In message
"Nigel Pendse" wrote:

"Graeme Wall" wrote in message

In message
"Richard J." wrote:

What makes you think it's moving?

I was going to ask that, there are two stationary ones south of
terminal 4.

Ah, found it, there's one just off runway 23 at the north end. Seems
an odd place to be, given it is not on the runway itself but on the
'hard shoulder'. 27R appears to be the landing runway, given there's
an aircraft taking off from 27L. On the other hand there appears to
be a queue of 5 aircraft in two lines heading for 27R

The Concorde (G-BOAB) alongside Runway 23 is permanently parked there,
and I always look out for it when taking off from 27R. It's one of the
older Concordes and was already grounded (ie, effectively retired) when
Concorde was retired, which is why it stayed at Heathrow. I'm not sure
if they still plan to move it to somewhere in or by Terminal 5 when it's
finished.

Can't say I've ever noticed it but the last few times I've flown out of
Heathrow have been at night. Strange they've parked it close to an active
runway, even if it doesn't get used very often.


See
http://www.extrospection.com/archive...parked_at.html

As for planes taking off and landing on the runways, remember that
Google uses composite images which could easily show both 27R and 27L as
takeoff runways, if one was taken in the morning and the other in the
afternoon, even on the same day. Indeed, it would be perfectly possible
for the same aircraft to be shown several times at Heathrow.



True

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"Mike Hughes" wrote in message


Both 27 and their opposite 9) runways are interchangeable for landing
and takeoff. It is not uncommon, particularly in the early mornings to
see aircraft landing alternately on L and then R runways.

There does appear to a regular pattern in that landings on the 27 are
usually on the R in the morning and on the L in the evenings. (The
taxi feeder park is next to the R and we get a lot of noise in the
evenings from the takeoffs)

Actually, while 27L and R are both used for takeoffs and landings,
switching usually in the afternoons, it's a different picture when the
9's are in use: 09L is usually used only for landings, while 09R can be
used for both takeoffs and landings. For example, when it's in use for
takeoffs, an occasional T4-bound aircraft will be allowed to land on it.

In the early mornings, there are lots of planes landing but few taking
off, so you often see planes landing on both runways.

"Graeme Wall" wrote in message


Can't say I've ever noticed it but the last few times I've flown out
of Heathrow have been at night. Strange they've parked it close to
an active runway, even if it doesn't get used very often.

23 is no longer an active runway, or they couldn't have parked G-BOAB on
the 'hard shoulder'.

It's been a few years since that runway was last used -- I live near the
flight path for it, and I can't remember when I last heard a plane on
that route (it was always when there were strong cross winds). I last
landed on it about four years ago, and as I recall, it was a very
"lively" ride down.

I don't think that runway is likely ever to be returned to use, as the
proposed extended Heathrow East terminal will be built right over it,
just as T3 covers one of the other original runways (in its early days,
Heathrow had the standard RAF six runway pattern).

In message
"Richard J." wrote:

Graeme Wall wrote:
In message
[snip]

27R appears to be the landing runway, given there's an
aircraft taking off from 27L. On the other hand there appears to
be a queue of 5 aircraft in two lines heading for 27R

No, 27L is the landing runway, and the plane on it has just landed and
is turning right into one of the slip-roads or whatever they're called.


Taxiways?

So it is, I hadn't zoomed all the way in before and from a distance it looks
as though it has just lifted off.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

Mike Hughes wrote:
In message ,
Richard J. writes

I think the plan is to move that Concorde into or next to Terminal
5 eventually. Runway 23 hasn't been used for years AFAIK. The
aircraft stands beyond its southern end have to be cleared first
before it can be used.

27R appears to be the landing runway, given there's an
aircraft taking off from 27L. On the other hand there appears to
be a queue of 5 aircraft in two lines heading for 27R

No, 27L is the landing runway, and the plane on it has just landed
and is turning right into one of the slip-roads or whatever
they're called.
Both 27 and their opposite 9) runways are interchangeable for
landing and takeoff. It is not uncommon, particularly in the early
mornings to see aircraft landing alternately on L and then R
runways.
There does appear to a regular pattern in that landings on the 27
are usually on the R in the morning and on the L in the evenings.

No, it alternates weekly. This week it's as you describe, next week
they'll land on 27L in the mornings and 27R in the evenings (if they are
still on westerly operations).

Full details of the pattern in every week this year are at
http://www.heathrowairport.com/asset...ation_2006.pdf

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

In message
Mike Hughes wrote:

In message , Richard J.
writes

I think the plan is to move that Concorde into or next to Terminal 5
eventually. Runway 23 hasn't been used for years AFAIK. The aircraft
stands beyond its southern end have to be cleared first before it can
be used.

27R appears to be the landing runway, given there's an
aircraft taking off from 27L. On the other hand there appears to
be a queue of 5 aircraft in two lines heading for 27R

No, 27L is the landing runway, and the plane on it has just landed and
is turning right into one of the slip-roads or whatever they're called.

Both 27 and their opposite 9) runways are interchangeable for landing
and takeoff. It is not uncommon, particularly in the early mornings to
see aircraft landing alternately on L and then R runways.

We appreciate that, just commenting on which runway was in use when the
photos were taken. I'm confused by the bloke who claims there are three
shots of the same plane on the runway, can't see more than one. Mind you I'm
not using the Google Earth interface but Flash Earth which may have a
different sibset of oictures.


There does appear to a regular pattern in that landings on the 27 are
usually on the R in the morning and on the L in the evenings. (The taxi
feeder park is next to the R and we get a lot of noise in the evenings
from the takeoffs)


It's done to spread the noise out so the same people don't get all the noise
all the time.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

In message
"Nigel Pendse" wrote:

[snip]

I don't think that runway is likely ever to be returned to use, as the
proposed extended Heathrow East terminal will be built right over it,
just as T3 covers one of the other original runways (in its early days,
Heathrow had the standard RAF six runway pattern).




I remember that, used to live at Bedfont very many years ago.

--
Graeme Wall
This address is not read, substitute trains for rail.
Transport Miscellany at http://www.greywall.demon.co.uk/rail/index.html

"John Wright" wrote in message

On Wed, 8 Mar 2006 13:00:32 -0000, "Nigel Pendse"
wrote:

I don't think that runway is likely ever to be returned to use, as
the proposed extended Heathrow East terminal will be built right
over it, just as T3 covers one of the other original runways (in its
early days, Heathrow had the standard RAF six runway pattern).

I would not have said there was a standard, at least two ex-RAF
airfields that I know of have all three runways intersecting at one
point - Harwell in Oxfordshire and Dalcross near Inverness.

If there is a standard it would be three runways not six - the
original 1944 format of Heathrow was three runways later extended to
six in a star of David formation.

Sorry, I meant the standard RAF layout for six runway airfields (didn't
most three runway airfields intersect in a triangle, not one point?). Of
course, only two would ever be in use at one time, as piston-engined
propeller aircraft were presumably less able to cope with cross-winds
than modern jets. I can't remember the details, but didn't an off-track
airliner hit the terminal buildings in Heathrow's early years,
presumably when landing in a cross-wind?

Graeme Wall wrote:
I'm confused by the bloke who claims there
are three shots of the same plane on the runway, can't see more
than one. Mind you I'm not using the Google Earth interface but
Flash Earth which may have a different sibset of oictures.

That bloke was me. Flash Earth uses Google Local (AKA Google Maps) for
the Heathrow detailed aerial views, which has the "sibset of oictures"
(!) with the updated image of the central section including most of the
runways. It's Google Earth that currently still has the older image of
the whole airport including four images of the plane approaching and
landing on 09L. Only the first (leftmost) image is on Google Local,
just to the west of the 09L runway threshold. It's an Air France A319.

By the way, I've found yet another Concorde image at Heathrow on Google
Local & Earth. In addition to the two at T4 and the one by runway 23
(not Google Earth), there's another one at the extreme eastern edge of
the airport. It's at 51º 28' 20" N, 0º 24' 57" W, or search for Chaucer
Avenue, Hounslow, UK.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

"Richard J." wrote in message
news
By the way, I've found yet another Concorde image at Heathrow on
Google Local & Earth. In addition to the two at T4 and the one by
runway 23 (not Google Earth), there's another one at the extreme
eastern edge of the airport. It's at 51º 28' 20" N, 0º 24' 57" W, or
search for Chaucer Avenue, Hounslow, UK.

Yes, now I see it too. Unlike the other three, this one is obviously
moving, albeit distinctly subsonic, as it's being towed to the
maintenance hangar. Given that only three (?) Concordes were in service
at the end, this one may well be one of the two at the T4 gates in
Google's images.

I always used to look for Concordes round there when taking the bus from
the long-stay car park to T4. Sadly, these days, there's never anything
interesting round there any more.