Not to mention the BMA Shorts 330 on the EMA route !

Best/most unusual one I ever saw was the Tallmantz Aviation B-25 Mitchell camera-ship N1042B landing on 27L (or what is now 27L) on 30th April 1972.

Here Is my list for LHR/LGW in the 70s Beech 18, Grumman Traveller. Cessna 172, Cessna 337, Cessna 340, Cessna 421, Piper Aztec. Keeping with the Jet jobs on Approach often meant that approach speed had to be very similar to the cruise speed!!

I recall taking a Brasilia in BA colours LHR-Maastricht in 2000 (BASE Airlines PH-BRP)

During the early '70s I used to volunteer for the St Johns Air Ambulance Wing. This teamed light twin pilot/owners with commercial pilots to deliver live kidneys for transplant. On one occasion we were met by the police at Booker (WAP) in the middle of the night who opened up the airfield for us and parked a police car with headlights on at the end of the runway to aim at so that we could take off in the dark and position into LHR to collect two kidneys which were then flown on to AMS and Tirstrup for delivery. Another nighttime flight was again from Booker to ORY and BFS via Lee on Solent after radio failure! The airfield light beacon was used for identification.
I also during that period used to fly for an air taxi outfit based at Fairoaks and flights into and out of LHR and LGW were carried out using PA30 and PA23 aircraft. LHR used to have it's own light beacon situated near where the Hatton Cross tube station now is. I suspect these types of flight had all finished by the late '70s.

I remember it well, though it wasn't at Hatton Cross, but a bit to the west of where Terminal Four now is.

No prizes for working out where on the map it was:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b3256b091c.jpg

And I've been on an Air Alps Dornier 328 out and back from LHR, even smaller IIRC.

Having flown as medical crew on fixed wing air ambulances for the past ten years, never been into Heathrow on a flight, just too costly. Normally we use Biggin Farnbrough Northolt or even Luton. Our pilots will have to fly at some stage just to maintain currency on type.

Isn’t there a private landing strip just on the other side of the Boundary fence of Gatwick formerly owned by Mr Vallance where the Gatwick air museum is? Don’t know if it’s still operational?

I don't think it's in use any more following Peter Vallance's death in 2013.

Loganair have moved their IOM route to Heathrow, on an ATR 42-500. One of the smallest types scheduled at LHR for some time I daresay.

Back in the early eighties light aircraft used to park near terminal one, can remember seeing a Pa 22 and a few Cessna from the Queens viewing gallery.

In the 1970s Brymon occasionally operated a DHC6 on the St Mawgan - Heathrow. We were waiting for the Herald one Sunday afternoon to take us to LHR to catch the BA shuttle to EDI for a JMC Briefing. Fortunately there weren’t many of us as the Herald was broken and the Twin Otter turned up instead. I’ve wondered since what the pilot thought about having two Nimrod pilots and a pair of navs peering over his shoulder as he performed the arrival at LHR.

YS

Hunting Clan used to have a base on south side (where T4 is now?). Shell had aircraft based there I think. At least 1 HS125? I also seem to recall a Dove or Heron.

There was a light aircraft park on the south side of Heathrow near to where Pan-Am cargo used to live. One Eric Raffles used to commute to Manchester on a daily basis in the 1960s using Raffles Zulu Charlie a Beech D95A Travel Air. Also remember the big piston pounders, Douglas DCs and Curtiss C-46s which I could see when walking the dog along the twin rivers.

Shell had 2 125s, think they were TPC and TPD

If you drive round the perimeter road from T4 towards Hatton Cross there is a sign for a general aviation terminal. No idea if its still in use.

Another hypothetical question. I guess a light aircraft with a serious emergency would be allowed to land at LHR? And would the pilot get charged a landing fee?

This sort of hysterical hand wringing really isn't helping anyone.

A family friend is an ITU nurse. He was telling us that their unit, with its newly requisitioned temporary third "pod" and increased capacity is currently extremely quiet and nurses/ HCAs have been stood down with overtime cancelled for the next two weeks. Against that background, I don't see any reason recreational flying (or indeed other normal activities) shouldn't be allowed to resume.

It was a daily schedule at least on weekdays.
I did a fam flight on the Herald on this route. The return was after dark and as we climbed out of St Mawagn, the F/O who was handling asked the captain for windscreen anti ice. Now I'd noticed that the pre- flights and pre takeoff had been done using a torch as there was no cockpit lighting, so when the captain flicked a switch and the windscreen wipers started, I wasn't entirely surprised! The captain said 'sorry, been flying Twin Otters for the last 6 weeks'.

I wouldn't bank on that.

Heathrow 5 August 1973:

N801GA Gulfstream II
G-APZU Dove
G-AXDC Aztec
G-ASRE Aztec
G-AVOI H.S.125
G-AXXB Navajo
G-ARLS Aztec
G-ASJL Bonanza
G-ATPE H.S.125
G-ATGI Dove
OO-SKF Aero Commander
F-BRUY Falcon

Heathrow 24 November 1973:

G-BBMD H.S.125
G-BBIJ Cessna 421
G-BASX Senaca
N7785 Gulfstream II
G-AXDD Navajo
G-BABW King Air

Heathrow 11 May 1974:

D-GOGO Skymaster
G-BBRL Navajo
G-AVMV H.S.125
5X-UPF Gulfstream II
G-BBGB Aztec
F-BSBU Falcon

Heathrow 15 June 1974:

HB-VDB Falcon
16+05 Hansa Jet
N22ES Jetstar
F-BTDA Jet Commander

Dem wos de days!