4 ms·

Some more detail: https://simpleflying.com/pan-am-707-raf-northolt/ https://simpleflying.com/pan-am-707-raf-northolt/

• WalterBright 3y ago
  Wow, I thought that was a long-forgotten incident. My dad (USAF) was stationed nearby when it happened, and he told me about it years later (with a big laugh about it, the story must have made the rounds at the office). I'm glad my memory of the story correlates with the facts.
  • dTal 3y ago
    The article makes it sound like the ferry mission wasn't quite as tight as you suggested ("barely made it"): "As a precaution, the main A40 trunk road, which runs past the bottom of the easterly end of the runway at Northolt, was closed to traffic until the Boeing 707 had taken off. However, much lighter without much of its interior, the aircraft was airborne quickly off the Northolt runway and successfully landed at Heathrow a few minutes later."