My guess is that they’re working their socks off with the Buchon at Breighton… if I get a thumbs-up before Saturday I’ll let you know. There’s a pilot briefing at 10 o’clock each day so I guess that any home-based flying could begin twenty or so minutes after that – visiting aircraft will be arriving from 10 onwards I should think. There’s no specific running order – as anyone who’s been to Breighton will tell you – but at some stage during the weekend, all of the serviceable home team will be flown, including the Spitfire and Hurricane (hopefully on both days).

Our event this coming weekend is a fly-in, not an airshow, and participation, although reasonably known to us, can never really be confirmed as it is all provided free (or in reciprocation). The BBMF will perform flypasts on both days in the early afternoon – the airfield will be closed for half an hour each side of their flypasts during which we’ll be staging bits and pieces on the ground (a Jazz band being one of those attractions… music while you eat your butties and watch the BBMF – perfect!). If the Buchon isn’t flying by then, we will endeavour to get the panels and cowlings on so at least it looks the part. All of the fleet, including the Spitfire and Hurricane, are scheduled to fly at some point during the day – weather permitting. £6 to get in… come on over y’all!

Sea Hawk has been confirmed for Elvington, Sea Fury is still in question. I wish them all the best of luck too, there was a time when the BBMF and the RNHF were the only warbirds we ever saw ‘up north’… happy memories.

do you know if she will be at legends?

Not very likely I’m afraid, you never know though, the Spitfire looked less likely to fly the other weekend than the Buchon! I know that it’s not been test flown as yet so…

The Buchon is progressing pretty much to plan. The missing cowlings, panels undercarriage doors etc are all at Breighton now – dummy machine guns too. Work was halted temporarily whilst the Spitfire was being reassembled (we don’t have the level of manpower that similar outfits enjoy) but the project is now back on and, when the job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right – which means that we won’t compromise quality just to get all three fighters hooliganising above Breighton at the same time!
The mistake with the paint on the Spit’ was an unfortunate oversight which slipped through because everyone else was up to their necks with putting the aircraft together in time for the inspection – it was picked up very quickly but there was little time to do anything about it. I guess that if we ran Breighton behind closed doors in the same way that some restoration companies do, the ****-up wouldn’t have made it into the public domain. However, we don’t and it did! Rats!

Took the picture on Sunday evening – I’ve placed a couple more on RAC’s website on ‘The Bugle’ and there are more to come when I get organised. The Spitfire looked and sounded wonderful…

Tch! Modern apprenticeships! The guilty party has no doubt been set to task digging latrine ditches for the forthcoming Classic fly-in on July 24th/25th! Did you see what I did there…?!

Not grim at all, its a superb place, I’ll be back next month

You coming over to the hoedown then?!