Heathrow’s #AvGeek of the Month

All 3!

I would say my interest first stemmed from travelling as a child. I was always fascinated by how planes function and I even had the opportunity at an early age to explore the cockpit of many aircraft and meet many flight and cabin crew members.

Also, having lived under the Heathrow flight path for most of my life has meant I grew up seeing countless aircraft fly past every day.

Definitely the constant movement and variety of aircraft. You’re bound to see something new every time you visit, as it is one of the busiest airports in the world. The spotting community at Heathrow are very friendly and diverse and I have had the pleasure of meeting and becoming good friends with many other enthusiasts of various ages and backgrounds. 

It would have to be the Etihad livery. I remember my excitement when it was first announced, where I waited to get a shot of its first ever departure from Heathrow almost 5 years ago in the freezing December cold.  

Twitter : aviatorlondon1

Instagram : aviatorlondon

• For those who like myself love aviation photography, don't be afraid to experiment outside of your comfort zone.
• Join aviation/spotting groups on Facebook as you can often find out information about special arrivals and events. You will find many members who will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
• Take part in events and competitions. These may change your perspective on aviation as well as open new doors for you. Heathrow’s Britain's Busiest Airport competition in partnership with ITV is a great one I would recommend to all avgeeks.
• Finally, if you are planning a trip to Heathrow, I would recommend:

1. Downloading the Heathrow runway alternation programme PDF and checking to see which runways will be in use on the day(s) you are visiting.
2. Checking the wind direction the night before and on the day of your trip as there could be runway change which may affect your spotting. Follow @heathrownoise on Twitter for live updates on the direction Heathrow is operating.
3. Downloading Flightradar24 as it is a great app for tracking aircrafts in real time, this includes special liveries and cargos arriving and departing Heathrow.
4. Visiting https://www.spotterguide.net/planespotting/europe/united-kingdom/heathrow-lhr-egll/  for information on Heathrow spotting locations.