Название: Heathrow: The first 25 years
Серия: Aviation Archive 27
Автор книги: Allan Burney
Издательство: Key Publishing
Год выпуска: 2016
Формат: True PDF
Страниц: 100
Язык: английский
Размер: 22,1 Mb

Love it or loath it, Heathrow is arguably the most famous airport in the world. Over its 70-year history, Heathrow has always courted controversy; indeed its very foundation was shrouded in subterfuge. Today it has evolved into the busiest international gateway in Europe, a thriving and powerful metropolis within a metropolis, lying inside the boundaries of Greater London. But it wasn’t always that way. Back in 1946, the first commercial services out of Heathrow were famously served by a primitive tented city and passengers braved the elements as they made their way across duckboards towards aircraft often based on converted World War Two bombers. The ensuing 25 years saw Heathrow grow in size and importance as commercial aviation revolutionised the world. Propliners, such as Constellations and Stratocruisers, gave way to turboprops, before the all-conquering sleek new generation of jets roared into existence and changed our lives forever. The future of British civil aviation became inextricably linked with Heathrow, where the likes of the all-powerful BOAC and BEA flew the national flag. This was a golden age of civil aviation, a time when spectators were actively encouraged to watch these monsters as they clawed their way into the skies. As aircraft evolved, so did the airport and new terminals and infrastructure were built. By the 1970s, Heathrow had become the undisputed gateway to Europe and Britain at last had a world-class airport to be proud of.
AVIATION ARCHIVE SERIES The ‘golden age’ of Heathrow Airport (1945-1970) is the fascinating subject for No 27 in the Aviation Archive series. At its heart lies unparalleled photographic coverage of historic Heathrow, featuring many exclusive and rare shots that have never been published before. As ever, the words and photographs are complemented by ‘period’ cutaways fromт the talented pens of the ‘Flight’ and ‘Aeroplane’ artists of the era.