Pleasure Flying at Great Yarmouth - 1969 Style

One of last weekend's customers, , Chris Webb, an aircraft engineer with a passion for aviation history, brought along some fascinating memorabilia, fleshing out the detail of the pleasure flying we knew occurred from North Denes before the airfield became exclusively rotary wing.

"My first ever flight was in August 1969 at the age of 12 from North Denes. I was holidaying with my parents in a caravan at the Silver Sands Caister Camp site and was thrilled by the daily overflight of the site and surrounds by two Auster J/5G Autocar aircraft, one red and white and the other blue and white (G-ASFK and G-ARNB respectively). Their proximity to the airfield meant that most of the time they were at an altitude of little more than a few hundred feet."

Auster Autocar Postcard (via Chris Webb)

"The Austers were owned by Anglian Air Charter Limited and were engaged on regular pleasure flights from the airfield. I badgered my father to part with 25 shillings for the 15 minute flight and was captivated from that instant.

Anglian Air Charter Limited had been operating pleasure flights from North Denes since 1960/61 using two Auster MK5 aircraft. They operated from a small hut alongside the Airfield Filling Station – as shown in the attached photograph."

Austers by the Filling Station (via Chris Webb)

Auster Autocars aircraft replaced the Auster Mk5s in the mid-sixties and they were in turn replaced by a Cessna 170 (G-AWOU) and a Cessna U206A (G-ATLT) in 1970/71.

Cessna 170 Postcard (via Chris Webb)

Anglian Air Charter Limited merged with Norfolk Airways and became Rig Air – using a Dakota to support the North Sea oil industry and this morphed into Air Anglia, which operated between 1970 and 1980, when it became part of Air UK.

Finest Hour is very pleased to re-introduce the public to flying over this beautiful stretch of coastline... who knows, if our Tiger Moth operation becomes even more successful, we may even re-introduce the Austers or Cessnas or a more modern equivalent; sadly we won't be able to match Anglian Air Charter's prices!

15 Shillings for a Pleasure Flight! (via Chris Webb)