Our book ‘Heathrow ATC – The first 50 Years’ is still available direct from me at Zebedee Balloon Service Ltd. Special price for ATC History readers of £15 inc UK post. Email me at peter.j.bish@btinternet.com. A little bit better than the ‘expensive prices’ you report on line…!
Pete Bish
First printed in the Engineer magazine an contemporary article marking the opening of Heathrow
From Tom Singfield, a new photo of the original Heathrow Tower
2LL01
2LL01a and a view from inside
2LL01aa
2LL01ab and from Barry Davidson, the second tower in 1955 and
2LL01b in the 1960s
2LL-1bb EGLL briefing do we have a name for the briefing officer?
Below a wonderful photo from Barry Davidson of the GCA/PAR talk down radar at Heathrow, probably not long after it opened. The radar and its tow vehicle are on the right, in the centre is an ex military Bedford QL truck with a runway caravan built to a RAF design. The use of the vehicle on the left, possibly an ex military Ford truck, is less clear. The little concrete structures on the left are toilets.
2LL02
Just in from Barry Davidson is the 1948 guide to Heathrow published by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. This includes several photos of ATC in 1948 including photographs taken in the original RAF tower on the north side, inside the GCA and a very early search radar on page 18 that I did’t recognise. It looked like it might be a former airborne search radar adapted for ground based used. The radar is now believed to be an ACR 111X that the web site radarpages describes as follows “Transportable Airport Control Radar. ACR 111X. Two Separate Radars. One was installed at Defford in July 1945. Two Aerials mounted back to back on a turntable, one 5′ Dia Parabaloid for 25 Mile range and one 51 x 3’9” High Cosecant for 5 Mile Range. One source say 600mhz & 3GHz?? The equipment below is believed to be the original display unit for the ACR111X. but also shown below is a later display from 1947 at Heathrow.
2LL03
following it up Barry sent this Flight article on Heathrow that shows AIS, the lighting panel and an early radar console in 1947.
2LL04
see also this 1 link and 2 this one, and 3 this one too
and there’s more 4 here, 5 here is that Dixie Dean standing at the back of 4 and that’s Phil Karai on the phone in 5
Barry Davidson reminded us about the book Heathrow ATC the first 50 years by Brian Piket and Peter Bish.
2LL05 it is available on line (at a high price these days but worth it).
from Barry Davidson a Flight clipping from 1955
2LL06
from Ray Draper
a link to a film about building Heathrow
from Jo Suter comes a NATS Heathrow brochure
1978 CAA brochure – Air Traffic Control at Heathrow
and from Barry Davidson six brochures on London Airport dating between the mid 1950s and early 1960s. Barry has omitted the spotter information guide from some of them and sadly the free cut out models are also missing.
an-early-guide-to-london-airport-late-50s-early-60s
another-early-heathrow-brochure (some good text on ATC inside)
esso-egll-guide from 1962
egll-gateway-to-the-world from 1954
boac-egll publication between 1955 and 1960
Ian Allan Guide from the 1950s ian-allan-egll-brochure-1950s
an Airway Article about the retirement of the old ACR6 and its movement to a museum
2LL07
and another article about an early Heathrow simulator
2LL08
From Barry Davidson, a page from the Illustrated London News of June 21st 1952 showing the ongoing construction of the Tunnel.
2LL09
2LL10 from Barry Davidson
2LL10a from Barry Davidson
2LL11 Chris Prentice posed with a Heathrow simulator, doubtless the EGLL community will a details.
2LL1a Flight Clearance Christmas Day 1975
Martyn Swann, Yvonne ???, John (lighting Operator), Richard Almond, Maggi Singfield, Martin Trickett, Dave Mills. photo by Tom Singfield
2LL12
2LL13
2LL14 1957
2LL15 a chart from Steve Balfour
2LL16 1966 this chart and the next two from Colin McKeeman
2LL17
2LL18
2LL19
2LL20 Heathrow aerial photo on postcard probably taken pre 1953
More photos from Barry Davidson
2LL21
2LL21a Heathrow with Keith Waud on left – info from Tom Singfield
2LL21b ATCA Rita Leather in LHR TWR from Tom Singfield
2LL22 Tom Singfield also sent in a single strip, the last Trident into Heathrow.
2LL23
2LL23a
2LL24
2LL24a Starways DC-3 G-AMSN at EGLL 1958. In the background G-AMDB, a BEA Pionair.
2LL25 Malcolm Hemming has sent in this Heathrow Radio Range Let Down chart. Malcolm guesses its from about 1950 – 10 deg W Variation might be a clue.
Looking at the runway configuration and the fact its “Restricted” it may well be even earlier.
2LL26 from a post card via Barry Davidson
2LL27
2LL28 EGLL aerial view 1971
2LL30 The VCR in 1990, Steve Hobbs at centre
2LL31
2LL32
2LL33
2LL34
2LL35
2LL36 was Northolt and its now on the Northolt post.
One of our visitors tells us that 2LL37 is Fairey’s Great West Aerodrome which was taken over and expanded into LAP (Heathrow). Its a Fairey Aviation hangar with Fairey Swordfish aircraft outside so its in the period 1933-44. – Thank You1
2LL38
2LL39
2LL40 so whats the bay window balcony for?
2LL41 The 21st Century tower
2LL41a
2LL42 The first 1940s tower on the right.
2LL43 BOAC Boeing 77-10-34 Stratocruiser, Speedbird G-AKGJ “CAMBRIA”
2LL44 Sikorsky H-19 (?) USAF 09 serial 27509
2LL45 F-BHEH (AIR FRANCE) C-54
2LL46
2LL47 Field Aircraft Services Ltd
2LL48
2LL49
2LL49a
2LL50
2LL51 lets go to watch the planes………. innocent days gone by
2LL52 a bit of a mystery. These are not ATC staff they are in a civilian uniform and those are not ATC headsets. Is this apron control, airline or airport operations?
2LL53 Before Heathrow
G-ACWF Weir Autogyro, Hounslow Heath
2LL60 The first of four photos from 1971 provided by the copyright holder – our thanks to him.
2LL61
2LL62
2LL63 1971. The Air India 747’s screen cracked on its delivery flight.
2LL64 While we struggled with MOTNEs and SNOWTAMs…………….
2LL65 CANBERRA PR3 WE142 race number 2 1953 London-Christchurch air race (it came third apparently).
2LL66 BEA G-AWGU Agusta AB-206B JetRanger II dated 1970
atchistory 
2LL38 Darrell Brindley being trained on GMC, Bob Robinson on AIR ARR, possibly Ken Fowler on AIR DEP
LikeLike
2LL40 thought the balcony was for the old chief officer’s office…later became Manager ATC’s abode
LikeLike
2LL30 Jeremy Bate nearest the camera, Geoff Bannister looking through the bins
LikeLike
This is presumably the view East from the ‘new’ tower https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7f9b76d7a503be99a05dbfb896c8cf213954f3b7/0_274_4200_2520/master/4200.jpg?width=700&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=c93c4097c037175c5825a67d4478a1f2
LikeLike
I think 2LL10 shows the 1954 view from the Central Tower of the fully operational main tunnel serving the public ground enclosure which is stretching eastwards over the blockaded airside vehicle service tunnel .
In 1955 the enclosure stopped short of the concrete where the pleasure flight Rapides are in this shot allowing its use as a taxiway. The old northside tower still has its glazed top deck
LikeLike
2LL60/61/62 show landings on 05 (closed for T4 proximity), 2LL60/61/63 photographed from ontop the earth mound by Air India maintenance…the mound was possibly spoil from tunnelling?
LikeLike
The Stratocruiser in 2LL02 is probably landing on 28L around 1953….white top( so later than 1951), steelwork for Central Tower and Termnal going up
LikeLike
Your 2LL36 is Northolt not Heathrow…looks like some kind of BEA event around 1951 with the prototype Ambassador and Viscount though neither type flew schedules from Northolt
2LL37 is Fairey’s Great West Aerodrome which was taken over and expanded into LAP (Heathrow)
LikeLike
Wendy MacDonald in picture below 2LL31 – leaning over desk.
LikeLike
I remember reading the Leuchars war diary from 1946, in fact the last entry in it was in 1947. Anyway it stated that a GCA had moved to Leuchars from Heathrow. In fact the site of that GCA unit can still be seen at Leuchars, its an oval of concrete that sits to the south east of what is now the short runway.
LikeLike
And I caught a programme on Talking Pictures TV about Heathrow the other day. It was a 10 minute short about PAR at London Airport as it was then called. The commentator said that London Airport had 75,000 movements a year, this was 1960! There was also an item about the Blind Landing Unit at RAE Bedford.
Incidentally they showed a Comet Landing in fog, and what I found interesting was the stewardess saying “we shall shortly be arriving at London Airport Heathrow”. As this was 1960 and Gatwick was open was Gatwick London Airport Gatwick?
LikeLike
2LL21:
Paul Bishop (Martin-Bishop at the time) on GMC, Dave Carney standing in front of the Air desk with, iI think, Alan Jack on Air Deps. Alan and I were spinning with D Watch.
LikeLike
2LL1a John Gleave was the lighting op.
LikeLike
2LL14 – Paddy Treacy on the lights
LikeLike
2LL5
Chris and Nicky Cooper
LikeLike