By: Steve 964 - 5th February 2004 at 19:22
A good memory for Me was the 1984 Fighter Meet.I started off by flying down from Seething airfield in Norfolk with My father in the Chipmunk G-AKDN (Hence My interest in its whereabouts) invited by the late John Watts who was one of the organisers of the event we were given flightline passes,so I managed to get into the cockpits of many aircraft including,
The Dutch Dakota Association DC-3
TFC P.51D Mustang Candyman, TFC F8F Bearcat
RNHF Hawker Sea Fury T.20 WG655, RNHF Swordfish
OFMC Pilatus P.2 G-BJAX, Vintage pair Gloster Meteor T.7
And last but most memorable, DH Mosquito RR299
My lucky day I think !!
later during the show Ray Hanna performed some amazing displays with the P.40 Sneak attack terrorising the press photographers who wandered out onto the grass between the crowd line and the runway,then on a coach to the visiting aircrew/groundcrew bar-b-q some guy says “Hey that guys got the p.40 flying again” he was an American, the late John Crocker ,turned out he had flown it over from America for the OFMC,what a weekend ,don’t get many like that!!!!!!
By: DazDaMan - 5th February 2004 at 18:04
Originally posted by Melvyn Hiscock
Helen Tempest and Tania Gaze leaving a crowd of admiring army aviators at the after show do at Middle Wallop in about 1988 after we had just got back from displaying the Flamant at Old Warden. Both girls leapt on me and gave me a great big kiss. 300+ army aviators seethed as the fat grey haired bloke got molested by the wingwalkers. I just smiled at them as if it was normal . . .Melvyn Hiscock
Some chaps have all the luck! :rolleyes:
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 5th February 2004 at 16:24
Car parks aside here are a few more.
Concorde and the Patrouille de France in formation at La Ferte in about 1988. At the end of the runway Concorde pulled up and flew through a hole in the clouds on full afterburner setting off all the car alarms.
Same show was brought to a halt by Les Garside Beattie displaying a Harrier Gr3. The French just stood there gaping.
Lee-on-Solent the year after we got Phantoms when one came though at on or near the sound barrier. Right down the runway (I am not sure there was even a 200yard crowdline rule then). If lifted the roof off a house at the end of the runway and my dad had to go fix it.
Stefan Kowalski (sp?) in the Bearcat at Biggin in about 1984. His second ever flight in it, take off, stay low end of runway go vertical.
Brian Lecomber and Alan Wade at Holcombe House in 1998 (?). Just a brilliant display.
The Memorial Flight SPAD XIII and Guy Black’s Nieuport 28 on the same bill at La Ferte.
Pete Kynsey in the Hurricane in formation with the Turbulet team at Old Hay.
Watching Mark Hanna’s pulling technique on a French (girl) journalist at La Ferte while Helen Tempest gave a running commentary on what his next move would be!
and finally
Helen Tempest and Tania Gaze leaving a crowd of admiring army aviators at the after show do at Middle Wallop in about 1988 after we had just got back from displaying the Flamant at Old Warden. Both girls leapt on me and gave me a great big kiss. 300+ army aviators seethed as the fat grey haired bloke got molested by the wingwalkers. I just smiled at them as if it was normal . . .
Melvyn Hiscock
By: Yak 11 Fan - 5th February 2004 at 16:16
Same place, different view
By: Yak 11 Fan - 5th February 2004 at 16:12
or maybe this, same day, same place, different aeroplane
By: Yak 11 Fan - 5th February 2004 at 16:11
or this, I credit myself 😉 shame about the bloke who stuck his head in the way.
By: Eddie - 5th February 2004 at 16:08
Or this?
(credit: Tom W – but I was stood next to him 😉
By: Yak 11 Fan - 5th February 2004 at 15:59
Illustrations such as this?
By: Corsair166b - 5th February 2004 at 15:16
All these great moments, very little illustration from folks who are standing around with cameras strapped around their necks! Anyone got shots of some of these moments to help illustrate this thread? I’d love to see them….
How about changing the question…how about ‘Airshow moments that you NEVER saw but that you WISH you had?’
Mine would include having never seen the Breitling fighters display, the mass formation of B-17’s in the states for the Memphis Belle induction, the Spitfire gathering in the UK for the 50th anniversary of the type….and the Dissappointing Corsair gathering (which I WAS at) that only had 7 Corsairs out of a possible 25.
Mark
By: VoyTech - 5th February 2004 at 14:59
1) Duxford, early May 1998, not an air show day at all. I was at the Museum when Mark Hanna was doing post-overhaul pre-season test flying in MH434. You had to see it to believe it. The aviation authorities and insurance people just don’t allow such things done at air shows any more, at least this side of the world.
2) A typical continental non-warbird air show last August. I was talking to a WWII veteran fighter pilot in his late 80s. All sorts of jets and helicopters were performing, doing lots of noise and attracting little attention from us (other than having to shout to be heard). And then it all went pretty silent and there was a guy doing aerobatics in a Pitts or Yak, or something. Suddenly the old man lost half of his age. That look in his eyes! You could see his heart and soul was up there, in the cockpit, doing every piece of aerobatics himself.
Those were my magic moments, and neither will happen again…
V.
By: Black Knight - 5th February 2004 at 14:40
Originally posted by Yak 11 Fan
I knew it wasn’t just me that thought the Mustang is a wonderful piece of kit.
That’s putting it mildly!
By: Yak 11 Fan - 5th February 2004 at 14:11
Originally posted by SteveYoung
Big Beautiful Doll gently touching down on Gransden’s grass two or three years ago, literally only about thirty yards from me (this was the year that they had the car park over the over side of the runway). That was the moment that I finally understood why people love Mustangs. 🙂
I knew it wasn’t just me that thought the Mustang is a wonderful piece of kit.
I’m very lucky in that I have the privilige to be able to get close to a Mustang landing or taking off most weekends during the summer months, the thrill of seeing this never diminishes
By: Arabella-Cox - 5th February 2004 at 14:04
Originally posted by Mark12
Without question for me it was the mass Spitfire plus formation at Duxford where permission was grantd to fly over the crowd from the rear. To the sound of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’… this was a magical moment.
Yep, that’s the one that does it for me too. It’s making my spine tingle even now…
Honourable mentions for:
Big Beautiful Doll gently touching down on Gransden’s grass two or three years ago, literally only about thirty yards from me (this was the year that they had the car park over the over side of the runway). That was the moment that I finally understood why people love Mustangs. 🙂
Lancaster PA474 appearing right on cue to end the minutes silence at Gransden, I think the same year. Not a dry eye…
Watching a B-1B execute an afterburning rolling climb up into the cloudbase at Waddington in 2001.
Mosquito RR299 and Comet G-ACSS doing formation passes at Old Warden 1988/89. What I’d give to see that sight again…
The balbo coming through at Legends 2001 to the sound of Eva Cassidy’s “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, in tribute to Guy Bancroft-Wilson and Martin Sargeant. Again, not a dry eye… 🙁
By: Ashley - 5th February 2004 at 13:42
1) RAFA show at Shoreham, September 1998…the BBMF Lanc accompanied by a Spitfire and Hurricane, gradually rumbling into sight from over the hills…sent big shivers down my spine…
2) The “Mercury Flight” (my name for it!), Flying Legends 1999 (I think it was 1999)…3 Lizzies, the Blenheim and the Gladiator…awesome sight…
3) Not strictly an airshow but anyway…annual Battle of Britain memorial service at Capel-le-ferne 2002…the Lanc with Spitfire and Hurricane escorts coming in across the sea from France and flying low right over my head…
4) Ray Hanna opening the Spitfire Anniversary Show 1996 in MH434…my first airshow, and the first aircraft to appear…was just simply amazing and I’ve been hooked ever since.
5) The appearance of the SA Airway’s B747 at the Centenary of Flight Show at Duxford 2003…this was just phenomenal…
6) Stephen Grey’s “Joker” routine at Flying Legends…I never quite know whether to watch the Balbo forming or Stephen…usually results in rapid head movements every which way to watch both!
7) Any Breitling Fighter appearance…if I had to pick one, I would chose the October Airshow 1999…much respect to Ray Hanna for honouring Mark with his display, following Mark’s untimely demise three weeks earlier.
8) Mark Hanna in a Hunter at Duxford (possibly September airshow 1999) A fantastic display…the fact that the Hunter is my favourite jet probably owes a lot to Mark’s skillful handling of the aircraft in the air.
Ashley
By: anneorac - 5th February 2004 at 13:06
Oops…sorry Robbie. Didn’t see your CF-104 post! By eck they were good.
Anne
By: anneorac - 5th February 2004 at 13:03
Yup the Vikings sound barrier antics was a good’un. How could you go wrong with a display team with two F-104s’. Does anyone remember the CAF CF-104 display team which flew a four ship during the 70s & 80s. Didn’t need any coloured smoke nonsense…they produced their own dark brown version and the noise…!
One of my favourite memories of the very wet 87 Binbrook show was the stalls. Gordon the Gofer was the in thing with the kids that year and every stall had infestations of the furry glove puppets. A couple of stalls had lines them suspended from their necks and it looked for all the world like there had been a mass cull of the things. I’m sure it reduced some kids to tears.
One of the most entertaining displays I’ve seen was given by a SAR Wessex at the Leauchars 111 Sqdn 75th anniversary families day.
Scenario…Wessex zooms very low along the crowd line knocking over a chap on a bike. Down comes the Winchman with stretcher, checks the bloke and signals for the Wessex to come closer. The Wessex shakes it’s head (you know what I mean) and refuses to come any closer. Winchman shakes his fist, walks over to the dangling winch line and pulls the Wessex towards the casualty and then instead of saving the bloke he puts the bike on the stretcher is winched up and the Wessex disappears off stage left. Made what is usually a rather boring part of your average flying display much more entertaining.
Anne
By: Super Guppy - 5th February 2004 at 12:57
Biggin Hill in the 1980’s , the only time I saw a Sunderland fly. One of my favourite aircraft , and a very graceful display.
Xavier de Lapparent in the Su 26 at Farnborough – I had no idea any aircraft could do things like that !
Constellation , DC6 and DC4 in the air together at Biggin Hill 1998
By: Firebird - 5th February 2004 at 12:12
My first Lightning aeros, at the 1974 Biggin Hill Battle of Britain display, think it was one of Pete Chapman’s last rivet popping displays in the white tailed 226 OCU F.3…….awesome:D
BAe families day at Hatfield 1983, and an unexpected Lightning display by Mark Thompson (see avatar) a few weeks before his was killed off Scarborough in this A/C.:(
My closest to a Lightning display ever, no crowd line:D
As has already been mentioned, that Vikings F104 sound barrier busting at IAT 85, pretty sure it was ’85 as I remember it was the same day as Live Aid, and I got badly burnt.
That Lightning mass take-off in the wet and grey at the Last, Last Lightning Show, Binbrook 1987.
Anytime seeing the much lamented BAe Mossie RR299 fly.
The massed 50th Battle of Britain flypast at RAF Abingdon 1990, won’t see anything the like that again.
The first time, and all others times, I saw Black 6 fly, magnificent sight and sound:D
Seeing Chuck Yeager and Bud Anderson flying P-51’s marked as Glamous Glen and Old Crow at the USAF 50th Anniversary show at Nellis AFB.
At a Legends in the early nineties, standing in the middle of the wheat field to the south of Duxford runway watching Mark Hanna and Stephen Grey in the ‘Iraqi’ Fury and Bearcat, doing a very high speed close pairs routine, I could smell the avgas fumes as they passed very low overhead:D
By: Merlin3945 - 5th February 2004 at 00:27
As much as I love the good old spit it would have to be the Corsair and Mustang at East Fortune from the OMFC.
Second would be Miss Demeanour and Foxy Lady at East Fortune
Next would be the F-16 / F-18 display at Leuchars.
And finally it would have to be ALL the rest that I havent mentioned.
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 5th February 2004 at 00:26
Finding the back route out fo the car park at a Middle Wallop show sometime in the 1980s, followed an Army Officer out, across the footy field and onto a clear road and was home in less than half an hour.
That was fun.
Last years Jersey Airshow (I admit to having an interest, rather like Mr Ellis) as when it started our running order was two lines written on a post-it note. They pulled a great show together (the Hawk display was excellent) and a B-52 from Barksdale over st Aubin’s Bay is impressive to say the least.
A much under rated show IMO
Melvyn Hiscock
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February 4, 2004 at 2:24 pm