| Yet another Aviation photo-trip to England has been done. This trip included the obligatorial coverage of commercial aviation at Englands premier International Airport - London Heathrow - and was achieved during a couple of days. Below is a short compilation of highlights from the visit. |
| American Airlines is one of the major operators of Boeing "Tripple-Seven" 777, the largest twin-engine aircraft in the world. One interesting thing about American is that it has choosen not to operate the larger Jumbojet (except for a couple of years in the early 1970s), instead concentrating on the smaller widebodies like the DC-10-10/30, Boeing 767-200/300 and MD-11, before placing large orders for the B777-200/200ER in the second half of the 1990s. Maybe a clever strategy in todays airline market environment? Two nice photos of American Airlines big twins on finals to runway 09R at London Heathrow on May 30th 2003. The first photo shows N796AN and the second N761AJ with their blankley polished silver fuselages clearly shown. This "spartan" livery also saves weight, and thus improving performance, which is an additional benefit. |
| British Airways is one of the major operators of the Boeing 747-400 Jumbojet. G-BYGB , still operating in one of the "multi-cultural" liveries that was abandoned for a more conventional livery, is about to land on Runway 09R on May 30th, 2003. |
| The Concorde may well be the most famous commercial airliner of all time, ahead of such great aircraft as the B747 Jumbojet and the classic Douglas DC-3. Its aerodynamically slim body is optimized for minimum friction drag and high cruise speeds. The combination of meticulosly shaped wing planform and four high thrust engines, makes it perfect for its mission: Supersonic speed. |
| The classic aircraft profile and an icon in contemporary civilsation, Virgins majestic Boeing 747-400 G-VXLG "Ruby Tuesday" is coming in to land on runway 09R at London-Heathrow in the morning sunlight. The huge 63 meter wingspan, the 16-wheel main landing gear, as well as the complex tripple-slotted flap system are clearly shown. |
| It is ALWAYS nice to take your first pictures of a completely new commercial airliner. This time the worlds longest (75 meter) airliner, the brand new Airbus A340-600. Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to take delivery of this great aircraft, in July 2002. As of summer 2003, Virgins A340-600s are deployed on routes to Tokyo, Shanghai and New York from the London homebase. G-VFOX "Silver Lady" is about to land on May 30th, 2003. |
| British Midland has rebranded as bmi - british midland. This includes launching a fresh new livery, with the unconvential characteristic of painting the tailplane red. bmi is flying a vast array of shorthaul airliners, including Airbus A320s and A321s, Boeing 737-300/500s as well as Fokker F100s. Airbus A320 G-MIDV is on finals to runway 09L on May 29th, 2003. |
| Aer Lingus is the flag carrier of the green Irland. The national green color is also the main character of the Aer Lingus livery, but not in this photo! In a time of webs and internet, Aer Lingus has painted a couple of shorthaul airliners in a special scheme promoting its website. This is nicely illustrated on Boeing 737-500 EI-CDC, which is landing on runway 27R on June 1st, 2003. |
| If you like close-ups, you would like this one! Swiss morning arrival from Zurich has been caaught on film by a 400 mm lens on a crystal clear early June morning. HB-IQI "Piz-Bernina", an Airbus A330-223 leased from GECAS, is about to land on runway 09L. |
| Royal Jordanian Airbus A310-300s are regular visitors to London Heathrow. For some reason, the Royal Jordanian aircraft tends to look very good on film, which may be to some extent attributed to the nice color scheme. Here a locally registered Airbus A310-304, JY-AGL is on finals to runway 09R on May 30th, 2003. |
| One of the most un-expected, and exotic, airliners to show up was Kenya Airways Boeing 737-7U8 with optional winglets added for improved aerodynamics. In addtion to B737-700s, Kenya Airways flies the Boeing 737-200s and -300s, as well as the intercontinetal Boeing 767-300ER, with brand new Boeing 777-200ERs on order for delivery in 2004. 5Y-KQH is about to land on runway 09L on May 30th, 2003. |
| Middle East Airlines (MEA) has a long history of operating jetliners into London Heathrow. It has operated a number of different types, including DeHavilland Comets, Boeing 720s, Boeing 707-320s, Boeing 747s as well as Airbus A310s. In April 2003, the first brand new Airbus A330-200 was delivered to MEA, and subsequently put into service on the busy Beirut- London Heathrow route. F-OMEA is landing on runway 09L on June 3rd, 2003. |