Myrtle Avenue, Hounslow

Myrtle Avenue is a street in the London Borough of Hounslow which is near the eastern end of Heathrow airport's south runway, 27L.[1] This makes it especially noisy when aircraft are landing or taking off but its view of the aircraft has made it the prime location for plane spotting.[2]

A Boeing 747-400 of Qantas approaching Heathrow Airport's runway 27L in 2004 over Myrtle Avenue

A view of the airport from Myrtle Avenue, January 2020. Visible in the centre of the image is Concorde G-BOAB, which has been present at the airport since landing there in 2000.

Every day, dozens of spotters from all over the world go there to log and photograph the aircraft. At the end of the road is a large green space which is directly underneath the flight paths to and from Runway 27L. The nearby tube station of Hatton Cross and a petrol station provide refreshments.[3] On special occasions, such as the arrival of a new type of aircraft, there may be hundreds of spectators there, including the general public as well as regular spotters.[4]

In 2019, the street was featured in the BBC's Planespotting Live show, where Arthur Williams interviewed aviation enthusiasts.[5]

References

1. Kevan James (2016), Heathrow Airport: An Illustrated History, Fonthill Media, p. 290, ISBN 9781781555118
2. Olivia Bolton (29 August 2012), "Plane spotters: Heathrow is a special place for us", Daily Telegraph
3. Andy Dangerfield (31 July 2012), Heathrow's Myrtle Avenue: A plane spotter's paradise, BBC News
4. Liam Allen (18 May 2006), Anticipation as A380 eyes Heathrow, BBC News
5. Michael Hogan (23 July 2019), "Planespotting Live, review", Daily Telegraph