The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Wings in the Sky
Eyes to the skies, an audience thrill to the spirit and speed of flying at Sunderland Airport.
From the collection of:
Overview
Feet firmly on the ground, plane spotters gather for the noisiest, largest and last Air Day held at Sunderland Airport on Sunday 15 June 1980. Once a favourite subject for the makers of 'interest' films, the romance of flight is still alive in these joyrides in the clouds, recorded by the Chester-le-Street Amateur Cine Club. Vintage planes on show include the Spitfire, Currie Wot and Fairey Firefly, and RAF fighter-bomber aircraft perform thrilling stunts for the crowd.
The Air Day was first held on 28 June 1964 to celebrate RAF Usworth's reincarnation as Sunderland Airport, which finally closed on 31 May 1984. The runways were then lost under the huge expanse of a new Nissan car factory that was built on the site.
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