LHR Terminal 2 pier/gate mystery
Posted: 19 Jan 2010, 23:38
I am hoping someone here can help me out... in my research for LHR, for the building that for most of its life has been called "Terminal 2", I have a number of photos and references that appear to give conflicting information regarding the layout of the southern of the two piers.
Although at some point perhaps starting in the mid to late 1970s, the pier has had many alterations, enlargements, reductions in the number of gates, even during the 1960s, i have one early photo that shows apparently two gates exactly level with each other, adjacent to the "bridge" connecting the pier to the terminal. The one on the "inside" (northern side) is so close to the terminal that it would be impossible to park an aircraft to the right of it (i.e. between it and the terminal building). Most photos show a long gap between the penultimate and final gate on the same side. The final gate is the opposite side to the fire station.
At some point, possibly very late 1960s / 1970, it seems that a gate has been added as I have an aerial photo which is probably 1970/71 showing four equally spaced gates on the north side of the pier and three on the south side and the fire station where the fourth might have been. At yet a later stage, the pier that has been added has gone again, replaced by a short "jetty" which seems to be surrounded by baggage trucks and the fourth gate on the north side seems to have been enlarged and the parking position re-oriented such that the aircraft park at an angle to the pier.
...So I'm, hoping you can visualise my description (my scanner doesnt work with Vista
and I've lost access to my FTP site so posting pictures is difficult!) and I'm hoping that a pilot or ground worker or spotter from the 1960s/70s can help explain the evolution of the pier and perhaps we can then figure out what it would have looked like in 1966!! 
Although at some point perhaps starting in the mid to late 1970s, the pier has had many alterations, enlargements, reductions in the number of gates, even during the 1960s, i have one early photo that shows apparently two gates exactly level with each other, adjacent to the "bridge" connecting the pier to the terminal. The one on the "inside" (northern side) is so close to the terminal that it would be impossible to park an aircraft to the right of it (i.e. between it and the terminal building). Most photos show a long gap between the penultimate and final gate on the same side. The final gate is the opposite side to the fire station.
At some point, possibly very late 1960s / 1970, it seems that a gate has been added as I have an aerial photo which is probably 1970/71 showing four equally spaced gates on the north side of the pier and three on the south side and the fire station where the fourth might have been. At yet a later stage, the pier that has been added has gone again, replaced by a short "jetty" which seems to be surrounded by baggage trucks and the fourth gate on the north side seems to have been enlarged and the parking position re-oriented such that the aircraft park at an angle to the pier.
...So I'm, hoping you can visualise my description (my scanner doesnt work with Vista
and I've lost access to my FTP site so posting pictures is difficult!) and I'm hoping that a pilot or ground worker or spotter from the 1960s/70s can help explain the evolution of the pier and perhaps we can then figure out what it would have looked like in 1966!! 
