By: Banupa
- 11th October 2012 at 10:23Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I don't remember Starliners as freighters. On North Side the freighters were usually Yorks and DC-6A's. You also got the odd Comet 2 and the sole Comet 3 there too. I remember the ripple of excitement going through my school, which was just across the A4 Bath Road from North Side, when the pink tail of an Overseas National DC-6A was spotted in central area. Lunchtime saw a flood of spotty youths with scopes foregoing the delights of secondary school dinners to spot it!
By: Halcyon days
- 11th October 2012 at 13:04Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Bit before my time unfortunately-but first went there around 1957.
My Dad was a customs officer on the North side and as a youngster I would go to work with him when he was doing overtime at week ends etc and sit in the office and look through the massive telescope they used to have in there for keeping a watchful eye on what might be going on!!
Went out with the uniformed staff and "rummaged " a BOAC DC-7 and a Strat on one occasion and recall getting towed across to the BOAC hangars while the aircraft was being searched. I also recall eating some wonderful food from the galley -but cant remember now just actually what it was!
Memories too of the biggest bag of chips you could imagine for just 3d from the Green Dragon/Greasy spoon.
I went to school at West Drayton -just a mile or so away and would cycle there if anything especially interesting would be reported (like a jet perhaps!!).
Early Comets and Air Canada DC-8s stick out in my mind as being especially exciting-and the noise and smoke of an early DC-8 taking off can never be forgotten.
Happy days of Connies/Argonauts/Vikings/Yorks and all the various DC-types/Convairs and so on. Still got my old Ian Allan spotters books from 1959/60 etc.
By: connie freak
- 11th October 2012 at 14:06Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There is another good aerial shot of the Northside from a helicopter on p83 of Charles Woodley's Heathrow book.
There are 2 very similar shots taken on the same shoot, slightly different angle. These were very useful when I was guessing the building layout on my model. Wish I'd had that Getty shot 3 years ago, would have been even better for me.
nibb 100: Too young to see Brab at LAP. But my brother tells me that he and I saw lorry loads of it coming down Maidenhead High Street (the A4) after it was scrapped. I don't remember seeing it though.
By: nibb100
- 11th October 2012 at 14:25Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
nibb 100: Too young to see Brab at LAP. But my brother tells me that he and I saw lorry loads of it coming down Maidenhead High Street (the A4) after it was scrapped. I don't remember seeing it though.
It was a very impressive site for a young boy as was the Comet prototype, I personally blame Eagle comic;) and my father for taking me to LAP IN 1949
By: nibb100
- 11th October 2012 at 15:05Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
great photo
I was lucky in so far as we lived in Sheen under 27L so even if I couldn't get to LAP, in those days it seemed everything landed that way and I could see them,
sadly I never had a camera, I had to rely on Brian Stainer and Air Pictorial,
By: longshot
- 11th October 2012 at 19:11Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
28R was closed from 1952 till 1955 for the tunnel to be dug....could have been reopened earlier but BEA were using it for aircraft parking till the Europa Terminal opened
great photo
I was lucky in so far as we lived in Sheen under 27L so even if I couldn't get to LAP, in those days it seemed everything landed that way and I could see them,
sadly I never had a camera, I had to rely on Brian Stainer and Air Pictorial,
By: Tango Charlie
- 11th October 2012 at 19:59Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Lovely
Superb shot of the most glamorous of piston airliners. As a youngster I lived in Chiswick between left and right for Heathrow. In the late 60's I recall a fair few piston types on approach including Constellations. Indeed checking a diary for a May 1968 Saturday I see no less then two Constellations, one x DC7, two DC 6's 1 x 4, five x DC3's not to mention numerous Viscounts and Vanguards plus Tarom Iluysian 18's, even the odd BEA Comet overhead, those were the days.
By: thawes
- 11th October 2012 at 23:40Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
LHR - 1953
On 8th October 1953 I visited London Heathrow to watch the start of the London to Christchurch (New Zealand) air race and took the following photo which shows one of the competitors, the first licence-built Royal Australian Air Force Canberra serial number A84-201. Still in existence in Oz as a GateGuard I believe.
Interestingly the background shows the girders for the new ‘Europa Building’, which was actually the first true terminal building and was opened by the Queen two years later in 1955. The higher girders outline what I think is the ATC control tower under construction.
As a sideshow one could take a trip over the Thames and Hampton Court in a DH Rapide for 15/-, which I did. I still a have a photo of Hampton Court taken during this flight.
By: Banupa
- 12th October 2012 at 12:31Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I too visited LAP to see the competitors for the England to Australia air race. I remember seeing the Canberra, but always assumed it was an RAF one. There was a Viscount too and I think a Hastings?
Re-the Brabazon. Yes, I saw it...apparently... My mother says I was being pushed in a pram when it approached LAP from the Hayes direction.
Moving on a bit. Who else saw the Rotodyne land at Fairey's at Hayes? I did!
By: nibb100
- 12th October 2012 at 13:00Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
this is taxing my brain,
the North side enclosure with the Dragon Rapide, I seem to remember it was 10/6 in the early 50s, standing beside a York and thinking the wheels were enormous, I loved the Hermes it looked elegant along side an Canadair C4, the sound of the Stratocruisers going to full throttle for take off,
then moving to the enclosure in the central area, jam sandwiches, Convair 240/340/440, BEA Daks, Viscounts, Fred Olsen Viscounts, and of course the first visit of the PanAm 707
sorry this has brought back all sorts of memories, does anybody remember the cafe at Hatton Cross?
Posts: 346
By: nibb100 - 10th October 2012 at 10:02 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
the Seaboard Connie takes me back, I used to think they were so exotic
all things American at the time seemed so fantastic
Posts: 133
By: g-anyb - 10th October 2012 at 10:26 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
We really need a " Like" button on this Forum..
Posts: 70
By: connie freak - 10th October 2012 at 21:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
A LIKE button might be useful, but we like it all I think :D
Here's another one of mine from a 35mm neg. TWA starliner cargo.
Posts: 346
By: nibb100 - 10th October 2012 at 21:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
very nice photo the 1649 was very impressive but I must admit it's the 049,749,1049 that has the magic for me,
Posts: 1,026
By: Banupa - 11th October 2012 at 10:23 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I don't remember Starliners as freighters. On North Side the freighters were usually Yorks and DC-6A's. You also got the odd Comet 2 and the sole Comet 3 there too. I remember the ripple of excitement going through my school, which was just across the A4 Bath Road from North Side, when the pink tail of an Overseas National DC-6A was spotted in central area. Lunchtime saw a flood of spotty youths with scopes foregoing the delights of secondary school dinners to spot it!
Posts: 346
By: nibb100 - 11th October 2012 at 12:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
bit of a down memory lane moment,
who remembers Brabazon coming in?,
Posts: 102
By: Halcyon days - 11th October 2012 at 13:04 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Bit before my time unfortunately-but first went there around 1957.
My Dad was a customs officer on the North side and as a youngster I would go to work with him when he was doing overtime at week ends etc and sit in the office and look through the massive telescope they used to have in there for keeping a watchful eye on what might be going on!!
Went out with the uniformed staff and "rummaged " a BOAC DC-7 and a Strat on one occasion and recall getting towed across to the BOAC hangars while the aircraft was being searched. I also recall eating some wonderful food from the galley -but cant remember now just actually what it was!
Memories too of the biggest bag of chips you could imagine for just 3d from the Green Dragon/Greasy spoon.
I went to school at West Drayton -just a mile or so away and would cycle there if anything especially interesting would be reported (like a jet perhaps!!).
Early Comets and Air Canada DC-8s stick out in my mind as being especially exciting-and the noise and smoke of an early DC-8 taking off can never be forgotten.
Happy days of Connies/Argonauts/Vikings/Yorks and all the various DC-types/Convairs and so on. Still got my old Ian Allan spotters books from 1959/60 etc.
Posts: 70
By: connie freak - 11th October 2012 at 14:06 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
There are 2 very similar shots taken on the same shoot, slightly different angle. These were very useful when I was guessing the building layout on my model. Wish I'd had that Getty shot 3 years ago, would have been even better for me.
nibb 100: Too young to see Brab at LAP. But my brother tells me that he and I saw lorry loads of it coming down Maidenhead High Street (the A4) after it was scrapped. I don't remember seeing it though.
Posts: 346
By: nibb100 - 11th October 2012 at 14:25 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
It was a very impressive site for a young boy as was the Comet prototype, I personally blame Eagle comic;) and my father for taking me to LAP IN 1949
Posts: 2,119
By: l.garey - 11th October 2012 at 14:51 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Not the prototype, but G-ALYP LAP 4-4-1953. Sorry about the quality: unsophisticated 11-year-old!
Posts: 346
By: nibb100 - 11th October 2012 at 15:05 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
great photo
I was lucky in so far as we lived in Sheen under 27L so even if I couldn't get to LAP, in those days it seemed everything landed that way and I could see them,
sadly I never had a camera, I had to rely on Brian Stainer and Air Pictorial,
Posts: 7
By: Ken Beere - 11th October 2012 at 17:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Real Connie
A magnificent view of the Lockheed L-1049 "Super H" Constellation PP-YSA a passenger/freight convertible model.
Posts: 7
By: Ken Beere - 11th October 2012 at 18:25 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
1964 LAP
Ref the above post, the real connie , scanned from my postcard collection collected back in the 60s, My favorite connie pic.....:cool:
Posts: 1,707
By: longshot - 11th October 2012 at 19:11 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
28R was closed from 1952 till 1955 for the tunnel to be dug....could have been reopened earlier but BEA were using it for aircraft parking till the Europa Terminal opened
Posts: 1,020
By: PeterVerney - 11th October 2012 at 19:39 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thawes, many thanks for your pics from Gan. The dress code shown there was definitely "not done" at Lympne, or Heathrow, in those days.
Posts: 308
By: Tango Charlie - 11th October 2012 at 19:59 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Lovely
Superb shot of the most glamorous of piston airliners. As a youngster I lived in Chiswick between left and right for Heathrow. In the late 60's I recall a fair few piston types on approach including Constellations. Indeed checking a diary for a May 1968 Saturday I see no less then two Constellations, one x DC7, two DC 6's 1 x 4, five x DC3's not to mention numerous Viscounts and Vanguards plus Tarom Iluysian 18's, even the odd BEA Comet overhead, those were the days.
Posts: 70
By: thawes - 11th October 2012 at 23:40 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
LHR - 1953
On 8th October 1953 I visited London Heathrow to watch the start of the London to Christchurch (New Zealand) air race and took the following photo which shows one of the competitors, the first licence-built Royal Australian Air Force Canberra serial number A84-201. Still in existence in Oz as a GateGuard I believe.
Interestingly the background shows the girders for the new ‘Europa Building’, which was actually the first true terminal building and was opened by the Queen two years later in 1955. The higher girders outline what I think is the ATC control tower under construction.
As a sideshow one could take a trip over the Thames and Hampton Court in a DH Rapide for 15/-, which I did. I still a have a photo of Hampton Court taken during this flight.
Posts: 70
By: connie freak - 12th October 2012 at 00:13 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
LAP North memories
Areas that were infrequently photographed:
Posts: 1,026
By: Banupa - 12th October 2012 at 12:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I too visited LAP to see the competitors for the England to Australia air race. I remember seeing the Canberra, but always assumed it was an RAF one. There was a Viscount too and I think a Hastings?
Re-the Brabazon. Yes, I saw it...apparently... My mother says I was being pushed in a pram when it approached LAP from the Hayes direction.
Moving on a bit. Who else saw the Rotodyne land at Fairey's at Hayes? I did!
Posts: 346
By: nibb100 - 12th October 2012 at 13:00 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
this is taxing my brain,
the North side enclosure with the Dragon Rapide, I seem to remember it was 10/6 in the early 50s, standing beside a York and thinking the wheels were enormous, I loved the Hermes it looked elegant along side an Canadair C4, the sound of the Stratocruisers going to full throttle for take off,
then moving to the enclosure in the central area, jam sandwiches, Convair 240/340/440, BEA Daks, Viscounts, Fred Olsen Viscounts, and of course the first visit of the PanAm 707
sorry this has brought back all sorts of memories, does anybody remember the cafe at Hatton Cross?