THIS weekend’s London City Airport Fun Day will have virtually no links to planes or air travel.
The annual event will take place this Saturday at the Thames Barrier Park – the first time it has moved out of the airport itself.
The move came because expected visitor numbers in excess of 25,000 meant the show could not be staged at the Royal Docks airport.
But London City has confirmed the move means the air show – normally the centre-piece of the fun day – will not be included in the event. Indeed, the only link to the air will be a flight simulator provided by British Airways.
“Due to the relocation of Fun Day to Thames Barrier Park the airport is unable to secure a license for an airshow,” said a spokeswoman.
Instead, the fun day will have more of a village fete feel, with a host of games and attractions aimed at the whole family.
But the decision has disappointed many people who were looking forward to the array of historic aircraft that usually attend the show.
In 2009 visitors were able to see many old favourites, including a rare two-seater Spitfire, a Second World War Hurricane and wing walkers.
Subscribers to the Docklands in London website have voiced their displeasure at the cutbacks, with one asking: “If there is no airshow (and let’s face it, that was the main attraction), what are the attractions? Why would anyone consider going?
“Only the simulator has anything to do with flying and airports. Way to go guys… great way to stuff what used to be a good event. I’m not going to waste my time for four hours of kiddy crap.”
Another writer added: “An airport funday – not at the airport and with no airshow? Delete.”
Every penny raised goes to Richard House Children’s Hospice, which provide care and respite to families and children with life-limited illnesses.
Admission is free and the doors are open from 11.30am to 3.30pm.
The 2011 edition of the Southport airshow will be held on the 23rd-24th July 2011, a move away from it’s traditional September slot
The show’s timing is dictated by tides as much of the showground as well as temporary runways and car parks are positioned on the sands just off the town’s promenade. High tides during September 2011 mean that the show has been forced to find a new slot in late July when the tides will be low enough to allow the runways and showground to be built.
The latest 2011 airshow dates can be found in our Airshow calendar.
The organisers of the Biggin Hill International Air Fair can now confirm that the World Cup football match between England and Germany on the Sunday will be shown on their of their large screens, viewable from the display line.
For those of you who love the sound of Spitfires and Messerschmitts, don’t worry, the game will be shown without sound!
A six-hour non-stop flying display commencing at 11.30 each day at the HISTORY Biggin Hill International Air Fair (weekend of 26th & 27th June) will showcase the very best of elite military and civil display performances. A special feature this year is a marking of the 70th anniversary of the battle of Britain, a conflict that was fought so visibly in the skies above London and SE England in the summer of 1940.
The RAF Aerobatic Team ‘The Red Arrows’ will be flying both weekend days, the team this year led by Sqdn Ldr Ben Murphy and including for the first time a female pilot. Flt Lt Kirsty Moore (from Stamford, Lincs) has flown Tornado GR4′s on operations in Iraq and is also a qualified flying instructor. In the 2010 team, she flies in the Red 3 position.
The RAF Free-Fall Parachute Team ‘The Falcons’ will be making a welcome return the weekend display programme. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will present their unique display with a Hurricane, Spitfire and the Avro Lancaster bomber.
In addition to the RAF’s Hawk, Tornado, Harrier and Typhoon, from Belgium comes the F-16, always an awesome performer. From France, the Alphajet trainer will display while their Rafale is to be featured in the static aircraft exhibition. From Poland comes the M28 Bryza, its presence marking the many valiant Polish pilots who flew alongside the RAF in the summer of 1940.
The largest aircraft at the show will be a Vickers VC10 of 101 Squadron Royal Air Force, a type still in service for transportation and in-flight refuelling.
Helicopters will be well represented by the agile Boeing Chinook, a workhorse in the Afghanistan theatre of operations. The Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy will present the ‘Black Cats’ team of two Westland Lynx helicopters in an innovative aerobatic display that show the best of these sturdy machines.
A carefully choreographed aerial sequence will simulate an airfield attack of June 1940 involving a squadron of Hurricanes and Spitfires on a ‘scramble’ and a dogfight between a Spitfire and a Messerschmitt 109 in Luftwaffe colours. Extensive pyrotechnics by an expert crew will add a high degree of realism to the simulation. Large screens will feature archive film footage.
The Blades team will demonstrate precision aerobatics and the Boeing B17 will be flying once again.
The RAF Benevolent Fund (RAFBF), the RAF’s leading charity and the nominated Air Fair charity this year, will be encouraging people to join it in expressing appreciation to members of the RAF through its nationwide ‘Heartfelt Thanks’ campaign.
The campaign gives members of the public the opportunity to write their own personal messages of thanks to veterans and currently serving RAF personnel. Special cards will be offered at the RAFBF stand at the Air Fair. The scheme runs into the autumn when the nationwide Heartfelt Thanks collection will be presented to veterans on Battle of Britain Sunday, 19th September.
Gates open at Biggin Hill Airport at 7.30 am both weekend days. A vehicle parade is staged at 11.00. Display flying commences at 11.30, concluding at 5.30 pm while bars, food halls and the Funfair remains open until 6.00 pm. Regular travel updates will be broadcast every 10 minutes on LBC News 1152 AM
NEW YORK – Paul Bonhomme of Britain won the first-ever Red Bull Air Race in New York on Sunday with a scintillating performance under pressure in front of the most spectacular setting in the eight-year history of the sport. Nigel Lamb took second place in a thrilling four-way battle between the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan while American Kirby Chambliss got his second straight podium with third place.
Bonhomme, the defending champion, prevailed in front of a huge crowd of 75,000 spectators watching from both sides of the Hudson River and a live U.S. television audience with one superb run after another through three pressure-packed rounds. Bonhomme had finished behind Arch for the last three races and was desperate to get back on top after the Team Abu Dhabi racer cut his lead in the championship to just one point. Arch pushed Bonhomme to his limits but saw his three-race winning streak shattered in dramatic fashion when he hit a pylon in the final 4 ending any hope of a podium finish.
Bonhomme stopped the clock at 1:10.01, the day’s fastest time on the 5.5-km track of 13 Air Gates set up on the majestic Hudson River between the Statue of Liberty and New York’s breathtaking skyline. Bonhomme had been the epitome of consistency with times of 1:10.09 in the Top 12 round and 1:10.07 in the Super 8 before lowering the mark again to 1:10.01 in the final. That was a full 2.05 seconds faster than Lamb and 2.08 faster than Chambliss. Arch was 5.34 back — hurt by the six-second penalty for hitting the pylon.
It was Bonhomme’s 12th straight podium — a record — and he now leads the championship with 53 points while Arch is second overall with 48 points. Team Breitling’s Nigel Lamb is third on 47 and Chambliss has 35.
“It’s very good — and what a setting,” Bonhomme said. “I can appreciate the view now that I’ve finished racing. Great day. I concentrated on me, my airplane and the track. And now I think we can celebrate a bit.” Lamb, who got his third second-place finish this year after getting the same result in Abu Dhabi and Rio de Janeiro, called it “a fantastic result”. Chambliss, the 2006 world champion, was delighted to be on the podium in his home race. “As an American, I’m very, very proud,” he said. “It’ll sink-in in a while. I have to personally thank Hannes for hitting that gate. Thank you Hannes!”
Arch was gracious in defeat on the biggest stage in the 49-race history of the Red Bull Air Race, a city where organizers have dreamed of staging a race since the world’s fastest growing motorsport was launched in 2003. It has been a FAI recognized world championship competition since 2005. Arch said he pulled out the stops to try to beat Bonhomme and get what would have been a record fourth straight victory and just barely hit the Air Gate, an inflatable pylon that he clipped with his wing.
“It was a good run,” said Arch, the 2008 champion. “It was just a couple of centimeters that made the difference. I would rather lose here like that in style, going for it, than completely screw it up. So I think those guys in front of me owe me a beer.”
The New York race was the fifth in the eight-race championship. It was a bit of a disappointment for the other American, Michael Goulian. The man from Massachusetts finished seventh. Pete McLeod of Canada, by contrast, had an excellent race and finished fifth to move up to fifth place in the championship with 29 points.
The latest participation news from the Royal International Air Tattoo is fairly disappointing. The much publicised appearance by the Romanian Air Force MiG-21 LanceR aircraft in both the flying and static displays have cancelled as has the Sri Lankan An-32B also due for the static display. Both have been due to operational and finacial reasons. Sadly in these days of weak finances for many countries, such news is to be expected.
On the plus side, it seems that the New Zealand B757 will be at RIAT despite having to cancel from earlier appearances at Biggin Hill and Waddington and of course, the show will still witness the amazing F-22A Raptor flying display from the USAF.
NEW YORK – Following the Red Bull Air Race investigation into Australian pilot Matt Hall’s aviation mishap in Windsor last week, the Race Committee have imposed sanctions resulting in Hall not being permitted to compete in New York.
As part of the standard aviation operating procedures, the Red Bull Air Race’s Technical Director, the Race Director and the Sporting Medical Director were required to investigate the June 5 incident in which Hall’s race plane splashed off the surface of the Detroit River. This incident followed a sequence of earlier events which were also taken into consideration including a wing stall in Perth and disqualification in Rio for dangerous flying.
Hall was not hurt in the incident in Windsor; however, his MXS-R race plane sustained minor damage to an aileron and landing gear wheel cover, when its wing and landing gear skimmed off the surface of the Detroit River during a Qualifying session run. Hall was disqualified from the Qualifying session.
Following the investigation, a recommendation was made to the Race Committee including sanctions as well as a formal proposal to ensure Hall’s safe return to the Championship.
The Race Committee has approved the recommendations including sanctions preventing him from competing in Championship round in New York. Hall will, however, be permitted to participate in a step down training program in New York as part of the process to return him to full competition status.
The former Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot, who was the most successful rookie in Red Bull Air Race history last year with third place overall, did not take part in the June 6 race in Windsor. Hall, 38, is currently in fifth place in the world championship with 22 points from four races.
WINDSOR, Ontario – Austria’s Hannes Arch won his third straight race in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship with a stirring performance in Windsor on Sunday, bouncing back with an emphatic victory in Canada just two days after suffering one of the worst pylon hits of his career. Britain’s Paul Bonhomme took a close second in the difficult track that straddles the Canada-U.S. border over the Detroit River, his 11th straight podium, while American Kirby Chambliss made the top 3 for the first time this year with third place. Canada’s Pete McLeod was a disappointing ninth in front of his home crowd.
Arch and Bonhomme were locked in another classic duel on a cool and overcast day in front of a huge crowd of 110,000 watching from Windsor and Detroit with about 160,000 spectators in attendance for the two days of high-speed, low-altitude racing. Arch, the 2008 World Champion, saved his best for last and shattered the track record with a time of 1:05:96 in the final.
Bonhomme, the reigning champion, put up a gallant effort to try to beat Arch. The British ace was leading by a fraction of a second after the first of four intervals through the 5-kilometre long race track but couldn’t maintain the lead and ended up behind Arch in 1:06:59, just 0.63 seconds off the pace. Chambliss, looking forward to more glory in his home race in New York in two weeks, was 3.03 seconds behind the Austrian in 1:08:99. Britain’s Nigel Lamb came fourth in 1:13:34 after hitting a pylon in the final.
“I’m really happy to win the race after this difficult week,” said Arch, who had a heavy pylon hit in training on Friday that damaged his plane and left him visibly shaken. “The team stayed behind me all the way. We tried to fix our problems. You need to have a strong team and we’ve got that. I just tried to stay calm and let the others make mistakes. I’m elated right now.”
Arch’s close call came just 24 hours before another dramatic turn of events for Australia’s Matt Hall.
The plane of the former Royal Australian Air Force fighter pilot suffered an aerodynamic wing stall in a tight turn on the windswept track, causing it to dip towards the Detroit River. Hall’s wings and right wheel splashed off the top of the water but he was able to quickly regain control of the MXS-R and return safely to the Race Airport.
Bonhomme, who is still leading the championship with 41 points to Arch’s 39, said he was disappointed to lose to his great rival from Austria but added he was delighted to be in the thick of such a tense battle in Windsor. “I don’t know about you guys but I think that was a brilliant afternoon of racing,” said Bonhomme. “It was fantastic. Everyone raised their game. It was close for all of us. We’re sad we didn’t get the win but it was a great race. It’s going to be exciting right down to the end of the season.”
2006 World Champion Chambliss, now on 26 points overall, moved up a notch ahead of Hall to fourth place in the championship. The pilot from Arizona, who won the race on the same track in 2008 and also took third here last year, said he wanted to win the next race in his home country on 19 and 20 June. “If we could win the race in New York it would be awesome,” said Chambliss.
The French Navy (Aéronavale) will make its sole international airshow appearance this year when two of its fleet power into RNAS Yeovilton for its annual Air Day on 10 July.
The Aéronavale’s participation will comprise of single examples of the Dassault Rafale M multirole combat aircraft and the Falcon 10MER transport, communications and training platform. Neither of these French Navy aircraft will be seen at any other airshow outside France in 2010: a real exclusive for Air Day.
The Rafale represents the cutting-edge of modern fighter technology and has been in French military service since 2002. It is flown by both the French Navy and the French Air France – an example from the latter made its UK airshow debut at Air Day 2009 – and is fast, highly agile and highly capable. The French Navy currently operates 25 Rafales and has more on order.
The Falcon 10MER appearing at Air Day is one of seven such aircraft ordered by the French Navy in 1974 and based at Landivisiau in the north west of France.
Both the Rafale and the Falcon will feature in Air Day’s comprehensive Static Display, along with other UK-based and international modern military participants – including F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Royal Netherlands and Royal Danish air forces and a Luftwaffe F-4F(ICE) Phantom II – and historic naval aircraft linked to this year’s theme of 70 years of RNAS Yeovilton.
The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, has been granted its Public Display Authority (PDA) and will be allowed to perform at events starting from this weekend.
The Royal Air Force Aerobatic’s Team first UK appearance for the 2010 season will be The Queen’s Birthday Flypast in London this Saturday (12 June), followed by a display at the Cosford Air Show in Shropshire on Sunday (13 June).
Red 1, Squadron Leader Ben Murphy, says: “We are delighted that we are able to start our display programme a week earlier than we previously planned. Our revised training schedule went well and we are all looking forward to starting the 2010 season.”
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The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, has been granted its Public Display Authority (PDA) and will be allowed to perform at events starting from this weekend.
