There were some areas left on top of Queens / Terminal 2 that you could still access through the 80's and 90's. A purpose built staircase gantry was at one end along with a small canteen/restaurant and there was a small aviation bookshop which I think was the forerunner of the shop that now inhabits what is left of the visitor centre. There was one , very small undercover area with tinted glass there too.

Most of the childrens playground area and the higher of the brick built viewing areas were already shut as being unsafe.

This reduced area through the 80's and 90's was accessed through what I think was supposed to be a fire exit door in the side of Terminal 2 before you went up many flights of stairs to access what was left. There was an entry ticket machine but don't ask me how much it was then as I can't remember.

9/11 IIRC was the final nail in the coffin and the area was gone for good.

The Virgin Atlantic clubhouse at LHR has a roof top garden...

HTC

I can't help thinking that 9/11 was an excuse. The same thing happened here at Newcastle. From memory, our excellent viewing area (the terminal's position right at one end of the airfield meant you could see the entire field) closed that afternoon and never reopened. As has been mentioned, Frankfurt & Schiphol seem to manage OK.


Has there ever in the history of aviation been a terrorist attack carried out from a viewing area? I could be wrong but I suspect not.

None of which I am aware, which of course is irrelevant to airport executives wanting rid of those spotter-types who bring their own sandwiches and flasks of weak lemon drink.

Belfast International re-opened their viewing gallery two years ago, it is unfortunately behind glass but has piped ATC radio and an FR24 display on a screen. At lease they made an effort.

I remember the days when you could walk along the roof of the piers at Gatwick.
Lots of trans-Atlantic charters and other interesting stuff.
TIA, Capitol, World, Saturn, Pacific Western, Canadian Pacific, RCAF, etc.

I was just thinking that I remembered walking a good distance along the roof of one or more of the piers at Gatwick, you really felt like you were in among the apron's goings on. When did that stop ? Certainly by the 90's.

I'll second El Bunto, but I do remember the great spotter's area at Paris Orly in the 70's that had robust netting over it's 'roof' and when I asked the two machine gun toting CRS officers walking up and down it's length why (in sign language ;-) ) they indicated that it was to stop grenades being thrown over to the very close aircraft and fuel trucks. This might have been in the post Arab/Palestine hijacking/terrorist period.

That's how I remember my last visit. Entry was around £2ish.

Wasn't the clincher, the need to make it wheelchair friendly under new legislation? It was all steps with no lift.

I miss spotting at airports too, LHR would be awesome with a spotter's area plus spotters are quite useful for noticing things.

I've found the next best thing though - Big Jet TV. They stream live at least twice a week. The first 30 mins of each broadcast are freeview on Facebook & YouTube whilst the rest of the broadcast is for "Gold" members on a closed Facebook page who pay a monthly subscription equivalent to the cost of a coffee!

These guys are awesome, very funny, and travel to other airports in the UK & Europe for their viewers. They also get some exclusive access such as airside with Cargologic (which was an awesome show).

Worth giving them a watch if you miss/can't get to airports to spot or have kids who are interested in planes!

I seem to remember from late 1950s visits to Heathrow Queen's Building Viewing Area that a commentary on aircraft movements was provided for visitors over the Tannoy System. Correct me if I am wrong!

No, you are right. The commentators were Stan Little and Flo Kingdon with others later.

In the late 1960s Manchester gave free access to the roof of the terminal (now T1 and T3) and to the international pier. I am not sure about the domestic pier (which became the initial part of T3). You got a good view of the aircraft from the pier.

There is a small spectators area at LHR, on the north perimeter road in the Heathrow Academy car park. Not as good as the Queens building but better than nothing.

You could be right in the case of Heathrow. Here at NCL there was a lift.


I do remember visiting Heathrow as a young un, and it was the equivalent of a kid these days visiting Disneyland. The downside was that the next few times my dad took me and my brother up to Woolsington, seeing a Dan-Air 748 and a couple of Air UK F27s every few hours had lost its magic!

Top level of the T2 carpark at LHR gave good & unhindered by security views after the Queen's was closed for the day back in the 80's too - spent many a happy hour in failing light up there and seeing 9 or 10 sets of landing lights in the approach stack

I remember the pier top access at Gatwick when I first visited in about August '74 but I don't recall it after that; I was probably there half a dozen times during '75 and more frequently onwards.

I think i can also remember the commentary on the Queen's Building in the mid- to late-70s.

I think FRA and AMS, as well as ZRH and a whole host of other mainland European airports manage to do it because they still want to invite people to be part of the airport even if they aren't travelling. I spent some time a few years back at the LX training centre in Kloten. I used to get free access to the viewing gallery there with my visitor pass. I spent an hour or so there most nights after my work. It is excellent.

Some airports also do airside tours on buses. Why UK airports have to pretend that security issues prevent this kind of thing is beyond me. EDI gives over it's old runway to a charity car racing event, or it has done a few times. They could easily offer airside tours, for example. Charge a small fee and it'd be a money maker from local school groups and visitors too.

There is just no desire in the UK to support casual interest in aircraft. That itself leads to people hanging around perimeter fences, parking up at road sides and loitering around airport car parks trying to get a glimpse of the action. Then they are treated as suspicious!

Sadly it's the UK way, unless you can show you are an income stream nobody is going to provide facilities.

It seems to work in Manchester because I think they charge a fee to park there? But they are also on the perimeter of the taxiway so out of the way of the terminal. I don't mind paying for entrance to a nice viewing area, and buying refreshments whilst there in order to help with its' upkeep.


In the meantime, I guess for Heathrow it'll have to be Myrtle Avenue or the Premier Inn on Bath Road, away from the hustle and bustle of a busy airport terminal. And then the kids can enjoy the terminal experience when we actually go on holiday :(

Did that at 'London Airport' early '50s, before the Central Area was built! I would have been about 4 or 5 years old; a Comet arrived and taxiied in while were out there.

Heathrow in particular has had numerous opportunities to provide some facility for people to watch the aircraft be they enthusiasts, photographers or just seeing loved ones off on holiday but as there is no money in it there is no interest in providing anything. Many airports worldwide do provide such facilities and from my own experiences are well used by the local populations. Such a shame that Heathrow and Gatwick are woeful when compared to many others.