Every single UK display I ever saw of the SR71. The acceleration of that aircraft was quite extraordinary to watch, and when one engine popped the flame out of the back one year (you’ve all seen the pictures!) that was something else. The ultimate jet. Awesome.

Culdrose in the late 1950’s. I was a 9 year old Fleet Air Arm brat, my dad was the AEO of 831 Sqn (Electronic Countermeasures with Sea Venoms, Gannets (( the Gannet at Duxford is in 831 colours with Flook, the Daily Mail cartoon character, the squadron mascot, painted on the Tail )) and Avengers. Got to taxi around the airfield in the back of the Avenger, and had my first ever flight in a Miles Messenger which was giving joyrides for a few bob a go. Kenneth More opened the display from a replica of Genevieve, Jeffrey Quill flew the Spitfire in, the Swordfish was there, Freds Five were the FAA Sea Vixen display team..actually there were 6 Vixens, but in the words of the creaky commentary..Fred couldn’t count. A favourite feature of those displays was the arrival of a “badly parked car” apparently winched up by a helicopter, paraded up and down the crowd line at increasing altitude and when no one (of course) claimed it, it was dropped on the deck from 1000 ft . Marvellous stuff. I was forbidden to take photos of the early all white Buccaneer on display (top secret!) and I think you could have a go on the ejector seat rig.
When not at the air displays we kids just used to sit on the hedge opposite the main runway under the approach and watch Sea Balliols doing interminable deck landing practices, together with Bristol Brigands, Shackletons and Neptunes from St Mawgan, visiting FAA aircraft like Scimitars, Sea Hawks, Sea Vixens, the AEW Skyraiders of 849 Sqn , AEW and standard Gannets, Argosies, Canberras, God the list goes on and on…..Voodoos of the USAF, All the early choppers…Dragonflies, Whirwinds etc. There was a late mark Seafire which was burned on the fire dump and at the area they used for training deck movements for carriers they had the V tailed Scimitar prototype..Type 508 or 529 and a DH110 I think. What happened to them, I wonder.

Sorry about wandering off topic…the nostalgia just got to me.
Great great days.

Another sad day for historic avaiation in the UK. My thoughts are with the families of the crew. I was on the crowd line directly in front of the Firefly, watched the crew preparing the aircraft and like almost everyone around me would have swapped places with them in a flash. All the aircrew who fly these aircraft are professionals of the highest calibre who do it because they love doing it. They all know the risks inherent in flying old aircraft, particularly at low level, and keep doing it to display these beautiful machines in their element. It makes my blood boil to read and hear the ill informed and sensationalist comments in the media who live their sad lives preying on others misfortunes and grief.
As someone who witnessed the loss of the RAF Vintage Flight Vampire and Meteor at Mildenhall some years ago, it does concern me that two crew members are flying during displays. Does there really have to be someone in the back seat during a display? I thought after the loss of the Invader at Biggin Hill all supernumery crew were not allowed to fly during display flying.

Keep these aircraft flying both as a tribute to the original wartime pilots, but also to the display pilots, and spare them ALL a moment when you next watch them fly.