Thunder…lightning…torrential rain…flooded roads…welcome to a summer’s day in Britain this year. As I look back through the posts in this blog, I realise just how many times the weather has played havoc with taking aircraft photographs.
Heathrow was the venue for the latest day out and umbrellas and cagoules were definitely required equipment. Perversely, sun cream came in very handy during the brief periods when there wasn’t horizontal rain – it definitely got very hot!
An early departure from South Yorkshire enabled my four companions and yours truly to be in position at Myrtle Avenue shortly after 10am, ready to capture the arrivals on Heathrow’s runway 27L.
From the onset, it became apparent that photography during the day would be somewhat challenging; the weather was such that towering banks of sunlit cumulus clouds often provided the backdrop as the aircraft passed in front of our lenses. These clouds might look very pretty but they play havoc with getting a correct exposure!
I can’t say what the others did but I decided to opt for spot-metering and then hope for the best.
However, having the sun behind and dark clouds in front really made a difference, and this combination did much to enhance photography and show off the various airline liveries.
It was not just we photographers who had to cope with the unsettled conditions. Air traffic controllers and pilots had their work cut-out as an active storm cell crossed the extended centreline of 27L.
As lightning bolts began to strike the ground over the Ealing area, we were treated to the sight of airliners carrying out simultaneous parallel approaches to both 27L and 27R. It’s something I had seen occurring in the USA but never at Heathrow before.
Heathrow was the venue for the latest day out and umbrellas and cagoules were definitely required equipment. Perversely, sun cream came in very handy during the brief periods when there wasn’t horizontal rain – it definitely got very hot!
An early departure from South Yorkshire enabled my four companions and yours truly to be in position at Myrtle Avenue shortly after 10am, ready to capture the arrivals on Heathrow’s runway 27L.
From the onset, it became apparent that photography during the day would be somewhat challenging; the weather was such that towering banks of sunlit cumulus clouds often provided the backdrop as the aircraft passed in front of our lenses. These clouds might look very pretty but they play havoc with getting a correct exposure!
I can’t say what the others did but I decided to opt for spot-metering and then hope for the best.
However, having the sun behind and dark clouds in front really made a difference, and this combination did much to enhance photography and show off the various airline liveries.
It was not just we photographers who had to cope with the unsettled conditions. Air traffic controllers and pilots had their work cut-out as an active storm cell crossed the extended centreline of 27L.
As lightning bolts began to strike the ground over the Ealing area, we were treated to the sight of airliners carrying out simultaneous parallel approaches to both 27L and 27R. It’s something I had seen occurring in the USA but never at Heathrow before.
By amazing coincidence, the airport had only recently completed ‘mixed-mode operation’ trials to validate such operations, in an effort to minimize disruption to flights caused by bad weather, volcanic eruptions etc.
Regular visitors to the ‘row will know that at three o’clock in the afternoon, the runways swap to give local resident some relief from aircraft noise, so cometh the hour, we set off to find the fabled ‘Esso garage’ location at the other end of the runway, the aim being to have a go at capturing the departures from 27L.
Our driver did warn us that he knew where it was but he wasn’t quite sure how to get there. Hmm... As it was, we only got lost twice – not helped by a sat nav that seemed to be undergoing a mid-life crisis. If only we’d brought an A-to-Z!
We were wondering if the worst of the weather had perhaps passed. Wrong! Departures were being delayed as controllers sought to route aircraft around the threatening cu-nims. Pilots, too, were again earning their corn and it was quite something seeing an airliner being put into a tight turn soon after take-off.
By 6pm, the light had begun to fade and we set off on the short walk back to the car, however, the heavens really opened this time. Usain would have watched in amazement as the five of us sought to break his world-record for the 100 metres though, it has to be said, without much success!
Eventually, we reached vehicular sanctuary and wet cameras and clothes were flung into all corners of the car. Passers-by would have been amazed, and possibly a tad shocked, to see five blokes of varying ages getting into a car and the windows steam-up almost instantly!
So ended a thoroughly enjoyable day out. Thanks to my four companions for their company and as always, a big thank you to 'The Kman’ for doing the driving.
Arrivals on to runway 27L
Airbus A319 G-EUPZ British Airways.
Douglas MD87 OY-KHU SAS Scandinavian.
Airbus A330-200 F-ORMA Middle East Airlines.
Boeing 777-300 C-FITW Air Canada.
Boeing 777-200 N765AN American Airlines.
Airbus A380 A6-EDF Emirates.
Boeing 737-300 YU-ANL JAT Airways.
Airbus A319 G-EUPH British Airways 'Dove' colour scheme.
Airbus A319 CS-TTP TAP Portugal.
Boeing 747-400 G-VROC Virgin Atlantic.
Airbus A340-300 EC-KCL Iberia.
Boeing 757-200 N33132 United.
Departures from runway 27L
Airbus A340-600 A6-EHK Etihad.
Boeing 757-200 N198AN American Airlines.
Boeing 777-300 A7-BAG Qatar Airways.
Boeing 777-200 G-YMMP British Airways.
Boeing 777-300 SU-GDM Egyptair.
Airbus A330-300 C-GFUR Air Canada.
Boeing 757-200 EZ-A011 Turkmenistan Airlines.
Boeing 777-300 ZK-OKP Air New Zealand.
Airbus A320 EC-HQJ Vueling.
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