BMI used to use Embraer 145s on low load weekend domestics, but several times subchartered in a 30-seat Scot Airways Dornier 328 prop aircraft on the Leeds run, possibly flown by Roy Suckling himself.