The Brooklands Vintage Wings and Wheels at Dunsfold, this coming Saturday, may not be the biggest display of the year but there are one or two things that make it just a little special.
The fly-in element is shaping up nicely and there will be interesting aeroplanes arriving from about 9am. Every effort will be made to park these in positions that make photography easier.
The motoring element has, as has been discussed elsewhere, the last two running Napier Lion aero engines, one in the Napier Railton – the car that still holds the outer circuit record at Brooklands and the Napier Bentley. This alone has to be worth the ticket price.
This year also sees the 60th anniversary of the ending of World War Two but also the 70th anniversary of the Hawker Hurricane’s first flight.
Not that many years ago there were just two airworthy Hurricanes left in the world, both Mark IIcs with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
At Dunsfold we will have three Hurricanes, the former Dunsfold-based Mark IIc PZ865 as well as the Fighter Collection Mark IV and Peter Vacher’s Mark I. This gives a spread of Hurricane variants that were extinct just a few years ago.
However, that is not all.
We are very fortunate that the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight have agreed to fly their genuine Battle of Britain veteran Spitfire MkIIa together with Peter Vacher’s genuine Battle of Britain veteran Hurricane Mark I. This will only happen three times this year and the Dunsfold team are very grateful to Peter Vacher and to OC BBMF for the honour of hosting one of these displays.
There are only two airworthy British Battle of Britain aircraft in the world and to be able to get these together at a show is a rare priviledge.
More details can be found at http://www.wingsandwheels.net
We look forward to seeing you there and hope you will support a team that is trying to bring you a new show, at a new venue.
By: Paul F - 3rd June 2005 at 09:20
Looking forward to tomorrow – programme just gets better and better
Just thinking back to the last flying display I saw at Dunsfold – one of the BAe Families Days back in the mid 80’s (Gulp, thats 20 years ago 😮 ).
PArticipants included the “house” team of Hawk Demonstrator G-HAWK, Harrier G-VTOL (Now at Brooklands), a two seat Hunter used to test the Blue Vixen Radar for the Sea Harrier program. Also flying were a Sea Harrier (a type still basking in it’s successes so far “Down South”), Doug Arnold’s Spitfire, Stampe SV4C and others. The Reds did a flypast, but did not display.(Will try to dig out and scan some of my 35mm slides from the show and post next week if anyone is interested?)
At the time so many of the “acts” seemed so “run of the mill”. Twenty years on and the Sea Harrier is retiring, G-VTOL is in a museum, Hunters are out of service, and BAe Dunsfold is no more. (35mm also seems so “old hat” now too 😮 ). Doesn’t time fly!
Weather forecast for the local area for tomorrow is dry (with chance of some sun), so we should be in for a good day, and some very worthy causes should benefit.
Look forward to seeing you all there.
Paul F
By: Arabella-Cox - 3rd June 2005 at 09:17
We are very fortunate that the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight have agreed to fly their genuine Battle of Britain veteran Spitfire MkIIa together with Peter Vacher’s genuine Battle of Britain veteran Hurricane Mark I. This will only happen three times this year and the Dunsfold team are very grateful to Peter Vacher and to OC BBMF for the honour of hosting one of these displays.
Where else is this happening then?
Thanks.
By: Guzzineil - 3rd June 2005 at 02:57
I’ll be trundling down south for this one – I’m sure my Dad has sussed-out that my visits to see him seem to coincide with airshows/forum meets! 😉 😀
looking forward to seeing the B of B Hurri and Spit together..
Neil
By: Manonthefence - 3rd June 2005 at 00:03
I’d love to be there but alas I probably wont make it.
I bought a ticket show though just in case.
Good luck one and all.
By: Bradburger - 2nd June 2005 at 23:27
Thanks for the update Melvin & also for the Dunsfold frequency in the other thread.
My tickets arrived the other day and I’m very much looking forward to this show and it will be great to see the Vacher Hurricane & P7350 in the air together. 🙂
I saw a rather big piece about the show in our local ‘rag’ today which also mentioned that a couple of former 98 Sqn ground crew have set up a museum there to help preserve Dunsfold’s history.
Cheers
Paul
By: stewart1a - 2nd June 2005 at 23:24
no probs stear clear see what weathers like if its nice up at real aero might head there.
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 2nd June 2005 at 23:23
I’m really looking forward to this one. It looks as though the team at Dunsfold have gathered together a really interesting selection of aircraft to celebrate Dunsfold’s Hawker heritage. . . . . . . So if you were undecided about going, I’d urge you to come along.
Thanks Mike, I hope you have fun. It has been a lot of work.
PS Got those brakes fixed yet Melv?
Nope, the Vermillion Monster will be tucked away at Popham.
Hopefully the next evening at Old Warden might be a goer.
By: Avro's Finest - 2nd June 2005 at 23:23
Check your NOTAMS, There is a TRA and you need to keep clear. remember we have the Red Arrows too and you don’t want to be busting their airspace! (£3,000 at the last count!)
No, we don’t want to be flying in the same county as the “crop dusters” do we.
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 2nd June 2005 at 23:20
plan is to stop at popham i believe anways around dunsfold because at the moment we cut accross Dunsfold for some reason
Check your NOTAMS, There is a TRA and you need to keep clear. remember we have the Red Arrows too and you don’t want to be busting their airspace! (£3,000 at the last count!)
By: DazDaMan - 2nd June 2005 at 22:53
Shoot him down!
Daz – is ‘a helluva lot’ the price of an Easyjet ticket darn sarf? You know it makes sense…
If I could, I would, but I have prior obligations! 🙁
By: stewart1a - 2nd June 2005 at 22:38
plan is to stop at popham i believe anways around dunsfold because at the moment we cut accross Dunsfold for some reason
By: Melvyn Hiscock - 2nd June 2005 at 22:35
looks like we might be flying in now as my flying lesson is that way.
Not without pre-booking and an airfield briefing as otherwise you’ll just be infringing airspace.
Sorry Pike.
By: stewart1a - 2nd June 2005 at 22:23
looks like we might be flying in now as my flying lesson is that way.
By: DazDaMan - 2nd June 2005 at 22:16
Damn! I’d give a helluva lot to see this, especially the two BofB aircraft in the air together! 🙁
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June 2, 2005 at 10:15 pm