Bristol Britannia XM496 âRegulusâ at Kemble Cotswold and interior shots of Britannia G-ALRX which is housed at Filton, Bristol. Known as the âWhispering Giantâ the Britannia was operated by BOAC on routes to Africa and India in the late 1950s. The frame of G-ALRX never flew commercially; the aircraft made a forced landing in the Severn Estuary in 1954 and was flooded by sea water when the tide came in!
XM 496 Regulus on the other hand was the very last Britannia to fly, being built in 1960 and delivered to RAF Transport command later that year. This aircraft also briefly flew with Monarch in 253F configuration in 1976 as G-BDUP. After a spell flying for Cuban airline Aerocaribbean the aircraft ended her flying days in Liberia as EL-WXA. She made her final journey in October 1997 when she flew to Kemble Cotswold.
Air U.K. Fokker F27 G-BMXD âFriendship Victor Hugoâ at Guernsey and Southampton in July 1988. This aircraft was built in 1962 and transferred to Air U.K. in 1986. It was sold to BAC express in 1998 and ended its days stored at Edinburgh airport.
Hawker Siddeley 748 G-BEKG seen at Guernsey in July 1988 in the colours of Air Atlantique. First registered in 1963 as LV-PXH with Aerolineas Argentinas, this little aircraft also flew with Dan Air as G-BEKG in 1977 as well as Brymon. It ended its days in the titles of Emerald Airways as G-DAAL and was scrapped after 1993. BA Highlands and Islands division also operated a fleet of 12 HS 748s - affectionately known as âbudgiesâ.
Following from my last post on the Vickers Viscount G-AOYR; here is the cockpit of G-AOYN which was delivered to BEA in March 1958. Purchased by British Air Ferries in 1981, the aircraft was used on a Parcelforce contract from 1994-6; being painted red and re-registered G-OPAS. The aircraft was withdrawn in 1996 and the nose section moved to the Bournemouth Aviation Museum on permanent loan from Duxford Aviation Society. Love the retro cockpit!!
Vickers Viscount 806 G-AOYR photographed by me at Guernsey Airport in the summer of 1988. This aircraft started life with BEA (delivered to BEA on 11 April 1958); flew also with Northeast Airlines (1970-74); British Airways from 1974 to 1984 and then to British Air Ferries in January 1984. It also had a brief spell operating for British Caledonian between 1985-6 before returning to BAF. The aircraft finally had a brief spell operating as British World Airlines from 1993 to 1996 before being scrapped after almost 40 years of service.
Final visit to Gatwick. PH-MCE Martinair Holland 747-200. Leased to Virgin Atlantic between February and April 1989. Photographed in February of 89 from the BA Maintenance base.
1987. Gatwick South Terminal. British Caledonian 747-200 G-NIGB waits to line up on Runway 26. A further B-Cal 747 can be seen in Hangar 6 at the maintenance base beyond. G-NIGB was delivered initially to Wardair and registered as C-GXRD. After the acquisition of B-Cal by British Airways in 1987, the aircraft remained in the BA fleet until 1991 when it was sold on to Potomac and then Philippines and registered N208AE. The aircraft was scrapped in 2000.
Britannia Airways Boeing 737-200 G-BGYL at South Terminal in 1988. A Delta TriStar is lining up for takeoff in the background. This 737 was sold to Copa Airlines in April 1992 but was destroyed in a fatal crash in June 1992 in TucutĂ, Panama with the loss of all 47 passengers and crew on board - Panamaâs deadliest aviation disaster.
London Gatwick c1990. No less than 8 different airlines are evident in this photo taken from South Terminal. Beyond gate 23, a Dan Air 1-11 is just visible alongside a Monarch 767. A Britannia 767 tail can be seen at gate 21, with 3 747s of Continental; Philippine Airlines and Air Canada in the foreground.
To the far right, at North Terminal can be seen a BA DC10 and a Caledonian TriStar.
To the very far of the picture looking straight beyond the Dan Air 1-11 you might just be able to spot the Comet airframeâŚ.
BA 747-100 series G-AWNL âCity of Nottinghamâ ; looking quite weather worn, is on tow towards Terminal 4 on a Misty autumn morning in 1988. In the background a TriStar is just visible.
Delivered to BOAC in April 1972, this 747 was renamed âEnnerdale Waterâ once the -400s started being delivered in 1989, with the new -400s taking on the âCityâ names. Shame that tradition of naming all their aircraft died out at the end of the Landor eraâŚ..This aircraft was wfu in October 1998, flew to Roswell and was scrapped by 2005.
Hi welcome to my âHeathrow Aircraft - past and presentâ channel. Iâve added the âpast and presentâ title back again reflecting the content of my channel which is about showcasing past and present aircraft - mostly but not exclusively Heathrow. You will find plenty of new uploads plus an archive of films capturing aircraft that have now left us.
With more than 200 films; mostly in 4K - and often with Air Traffic Comms, youâll find possibly the biggest archive of BA 747 material collected since 2018 including the final departures of 10 of the fleet.
Concorde;
Virginâs last A340s and 747s;
The last 5 of the BA 767 fleet;
The #BA100 retro livery 747s both in service and since preservation
And much more!