Wow, this really brings back memories. I was born in 1964 and and growing up we used to go to Southend regularly through the summer. There are two things that I can still remember about our trips there. One was the sound of the trains on the pier. Even on the beach, you could always hear this very distinctive sound they made as they went along the tracks. The second thing was the British Air Ferries taking off from Southend Airport and watching them heading out across the Thames Estuary and hearing that incredible drone they had. Thanks for a great video.
Took my first ever trip on a civilian airline which was Channel Airways to ostend from Southend in a vickers viscount 812 around about 1967/8 . Never been so excited as a kid .
I remember flying from STN to PMI in 1968 with Channel Airways. Not sure now if it was a 1-11 or a Trident. I remember the terminal at STN was situated in what resembled a large Nissen hut. I was with my Mother. She had flown several times before but was excited because it was her first time on a jet. It was my second trip by air, my first trip having been the year before LHR-IBZ on a British eagle Britannia. Curious about the Saturn DC8's. Presumably they were charter flights (ABC Charters?) operating to the US?
As stated in an earlier comment, the last section with the Saturn DC-8 is Stansted (note only one E) rather than Southend. The apron works would have been taking place at Stansted around then.
There’s a clip of Southend airport in the 60s in “Goldfinger”. It’s where they get on the Carvairs to fly to Switzerland. Used to watch the planes there as kids. Seems amazing now that you can no longer do that!
Great memories from my childhood (in Liverpool, but the aircraft were all the same), I clearly remember the Viscount 'screach'. Speke was one of the last destinations for the Viscounts & Vanguards when they were 'doing the mail run' well in to the 1980's !! Best from NZ.
Excellent time warp. Thanks. My memory of Saturn Airways Super DC8's along with O.N.A. ones at Stansted is about 71/72. The original terminal at Stansted couldn't process the type's full compliment of passengers at once, so they had to erect a long marquee to accomodate them, and I remember the ignominy of some American passengers at the time, because they had to wait on a cold winter day basically outside, with occasional added jet blasts! Welcome to the Britain of the 70's.........
