The annual Kemble Air Show has always been a real highlight of the airshow season. 2009 saw the event expanded into a two day event for the first time. Not only did mean the crowds were spread over two days, but it also meant that more displays could be accomodated with different displays on each day.
The weather for both days of the event was rather cloudy and grey and this does tell in the some of the quaility of the filming with some quite dark images and plenty of sillouettes. However, this does not detract from Planes TV pleasing style of filming with the minimal use of commentary and music to augment the flying displays. As ever, the flying displays are captured well from different vantage points. Unlike other productions, there is a noticable absence of interviews which is slightly dissappointing considering the number of really interesting types on show -- particularly the rarely seen classic jets (Venoms, Meteors, Hunter etc.) and Kemble interesting residents.
The only onboard footage (and the interactive section) features Neil MacCarthy’s Jet Provost T3. The angle used inthis production is much better than that of the Abingdon footage and a real pilots eye view of the displays (and a Garmin GPS!) As ever, this is a good record of the day but it does lack some of the more in-depth footage of some of Planes TV’s other productions.
In the first of a new series of articles, Flightline UK looks back at some of the airshows that have disappeared from the display calendar. We start with a look at one of the most popular and extraordinary seaside airshows; the Shepway Festival Airshow held in Folkestone.
The 1990′s were a golden era for airshows. As today, they were extremely popular and coastal resorts were starting to recognise the value of the airshow to their summer tourist season. 1990 was a particular highpoint with the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain proving a popular theme in the south-east of England, particularly Kent. One town keen to celebrate that anniversary was Folkestone which was at the forefront of the Battle – the Shepway Airshow was born. Shepway is the regional name for the area covering Folkestone, Hythe and Romney Marsh. The air display was incorporated into a three day festival, though the main flying displays also provided the finale on the Sunday.
The first event proved so popular that the show was repeated until 2001 before the show took a years break before the final show in 2003. Each event, which was completely free, attracted massive crowds. The main event was centred on “The Leas.” This was the main promenade area for Folkestone on top of the cliffs – 200ft above sea level!! This gave an unparalleled view of the flying displays which very often arrived from below the crowd. As the show grew, so did the flying displays. Later shows saw a short morning flying display before a lunch break and the main four hour afternoon display. The cliff tops were packed with people and trade stands for about two miles. Classic Cars and the odd static helicopter sat in the shadows of Folkestones cliff top hotels. The airshow commentary was mostly conducted by the legendary Jerry Mead who was always very enthusiastic about the flying. In later years Brendan O’Brien and Peter MacNamara also provided the commentary from the cliff top caravan! The aircraft for the show were based at a number of local airfields. Manston used to host many of the military items while Lydd was the main base for the civilian displays.
From the outset, the Shepway was very much a warbird orientated airshow. The show’s flying displays were directed by Jeanne Frazer who puts together Duxford’s flying displays. Duxford warbirds always featured well in the flying displays with the Fighter Collection’s aircraft taking centred stage. The Spitfires and Hurricanes were always popular, but so were the Grumman “Cats”, P-51s and Harvards as well as the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Army Air Corps Historic Flight and Royal Navy Historic Flight. Classic Jets also featured with Tom Moloney’s Strikemaster and Golden Apple’s pair of T-33 and F-86 being popular participants.
One of the outstanding features of the Shepway airshows were unusual and sometimes large formations. In later years, there were formations putting Tornado F3′s alongside civilian Hurricanes and the Blenheim and there were always interesting warbirds put together. The last show in 2003 had unique formations of Swordfish and Wildcat, and Swordfish and Avenger. The “Shepway Salute” finales were always special – often there were opposing large formations of warbirds lead by the heavies such as the Catalina or B-17G Sally-B.
As with most seaside airshows, Shepway always featured some of the best civilian display acts from Europe. The “Crunchie Flying Circus” and “Utterly Butterly Barnstormers” were regular participants. The shows also featured the likes of Jaques Bothelin’s Patrouille Apache, The Yakovlevs and the Matadors. One of the most unique displays was a hang-gliding display by Judy Leden. Judy was aero-towed in from Lydd Airport by microlight before gliding her way down to the beaches below the cliffs!
Military displays were always popular. The RAF’s solo display teams made regular appearances at the show. Particularly popular were the RAF’s Tornado F3 and Harrier GR7 displays. Not many venues gave crowds the chance to see Harriers hovering at eye level. Amongst the highlights of later shows were appearances by 25(F) Squadron. No 25 Squadron had spent much of it’s career at nearby RAF Hawkinge. The town of Folkestone eventually adopted the Squadron and each year 25(F) would send a quartet of Tornado F3′s for a one-off formation display at the event culminating in a least one of the F3s performing a fast pass and zoom climb.
Sadly, growing expenses saw the end of the flying displays as Shepway District Council could not longer justify the event. It was a truelt unique event and one sadly missed by it’s fans. Today, few airshows have such unique vantage points with perhaps Bournemouth and Dawlish being the exceptions. Read more of this article »
Sunday 13th June will see the Bentwaters Airshow. This event builds of the success of previos events at Bentwaters Park, home of the Cold War Museum and Carolyn Grace’s Spitfire and engineering base. Currently confirmed are displays from the following acts:-
Red Bull Matadors – Sukhoi Su-26 x 2 (F)
Breitling Wingwalkers – Boeing Stearman x 2 (F)
Supermarine Spitfire IXT (F) Carolyn Grace
North American P-51D Mustang x 2 (F)
Hawker Hunter (F)
Red Arrows Flypast (TBC)
Thanks to Sarah at Bentwaters Park for the information
You may have seen the article in the Daily Mail today speculating about the future of the BBMF. Air Command have advised us that the potential demise of the BBMF as a cost saving measure is untrue;
There is no plan to cut any funding from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. We routinely review all spending to balance our resources and focus on the highest priority – operations in Afghanistan. A wide range of options are always considered in each annual planning round but not all of these are taken.
Red Arrows swap flying suits for running kits to announce participation in the 2010 Virgin London Marathon
The Red Arrows swap their famous red flying suits for red running kits at RAF Scampton on Tuesday 12 January, as the Team announces its participation in the 2010 Virgin London Marathon to raise funds for the vital work of the RAF Association’s Wings Appeal.
The Reds Arrows marathon team includes all nine Red Arrows display pilots, Red 10 and other members of the Red Arrows support team. Remaining close to the family values of the charity, some of the wives/partners of the pilots will also be running with the Team to raise money (if you wish to donate click here).
The Virgin London Marathon takes place on Sunday 25 April 2010 and the team hopes to raise around £40,000 for the RAF Association’s Wings Appeal. The charity provides welfare support for current and former Royal Air Force personnel and their families.
The Red Arrows are supporting a major new Wings Appeal project that will enable RAF personnel serving overseas to telephone home to their families more frequently, helping them to feel close to their loved ones even though they are thousands of miles apart.
To make a secure donation to the Red Arrows’ Wings Appeal fundraising campaign, go to rafa.org
Red 1, Squadron Leader Ben Murphy, Officer Commanding and Team Leader of the Red Arrows, says: “We are extremely proud to be running the Virgin London Marathon to raise money for a cause so close to our hearts. All Red Arrows pilots have served on operations, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and so recognise the vital importance of the welfare support provided by the RAF Association’s Wings Appeal. Being able to keep in regular telephone contact with your family is one of the most important things in the world.”
The Red Arrows RAF Association Wings Appeal Virgin London Marathon team includes:
RED 1, Officer Commanding and Team Leader – Squadron Leader Ben Murphy (from Loughborough, Leicestershire)
RED 2 – Flight Lieutenant Ben Plank (from Worcestershire)
RED 3 – Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore (from Lincoln, Lincolnshire)
RED 4 – Flight Lieutenant Dave Davies (from Colwyn Bay, Wales)
RED 5 – Flight Lieutenant Zane Sennett (originally from Hong Kong, educated in Surrey)
RED 6 – Flight Lieutenant Mike Ling (from Orpington, Kent)
RED 7 – Flight Lieutenant David Montenegro (originally from Bogota, Colombia, educated in Dulwich)
RED 8 – Squadron Leader Graham Duff (from Penrith, Cumbria)
RED 9 – Flight Lieutenant Simon Rea (from New Zealand)
RED 10 and Road Manager – Squadron Leader Graeme Bagnall (from Cumbria)
2010 will be the Red Arrows’ 46th display season. Since the Team’s creation in 1965, the Red Arrows have flown over 4,200 displays in 53 countries. Today the Red Arrows are renowned throughout the world, acting as ambassadors for Great Britain when displaying overseas. They also support UK industry by demonstrating the capabilities of British equipment and expertise. The Royal Air Force has some 3,000 servicemen and women deployed overseas on operations at any one time. Many of the Red Arrows’ pilots and support staff have recently returned from Afghanistan and Iraq and many will be temporarily sent on operations overseas during their time with the Red Arrows. As soon as they leave the Team, all will return to duties which directly support the Royal Air Force’s operational commitments around the world.
Commencing IWM Duxford’s programme of events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the Spring Air Show showcases the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and opens the Flight’s season for 2010.
On Saturday 15 May, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft will form the centre-piece of a ground display that also comprises contemporary RAF aircraft. Personnel from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and contemporary RAF squadrons will interact with visitors, alongside Battle of Britain veterans, to show how the camaraderie and bravery of the Battle of Britain pilots continues to inspire the RAF’s contemporary mission. This is an exciting opportunity for visitors to interact with pilots and their aircraft before seeing them in action on the following day. It also enables visitors to put the actions of the Battle of Britain into modern context and to understand how those events still resonate today.
Sunday 16 May sees the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight in flying action, sharing the skies with historic Second World War aircraft and contemporary RAF aircraft. Visitors will be able to see the RAF’s glorious past in flight alongside its sophisticated contemporary aircraft – past and present in perfect harmony.
Visitors will be able to attend either the Saturday or the Sunday separately, or are able to purchase a two-day ticket to enjoy the full atmosphere of this very special event
The Blades have been announced as the latest participants at this year’s Biggin Hill International Air Fair. They were rested in 2009 to keep the Air Fair line up fresh but will return this year with their dynamic and exciting display.
A full run down of Biggin’s participation can be found in our PREVIEW.
Currently on Flightline UK, we have six previews of 2010 airshows covering Abingdon, Kemble, Biggin Hill, Waddington, RIAT and Shoreham. More will be added in the coing weeks as and when information is released.
NEWHAM could have a second airport, of sorts. Drinks giant Red Bull wants to create a temporary aerodrome facility, including runway, at the Royals Business Park to use during their annual air races.
Development, according to their planning application published this week, also includes temporary buildings, structures and other works on the north side of Royal Albert Dock to include, helipads and taxiway, aircraft hangers and control tower. Councillors will be asked to approve the scheme to cover the spectacular air events that take place along the River Thames up to 2015
The first really big airshow of 2009 took place at RAF Cosford. The small, elegant RAF station is perhaps the perfect venue for a flying display. RAF Cosford Airshow 2009 was a particularly varied affair with some great civilian and international display acts joining the RAF regulars.
Planes TV’s production runs for 75 minutes. As you would expect the footage is of high quality and there’s no distracting music during the main feature. The narration is provided by Cosford’s own airshow commentator, Sean Maffett. The production starts with some opening shots of the show-ground before instantly going into the action with the large model radio controlled aircraft.
The displays are all very captured, though some footage is not from the show day itself. There’s also a few displays missing (we have been told by Planes TV this was due to technical issues with their recording equipment). There’s some good on-board footage too. However, there two sections of the main footage that make this DVD stand out. Firstly, there’s the highlights of Airsound’s “In to the wild blue yonder” production. This covered three displays (Anna Walker in the P-51D, the RAF Chinook and RAF Hawk) with interviews with display pilots, enthusiasts and the general public on their emotions surrounding aeroplanes and flight.
The second is the coverage of the Vulcan’s 2009 display debut in which is very obvious to see Planes TV’s and Sean Maffett’s enthusiasm for the aircraft.
The interactive section covers displays from the RAF Falcons, Blades and RAF Chinook. Footage from the latter two is very interesting, particularly the on-board audio coverage from the Chinook crew! Overall, this is a very good production despite the in complete coverage of the actual show days.
The Southend Festival of the Air was the first major seaside airshow of the year. Previously known as the Southend Airshow, the event was smaller than previous years -- ever rising costs have meant councils have reduced airshow budgets. Nevertheless, the event maintained it’s popularity thanks to some very kind weather.
Seaside venues bring their own complications for film makers with the display acts based remotely at nearby airfield. Planes TV had cameras both at the seafront and at the airport, as well as in the air with the RAF Falcons -- more about that later.
The production starts with some opening shots of the seafront as well as some footage of the pilots briefing. This is very short and perhaps could have easier been expanded on. However, it is pleasing to see so many interviews with the participating display crews and even one of the organisers at the very end of the production.
The DVD covers all the display acts that appeared. Footage has been captured from a variety of viewpoints around the seafront. There are many shots of seafront and the crowds as well as the displays themselves. While is the most part, the footage is excellent, one particular angle seems to capture a lot of the local vegetation while following some aircraft. It may have worked for some shots of the Royal Marines demo, but not for some of the other displays where it is an unnecessary distraction!
Planes TV’s DVD’s all now feature interactive footage as bonus material. For Southend, this features the RAF Falcons allowing the viewer the change to follow the whole jump from the aircraft to the beach which is particularly impressive footage.
At 35 minutes running time, it’s quite a short production that does manage to pack in a lot of the action of the event. However, I couldn’t help thinking that more could of be made of the behind the scenes footage at the airport and pilot’s briefing. It’s these opportunities that the general viewing public often don’t have access to at the event.
To try and help counteract the spell of cold weather that is gripping the country at the moment we thought it might be good to highlight the major Newark Air Museum events and activities that are being planned for the coming months. Further details and image files are available on request to illustrate these events and activities.
Throughout January, February & March we are hosting a FREE to enter Aircraft Recognition Competition based around the 85th Anniversary of the formation of the Observer Corps; where during each month you could win vouchers to spend in the Museum Shop.
17 April 2010 – Indoor Aeroboot Table Top Sale {special discount admission – only £4.00 per person}
24 & 25 April 2010 – Tribute to the V-Force event
19 & 20 June 2010 – Cockpit-Fest 2010 & Aeroboot aviation and avionics sale
The museum website has recently been updated www.newarkairmuseum.org and full details about these and other museum activities can be found on the news pages of the website, which is regularly updated.
Unless otherwise stated the opening times / admission rates for these events are as follows:
Open: Everyday except December 24th, 25th & 26th & January 1st; November to February daily 1000 – 1600 hours; March to October daily 1000 – 1700 hours (including weekends & Bank Holidays).
Admission: Adults £6.25, Over 60s £5.75, Children £4.00 and Family ticket [2 adults & 3 children] £18.50. Appointments are preferred for Group [15 plus people] visits, although not essential and a party rate booking information pack is available on application.
Newark Air Museum Ltd., Winthorpe Showground, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY
RAF Waddington’s International Air Show Director, Colin Reeves, is stepping down later this year and the search is on for a replacement. More on Key.Aero
2009 has been Flightline UK’s biggest season to date with not only UK shows but visits to events in the United Arab Emirates, The Netherlands and Sweden. It has been a very mixed season with some outstanding highlights as well as a few disappointments. The weather, in general, was kind to airshows with only very few “washouts” and certainly much improved on the very difficult conditions experienced in 2007 and 2008.
The season got under-way very early in 2009 with the Al Ain Aerobatics Show held at the end of January. Al Ain was certainly a unique experience and it was simply such a pleasure to leave a cold icy UK behind for the warmth of the UAE and an airshow. With very few “home” acts, Al Ain imports some of the best acts in the world. 2009 saw teams from the UK, Italy, Sweden, Hungary, the USA, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Russia. For those looking for a military show, Al Ain would have been disappointing despite advertising major participation from the UAE Air Force as well as several other air arms in the region including Russian Su-30s! However, it really was a spectacular show with displays from the Royal Saudi Air Force “Saudi Hawks”, Italy’s “Pioneer Team” and Sweden’s “Scandinavian Airshow” Team – the latter with the extraordinary Pitts Python and “Catwalk” displays. Will Curtis also made a “comeback” in Al Ain and was reunited with his Sukhoi Su-26M2. Al Ain also hosted Aero GP which seemed a little too disjointed (and maybe a little scripted?) for my own personal taste!
The return to UK was quite a shock having left Dubai in 30C and arriving back to a snowy -2C at Heathrow. However, there was no break! A week later, there was a hugely enjoyable Twilight Burner Extravaganza at Bruntingthorpe followed by small flying display at Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey, the Cradle of UK aviation! A month later, we were at RAF Northolt for a new type of event – a night-time phtoocall. Phil Dawe and No 32 Squadron at RAF Northolt have been busy all year putting on Night Photocalls as well as their traditional June event and they are all excellent opportunities to capture something different.
2009 saw significant change to the Royal Air Force displays. Over the winter it was announced that the popular RAF Role Demonstration would not be returning for the 2009 display season leaving just the solo Typhoon and Hawk displays as representatives of RAF fast jets on the display circuit. An accident during display practice at RAF Linton-on-Ouse also left the RAF without it’s Tucano solo for the 2009 but thankfully Flt Lt Mike Rutland has made a full recovery.
In the UK, the season got under-way in May and saw events at Abingdon, Kemble, Duxford and Southend. All were blessed with relatively good weather, though it was a little windy at Duxford. Abingdon had a particularly strong year with good support from the RAF and excellent displays from the Swift Team and John Dodd in the DC3. At the end of May came a second international trip for the Volkel in de Wolken (Volkel in the Clouds) show in the Netherlands. It’s a fair sized airshow but takes place away from Volkel AFB over farmer’s fields! Even so, the local F-16 squadrons at Volkel put on a noisy highlight with a fiveship of F-16s performing some formation passes and low overshoots! It’s a shame the same can’t be repeated in the UK when airshows are being held close to RAF bases!
June was another very good month starting off with fine displays at Old Warden, Margate and RAF Cosford. The latter saw the 2009 début of the Avro Vulcan bringing chaos to the roads outside Cosford by mid morning with people eager to enjoy the good weather and the return of the big delta. Kemble also provided an exciting day out with an amazing collection of classic jets. Highlights were again the Vulcan and Lt Cdr Matt Whitfield’s punchy account of the Sea Vixen. The month was closed with the Biggin Hill International Air Fair which is always a season highlight but perhaps more so this year with the stunning flypasts by a Virgin Atlantic 747-400 and the Red Arrows.
July was perhaps much more a mixed bag. London City must be one of the best kept secrets of the UK calendar and Waddington was another solid showing despite the Vulcan’s Permit-to-fly debacle. Weather badly affected the Yeovilton International Air Day but that didn’t stop the French Air Force Rafale B making a stunning debut nor the impressive “Fly Navy 100″ celebrations. Though I didn’t attend Flying Legends for the first time this year, it was another vintage show despite the lack of TFC aircraft in the flying display Christophe Jaquard’s stunning Flug Werk FW190 was very much the star. One event however that failed to deliver was “Dover 2009 – Bleriot: The Celebration.” Through a catalogue of errors, the event in Dover were a shambles despite the best efforts of the those flying and those trying to organise the flying. The event was woefully under publicised and having one free event on the shoreline and another “pay” event up above the town just confused the public. The losses eventually led to the event organisers and promoters going bust before the air display acts and management could be paid.
July is also time for the Royal International Air Tattoo. A successful event was dearly needed after the cancellation of the 2008 show. 2009 saw the new ticketing scheme in full effect and it has to be said despite the sell out the traffic did keep flowing (just.) Though it did rain (a lot) the show survived thanks new schemes to preserve the car parks. However, without the Fly Navy 100 portion of the 8 hour flying display, RIAT 2009 was a pretty average edition as far as exotic aircraft and flying displays go. Among the highlights were the stunning Royal New Zealand Air Force 757 display and that Vulcan take-off on the Sunday. 2010 will hopefully be much better if plans come to fruition.
August is my personal favourite month of the year for airshows, and 2009 proved to be particularly special. First came the change to join the Swift Team in the back of a Chipmunk tow-plane for the first weekend of the month and the delightful show at East Kirkby. Despite a very threatening weather forecast the show went ahead as planned. It was show packed with variety with everything from Justin Needham’s O-1 Bird Dog right through the awesome RAF Chinook display.
The real highlight of the year though was Flygfesten in Sweden. Held at a the small Dala Jarna airfield, right in the heart of Sweden, this show really is a hidden gem. The friendly atmosphere and perfect flying display just made this weekend such a joy. Sweden and Scandinavia are home to such a diverse range of displays and these were boosted by some Europe’s finest military and civilian acts. The Swedish classic jets like the J29 Tunnan and J32B Lansen are obvious highlights for the British enthusiast, but so were Michael Carlson’s antics in the Piper L4 Cub and Jurgis Kairys’ impossible aerobatics in a Sukhoi Su-26.
However, it’s the South Coast of England that’s the place to be come mid August. Eastbourne kicked things off with a brilliant return to form after the difficulties of 2008. Highlight of the four days had to be the formation of John Romain’s Spitfire IXT and the Dutch Air Force golden F-16. A week later saw two other major shows on the coast. First off was Bournemouth Air Festival and what a year for that show. Good weather brought out over 1.2million people over the four days and it enjoyed strong support from the RAF, Royal Navy, OFMC Fighter Pair, Vulcan and a myriad of civilian display teams. The same weekend also saw Shoreham’s 20th Anniversary Airshow. It, as always, was a top notch weekend at the Sussex Airport with the Spitfire Scramble and the début of the Vulcan being the outstanding moments.
Sadly, August also saw tragedy with the loss of American competition Vicki Cruse at the World Aerobatic Championships at Silverstone. The loss was marked by the American team on the last day of WAC which also saw the closing ceremony and airshow. Closing the month was the ever popular Dunsfold Wings and Wheels. It’s fair to say Dunsfold had reached it’s capacity as a single day airshow this year with packed car parks and even more packed local roads. Despite this and the weather it was another great show and will return as a two day event in 2010.
The closing month and half of the season during September and October was perhaps a little more low key. Seething was a nice little surprise while Duxford’s September show was good, but not a truely memorable event. Kemble’s Battle of Britain Airshow is definitely one to watch in the future and Southport was another enjoyable event. However, it wasn’t an airshow as such which captured my imagination the most. The Goodwood Revival was quite simply a total assault on the senses with some spectacular flying alongside some classic motor-racing and a totally unique atmosphere. The Revival was particularly noteworthy for a combined display by the OFMC, TFC and HAC that was reminiscent of the Breitling Fighters Team and final public appearance of the Vickers Vimy replica . The latter’s sunset display on the Sunday was a spectacular farewell to a truly historic aircraft in it’s own right.
The Old Warden and Duxford Autumn shows brought 2009 to a positive end during early October. While 2009 may not have been the most spectacular display season, it was one of the most successful which huge crowds enjoying shows up and down the UK in relatively good weather. Much of the off-season news has been regarding the future of Vulcan XH558 whose financial struggles would rival any soap opera. While airshows could quite easily survive without the Vulcan, it would be a great shame if the mighty delta didn’t fly again in 2010. Elsewhere, there should be plenty of new displays in 2010 as well as some exciting débutantes from overseas if plans come together.
Most of all, I would like to thank everybody that’s helped make 2009 such a fun and exciting year and wish everybody a very happy and prosperous new year!
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Commencing IWM Duxford’s programme of events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the Spring Air Show showcases the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and opens the Flight’s season for 2010.
