The Heathrow scene 50 years ago - Final update - Paris 1962

[comet4]

Some real oldies for my first topic of 2013 as I am now getting to the bottom of the heap of my black and white negatives. Surprisingly, they have survived better than my colour negs.
They were taken from the Viewing Terrace at Heathrow in 1963 during my one and only visit there - I would imagine that things look a little different today!
There's not much in the way of military hardware unless you count the lovely RAF Comet C.4. Was I lucky to catch it or did they operate from Heathrow in those days?
Hopefully something of interest here.
Graham

[lambo17841]

Great memorys of how it used to be,glimse of a Argosy in the BEA hanger and a York over by Pan Am.Spent many a day here and on the piers at Gatwick.Used to live in North London so 23 left came very low over the house.

John in Seaford

[Blackbird]

Those are all superb . Thanks for posting.

Andy

[Maisie]

Great selection, really enjoy your threads!!

[AMB]

Can't get enough shots from the good old days at Heathrow when spectators were actually encouraged. Great shame this viewing terrace is long gone.
Nice sharp b/w shots there - thanks for bringing back memories of some wonderful spotting days I had there.

[D90Man]

Wonderful memories......

Leon

[comet4]

Thanks for all the kind comments. And well done to lambo17841 for spotting the York - I never noticed it before although it's clearly visible in the background.
The first set of pictures were of British operators while this final set is of some of the foreign operators. Apologies for the large number of Caravelles - I haven't got a thing for them it's just what taxied past at the time! What did surprise me looking at these old pictures was the number of European airlines using the Caravelle. Probably more of interest is the Pan Am 707 and the KLM Electra.

Graham

[Robin]

Hi Graham.

Wonderful pictures, dug some of mine out from the same era, 1957/58, similar to yours, taken from the Queens Building, however, not a patch on yours. which are so clear.

Robin.

[Maisie]

Apologies for the large number of Caravelles -

Please, don't apologise! Such a sleek looking plane it's great to see photos like it, of all types too! I can't pick a favourite... Just picked up on the York though, missed it first time.

Any more to post?

[comet4]

And now for something completely different! I'm afraid that I don't have any more pics from Heathrow, however, I have found these pictures taken in Paris in 1962 whilst waiting for a flight. It's a similar theme so I've put them together.
The subject is a little bit different although the quality is not great. It would appear that Air France was not the most modern airline in Europe in those days!
This is all the pictures that I have from this period so hope that you found them interesting

Graham

[Maisie]

Packet, Noratlas's, IL-18's! Superb! What a great post.

[Mad Dan]

A Ryan Navion as well, unless I am very much mistaken - but the real rarity is the Boeing 307 visible in the background of the first Paris image...on the left behind the Air France Dak. I wonder if the Packet is the TWA one that was often seen ferrying engines around for the 707s. Something like N9701Z, I seem to recall - named 'Ontos', I think.

Is this Le Bourget, by the way? I suspect it is because of all the military hardware on the other side of the airfield.

Lovely stuff, to be sure....

[comet4]

I think that it is Le Bourget, although I left out the airport name as I wasn't sure. To be honest, I don't remember too much about a lot of the pictures I took round this time!

Graham

[Maisie]

Didn't see the 307 but wow! Superb. Also a Deux Ponts in the background.

[neilos]

Fantastic shots....

[adamp89]

i really must be going blind - i've looked for that york 4 times and still not found it!

[Mad Dan]

adamp89 stared at the images and then murmured:

i really must be going blind - i've looked for that york 4 times and still not found it!

OK. Go to the first picture in this thread - a BOAC Boeing 707... Take a line extending upward from the nosewheel and way off in the distance to the left of the old Hunting Clan hangars there is unmistakably an Avro York...

Quite understandable - I had difficulty finding the Deux Ponts at le Bourget - although it might be a Sahara...as it is on the military side (unless I am looking at the wrong thing!!!)

[adamp89]

thanks for the help, such minute details, no wonder i was having trouble, but i think i've found the deux ponts though - 1st and 7th images in the background, in the 7th it's behind the row of noratlas's

[Mad Dan]

Actually, thinking about it a bit more, the York is to the left of what I recall as the PanAm hangar... The Hunting Clan ones were a bit further to the west...

[tankbuster]

Played around with the Paris Navion and reading off the top of the wing it looks like F-BENI which was indeed a Navion although in a different scheme when this picture was taken
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1104253/

[Maisie]

Deux Ponts above the IL-18 nose in this photo

[comet4]

Played around with the Paris Navion and reading off the top of the wing it looks like F-BENI which was indeed a Navion although in a different scheme when this picture was taken
http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1104253/

Looking at the original scan before the size was reduced to post here, the registration on the tail of the Navion looks like F-BFVI with the wording AIR PARIS on the side.
Hope that this helps

Graham

[Mad Dan]

F-BFVI was also a Navion. If you Google the registration, it comes up with a pic of it at le Bourget in 1959 in a very different colour scheme. Seems like a more believable candidate for this aircraft.

[Maisie]

If i'm not much mistaken, there is either a Dassault MD 315 Flamant or a Sud-Ouest Bretagne in the second photo of the Paris lot? Far left

[Mad Dan]

There's probably several Flamants/Bretagnes - the French Navy had a communications unit stationed there (58S???? or something like that...).

The eighth Paris shot shows what could be five or six Flamants and a couple of Bretagnes...at the right-hand end of the line of hangars (note spelling...)