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Spotting In London Heathrow

zillox From Belgium, joined Aug 2007, 49 posts, RR: 0
Posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 3 days ago) and read 3905 times:

My girlfriend gave me a weekend trip to Heathrow as present! That was awesome of her!
My question to you fellow spottingfriends. Which places are nice to spot? Where can I stand the whole day and the most planes of the world? I have found a couple of site's with information but what are the most popular places with members?
We will be staying in the Sheraton airport hotel.

Let's fly around the world!!!!

7 replies: All unread, jump to last

ajd1992 From UK - England, joined Jul 2006, 2645 posts, RR: 6
Reply 1, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 3873 times:

Caines Lane is quite good for 28L (I believe) landings but it is literally a residential street so there are no amenities around and definitely no cover. It's also a little awkward if you don't have a car.

Eagleboy From Niue, joined Dec 2009, 1634 posts, RR: 2
Reply 2, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 3845 times:

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I have read online that getting the tube to Hatton Cross station gets you within a short walk of the flight path for 27L.

Am not sure where the Sheraton Airport hotel is but I do know that the hotels along the north boundary road get great views of 09L/27R. I know that the Renaissance Hotel there actually offers a spotters package with runway view rooms.

brianw999 From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2003, 310 posts, RR: 6
Reply 3, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 3626 times:

The Renaissance Hotel does offer spotting deals whereyou get an upper floor room overlooking runway 27R-09L. BUT....it's only any good for photography in the late afternoon/early evening and then only if landings are on 27R. Landings on 09L will have turned off before they get to the hotel area. You can get shots of aircraft across the runway as they taxi past terminal 2. Best lens 70-300.
For 27R landings the most popular place is Myrtle Avenue across the road from Hatton Cross station. Here there is a large parkland area for side on and threequarter front shots. Best lens range between 18 - 200mm. Parking is not to easy as the residents have become rather anal about their frontages being blocked. They haven't yet caught on theat if you aprk by a raised kerb then that is not park of their house access. However, it's not worth winding them up as some of them really are less than pleasant and likely to become physically aggressive.
27L takeoffs. best palce is the Esso garage on the Southern Perimeter Road. Toilets, food and parking most of the time but you are competing with taxi drivers who seem to think it their God given right to be there over all others. If you park here buy a drink and sandwich to keep the garage staff sweet although I have never had any problem with them.
09L landings. Next to the Stanwell Moor Road is a field with the approach lights in it. If you park here park well off the pavement and allow pedestrian access along the footpath. Do this and you won't have any police problems. Alternatively, just before this location you can park under the flyover, hop over the wooden fence and climb a slope up to the roadway. This will put some 50 feet higher up but DO NOT SIT ON THE CRASH BARRIERS ALONGSIDE THE ROAD. This is still the M25 motorway and the police WILL move you on. Sit on the grass 15 feet or so down from the barriers where you can't be seen from the road. Best lens 70-300.

Landing runways alternate between 27L and 27R and change over at 1500 hrs each day. That's when the wind is from the East. With westerlies the landing runway is always 09L with the occasional rare 09R landing. 09R is so rare for landings that it's niot worth waiting down that end and I don't know a useable spot anyway.

Here's a link to the definitive Heathrow Spotters Guide.... http://www.plane-mad.com/airport-spo...gdom/london-heathrow-lhr-egll.html

Click on the runway alternation link to get the runway schedule.

Hope this helps.

trintocan From United Kingdom, joined Apr 2000, 3192 posts, RR: 4
Reply 4, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 2 days 11 hours ago) and read 3608 times:

Quoting brianw999 (Reply 3):
For 27R landings the most popular place is Myrtle Avenue across the road from Hatton Cross station.

You mean 27L landings. There are 2 Sheratons at Heathrow, the Sheraton Heathrow and Sheraton Skyline. The Sheraton is on the Colnbrook Bypass just north of the north-western corner of LHR while the Skyline is on Bath Road. If you are staying at the Sheraton Heathrowyou would be able to walk to the northern perimeter within a few minutes. From here you can see 27R and 09L. The best place for approach shots on 27R is on the perimeter road if you walk around the eastern end of the runway and past the runway itself. You can generally take photos here without problems although I would suggest staying away from the fence itself just to be sure. Do not park along this road as you will be moved on very quickly.

For Myrtle Avenue, take the free bus 285 from here - it runs to Hatton Cross station. This bus runs from Heathrow Central and does not pass the Sheraton (it passes the Skyline though). You can catch it on Bath Road just beyond the M4 motorway spur which runs to the airport via tunnels. Use it in the direction "Kingston" and you will have no worries about parking.

Quoting brianw999 (Reply 3):

Landing runways alternate between 27L and 27R and change over at 1500 hrs each day. That's when the wind is from the East. With westerlies the landing runway is always 09L with the occasional rare 09R landing. 09R is so rare for landings that it's niot worth waiting down that end and I don't know a useable spot anyway.

27L and 27R are the westerly runways. The Cranford Agreement results in easterly take-offs always being from 09R with landings mostly on 09L.

Trintocan.

Hop to it, fly for life!

zillox From Belgium, joined Aug 2007, 49 posts, RR: 0
Reply 5, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 1 day ago) and read 3523 times:

Quoting trintocan (Reply 4):
There are 2 Sheratons at Heathrow, the Sheraton Heathrow and Sheraton Skyline.

I will be staying in the Sheraton near "Colnbrook Bypass". We will have to do everything on foot because we will arrive in the UK with the Eurostar. I know! Airplane would be a logical option but my girlfriend is paying!
Thanks for the tips folks!

Let's fly around the world!!!!

brianw999 From United Kingdom, joined Dec 2003, 310 posts, RR: 6
Reply 6, posted (1 year 3 months 5 days 12 hours ago) and read 3398 times:

Quoting trintocan (Reply 4):
You mean 27L landings.

Whoops...sorry, typo error.

AlexC From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2007, 43 posts, RR: 0
Reply 7, posted (1 year 3 months 4 days 23 hours ago) and read 3241 times:

What an understanding girlfriend you have, lucky you!

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