The first time I was in London was on a trip to Manchester and Duesseldorf,
\nGermany with Gordon Plummer in 1972. I had just transferred to Cleveland,
\nOhio with TRW’s Automotive Worldwide Group. We flew to Heathrow on a Pan Am
\nflight on one of their older 707 jet liners. I made two other trips in 707
\naircraft before everyone switched to the new, marvelously huge Boeing 747
\nairplanes. In 1973 more then 50% of the world’s 747 fleet was parked every
\nmorning at a gate in a very congested London Heathrow Airport.<\/p>\n
\nLocated on the western edge of London, Heathrow was a converted Royal Air
\nForce base. The runways went east and west on the outside of the airport
\noperations. Not much has changed in the meantime. There are now 4
\nterminals, the airport is now extremely crowded, and there is little hope
\nfor change. Even though two other international airports have been built
\naround London, they are too far out of town and are themselves too small.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s been more than 30 years since my first wide-eyed trip through London
\nHeathrow. All of the buildings standing then are standing now, I’ll wager,
\nwith many new buildings joining them. The runways are still East and West.
\nYou either fly over London or over Windsor Castle on arrival or departure.
\nIn this age of unbridled terrorism, the flight routes are considered a huge
\nsecurity risk, but few other alternatives are available.<\/p>\n
\nI’m sure that for the rest of my travelling career, London Heathrow Airport
\nwill always be part of that travel. I still enjoy the thrill of hearing the
\nflight attendants’ announcements as we prepare to “land at London Heathrow
\nAirport”.<\/p>\n
\n————————–
\nSent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The first time I was in London was on a trip to Manchester and Duesseldorf, Germany with Gordon Plummer in 1972. I had just transferred to Cleveland, Ohio with TRW’s Automotive Worldwide Group. We flew to Heathrow on a Pan Am flight on one of their older 707 jet liners. I made two other trips … Continue reading London Heathrow Airport<\/span>