Heathrow tower
 

I heard a rumour that the new tower was due to open today.
Did it ?
Are there any knock on effects to the airlines operating there as a result?

New tower..
 

:D The new tower went live at 02:00am and the first flight handled was the inbound BA026. All very smooth so far from a users point of view.

Good luck to all who sway in her!! ;)

Operated in and out of LHR today.
Went like a dream.
Well done to all the boys and girls in the new tower for making the move so painless!
Good luck up there, and promise to maintain our RT discipline! (as per the ATIS!;) )

Pity the new tower looks so poorly designed......those sidestays just look like an afterthought . A great shame not to have had a iconic landmark that could have been real world-class !

it looks smart & an overdue new change to the old tower.
:)

It looks like a big patio heater!

Looks either like a firework rocket tethered and awaiting launch or a rubbish shoot normally attatched to the side of a building.
Can't decide!:hmm:

I think it looks more like a McDonalds coffee cup balanced upon a McDonalds straw.

Ok guys and girls - after post 6 we lost this one. Be warned.

Seriously. No knock on effects. That's it. Just a few controllers taking the job more seriously than they did last week. Probably suffer from vertigo or the heat is getting to them. I'd suggest not making any funny remarks this week. 0440L yesterday morning we asked if the view was better. No comment. What a sad boring, sterile world.

I would be interested to know what effect wind has on the tower. Those braces look like they could anchor Mt. Everest, so when the wind blows does it just vibrate a little? Can't believe it actually sways at all. Years ago was up the top of the World Trade Centre during a stormy evening. That thing swayed quite a lot. The Heathrow Tower has a control gizmo.
"An active mass damper system designed in Japan counteracts any
sway or movement"
Hope the lifts work well and the AirCon! Another Richard Rogers gem, IMHO. :)
Aviate 1138

0440L yesterday morning we asked if the view was better. No comment. What a sad boring, sterile world

If it was you guys who asked this via datalink, we are unable to reply via datalink - we were not being boring!

Ah datalink. At last LHR moves into the 21st century.

Would there be any possibility of someone posting a few pictures of the view please?

(Hopefully it's allowed)

Lots of crews with friendly lighthearted comments via DCL, but we have no means to respond.

As for controllers taking it too seriously, myself and my colleagues have very much appreciated the positive comments from crew on the RT.

All welcome here (with pertinent comments:) ) but thought I'd let you know there are parallel threads in ATC and Airlines, Airports and Routes (under 'Heathrow').

If any ATC folk think this thread needs to be moved elsewhere drop me a PM please and I'll try to arrange a suitable 'pruning' and 'replanting'

I had a BA crew say to me today:

"Are you in the new tower now?"
"Affirm"
"Ah, so can you see us then?" (It was a 777 on Tango over at T4)
"Errrr, yes......."
"Oh, well done!".

Now I'm confused.....did he think we've been working out of a windowless room for the past 50 years? :p

But surely there were a number of stands which couldn't been seen from the old tower? Some V and all the S cul-de-sac and several stands in the cargo area. We tried to get CCTV but were old it was too costly. Meanwhile Mr Plod had CCTV all over the place - including on the tower balcony - to watch motorist!

yes, HD, but arguably the view now is worse than from the old tower, and this one was abeam what you'd remember as T7 (now 407).