I recently came across this webcam at London Heathrow, which seems to take a shot of every aircraft as it passes. Quite useful for those into desktop spotting
http://www.heathrowcam.net/indexnew.php
Posted by Matt Falcus | Posted in Airline News, Heathrow | Posted on 25-02-2009
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Qantas will begin flying their Airbus A380 into London Heathrow five days per week from 8 June 2009. This is an increase on the present schedule.
The days of operation are: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
The aircraft arrives from Sydney – Singapore on QF30/31
It has come to light that a story I reported recently about the Heathrow Visitors Centre car park prices doubling is actually untrue. The report quickly spiralled out of control it seems, and I didn’t help that. So sorry for causing any confusion!
Martin Baird, the Airport Watch Co-ordinator, has confirmed that there are no planned changes in the price of car parking, and enthusiasts are welcome to be there.
It seems Travelodge have an offer on hotel rooms at their London Heathrow hotel. This would be ideal if any of your are heading over there for some spotting this year.
The hotel is not ideal for viewing aircraft, but is located in a convenient place.
See this link
It seems the spotter-friendly scrooges at London Heathrow have come up with a fantastic scheme to encourage people to use their visitors centre, and to encourage the spotter community in general.
The prices to park at the visitors centre, which is the only official viewing location following the closure of the Queens Building terrace a number of years ago, are set to increase. They are as follows:
£2 per hour
£10 per day
This is not cheap. Therefore we suggest you park elsewhere (Hatton Cross tube station is a slightly cheaper option), or use public transport entirely.
Remember, buses that travel around the perimeter of Heathrow are free to use, and stop at Hatton Cross. So you can get the tube in from elsewhere in London and get to the visitors centre free on the bus.
London Heathrow has become one of the best places to see the current variety of Airbus A380 aircraft currently in operation. At the moment, Emirates and Singapore Airlines serve Heathrow at least 1x daily with the aircraft, and Qantas is due to launch flights from the end of January.
Did you know there are some free bus services around London Heathrow that are ideal for spotters moving around the various perimeter locations?
Bus service between Hatton Cross and Terminal 5 are:
423 via northern perimeter road, Bath Road and Longford village.
441 between Central area and Terminal 5 via northern perimeter road
482 and 490 via Terminal 4 and cargo along southern perimeter road.
All of these buses are free between Hatton Cross and the terminals. They will help you travel between spotting locations at Runways 27L, 27R and 09L for viewing when runways change.
Many people have enquired about what the spotting facilities are like in the new Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport.
I’ve compiled the following information from reports received:
Car Parks
The short stay car parks have views over runway 09L/R arrivals from the upper floors.
Landside
Costa Coffee on the north side of the terminal has windows overlooking the threshold of runway 09L
A view of runway 09R is possible from the south side of the terminal.
Airside
Once airside you can freely move between piers.
The best views can be had at gate A7 over the northern runway.
Gate A18 has views of the cargo area and runway 09R threshold.
Pier B has some acceptable views, but these will decrease as Pier C is built.
As always, please post your comments and reviews of travelling through Terminal 5. It is new to Heathrow, so information is needed on good spots and experiences with your binoculars!