A Flightline BAe 146 aircraft lands at London (Heathrow) Airport in July 2004. Flightline is a charter airline based at Southend Airport

Southend Airport (IATA: SEN, ICAO: EGMC) is a small airport in south east England, in the county of Essex. Now known as London Southend Airport because of its proximity to London, the airport is actually closer to Rochford than it is to Southend. The airport web site is at London Southend Airport. A frequent rail service runs from Rochford to London (Liverpool Street) and buses and taxis are readily available outside the existing terminal. Flightline BAe 146-300 (G-BSNS) landing at London (Heathrow) Airport in July 2004. ... Flightline BAe 146-300 (G-BSNS) landing at London (Heathrow) Airport in July 2004. ... An IATA airport code, known by the IATA as an IATA location identifier or, simply, a location identifier [1], is a three-letter alphabetic code designating many airports around the world. ... The ICAO airport code is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK... This article is about the county of Essex in England. ... Jump to: navigation, search The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Map sources for Rochford at grid reference TQ875905 Rochford in the county of Essex, United Kingdom is a small town to the north of Southend on Sea. ... Southend-on-Sea is a resort town in Essex, England. ...

The airport has planning consent to build a new terminal and railway station on the eastern boundary of the airport, which will provide an integrated transport interchange with a minimal transfer time between train and terminal. It is hoped that this will be built and operational in 2008.

At present, the only regular air service is a scheduled flight to Jersey on summer Saturdays. Aircraft can be chartered from based airlines Flightline and Fly Now Air Charter. It is hoped that more regular, scheduled services will recommence from the existing terminal within the next year or two.

There is much activity at the airport from business aircraft, pilot training in both aircraft and helicopters, recreational flying, etc. The airport employs over 1000 people in companies based on the airport, mostly concerned with the maintenance and re-spraying of airliners, and associated companies. An annual seafront airshow results in many aircraft being temporarily based at the airport for the duration of the displays.

Maintenance work at Southend Airport ranges from re-painting through the renewal of seating, upgrades to avionics and installation of hush-kits on engines, to the conversion of passenger aircraft into cargo carriers. Jump to: navigation, search An aircraft is any machine capable of atmospheric flight. ...

The airport's ambition to restart offering passenger flights of use to the local population dovetails with Government aims outlined in the White Paper on airport development and the strategic 'Thames Gateway' development. Undoubtedly the airport will have a role to play in supporting the 2012 London Olympics in East London. Whilst a local consultation carried out by the airport showed that most people in the area are in favour of the airport's proposals, a minority of the local population have objections to this. In 2002/3 a debate centered on the idea of relocating a church further away from the side of the main runway. This would have enabled passenger aircraft, of a size already regularly seen at the airport for maintenance purposes, to offer passenger flights to domestic UK and European destinations. However, a compromise scheme that sees the church remain where it is, has now been worked out, implemented and licensed by the CAA, at the expense of slightly shortening the available runway lengths; and means that passenger flights will be able to recommence, but with aircraft of a size similar to those in already in use both at Southend and at London City airport.

ATC (Lasham) are the major engineering company at the airport, having taken over Heavylift Engineering company. Other companies include: Air Livery, Inflite Engineering, Flightline Aircraft Engineering, JRB Aviation, Avionicare, IAVNA and BAC Engineering.

London Southend Airport is renowned industry wide for its excellent weather record, which means that many smaller airliners use it as a diversion alternate when adverse weather or other incidents cause aircraft to divert in quantity from either Stansted or London City Airport. Jump to: navigation, search Stansted Airport (IATA: STN, ICAO: EGSS) is a medium-sized passenger airport with a single runway, located in the English county of Essex about thirty miles north of London. ... Approaching London City Airport in February 2000 London City Airport (IATA: LCY, ICAO: EGLC) is a single-runway STOLPORT situated in the London Borough of Newham in East London and developed by the private engineering company Mowlem in 1986/87. ...

The airport is also popular with film-makers, who find that the airport is able to accomodate their needs better than busier airports. Generally it functions as a cafe/lounge for spectators and private pilots, there is an information terminal, a photo booth and a cash machine. Some busy pubs and retail warehouses front the road between the air terminal and the traditional town centre. A preserved Avro Vulcan may be seen from that road. There is no longer a museum at this airport which once reverberated to flying car ferries such as the piston-engined Bristol Freighter. The Avro Vulcan was a British-built jet-engined, delta-winged subsonic bomber, once part of the RAFs V bomber force. ... The Bristol Freighter (Bristol Type 170) was a twin engined cargo aircraft built by Bristol designed to carry motor cars as well as their owners. ...

Military History

The airfield was originally established by the Royal Flying Corps during World War I. In World War II it became an important fighter base for the RAF. Many of the 50 pillboxes, that were design to protect the airport from paratroop landings, still survive, as does the underground defence control room. A further 20 or so pillboxes also remain in the surrounding countryside. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. Origin and Early History Formed by Royal Warrant on May 13, 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... Jump to: navigation, search World War I was primarily a European conflict with many facets: immense human sacrifice, stalemate trench warfare, and the use of new, devastating weapons - tanks, aircraft, machineguns, and poison gas. ... Jump to: navigation, search World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atom bomb . Known in the USSR as: the Great Patriotic War World War II, also known as the Second... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... A bunker is a defensive warfare fortification to protect oneself. ... An American Paratrooper using a T-10C series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and formed into an airborne force. ...

Of related interest, Canewdon, a couple of miles to the north east of the airport, was the location of one of the World War II Chain Home radar stations. One of the 360 foot high transmitter towers can now be found near Great Baddow (2003). Chain Home was the codename for the ring of coastal radar stations built by the British during World War II. The system comprised two types of radar: the metre-wave Chain Home stations which provided long-range early warning, and the centimetre-wave Chain Home Low stations, which were shorter... This long range radar antenna (approximately 40m (130ft) in diameter) rotates on a track to observe activities near the horizon. ... Great Baddow is an urban village in the English county of Essex. ...

See also

• Images of Southend on Sea
• British military history
• British military history of World War II
• UK topics

British military history is a long and varied topic, extending from the prehistoric and ancient historic period, through the Roman invasions of Julius Cæsar and Claudius and subsequent Roman occupation; warfare in the Mediaeval period, including the invasions of the Saxons and the Vikings in the Dark Ages, the... The United Kingdom, along with France, declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939 as part of the United Kingdoms pledge to defend Poland to the invasion of Poland. ... Shortcut: UK topics This is a list of topics related to the United Kingdom. ...