London Airport circa 1953

My apologies.

Thawes,

No harm done; apologies accepted of course. 😉

Jur

That seems to be my own Cover and picture!

My apologies. ISTR you posted it me on another forum where we were discussing the 1953 London – NZ Air Race.

I have removed it from my post above.

Sorry once again.

A KLM DC6 was entered in the race and carried a full load of Dutch immigrants to New Zealand. The opportunity was also taken to fly some “First-Day Covers” on the flight as seen below. I gather these covers are much prized by philatelists.

That seems to be my own Cover and picture! 🙁

Yes I would agree with a Lincoln. The undercarriage config seems to confirm. Googled a picture of similar from the same angle.

Thanks for the enlargement, jetflap… but I’m stumped….

..does the original negative shed any light on the I.D. of the ‘Lincoln/Lancastrian?’ under HB-IRV’s tail….(one thought is that it’s a Rapide damaged by the clean-up software on the scans)

Here’s an enlargement of the original scan – I use a minimum of software on the scanner, so this is close to what’s on the negative.

It looks more like a Lincoln to me, but see what you think.

I remember going on foot through the tunnel to see the entrants, with my parents and sister. It was a while back, but I think I went one evening and it was cold and misty!
I had a flight in one of the Rapides too, though this was on a sunny summer day.

do you remember how the public accessed the special enclosure for the Race Line-Up (bus , tunnel?)

It’s too long ago to be exact, but I don’t recall having been driven through the tunnel. ISTR it was fairly new, but not yet open to the public and we were bussed to the central area from the North Side.
The tunnel mouth in the central area could be seen and looked at from a distance – at the time it was considered a brilliant example of British ingenuity!

thawes…..do you remember how the public accessed the special enclosure for the Race Line-Up (bus , tunnel?)

Jetflap….does the original negative shed any light on the I.D. of the ‘Lincoln/Lancastrian?’ under HB-IRV’s tail….(one thought is that it’s a Rapide damaged by the clean-up software on the scans)

On 8th October 1953 whilst I was on disembarkation leave, having just returned from two years at 5FTS (RAF Thornhill), S. Rhodesia, I visited London Heathrow to watch the start of the London to Christchurch (New Zealand) air race and took some photos which included two of the competitors, the first licence-built Royal Australian Air Force Canberra serial number A84-201 and a Viscount.

The background shows the girders for the new ‘Europa Building’, which was actually the first true terminal building and was opened by the Queen two years later in 1955. The higher girders outline what I think is the ATC control tower under construction.

Also attached is a newspaper cutting showing the line-up of the race competitors.

To my recollection there were no other military aircraft on show at LHR at the time. Just the race competitors plus the usual civilan traffic, although I must admit I did take a flight in a DH Rapide that operated from LHR’s central area and was doing a good trade in local flights – I paid my 7/6d and was flown over the Thames at Hampton Court – I still have photos in my album I took on this flight.

pagen01….Thats the Pan Am hangar under the SW CV-240 nose…the Fairey hangar survived till about 1964(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_London_Heathrow_Airport)
….referring to the top aerial pic the Fairey hangar is dead centre, the Queens building steelwork is at 3 o’clock, the BOAC Comet I/Hunting/Fields ‘3-bay alloy hangar’ is at 11 o’clock and the Pan Am hangar at 10 o’clock (not showing well)

Lovely images Jetflap thanks for sharing.
Is the construction in the background the new Queens Building terminal being built?
Also, is the hangar under the CV240 nose the original Faireys’ Great West hangar, or had that gone by then?

Interesting that the Argonaut image is of G-ALHI .

G-ALHI served with the Royal Rhodesian Air Force as 182, (along with 3 other ex-BOAC C4s) from 1960-64.
Many thanks for the great pics!

Lovely images Jetflap thanks for sharing.
Is the construction in the background the new Queens Building terminal being built?
Also, is the hangar under the CV240 nose the original Faireys’ Great West hangar, or had that gone by then?

There’s a York to the left of the windsock (and a Hermes? to the right) but I mean directly under the CV-240 tail…maybe a silver Lincoln?

I think you’re right a Lincoln is favourite

There’s a York to the left of the windsock (and a Hermes? to the right) but I mean directly under the CV-240 tail…maybe a silver Lincoln?

Under the tail of the Swissair CV-240 on RWY28R/10L (seven down)there’s what looks like a Lancastrian….I wonder whose that was?….1953 is late for that type

looks like a York to me, that would be more current

Under the tail of the Swissair CV-240 on RWY28R/10L (seven down)there’s what looks like a Lancastrian….I wonder whose that was?….1953 is late for that type

Great pics

There was a tendency in those days to call some aircraft by their BEA/BOAC class names. Another is the BEA pax mod to the Dakota that led to those machines being referred to as Pionairs even after sale.

Argonaught is also not the name of the aircraft, it’s just a Canadair C-4 known as a Canadair Four, but we all affectionately called it Argonaught, in that case it didn’t have a name as such (well Canadair Four) and the Brits always liked a propper name.

I’ll believe you Jetflap!!
Interestingly there is a Canadair Argus parked outside of the Canadian Aircraft and Space Museum in Ottawa along side a North Star (basically an unpressurised Argonaut used by the RCAF). So if you find yourself in Ottawa this Spring/Summer, you will be able to make the comparison. (They will both be back inside for the winter)
Regards
Bill

I did know they were Argonauts (honest!), I just got mixed up when typing. But I’ll hold my hands up and admit that I hadn’t heard of (or had forgotten all about) Argonauts until I looked up the serials a few days ago.

And thanks to Adrian and others for pinning down the year. Many of my Dad’s black and white photos were definitely taken in 1953, so I did think it was around then.