Paul Filmer’s Heathrow Airport series moves onwards to 1985, the year the airport started to see the presence of Il-76 freight operations.
I’ll start at the lower end of the aircraft scale with this British Caledonian (BCAL) Commuter Short SH330, which was operated by Eastern Airways for the airline at the time. This was was a rare visitor for Heathrow as they usually flew from Gatwick.
BCAL Commuter SH330 G-BITW – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
British Airways Boeing 757 G-BIKC, is still currently operational with DHL
British Airways Boeing 757 G-BIKC – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Pan Am L-1011-500 N509PA is seen here in the British Airways hangars ready to be painted for the RAF.
Pan Am L-1011-500 N509PA – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Here we see the partially finished paint job, now as ZE705.
RAF L-1011-500 ZE705 – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
HS121-3B Trident G-AWZD was one of the aircraft that was sold to Air Charter Services of Zaire.
British Airways HS121-3B Trident G-AWZD – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Egyptian Air Force C-130H 1291/SU-BEX is seen here on the cargo ramp, and is still active with them now.
Egyptian Air Force C-130H 1291/SU-BEX – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Now the Il-76s promised earlier. These Iraqi machines were later accused of picking up materials for Project Babylon, or as the press dubbed it “The Supergun Affair” , but whether or not this was true is another story, as most pieces were confiscated at various European dockyards.
Iraqi Air Force Il-76MD YI-ALT was evacuated to Iran in 1991 during the Gulf War and impounded there. The Iranians converted the aircraft to an Il-76TD and it now serves with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as 15-2284.
Iraqi Air Force Il-76MD YI-ALT – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Another Il-76MD YI-ALW went the same route as ALT, and is in Iran as 5-8207.
Iraqi Air Force Il-76MD YI-ALW – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Il-76M YI-ALO went back to the Soviet Union in 1988 and was operated by Aeroflot as CCCP-76788 (later RA-78788) and was broken up at Myachkovo in 2002.
Iraqi Air Force Il-76MD YI-ALO – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Il-76MD YI-ALR was returned to the Soviet Union by 1991 and flew in Uzbekistan for a variety of operators. It was was last seen stored in Tashkent.
Iraq Air Force Il-76MD YI-ALR – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
These Il-76s became quite a frequent sight at Heathrow in 1985 and then suddenly stopped in 1986, and included a few Syrian Air Force examples. Here Il-76M YK-ATC is seen in the cargo area, and was last noted stored in Damascus in 2008.
Syrian Air Force Il-76M YK-ATC – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
Another rarity, for Heathrow at least, was this Interflug Il-18D DDR-STN seen on approach.
Interflug Il-18D DDR-STN – © Paul Filmer – www.globalaviationresource.com
It was nice to see this sudden flurry of Soviet types, which in those days were few and far between.
