Old aviation charts

[akerosid]

I was looking for old charts for Shannon and happened to come across the Aladdin's cave of old charts and documents for several UK (as well as Irish and many other) airports. It's well worth a look. Konbriefing seems to specialise in military fields - and there's also a link to a FB page, but here's a link to the old Heathrow charts, which date right back to the 1950s, when Heathrow had its "Star of David" layout.

There's literally hours of reading - and reminiscing - from all of the links there. Enjoy!

https://konbriefing.com/mad/approach...w-airport.html

[l.garey]

Amazing stuff to look through, akerosid!
I liked the comment on one "London" chart from 1954: "Runways will take Stratocruisers".

Laurence

[India Four Two]

Fascinating stuff. I was surprised to see on the 3 May 1954 Landing Chart that the east end of 28R was designated for parking. What was that all about? I would have thought that one of the non-east-west runways would have been better suited for that purpose.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by India Four Two

Fascinating stuff. I was surprised to see on the 3 May 1954 Landing Chart that the east end of 28R was designated for parking. What was that all about?

Wasn't that the period when the northern runway was unusable anyway, because it was being bisected by the cut-and-cover construction of the tunnel to the new CTA ?

[l.garey]

I42 and Dave: I noticed that, about the parking on 28R. How would that have affected landing on what was left for that purpose on 28R I wonder. Maybe it was for take-off only. I visited LAP twice in 1954 and recall that the parking was close to the North terminal.

Laurence

[l.garey]

Further to my post above about parking at LAP: later, in 1959, the old BOAC Argonauts were lined up, presumably for disposal. Can anyone work out where this parking was?

Laurence

[fauteuil volant]

It seems strange, so many years later, to remember how many of these Argonauts ultimately were flown into Redhill to be broken up there in the sixties.

[goldox]

Back in the late 60s I was getting into "plane spottng" and was keen to get as much info as possible.
Being a Londoner I trawled around the airline offices in the West End etc picking up timetables and brochures.
I remember popping in to the CAA office (in Holborn I think?) trying to get charts, expecting to be turfed out for wasting their time.
However a really nice gentleman took me to a room with large tables with drawers stuffed full of charts, the older stiff card folding ones.
He took out 3 or 4 telling me they were just out of date so he gave them to me, I was delighted!

He found time to chat to me about my interest in aviation, and as I was 15 or 16 at the time he suggested I should look at getting into ATC or engineering apprenticeship at Heathrow and told me about the Hurn ATC school. I was seriously considering it, until I realised I was too thick....

I'll always remember how he just stopped what he was doing in order to give an interested youngster some advice and help.

Suppose I'd be thrown out now if I tried it!

[fauteuil volant]

..... which just demonstrates how times change, often not for the better!

[kcockayne]

Yes, we used to ask pilots of commercial aircraft at Guernsey Airport if they would show us around their aircraft. Very few refused. Those kind actions resulted directly in quite a few of us pursuing aviation careers. As fauteuil says, times change. It would be totally impossible now. Glad I was born when I was !

[treadigraph]

Originally Posted by goldox

Back in the late 60s I was getting into "plane spottng" and was keen to get as much info as possible.
Being a Londoner I trawled around the airline offices in the West End etc picking up timetables and brochures.
I remember popping in to the CAA office (in Holborn I think?) trying to get charts, expecting to be turfed out for wasting their time.

I was doing that about 10 years later - never thought of trying the CAA! El Al I recall for the secuity door and a couple of heavies either side - always wondered if they were armed. One rarely left any office empty handed... :-)

[GAXLN]

Originally Posted by treadigraph

I was doing that about 10 years later - never thought of trying the CAA! El Al I recall for the secuity door and a couple of heavies either side - always wondered if they were armed. One rarely left any office empty handed... :-)

I once attended an evening function there in the 1980’s and still clearly remember the bomb proof entrance and the agents that you refer to. Mossad was the educated guess of the person who I was with and therefore almost certainly armed. Certainly not be messed with was the thought that has stuck in my mind ever since.

[Bert1]

Originally Posted by akerosid

I was looking for old charts for Shannon and happened to come across the Aladdin's cave of old charts and documents for several UK (as well as Irish and many other) airports. It's well worth a look. Konbriefing seems to specialise in military fields - and there's also a link to a FB page, but here's a link to the old Heathrow charts, which date right back to the 1950s, when Heathrow had its "Star of David" layout.

There's literally hours of reading - and reminiscing - from all of the links there. Enjoy!

Hi and thank you very much for posting the link and your positive words - I was very pleased!!
Meanwhile, I have published more aerial photos from the 1940s for Nutts Corner (later Belfast Airport) and for Dublin Airport (with a hexagonal landing field, which I had not known before).

Bert from konbriefing / mil-airfields.