Me too…!

Lived in Southend from ’54 to ’68 while dad flew with Air Charter and others…
well remember playing in the harvards and prentices, watching the Carvair drone around on endless test flights, the Accountant, the Ekco anson, the blue joy-flight prentice with orange canopy…..
They were great days, and agreed, Southend was a wonderful place to grow up in the fifties and sixties..

“First C-46 I saw was a Fred Olsen one as it touched down at Southend 40 plus years ago. A great looking aeroplane full of character..”

Yes Fred Olsen..painted in that ‘orrible muddy yellow colour..

but on a typically very still early ’60s summers night, clearly audible for up to 15 minutes after that seemingly marginal and extremely noisey departure out of southend..even my old man with a command on DC6’s then, used to wait back a bit to watch ’em out of there.. VERY very special the C-46 was…

Kirbys of Rochford…

..Alas no photos, but Kirbys scrapyard, the “other” side of Rochford always had a constant suppy of Hercules, and Twin Wasps and anything else Aviation Traders wanted to dispose of (and that was LOTS..) just sinking into the mud in the sixties and early seventies

..a hugely charismatic aircraft…very,VERY noisey..throttles in the roof..big swing on take off..possibly the very last of the “real” mens planes…

“..A flight engineer called George S***ge was on the flight deck of an Air Charter York (..G_AMUS..??) along with Captain Don MacKenzie – he later became chief pilot of British United Airways.. George seemed quite miserable when halfway down the runway Don turned to George and said “cheer up George.” George thought he said – gear up George. The rest is history as one very sad York sank back on the runway with very bent propellers.” (with thanks to Roy Saxton)

..something dad told me possibly with a pinch of salt, but knowing dad probably not…he was first officer with Don on Yorks..

Sikorsky S55 or S58 perhaps?

..Mr Mk1 sir, was the S58 suggestion related to a proposal to get an engineless 170 high enough off the ground, to glide all it’s way to Lydd..??:)

…is the notorious “Swinderby Bromide” added I wonder…????