In the immediate post-war period, Billy Butlin acquired his own fleet of corporate aircraft, which in 1950 comprised Fairchild Arguses G-AJGW, G-AJNN, G-AJPE and G-AJVI, Percival Proctor G-AGTE, Miles Martlet G-AAYX and Airspeed Consul G-AIKU, as seen here with the company’s logo, “Butlin’s Camps”, on its rudder.

With Butlin’s bunting waving in the breeze in the background, G-AKOG comes in over Taylorcraft Plus D G-AHCG to land at Ingoldmells.

Bond Air Services’ D.H.86B G-ADVJ sits on the Ingoldmells grass in company with Rapide G-ALBC, owned by construction company McAlpine. Both of Bond’s D.H.86Bs went to Bahrein after leaving the company in 1951; sadly, G-ADUH was destroyed in a ground collision in 1952 and G-ADVJ was derelict by the end of that year.

A line-up of the visiting aircraft at Skegness Airport Ltd’s Grand Air Display held at Ingoldmells on August 27, 1950. Leading the line is the company’s own de Havilland Rapide, G-AKOG, beyond which is Bond Air Services’ D.H.86B G-ADVJ and another Rapide, G-ALBC.

One of Bond Air Services’ two D.H.86Bs, G-ADVJ, swoops low over the crowd at Ingoldmells at the 1950 air rally. Both D.H.86Bs were acquired by Bond in 1947 (the other was G-ADUH) and used for charter work, often to race meetings in the UK and on the Continent from the company’s bases at Gatwick, Rearsby and Skegness.

John Stroud was invited to join airport pilot Geoffrey Gray in the cockpit of Miles Messenger 2A G-AKKK of the Boston Aero Club for a demonstration of slow flying. The local press was certainly impressed, stating that ‘‘the amazingly slow speed at which he piloted the Messenger over the ’drome had to be seen to be believed”.