Heres a modern one if its of any interest. Boeing 787 HUD on the ground though-so not a lot of info being displayed.

I was flying into Southend that night on an Air Ferry Viscount (G-AVHE)with a group of spotters. We had all been to the Hanover air show.
On descent we were told that an aircraft was blocking the runway at Southend and we would have to divert to Stansted.
It was an awful night with severe turbulence/lightning and torrential rain. We were bucketed about all over the place and many of the passengers were being very sick-we thumped down extremely hard at Stansted but were relieved to be down on terra firma. We then coached back to Southend and saw the other Viscount on the railway embankment. I believe it had aquaplaned on landing-which considering our own approach to Stansted-was not suprising-it was probably the roughest flight I ever experienced.

Ive been going for many years and had very few problems but this year couldn’t get in despite leaving home early. A505 was solid from Royston-so went to Trumpington and joined the queue for the bus there. We were soon told no more allowed in unless holding tickets.
I hadn’t booked in advance as I had to stay a night in hospital during the preceding week-and always possible that it could have been extended etc with complications (fortunately none on this occasion).
What with the vagaries of the British weather/heavy rain and so on-to buy advanced tickets would see an outlay of over a £100 for my family group-most of whom would not have wished to be there in those conditions.

It would seem sensible to me to also have a park and ride facility at the Royston end too? I vaguely recall they used to have one there at one time-or am I thinking of somewhere else.
Also -why dont they have an online ticket facility-ie like Little Gransden-where you paid online and printed your ticket just like you might do with on line check in for low cost airlines.
That way they would know well in advance how ticket sales were doing-and you could make a late check on the weather?

Interesting story today about the World’s first (fifth?) hi-jack.

A government C-47 in Burma, snatched by the rebels

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28014394

Moggy

I was privileged to know Alex Hare in the early 70’s. He was still flying Daks then for Air Anglia.
A real gentle and unassuming man-who like most of that generation-spoke little about their past experiences.
but just got on doing their job without complaint or fuss.
As a mere earthling I feel honoured to have worked with so many pilots of that era-who in my eyes were and are true heroes. (unlike certain other extremely opinionated and outspoken “heroes”-who are mentioned in another current thread)
In many cases its only now in my later years that I have found out some of the events they managed to survive.

Ive only really researched my Uncles history (Air gunner) but he trained pre OTU at Lossiemouth in 1942-mainly on Whitleys and Ansons. Some of his training was using Forres which was I believe a satellite field for Lossy.
(He was lost at the end of 1942 with 83 squadron).

The ‘Austrian’ Viscounts are Cambrian Airways Viscount 701s. Note the former BEA red wings colour retained. This dates the photo to after March 1963, the British Eagle (not just Eagle) Viscount likely to after January 1964, the presence of a Trident to after entry into service March 1964; the British Eagle aircraft have to be before November 1968, the BEA aircraft all in the same scheme points to before late ’68 also. However, the general lack of Tridents in the wider ramp shots make me think spring/early summer 1964 as the likely time-frame for this set of nostalgia.
In slide 2 the 4 prop nose-on with a white nose I take to be an IL-18, likely Malev?

Yes agree with Cambrian Viscounts and not Austrian and also with IL-18
I lived nearby in West Drayton for a few years and was walking/cycling distance away-so spent many happy hours there too-starting off in the late 50s with Yorks/Connies/Strats/Vikings etc.

That brings back memories. My first ever flight in an airliner, was with my parents in a British Eagle Britannia. From Heathrow to Innsbruck (I seem to remember).
Must have been an ex-RAF aircraft, as it had rear facing seats.

None of Eagles Brits were ex military but they did do a lot of flights with military families and troops etc positioning from and to their postings overseas.
There was a requirement at that time for all seats to be rearward facing if carrying military personal etc.
It wasn’t always practical to change them back for normal civilian flights.
Not sure what year it stopped being mandatory though?