BA 747 (BA107) ex LHR, currently in hold over Kent
 

Probably nothing as usual, but..

https://twitter.com/Kent_999s/status/543034284358242304

The link states that a loud bang was heard, might this indicate a compressor stall in one of the engines that was contained and required a leisurely return to base ? Glad to see that it landed and all safe and well.

All you needed to know, but probably didn't want to know…Daily Mail style. (No schoolchildren were hurt in this event). :8

British Airways flight from London to Dubai forced to return to Heathrow | Daily Mail Online

Interesting holding technique:

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...8310230382.jpg

"The plane flew in triangle formations over south-east London and Kent for more than 30 minutes", according to the DM. :ugh:

Not a great ad for FlightRadar24, either ...

I know you can chuck the 744 around a bit, but how DID they make those amazing turns? ;)

They didn't! As suggested by Dave Reid, it's a problem with FR.

Indeed not.

http://www.avgen.co.uk/BAW107.jpg

HD, did you not notice WASPERNATOR's wink at the end? That would tell me it was said tongue-in-cheek old boy. ;)

Thank you, indeed Heathrow Director failed to identify me as a winker..;)

Obviously, the pilot was either lost or drunk...or maybe a wasp up his trouser leg.

Is that what a 'waspernator' is then?

In a situation such as this, is there pre-existing airspace into which troubled aircraft are sent, or is it a case of what airspace is free at the time?

It's usually just mixed in with everything else.

A triangular hold indicates a comms failure; left hand total (ie nothing LEFT) and right hand Tx only.
Could it not have been a tyre burst? I've heard one or two and it makes a helluva bang.

After its return to LHR, the aircraft in question operated the 8pm departure to JFK (due back in a couple of hours time), so whatever the problem was it didn't take long to resolve.

Perhaps they just needed to take the gear pins out. :O