I Knowing the expertise of the people on this site I turn to you all with a question (or two) that might stump you!
I am trying to find the dates of any Red Arrows displays or Rothamans Aerobatic Team displays (or any other display teams) that took place over Southend that were NOT part of the airport or seafront airshows.
I know there was a display by the Red Arrows over the Seafront in 1978 but can’t pin the date down and I distinctly remember seeing a display by what I guess is the Rothmans team again over the seafront it must have been late 1970’s early 1980’s.
What I remember is a team of about 5+ biplanes doing a display lasting for at the very least 10 mins with a lot of formation flying.
Having not been born until 1975 the memory is a little foggy…
By: Fatcivvy - 10th January 2011 at 21:50
It’s seafront displays I’m tryiong to trace the Evening Echo do have a seach function on thier website but it only go’s back a decade or so, an E-mail to the editor had no result as they do not have the facility/resorce to look/let people look.
The Red Arrows display was 1978 was bale to track down a batted copy of the pull out supplement previewing the 1986 airshow! there is a tiny photo of the Gants banking round, with the subscript red Arrows displaying in 1978.
Cheers for the help
Why not have a look in Southend library? I’m sure that they would have copies of the old newspapers (probably on Microfiche). Most major public libraries do. Just a suggestion.
FC
By: Ewan Hoozarmy - 10th January 2011 at 21:22
Red Arrows display over the seafront was definitely 1978. Me and my brother caught the train down there and stood on the pier to watch it..
By: AN2grahame - 10th January 2011 at 20:11
Thats right Ray was working on it with Clive Edwards who used to look after the C47 N47FK “Fifi Kate”which i used to crew until she returned to the States.Would love to know the current status/location of the Casa.
By: WJ244 - 10th January 2011 at 18:24
I heard something along the same lines.
Ray Thomas was working at Aces High when the CASA was there. He said that the salt air at Southend had caused serious spar corrossion so the chances of ever restoring to fly were pretty small.
By: AN2grahame - 9th January 2011 at 21:01
The last i knew of the Casa was when i saw the nose section being restored by Aces High whilst they were at North Weald during the 90’s.I believe it was then moved to Suffolk,rumour has it that an associate of Microsoft’s Bill Gates purchased it.
By: WJ244 - 9th January 2011 at 14:36
[ATTACH]191282[/ATTACH].The Rothmans Southend Museum display was 1972.I remember seeing the Heinkel/Casa 111 flying then before going to the museum.That dates me!
As far as I know the CASA last flew in 1968 during filming for the Battle Of Britain film. It came to the museum by road from West Malling where it had been stored ever since filming ended.
It did visit Southend during filming along with a single Spitfire and B-25 N6578D – The Psychedelic Monster.
I know they arrived mid afternoon as I saw them on approach over our sports field – about 1/2 mile or so short of the runway threshold – during a games lesson. The CASA carried the codes 6J + PR so it was almost certainly the same one that ended up with the museum.
It barely seems believable now that most of the Spanish CASAs got broken up because there was little interest in them. With the modern warbird movement I suspect things would be a little different.
By: Old Fart - 29th December 2010 at 23:05
It’s seafront displays I’m tryiong to trace the Evening Echo do have a seach function on thier website but it only go’s back a decade or so, an E-mail to the editor had no result as they do not have the facility/resorce to look/let people look.
The Red Arrows display was 1978 was bale to track down a batted copy of the pull out supplement previewing the 1986 airshow! there is a tiny photo of the Gants banking round, with the subscript red Arrows displaying in 1978.
Cheers for the help
By: AN2grahame - 29th December 2010 at 21:38
[ATTACH]191282[/ATTACH].The Rothmans Southend Museum display was 1972.I remember seeing the Heinkel/Casa 111 flying then before going to the museum.That dates me!
By: crispy - 29th December 2010 at 18:18
I also recall seeing the Rothmans Team display along the seafront, it must of been mid to late 70’s.
I also remember a couple of displays at the Old Leigh Regatta many years ago.
By: WJ244 - 29th December 2010 at 17:26
You are quite right about a Red Arrows display on the sea front. It was during the time that they had Gnats and I remember looking down on them from the top of the cliffs as they did a low pass along the seafront and watching individual aircraft fly past rather than over the taller buildings on the cliffs (like the Westcliff Hotel) while we all got covered in coloured smoke.
I think it was probably nearer to 1975/6 but I can’t be certain and I think it was an early evening display around 5pm as I am sure it was after work. It could have been part of anniversary celebrations for the pier.
The Rothmans team flying Stampes displayed at the opening display for the Southend museum which was a pretty disastrous affair all round thanks to the weather. The display area was around the taxiway over by the old Tradair hangar rather than over the main part of the airfield. I am sorry I can’t remember the date but there is a report in the museum newsletters that I sent you. Can’t help with a Rothmans seafront display though as it doesn’t ring any bells.
If the Evening Echo newspaper has an archive there could be something in there.
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December 28, 2010 at 11:53 pm