By: old eagle
- 7th October 2009 at 16:35Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks Jet flap et al, real memories. Regret I did not have a camera, and spotting logs have long since disappeared. I do recall an Air France Dak landing on a taxiway in thick fog, I think we've had this mentioned before in an earlier thread
Ref post 12 :
Look at the Ambassador is that an Ensign being flown whilst taxying ???
Look behind the Air France Viscount, isn't that the Rapide (that caused this Thread) ???
By: pagen01
- 7th October 2009 at 17:54Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Here are a few taken sometime in the mid-50s.
Excellent colour shots, you can just see the original tower in the right hand side of the two middle pics.
the long span BEA maintainance buildings in the background of your next shots where a revolutionary design at the time, being amongst the largest clear span concrete buildings of the era.
Nice personal pics there Peter, hard to believe that local met, is still done like that.
I take it that the road and tunnel in the last shot is taken from the 'Queens' terminal end looking north?
By: jim_jobe
- 7th October 2009 at 23:01Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Beautiful pictures!
Jim
New
Posts: 2,101
By: old shape
- 7th October 2009 at 23:15Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Yes some lovely pics guys, especially the two Viscounts.. you can almost hear them whistleing along the peri-track.
Incidentally, the brown marking on the fins of the Ambassador.. is that muck from the Centaurus engines?
It certainly is! At start up, a flicker of flame would often leap back 30 feet. I remember the Dan Air ones doing so at Ringway.
Incidentally, when did Croydon close as London Airport? I remember there was some of the Tower left at Croydon in the eary 70's. Or was I seeing things?
By: pagen01
- 8th October 2009 at 08:24Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Incidentally, when did Croydon close as London Airport? I remember there was some of the Tower left at Croydon in the eary 70's. Or was I seeing things?
Almost exactly 50 years ago, September 1959. The combined tower, terminal and hotel survives and is kept in very good order.
By: Sky High
- 8th October 2009 at 10:49Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks Jet flap et al, real memories. Regret I did not have a camera, and spotting logs have long since disappeared. I do recall an Air France Dak landing on a taxiway in thick fog, I think we've had this mentioned before in an earlier thread
Ref post 12 :
Look at the Ambassador is that an Ensign being flown whilst taxying ???
Look behind the Air France Viscount, isn't that the Rapide (that caused this Thread) ???
Wow, you must have retained those "spotters" eagle eyes. Do you mean the blue blur in the middle distance?
By: jim_jobe
- 8th October 2009 at 11:52Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I've found the log of my next visit to LAP in 1959 when I did the bus tour (with the cleanest bus windows in the world!). Unfortunately still no film and I didn't record aircraft I'd already seen!
Jim
By: jim_jobe
- 8th October 2009 at 12:12Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks for those extra gap-fillers Laurence - I couldn't read them all off at the time! (I think G-ANUD is a typo though as G-ANUD was a Tiger Moth?).
I didn't bother re-recording G-AOTI at the time presumably as I'd already seen it at Hawarden in 1956! I do remember seeing it after that though!
Jim
By: tarkey
- 8th October 2009 at 12:20Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I know its slightly earlier IE late 40s, but I went to Athens in 1948/9 from London Airport which was then situated at Northolt. There were just rows of huts and thats all.
The air fare according to my late father who was a farm worker was over a years wages if not a lot more. I accompanied my mother to Greece and was aged 6 months.
By: l.garey
- 8th October 2009 at 13:02Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Sorry Jim. You are quite right. Finger trouble. G-ANUP was the cocooned Skyways Constellation. I have edited my original post!
BTW, I still have my logs for sightings at LAP in the 50s, but maybe that is not of much use to anyone.
By: jim_jobe
- 8th October 2009 at 14:37Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Cheers Laurence,
Were there any other outdoor storage aircraft at that time? Was G-ANTZ stored then? I know that it was given a US reg (N106Q) at the same time (Aug 1959) as NTX,NTZ AND NUC.
Jim
By: Scouse
- 8th October 2009 at 19:41Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
For those of us too young to do proper plane spotting in the 50s, there was always this chap to keep one company at Heathrow. Note on the back says September 1958.
I'm the one on the right, by the way!
By: PeterVerney
- 8th October 2009 at 19:49Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I know its slightly earlier IE late 40s, but I went to Athens in 1948/9 from London Airport which was then situated at Northolt. There were just rows of huts and thats all.
The air fare according to my late father who was a farm worker was over a years wages if not a lot more. I accompanied my mother to Greece and was aged 6 months.
Northolt in those days was for BEA flights to Europe, Heathrow was for long range flights and miscellaneous people.
By: vulcanb2
- 9th October 2009 at 08:33Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Excellent colour shots, you can just see the original tower in the right hand side of the two middle pics.
the long span BEA maintainance buildings in the background of your next shots where a revolutionary design at the time, being amongst the largest clear span concrete buildings of the era.
Nice personal pics there Peter, hard to believe that local met, is still done like that.
I take it that the road and tunnel in the last shot is taken from the 'Queens' terminal end looking north?
The BEA hangars were built in two phases, the visible set from Central area was the first, built 1950-3, intended for Ambassadors/Elizabethans & Viscounts. I believe them to be the first prestressed concrete hangars in UK, it was certainly the largest in plan area at the time. Done as two parallel sets of five 180ft wide bays, they had thin prestressed concrete roof beams spanning 110ft back to front on to massive prestressed concrete beams over the 150ft x 30ft clear doors. The contract was won by competitive tender, each of the 20 contractors having three months to prepare, design & price their scheme. Alan Harris the chief design engineer criticised the BOAC HQ being built to the East as it was reinforced concrete & could have used prestressed more, but Owen Williams was a dedicated reinforced concrete believer.
By: pagen01
- 9th October 2009 at 09:17Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Many thanks for that info Vulcan. I take it when that facility opened that's when BEA moved its ops from Northolt?
I guess this building was soon over shadowed by the later BOAC sheds?
Are any of these buildings still about?
By: longshot
- 10th October 2009 at 19:43Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Heathrow in the 1950s
Have you considered putting your splendid photos on a permanent site, JETFLAP? Brian Doherty's shots are going onto Air Britain's ABPIC site , many from Heathrow when he worked in the BOAC Kremlin there
Posts: 598
By: old eagle - 7th October 2009 at 16:35 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks Jet flap et al, real memories. Regret I did not have a camera, and spotting logs have long since disappeared. I do recall an Air France Dak landing on a taxiway in thick fog, I think we've had this mentioned before in an earlier thread
Ref post 12 :
Look at the Ambassador is that an Ensign being flown whilst taxying ???
Look behind the Air France Viscount, isn't that the Rapide (that caused this Thread) ???
Posts: 598
By: old eagle - 7th October 2009 at 16:38 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Found this on Airliners, hope the copyright owner does not mind me putting it up on here :
Posts: 10,647
By: pagen01 - 7th October 2009 at 17:54 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Excellent colour shots, you can just see the original tower in the right hand side of the two middle pics.
the long span BEA maintainance buildings in the background of your next shots where a revolutionary design at the time, being amongst the largest clear span concrete buildings of the era.
Nice personal pics there Peter, hard to believe that local met, is still done like that.
I take it that the road and tunnel in the last shot is taken from the 'Queens' terminal end looking north?
Posts: 705
By: jim_jobe - 7th October 2009 at 23:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Beautiful pictures!
Jim
Posts: 2,101
By: old shape - 7th October 2009 at 23:15 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It certainly is! At start up, a flicker of flame would often leap back 30 feet. I remember the Dan Air ones doing so at Ringway.
Incidentally, when did Croydon close as London Airport? I remember there was some of the Tower left at Croydon in the eary 70's. Or was I seeing things?
Posts: 10,647
By: pagen01 - 8th October 2009 at 08:24 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Almost exactly 50 years ago, September 1959. The combined tower, terminal and hotel survives and is kept in very good order.
Posts: 4,956
By: Sky High - 8th October 2009 at 10:49 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Wow, you must have retained those "spotters" eagle eyes. Do you mean the blue blur in the middle distance?
Posts: 705
By: jim_jobe - 8th October 2009 at 11:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I've found the log of my next visit to LAP in 1959 when I did the bus tour (with the cleanest bus windows in the world!). Unfortunately still no film and I didn't record aircraft I'd already seen!
Jim
Posts: 705
By: jim_jobe - 8th October 2009 at 12:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks for those extra gap-fillers Laurence - I couldn't read them all off at the time! (I think G-ANUD is a typo though as G-ANUD was a Tiger Moth?).
I didn't bother re-recording G-AOTI at the time presumably as I'd already seen it at Hawarden in 1956! I do remember seeing it after that though!
Jim
Posts: 319
By: tarkey - 8th October 2009 at 12:20 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I know its slightly earlier IE late 40s, but I went to Athens in 1948/9 from London Airport which was then situated at Northolt. There were just rows of huts and thats all.
The air fare according to my late father who was a farm worker was over a years wages if not a lot more. I accompanied my mother to Greece and was aged 6 months.
Posts: 2,119
By: l.garey - 8th October 2009 at 13:02 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Sorry Jim. You are quite right. Finger trouble. G-ANUP was the cocooned Skyways Constellation. I have edited my original post!
BTW, I still have my logs for sightings at LAP in the 50s, but maybe that is not of much use to anyone.
Laurence
Posts: 705
By: jim_jobe - 8th October 2009 at 14:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Cheers Laurence,
Were there any other outdoor storage aircraft at that time? Was G-ANTZ stored then? I know that it was given a US reg (N106Q) at the same time (Aug 1959) as NTX,NTZ AND NUC.
Jim
Posts: 705
By: jim_jobe - 8th October 2009 at 14:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
G-ANUP seemed to get about a bit. I have it stored at Gatwick in 1962 as well as at LAP earlier,
Jim
Posts: 2,119
By: l.garey - 8th October 2009 at 15:13 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hello again Jim.
I did not see NTZ. The only Stratocruisers I recorded in July 1959 were NTX, NUA, NUB. Maybe there were others that I did not see.
As to NUP getting to Gatwick, I assume Skyways de-cocooned it at Heathrow and made it airworthy for the ferry.
Laurence
Posts: 705
By: jim_jobe - 8th October 2009 at 16:36 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks Laurence;perhaps NTZ was stored at Gatwick or elsewhere?
Jim
Posts: 857
By: Scouse - 8th October 2009 at 19:41 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
For those of us too young to do proper plane spotting in the 50s, there was always this chap to keep one company at Heathrow. Note on the back says September 1958.
I'm the one on the right, by the way!
Posts: 1,020
By: PeterVerney - 8th October 2009 at 19:49 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Northolt in those days was for BEA flights to Europe, Heathrow was for long range flights and miscellaneous people.
Posts: 6
By: vulcanb2 - 9th October 2009 at 08:33 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The BEA hangars were built in two phases, the visible set from Central area was the first, built 1950-3, intended for Ambassadors/Elizabethans & Viscounts. I believe them to be the first prestressed concrete hangars in UK, it was certainly the largest in plan area at the time. Done as two parallel sets of five 180ft wide bays, they had thin prestressed concrete roof beams spanning 110ft back to front on to massive prestressed concrete beams over the 150ft x 30ft clear doors. The contract was won by competitive tender, each of the 20 contractors having three months to prepare, design & price their scheme. Alan Harris the chief design engineer criticised the BOAC HQ being built to the East as it was reinforced concrete & could have used prestressed more, but Owen Williams was a dedicated reinforced concrete believer.
Posts: 10,647
By: pagen01 - 9th October 2009 at 09:17 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Many thanks for that info Vulcan. I take it when that facility opened that's when BEA moved its ops from Northolt?
I guess this building was soon over shadowed by the later BOAC sheds?
Are any of these buildings still about?
Posts: 1,707
By: longshot - 10th October 2009 at 19:43 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Heathrow in the 1950s
Have you considered putting your splendid photos on a permanent site, JETFLAP? Brian Doherty's shots are going onto Air Britain's ABPIC site , many from Heathrow when he worked in the BOAC Kremlin there
http://www.abpic.co.uk/results.php?q=brian+doherty+LHR&fields=all&sort=latest&limit=50