Nice photo’s Alan!

I don’t live in the area anymore, although I’ll always be a Southend boy at heart, but I remember the 80’s being a great time for seeing historics at the airport. I remember in 1983 when most of Stephen Grey’s collection, Lindsey Walton’s F4U-7 and OFMC’s Spit and P-40 got weathered in at Southend…thier departure the next day was awesome! Remember standing in my garden watching that lot thunder over at low level as they departed…I was jumping around like an excited child! (well, I was 13 at the time). I recall a photo of that visit appearing in Flypast.
The one that I missed was when three B-17s turned up for painting at Heavylift for the Memphis Belle film. I was sitting in my bedroom listening in of the tower frequency when I heard, “three B-17’s requesting run and break for landing”, to which I looked out of my bedroom window to catch the three Forts running into the airport. I only caught a glimpse, and kicked myself for not knowing about it sooner!
I also got the chance to have a look inside the Lancaster when she was passing through, but that was because I was a member of 1312 ATC at Southend at the time. Happy days!

Regards;
Steve