The saga about which aircraft (Apl 10) spawned the Carvairs that once flew out of Southend Airport must be put to rest.

No, it wasn't the Dakota, rightly described as having only two engines (Apl 17). Nor was it the DC8, a sleek four-engined jet with sweptback wings.

The real parent of the Carvair was the DC4, a propellor- driven, four-engined airliner that became the workhorse of several airlines and airforces in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Paul Parish
Rubicon Avenue
Wickford