When I think back to my early days of aircraft spotting and photography, I am full of regret for not capturing images of the variety of aircraft, both in terms of types and operators, which graced London Heathrow (and other places) in the 60’s and every decade since.
Although I would not have had a reasonably good SLR camera until the early 70’s, I did have an old 35mm Halina camera and also could have used my brother’s Rolleicord Twin Lens Reflex, although that was more designed for portrait photography.
Obviously another factor was cost – purchasing film and then paying for the developing and printing was not something a teenager really wanted to spend his money on.
Even so, I’m sure I would have also fallen into the trap of thinking that these aircraft such as Vickers VC10’s, Viscounts and Vanguards, Lockheed Electra’s and Douglas DC6’s and 7s,were common or garden aircraft and not worth photographing.
Fast forward to 2023 and I’m determined not to fall into the same trap, even though today’s movements are dominated by the big 2 manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus).
So I took myself off to Myrtle Avenue, the well known spot for watching arrivals on runway 27L at London’s Heathrow Airport, to capture the British Airways Airbus’s and Boeings, along with a few other operators of similar types. Nothing very exotic or dynamic images in today’s terms but maybe at some time in the future I won’t look back with even more regret.
