100 Years of North Weald in Photos

In 2001, I was back with my 1/6 scale US warbirds, flying my A-35B Vengeance, P-47N Thunderbolt and B-17G Fotress.

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Somewhere I have some other videos of the Fighter Meets at NW, but back in the days of film, didn’t take nearly as many 35mm pictures as I do with digital today. Three rolls of 36 exposure film at Duxford’s Flying Legends was an extravagant day out!

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I flew at the Wings & Wheels model show at North Weald a number of times. The first was in 1988, with this twin camera plane, which carried a 35mm automatic film camera. The first aerial picture attached was a mosaic taken over two years, the Beech on the pan being in 1988, while the rest of the image was from 1989. I just happened to be flying the model the same circuit, height and position fo the images to join.

The first few years I attended, the model flying took place at the runway intersection, but later moved to the large concrete area at the end of the runway seen in picture three.

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Love that piece of film of the Mosquito.
1996 of course being a sad year

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72 sqn Vampire

Vampire F Mk.3 in the markings of No.601 (County of London) Sqn RAuxAF at RAF Abingdon in 1968

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72 sqn Vampire

331 Squadron pilots

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Dane Kaj Birksted (left) gives Leif Lundsten some much needed assistance
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Skyraider and Corsair, P-40 and P-47, and Phantom which blew a tyre on landing and was towed away.

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Sally B short landing, Hellcat and Firefly, probably from the 1996 Fighter Meet.

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Douglas Bader climbs in a Spit at RAF North Weald to lead a fly past over London

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Norwegian spits 1943
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Siskin’s 1931
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Main Gate
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111 sqn 1957/58

here are some more
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DB powered 109 one of two at fighter meet 95
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G-DAKS running up on the grass outside hangar 4 1991
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RNHF Firefly folds her wing before shutting down outside Hangar 4
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Rob’s real and fake Spits on the Aces High ramp 1988

My first trip to NW was to the very first Air Tattoo, much smaller than today’s Fairford extravaganza. The flying programme, however started the tradition of bringing exotic visitors to the UK for the first time.

Wonderful idea, simple brilliant.

I have fond memories of the North Weald Fighter Meets and also the Wings & Wheels model show. Here’s a few screen captures from the attached video I took of the stunning Mosquito display from 1996.

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Pete and Gary 89 ish
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And me 22 years ago cleaning the Grace Spit pre 94 fighter meet
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B-17F-25-DL (s/n 42-3085) from the 331st BS, 94th BG, 8th AF. She was badly damaged over Emden,Germany on May 31,1943 and crash-landed at North Weald,England.

Great idea. I’ll scan and upload some of mine from the 80’s.