Aviation News - June 2016

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk

A typical view

from the ‘Queens

Building’ terrace

looking down

on one of the

Terminal 2 piers.

This image

from June 1985

features Boeing

737-200s from

Sabena and

Lufthansa as well

as a Swissair

A310 on stand.

Adrian Balch

construction. The terrace was close to the

aircraft and there were no fences or glass

to impede photography and with an aviation

bookshop, café and toilets available the whole

day could be spent on this lofty perch.

LOGGED

I logged 90 British Airways aircraft that day,

made up of Boeing 737-200s, 747-100s, 757s,

Lockheed TriStar 200s, BAC One-Elevens and

Hawker Siddeley Trident 2s and 3s as well as

two Concordes. The sight and sound of the

supersonic airliner was always a highlight of a

day at Heathrow, while the Tridents also held

a special place in my interest. The airline’s

scheme at the time just had the bold titles of

‘British’ above the passenger windows.

British Midland pitched in with two

Douglas DC-9-14s, three DC-9-15s, a DC-9-

30, two Short 360s and a Vickers Viscount.

The Short 360s were operating Birmingham

and East Midlands services, while the

Viscount was serving Leeds Bradford. I

logged an even smaller propeller-driven

airliner in Short 330, G-NICE, of Genair (it

also carried British Caledonian Commuter

Services titles) serving the Humberside route.

The paucity of slots at the airport these days

means carriers no longer use such small

aircraft types into Heathrow.

The European carriers were mainly using

a mix of DC-9s, 727-200s, 737-200s, A300s

and A310s.

35

A Concorde wearing the British Airways scheme of the time on its take-off roll on Runway 10R (now 09R).

The author saw two of the supersonic airliners on the day featured. Richard Vandervord

TALES FROM THE LOGBOOK

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