London Airport in the 1950s

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Unadulterated nostalgia for an aeroplane mad lad growing up in Middlesex after the war!!;)

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I liked the departure chalk-board with an early BSAA flight recorded L.A.P.-LANGLEY!! :-)

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Do any of you guys collect model airliners ? I do, and also have some old travel agency models. Anybody go to "Heathrow" or LGW Aviation fairs ? I meet up with Dennis Judd and Vince Gibb ("Albert") sometimes. Ring any bells. Vince still shoots and collects slides.

Tom

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Thanks for posting pics. Love the tin PanAm DC-7c. Do the props start up and door open automatically ? (Like the NorthWest similar version?

Very interesting pic of the ill-fated 'NRR of Hunting Clan. Was the vehicle gap just further up as in the Trans Atlantica starliner shot ? Or
had the gap yet to be created ?

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Yes, the DC-7C works...props spin, does a taxy routine, doors open. The steps come from another DC-&C in TWA colours :-(
Not sure about the gap at the chicane...might be a movable fence...on reflection, I think you're right
I like this one of the southeast corner of the Central Ground enclosure from flickr...year is either 1954 or 1955 and the QB isn't quite finished

Spectators Area

and this is closeby

EI-AFS Bristol 170 - Aer Lingus

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Thanks Longshot, these are great pics. Haven't seen these before. Wonderful pieces of history. I visited this enclosure a few times in 1958 and saw the first DC-8 to visit LAP, depart from there. I hadn't remembered it extending out to the ramp as much as shown in your photos. Did they trim it back a bit by 1958 ?

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I didn't take these...they're from negatives Paul Seymour/flickr found in his house. Not sure how much the fence was moved...perhaps a bit. It was quite a large area overall.

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Just found this pic that I've downloaded from somewhere. It shows the area of the open enclosure at the central area over the tunnel. Maybe I got it from this site ? Sorry if its been on already.

Tom Bridges

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they had a spectator enclosure there at one stage in the 50s

the first enclosure I can remember was on the North side and having to cross a taxiway to get to it, must have been 49/50

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Yes, this is it in its heyday.....how things have changed.

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If I remember correctly, my early visits (late 54/55/56...by Royal Blue coach from Southampton) the enclosure was over the Tunnel..completely open just a fence to keep us of the actual live airfield. The only facilities were a couple of sheds that sold icecreams etc(small beach hut size). The tannoy played pop music in between announcements and certainly at one time , whoever chose the records had a liking for Kay Starr's Rock and Roll Waltz which they played endlessly.

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they had a spectator enclosure there at one stage in the 50s

the first enclosure I can remember was on the North side and having to cross a taxiway to get to it, must have been 49/50

See my post #155 page 6 this thread for a timeline of the enclosures....the one you're thinking of was 1953 Coronation year...(there was later a public enclosure temporarily by the old Fairey hangar in Oct 1953 for the UK-NZ air race)

Here's some Flickr galleries for Heathrow 1953, 1955, 1958 [work in progress :-) ]
https://www.flickr.com/photos/74784995@N00/galleries/72157655686007878/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/74784995@N00/galleries/72157655685112838/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/74784995@N00/galleries/72157656095671691/

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Sitting in the armchair one evening, doodling on the iPad, I came across this forum and found my name mentioned by Conniefreak, aka Graham, or Tom as I remember him.

The LAP North Mob proved to be not only an important part of my teens, charging around the country and Europe, sleeping in bus stations, tents, on airfields as well as uncomfortable nights spent in cars, but gave me the confidence to travel the world in my later years.

Here are some more names from the past, to add to Tom's list, some of you may well remember them. Bill Wood, the best man at my wedding, Ken Wilkinson who married one of the bridesmaids, Ron Cawte, Clive Stringer, John Bannister, Ken Heywood, Norman Smith, Dave Woods, Mike Ballard (ginger Kingston), Mick Jeffries, Graham Fiske (pont) and a few names I cannot remember but included "Hammersmith", Monnee and "Titch".

A comment on the picture of "Pot Pinner" standing by a car. It was taken at Tousses and almost certainly during the 1961 Paris show. I shared a room with him at the "Hotel Family" during that Paris show. The hotel was completely filled with the LAP North Mob.

My forum tag was inspired by the return flight from the 1961 show on an Air France L1049G, complete with tip tanks!! One of my two most memorable flights, the other was an internal flight in Nepal with Buddah Air.

Roger M.

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11 years 11 months

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Sitting in the armchair one evening, doodling on the iPad, I came across this forum and found my name mentioned by Conniefreak, aka Graham, or Tom as I remember him.

The LAP North Mob proved to be not only an important part of my teens, charging around the country and Europe, sleeping in bus stations, tents, on airfields as well as uncomfortable nights spent in cars, but gave me the confidence to travel the world in my later years.

Here are some more names from the past, to add to Tom's list, some of you may well remember them. Bill Wood, the best man at my wedding, Ken Wilkinson who married one of the bridesmaids, Ron Cawte, Clive Stringer, John Bannister, Ken Heywood, Norman Smith, Dave Woods, Mike Ballard (ginger Kingston), Mick Jeffries, Graham Fiske (pont) and a few names I cannot remember but included "Hammersmith", Monnee and "Titch".

A comment on the picture of "Pot Pinner" standing by a car. It was taken at Tousses and almost certainly during the 1961 Paris show. I shared a room with him at the "Hotel Family" during that Paris show. The hotel was completely filled with the LAP North Mob.

My forum tag was inspired by the return flight from the 1961 show on an Air France L1049G, complete with tip tanks!! One of my two most memorable flights, the other was an internal flight in Nepal with Buddah Air.

Roger M.

Hi Roger,

Where have you been for the last 50 years ? Some good pics on here. Are you still in the area ? 07775 520063 will find me. I still see Snoggs from the south side and "Albert" (Vince).Still have all my Buddy Holly vinyls!

Tom

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Roger, I think Titch was Dave Stuart? He had a Mini and wore glasses.

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The 2 pics in post 297 are Barry Page and Brian Harris. (I found it impossible to edit the post itself to add these names)

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I particularly liked that shot of 4R-ACH because it has a good general view of those North side buildings in the background.....very fitting. And the view of the first jet trans Atlantic check in was a beaut too.