There would always be a huge crowd of the Station personnel to see you off and it was a very emotional moment when your Green light came and you opened up the four engines and slowly gathered speed to the waving and ,I know for a fact, tears of the many onlookers from the Station Commander down to the lowest airman and airwoman.
A very moving account and it does give a real feel for what the mood of these operations was like. More please. The detail is really interesting!