On Fri, 4 Nov 2011 08:23:46 +0000, Roland Perry
wrote:

In message , at 08:05:18 on Fri, 4
Nov 2011, Graeme Wall remarked:
Regardless of what's on the ground, they routinely start to turn very
soon after take-off, so as to head in the direction they need to fly
(ie, to join the airway). It's not normally straight ahead.

I used to live in Reading which is almost exactly due west of Heathrow.
Tell me again about the planes having turned off before then.

A few head west over Reading, but others turn over Windsor. It depends
where they are going.

But there's no need to argue about this, actual data he
http://www.flightradar24.com/

I've just watched a Heathrow-Edinburgh flight take off west and turn
right over Cookham heading for High Wycombe then Bedford; and a
Barcelona flight skirting the east edge of Windsor Great Park on the way
to Guildford.


These are a bit out of date but show the standard instrument
departures from Heathrow.

(seven pdf's in zip)

http://www.nobleair.com/hubs/lhr/scenery/Lhrsids.zip


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