Favorite Airshow Moments (Zombie 2004)

The spitfire Flyover the crowd at dx has to be a fav,also Ray Hanna displaying Spitfire MH434 at Biggin when he did valley dive a thing of the past since people complained,The Brietlings have to me another one for me also.

“Pompey on the pebble beach and treated to the full Red Arrows display – I think we were the only ones there – the occasion? some sort of cycle event with a few hundred participants”

“The Tour de France… I was quaffing champagne in the VIP tent (nice to have mates in the council!). Could barely focus on the Arrows I was so far gone… don’t think I saw a bike all day”

And I was on the boat that took them off to France. Can’t recall if I took any pictures. Certainly didn’t see the Red Arrers, and was as far gone as you were Damien. So much so I even helped a Drunken American Female (yes, Female, but note Drunken) (photographer?) Journalist back to her cabin. Good-looking she was, too (note Drunken for me too). Left her standing in the doorway looking sultry (note Sultry) with a cheery goodbye, and wandered back to the bar where my colleagues were awaiting. Not only did they point out the error of my ways (note Drunken) and what they would have done in my position(note they were more drunken, and couldn’t have managed what they described between them, let alone singly) but they totally failed to notice that she had returned, and ONCE AGAIN (note drunken) asked me to take her back to her cabin. Once again (note drunken) I did and left again. Hoho. For those of you who know what I look like, even the first time is a major surprise. Mind you, I had hair then.

Still regret that. I would liked to have twiddled with her apertures.

I digress. Janie and Big Beautiful Doll the first time they paired up at Legends. Same day (the Sunday, by the ground warfare hall) with Spits, including Jacquards 5 blader coming in VERY close and VERY low. (note sober).

Favourite air displays

Its amazing how aircraft – old and not so old – can cut the mustard with the general public – eg a Pitts doing its business at the local fete looks really good. At somewhere like Fairford, such aircraft – and this is no disrespect to the warbird fans either – tend to blend in to insignificance with the general public – most, kids included, want heavy metal.

I suppose the point I am making is that any aircraft performing in non-familiar surroundings – eg over london, the village fete, the beach show etc – will look good whoever the audience might be.

In the Daily Mail transatlantic air race of 69, I saw the Harrier GR1 take off from the coalyard behind St Pancras stn in London – what a sight that was. I think it landed in central park New York to a pretty enthusiastic reception from our friends across the pond. I met the pilot of that plane some 5 years later at Lossie and I dont think there is any doubt that the sight of a GR1 taking off from central park and the big USMC order for the aircraft are unconnected – this event convinced the US public – more than anything else – that the UK had got it right. Shame were now buying the same conceptual technology back from them – if theres an IPR expert out there – is it worth anything more than the paper its written on??

Two airshows that mean something to me are the Raydon shows that used to happen, some lovely aircraft in a great setting. Similarly Wings and Things at Woodchurch, wish I had a back garden like that 😉

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’ and in the company of US aviation friends this was a magical moment.

A couple of others have been familiar routines in less than familiar locations.

When you have seen the Red Arrows for the umteenth time well…………but I saw them with their Gnats in Canada where probably 95% of the participants and 99% of the crowd had never seen them before. They were spell bound and it bought home just how special the Arrows were in those early years.

Similarly, seeing an early Harrier variant doing its stuff in the presence of a US airshow crowd who had never seen one before …..with great pride I thought – we built that.

Mark

eddy

Cheers

Sorry Manonthefence,

I appear to be wrong as the following link proves:- http://www.kilo1.fsnet.co.uk/news_archive%202003.htm I think I was thinking of the ex Myrick Aviation Mustang “Sunny VIII” VF-S, which crashed in 1995 I believe in the USA which had a similar paint scheme

Eddie

favourite airshow moments

Any show with 4 X Vulcan scramble – eg Finningley 77
Lightning scramble – Binbrook 87
Bob Flypast – Abingdon 1990
Any 16 aircraft diamond formations over Buckingham Palace in June – eg Phantoms, Lightings etc – back in the days when the RAF could actually muster 16 serviceable a/c
Draken formations – North Weald – early 70’s shows
Massed Harrier hovers at Farnborough – 70’s shows
Falklands Victory parade london 82
Migs at Boscombe & Fairford shows – early 90’s
The bizarre sight of a 747 in formation with some 12 warbirds at a north weald show in the 80’s
Any show with a Lightning going ballistic!
Remember those CAF Starfighters that used to pop up from behind at loads of shows in the 70’s & 80’s – last time Goodwood 83 – I think?
Greenhams 25th Hunter line-up
Yeovilton – when it was a Phantom, Vixen & Venom base and the finalies really were something to beef on about
Middle Wallop – when could afford to put up 100+ helios in the massed approach
There’s probably more – a few SR71 demos etc – but the only other that springs to mind now is Portsmouth 1999 when my new girlfriend and I were at Pompey on the pebble beach and treated to the full Red Arrows display – I think we were the only ones there – the occasion? some sort of cycle event with a few hundred participants – they were all to busy up on the road admiring each other frames to take any notice of what else was going on. I knew the display was planned – but the girlfriend didn’t and seemingly neither did the rest of Pompey. Clear blue sky and the heart routine did the trick for me! Sorry this is supposed to be the historic page.

eddy

When did the Intrepid P-51 crash? The last time I saw her she was being crated for shipment to the USA.

I believe Dave Gilmour sold his collection to fund a charity, could be wrong though.

Oops forgot to add, my favourite moment has to be the Lightnings take off at the Last Lightning show. Or perhaps seeing two good chutes and waving legs after the Migs colided at Fairford, big relief that.

Lots of ’em…

Any Breckenridge show before that one stopped happening…standing on the side of the runway as a Corsair took off past us at about 90 miles an hour (or any warbird for that matter, but the Corsair was SO cool…) Almost got run over by a Stearman once while photographing arrivals, but a great show…

My first Duxford and Old Warden shows (both in 2000) tie for 2nd, both were incredible…

Aspen always had a good show, and for photography, you could’nt beat it with the mountains in the background, met Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn there…wish THAT one were still going….

Mark

My Favourite moments are :-

at southport in 1994 when the cloudbase was very low, the tornado f3 kept doing 360 turns on full afterburner very close to the crowd awesome as the ground shook and huge flocks of seabirds in the distance flew away in fright, also at southport 2000 when the tornado gr4 pilot crept up on the crowd from behind on full afterburner, the Mustang / spitfire tailchase in 1995 at southport by the then intrepid aviation Mustang and the then Eddie Coventry Spitfire XVI TD248 (interesting contrast in sounds by two merlin powered machines), also the Mosquito display great sound that plane made. My personal favourite, was at duxford at Legends 1997 when, black 6 was chased by a gaggle of spitfires at high speed awesome, 20 spitfires at duxford in 2000 taking of and formating together made my cry I will never forget that

Eddie Winch:D:D 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Abingdon – Mass flypast during the 90 Bof B airshow

Abingdon 81 – Lightning F3, one of the highest speed, low level passes i have ever seen, of course ending in the ‘Vertical’

Bassingbourn 78? – F104 Starfighter ‘motoring’

Fairford ( either 85 or 87) – ‘ The Vikings ‘ – German Starfighter pair, one going through the sound barrier accidentally.

Oh and just for good measure, Abingdon Fayre 2002 – Air Atlantique DC3 & 2003, the Hunter F6A.

Not being biased or anything either re the last!!

( www.abingdonfayre.latest-info.com ) 😀 😀

I personally prefer more modern stuff but one thing that sticks in the memory was the F-15 and 2 x Mustangs at Mildy a few years ago. The ‘ heritage’ fly-bys were good but the duo mustang display after was the closest bit of flying i have ever seen.
My other fave mildy moment was the pair of eagles at air fete 97 that went ballistic right in front of me and just kept going straight up until they were out of sight.
I was also well impressed by the late Mark Hannas Display of MH434 at a shuttleworth evening display a good few years back it was one of those rare occaisions when everything is just perfect.

15 Hunters at Kemble was magical and will probably never be repeated …………………..but I might be more than a little biased…….DB/Les??

Agree with Damien, the Hunter’s 50th at Kemble, flypast and airfield breaks. Brought a lump to the throat of many older blokes that day. Perfect WX, perfect crowd position, perfect aircraft, perfect show all together.

Second would be the Sabre v Mig 15 (twin-seater) “dog-fight” at Cranfield a few back.

Absolutley agree Damien. That 15 Hunter formation at Kemble for the type’s 50th Anniversary was a real cracker:D

I have three…

East Fortune Festival of Flight 1998 – Spitfire MH434 and Buchon G-BOML (flown by Ray & Mark Hanna that day) dogfighting over the museum. First time I’d seen a ‘109, ANY ‘109, flying, and they were going at it some! 😀

The 18-Spitfire formation, 1998, Duxford. Why? Because I was standing right by the fence, with my camcorder, when they all taxied out. Now THAT was a sound, and when they went overhead, too! 🙂

And finally, East Fortune PFA Rally, I think it was 2001, when the black Hurricane started up with me standing alongside it before its display 🙂

Anyone on the forum have a photo of the Spitfire/Buchon dogfight that day? (long shot, I guess)