The organisers of this year’s 20th Anniversary RAFA Shoreham Airshow are delighted to announce that the Avro Vulcan Bomber XH558 will be displaying at this years airshow on both days.

Don Bean MBE Airshow Organiser said, “Thanks to some very generous support, sponsorship has been provided that will enable us to have the wonderful aircraft gracing the skies above Shoreham both days over the display weekend.”

With eight weeks to go prior to the airshow the aircraft display mine up is looking stunning and full of every type of aircraft to cater for all tastes from modern day fast jets through to some of the top civilian aerobatic teams.

The Guinot wing walking team will be displaying this year for the last time under the Guinot banner and have promised to provide a five ship display on the Sunday.  They have supported us from year one and we are delighted they have decided to provide this rare five ship display at Shoreham – a fitting tribute to our 20th Show.

A total of approximately 50 aircraft will be displaying both days and the flying is set to last over five hours.  The Spitfire and Hurricane scramble will be back as well as the World War 1 team – two contrasting wars and two contrasting displays.

“There are still some surprises to be announced and advance ticket sales are going well thanks to the fantastic support of our sponsors who have been putting a lot of effort into promoting the airshow on our behalf,” said John Periam Airshow Press Officer.  “It is important that on show days you arrive early and listen to the local radio networks regarding traffic as the planned appearance of the Avro Vulcan is bound to attract a lot of interest,” he added.

For more information go to the airshow web site www.shorehamairshow.com – advance tickets can be purchased from the ticket hotline 01903 282354.

Austria’s Hannes Arch claimed second place in the third race of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship 2009 in Windsor, Canada. Britain’s Paul Bonhomme finally put an end to his series of second place finishes by taking the win on the Detroit River course, with the American Kirby Chambliss completing the podium in third. Reigning world champion Arch missed out on victory after a borderline decision by the race stewards.

WINDSOR (CAN). The 215,000 fans lining the banks of Windsor’s Detroit River were treated to a feast of Air Race action as the event moved into the Final Four stage. Arch threw down the gauntlet to his rivals with a time of 1:07.31, only to be given a two-second penalty for Incorrect Level – much to the surprise of many onlookers.

“The conditions were very windy at times and the course itself was also really difficult. I don’t want to go into the whole question of the time penalty; that’s the stewards’ decision and I will respect it. I know it must have been very close indeed, but I trust the judges. It looks like this season is going to be another nail-biter, but I’ve got the nerves to hold on when it comes to the crunch,” commented Arch, visibly satisfied with second place at the last overseas race of the season to maintain his current overall lead in the Championship.

Winner Bonhomme posted a time of 1:08.16 as he crossed the line, meaning that Arch would have finished 45 hundredths ahead of the Briton had it not been for the time penalty. American pilot Kirby Chambliss was also hit with a two-second penalty on his run as he claimed third spot with a 1:10.19. France’s Nicolas Ivanoff, second behind Arch in the overall standings going into the race, had a day to forget as he was eliminated early in the event, dropping valuable world championship points in the process.

After three races Arch continues to lead the overall standings with 33 points, followed closely by Bonhomme on 32 points and Nicolas Ivanoff on 24 points. The next race takes place on 19 August in Budapest (HUN).

The 15 pilots fly the single-propeller planes with precision, reaching speeds of up to 370 kilometres per hour and enduring forces of up to 12G as they navigate through the turn-filled courses just metres above the surface.

Local newspapers have reported an accident involving the Pitts XII aircraft based at White Waltham on Thursday afternoon.

From Maidenhead Advertiser:-

A plane has flat-landed at White Waltham airfield in Maidenhead this afternoon.

Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 1pm where a yellow plane is thought to have made a heavy landing.

A male pilot in his thirties was been airlifted to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford with injuries.

The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, is proud to announce that a female pilot is one of two candidates selected to join the world-famous ‘Diamond Nine’ for the 2010 display season.

The successful candidates Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore of number X111 Squadron, RAF Marham and Flight Lieutenant Ben Plank of number 1(Fighter) Squadron, RAF Cottesmore, will fly as part of the 2010-2012 display team, enthralling millions with their exhilarating manoeuvres, demonstrating the skills and excellence of the Royal Air Force, promoting British industry and contributing to defence diplomacy.

The Royal Air Force fast-jet pilots will join the Red Arrows in September 2009 to begin training for their three-year tour with the team, based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

Around 30 Royal Air Force fast-jet pilots apply for the prestigious places on the team each year. Kirsty is not the first female to have applied to join the Red Arrows, but was the first to make the prestigious ‘shortlist’ of candidates, and is now the first to be selected for the team.

Until recently, no female fast-jet pilot had reached the stage in their flying career to fulfil the application criteria; be assessed as above average in their flying career, have a minimum of 1,500 flying hours and have completed at least one front line fast-jet operational tour. Applications to join the Red Arrows from Royal Air Force fast-jet pilots meeting the relevant criteria are treated equally and considered purely on merit.

Wing Commander Jas Hawker, Officer Commanding and Team Leader of the Red Arrows, said: “The shortlist of candidates to join the Red Arrows represents some of the very finest fast-jet pilots in the Royal Air Force. Their skills, experience, dedication and enthusiasm are second to none. We are equally proud to be welcoming both pilots to the team and are looking forward to their arrival in September 2009.”

Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore (31) joined the RAF as a pilot in 1998. Originally from Lincolnshire she has served as an instructor on the Hawk aircraft at RAF Valley in North Wales and is currently flying Tornado GR4 with XIII Sqn based at RAF Marham in Norfolk.

Flight Lieutenant Ben Plank (30) from Worcestershire joined the RAF in 2000. Like Kirsty, he has also served as an instructor on the Hawk at RAF Valley, from where he went on to his current operational tour flying the Harrier with 1(F) Sqn from RAF Cottesmore, Leicestershire.

For the latest news on the Red Arrows visit www.raf.mod.uk/reds

One of the stars of this summer’s Royal International Air Tattoo in the Cotswolds has been unveiled by organisers.

Visitors to RAF Fairford on July 18-19 will have a rare opportunity to see a display by one of the most iconic warbirds of the Cold War era.

The world’s only airworthy Vulcan bomber, which was restored to flying condition last year following a massive £7 million public campaign, will join hundreds of other aircraft at the world’s largest military airshow.

The news will be greeted by thousands of people who had hoped to see the legendary aircraft at last summer’s cancelled Air Tattoo.

Vulcan XH558, which was built in 1960, enjoyed a 33-year career in the RAF, including service during the Falklands War. Along with the Valiant and the Victor, the three aircraft comprised the Royal Air Force’s legendary V-bomber force, designed to protect the UK from nuclear threat from the 1950s to the 1980s.

The ambitious restoration of XH558 was supported by a £2.5 million grant from the Lottery Fund, a £500,000 donation from philanthropist Jack Hayward, commercial sponsors plus contributions from more than 20,000 members of the public. The campaign also received significant fundraising support from the Air Tattoo throughout the restoration project.

Air Tattoo Director Mr Tim Prince said he was very excited to announce the participation of such a unique aircraft.

He said: “Like Concorde and the Spitfire, the Avro Vulcan is one of the few iconic aircraft that has the ability to have a profound impact on those who see it fly. Its sleek lines belie its thunderous power and it is simply breathtaking to watch.

“We are pleased to be able to give the thousands of people who had hoped to see the Vulcan fly at RAF Fairford last summer another opportunity to see this amazing aircraft.”

The Royal International Air Tattoo is staged annually in support of the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust

Nicolas Ivanoff of France won the second Red Bull Air Race World Championship of the season in San Diego on Sunday with a superb run in the finals while championship leader Hannes Arch of Austria fell to third after suffering a bird strike that tore a grapefruit-sized hole on the back of his plane. Britain’s Paul Bonhomme took second place in front of 55,000 spectators watching the race over San Diego Bay under bright blue skies. Ivanoff’s victory narrowed the championship race considerably after two races with Arch (23 points) still ahead of Ivanoff (21) and Bonhomme (20).

Australia’s rookie sensation Matt Hall had another outstanding race, taking fifth place for the second consecutive race while America’s Mike Mangold (7th), Kirby Chambliss (12th) and Michael Goulian (14th) were far off the pace.

“This is really nice,” said Ivanoff, who threw his fists into the air in celebration after climbing out of his new Edge 540. Explosive flying from Ivanoff in both the Super 8 and Final 4 proved that he is a force to be reckoned with. Beating his own outstanding personal best from the Super 8, Ivanoff wiped seconds off his rivals with a course record of 1:17:21.
“I’m really happy. The new plane is great. I thought I had a pretty good run in the final but it’s always possible someone else comes up with an even faster time.” It was only the second career victory for Ivanoff, who won the final race of the 2007 season in Perth, Australia.

Arch, who had won a maximum 13 points in the first race and picked up another point by posting the fastest Qualifying time on Saturday, had the speed to win on Sunday and was just ahead of Ivanoff at the first interval. But then a pelican punctured a gaping hole in his horizontal stabiliser shortly before the midway point. Arch said he was startled by the bird hit and was then unable to properly level his wings through the next Air Gate. It was a costly two-second penalty that dropped him behind both Ivanoff and Bonhomme.

“I was having a really good run and then I had a bird strike that distracted me,” Arch said after inspecting the blood-covered hole on the right side of his plane’s tail. “I was off line after that. The bird strike nearly tore off my horizontal stabiliser. It was bad luck but good luck that I was able to fly to the finish line.”

Bonhomme, who had won in San Diego in both the last two years, was not pleased about getting second place again after finishing behind Arch both in Abu Dhabi as well as in the 2008 championship. He nevertheless took solace that the 2009 championship race had narrowed with four races left thanks to Ivanoff’s victory. Had Arch won, Bonhomme could have been six or more points behind. “I would be lying if I said that wasn’t good, although I’m not happy that I’m second,” said Bonhomme, who was hampered by a sore back. “I’m not a second place kind of guy and I’m getting pretty fed up with being second.”

There were more than 100,000 spectators who watched the two days of racing in San Diego. The championship now moves north to Windsor, Ontario in Canada on 13/14 June for the third of six races this year.

Over 200 vintage aircraft will visit Kemble Airport over the weekend of May 9^th/10^th, giving visitors a spectacular dose of nostalgia a great family treat.

The Great Vintage Flying Weekend is aimed at aircraft built before 1965 and visitors will be able to see over 100 visiting aircraft each day, with lots of classic ‘stringbag’ aircraft such as Tiger Moth biplanes and famous examples such as Austers, Cubs and a Miles Messenger - the type once used by Field Marshal Montgomery as his personal transport.

Uniquely, the aircraft parking area will open to the public for two hours over the lunchtime period, giving visitors the chance to inspect the gems at close quarters. “These wonderful old aeroplanes even have a classic smell,” said organiser Glen Moreman, “a mixture of oil, dope and leather. Many of the aircraft on show are more than 70 years old - where else these days can you walk right up to such treasures and see the wires and canvas with which they’re made?”

The Great Vintage Flying Weekend includes a small flying display of vintage aeroplanes each day, featuring the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s wartime Dakota, two SE5As and two Junkers CL1s of the First World War Display Team, and a post war Piston Provost trainer.

To make the day complete the spacious AV8 restaurant will provide refreshments for everyone and there will also be a bar and other catering outlets around the site. Disabled parking and facilities are available along with all the usual array of trade stands and attractions that will make this event a great family day out.

Gates will open at 9am; access is signposted from the A433 Cirencester - Tetbury road. Adult tickets are priced at £8 in advance (£10 on the gate) and are available from Tourist Information Centres in Bath, Cheltenham, Chippenham, Cirencester, Gloucester, Malmesbury, Stroud, Swindon, and Tetbury, or by logging onto www.gvfwe.co.uk. Children’s tickets (age 6-16) are priced at £5, while children under 6 enter free.

Britain’s Paul Bonhomme was pipped to the post today in the first race in this year’s Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi. Hannes Arch of Austria came from behind to win the race with Nicolas Ivanoff of France taking third place. Britain’s Nigel Lamb established himself as a force to be reckoned with this year, taking fourth in the sizzling heat of the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Australia’s Matt Hall, one of four rookies in the championship this year, had an outstanding performance in his very first race, grabbing a sensational fifth place on the challenging 6.6-km course of Air Gates set up just above the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf.

Arch, the defending world champion, saved his best for last, blazing to victory to the delight of the large crowd of spectators watching from the rim of the Corniche with a time of 1:24.60 - a full 0.89 seconds faster than Bonhomme’s outstanding effort just moments earlier. Arch had stumbled in the Super 8 session and only just qualified for the Final 4 in fourth place. Arch, who also collected one championship point with his victory in Friday’s Qualifying session, then opened up his throttle in the final on a day when temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius to pick up the 12 points. He will take a three-point lead over Bonhomme (10 points) to the next race in San Diego.

Bonhomme, who had won here in Abu Dhabi last year and led the championship for most of the 2008 season before stumbling late in the year to finish second to Arch, was surprised that his fabulous Final 4 time of 1:25.49 was not enough for the victory. “It felt like a pretty good run,” Bonhomme said. “I was actually quite pleased with that.”

Ivanoff, who took delivery of his Edge 540 just four weeks ago, was elated to be back on the podium after spending most of last year in the lower half of the field. “It’s really a surprise because I only got the plane one month ago and you can’t really expect a result like that,” he said. “It’s a new plane. The technicians were working through the night for the last week to get it ready for the race. It’s a good plane. I need to avoid making so many mistakes. But if you want to go fast, you have to take risks.”

Another rookie, Matthias Dolderer of Germany, also had a bright start to his Red Bull Air Race World Championship career, taking 11th place and collecting his first championship point. Dolderer had started the week cautiously and seemed to improve with each training and racing session.

The 15 pilots in the largest field ever assembled in the history of the race fly the single-propeller planes weighing 540 kg with tremendous precision, reaching speeds of up to 370 kilometres per hour and enduring forces of up to 12G as they navigate through the turn-filled courses just metres above the surface. Last year, more than 3.5 million fans around the world attended the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, which were watched by a total of some 500 million television viewers in 115 countries on six continents.

In a major coup, the Abingdon Air & Country Show in Oxfordshire on Sunday May 3rd has, subject to operational requirements, secured an appearance from the RAF’s largest aircraft – the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.

No 99 Squadron at nearby RAF Brize Norton will be flying in one of its five C-17s to the show at Dalton Barracks, Abingdon Airfield, early on the morning of May 3rd.

It will take pride of place in the static aircraft park, before departing back to Brize Norton after the show.

“This is a huge attraction – quite literally!” enthused show organiser Neil Porter. “It will be the largest aircraft to ever land at Abingdon. It’s quite appropriate the C-17 should be visiting the show, because the Abingdon was a Transport Command station during its RAF days.”

He added: “Our show celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and it’s a fitting salute to this wholly volunteer-run, charity event that the RAF is providing this great aircraft for us.”

The RAF C-17 fleet is very busy supporting ongoing overseas operations with its vital strategic heavy-lift role, and so appearances by these aircraft at airshows are understandably rare events – making its appearance at Abingdon all the more special.

The C-17 will be just part of a great family day out, which raises funds for the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance.

Air displays comprise the RAF Hawk, Tutor and Chinook, Jet Provost, Dukes of Cassutt, the Army’s Tigers Parachute Team, C-47 Dakota Drag ‘em-oot (a genuine D-Day veteran), P-40 Kittyhawk, P-51D Mustang, DH Vampire, Pembroke, Yak-52 and T-28 Fennec. All these aircraft can also be viewed on the ground.

Weather conditions depending, it is hoped that around 70 light, classic and vintage aircraft will fly in on the day. There will also be a modern day RAF Merlin helicopter and an overseas guest with the return of a US Army UH60 Blackhawk helicopter.

There will be an extensive range of ground attractions including family amusements, a craft marquee and farmers’ market stalls to a Williams Formula 1 show car, tank rides, a Heart Radio interactive studio and Doctor Who Tardis and Daleks. There will also be a nostalgic theme with a 1940s kitchen; WW2 memorabilia; live period music performed by Fiona Harrison and author Richard Holdsworth signing copies of his book “Six Spoons of Sugar”, his moving account of being an evacuee during the war.

Tickets are available now from the show’s website www.abingdonfayre.com and from the following outlets:

• Abingdon Information Office, Abingdon Town Council offices;
• Old Abbey House (opposite Guildhall);
• The Warehouse, Coxeters’ Yard, Abingdon;
• Clothes 4 Work, 138 The Broadway, Didcot;
• Wallingford Information Office;
• Nationwide Building Society branches in Abingdon, Bicester, Didcot, Oxford, Wallingford and Wantage.

For more information visit www.abingdonfayre.com.

Two of the UK’s most prestigious airshows have worked together to reschedule their previously published show dates for 2012 in order to operate harmoniously alongside the Olympic Games in London.

The airshows in question, the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) have a history of supporting one another and working together. In 2008, FIA organisers Farnborough International Ltd (FIL) extended the hand of friendship to RIAT customers when its show was unavoidably called off due to extreme weather conditions, by opening the doors of Farnborough’s public airshow to members of Friends of RIAT who had been disappointed by the cancellation of the event which is held yearly at RAF Fairford.

This time, it is RIAT who are helping to accommodate Farnborough ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. FIL had originally planned to hold its biennial airshow in the week of 16-22 July 2012, however as the Olympic Games will take place between 27 July and 12 August in London, organisers were aware that this could potentially cause difficulty for exhibitors and visitors in sourcing accommodation and other vital services for the show.

Traditionally RIAT is held on the weekend prior to FIA in order to enable military chiefs and senior aerospace figures to attend both. A joint decision was therefore made between FIL and RIAT, to move forward the dates of both shows by one week, thus keeping with tradition and ensuring that Farnborough’s exhibitors and visitors can benefit from fully available resources. Farnborough International Airshow 2012 will now take place 9-15 July 2012, preceded by the Royal International Air Tattoo on 7-8 July 2012.

Speaking of the new arrangements, FIL Chief Executive Shaun Ormrod said: “It is vital that the services we require to produce the airshow are readily available and by moving the dates forward by a week we can be sure that they will be. We are also aware that many of our visitors will want to take in all three of these fantastic summer events and we hope that this will make it easier to do that. We are extremely grateful to RIAT for accommodating us to achieve this conclusion.”

Air Tattoo Director Tim Prince added: “We were of course aware that the date changes could have an effect on some of the UK’s other airshows however we explored all options and consulted other organisers who recognised the need for us to change our traditional dates because of the exceptional circumstances and the importance 2012 carries as a year for the UK’s events industry.

“We all feel it is important in a summer when the world’s eyes are focused in our direction that the UK’s aviation events continue to work together and support each other wherever they can. This, the true spirit of British aviation shows UK PLC at its very best and we want to ensure it stays that way.”