A nice set of photos.
You have given me the inspiration to visit, I think I had been put off a visit assuming the place was restricted temporarily due to the change around.
It’s worth a visit while the Tempest is on the ground!

The ‘other’ museum chain Alan 😉

I grew up watching Keith Sissons displays in B17 ‘Sally B’
Very sad news.

Late 88 I helped out Doug’s son David at their new hangar at Biggin.
A very knowledgeable bloke with a dry sense of humour.
I later read in Warbirds Worldwide that the Arnold’s wanted to establish a hangar where the public could have access and watch the aircraft being maintained and restored but they faced obstacles from Bromley Council.
Lucky for the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar that Bromley Council mellowed in the subsequent years.
As for Doug, he approached me one afternoon in the hangar and showed me a photo of the recent acquisition a Wildcat much to the surprise of David !
He also said there was no money to be made in the business (as a hangar rat)
I remember his Rolls Royce and his blue Cadillac kept in the hangar.
It was an interesting few weeks there and I well recall the bickering between father and son over where a fence should go, which I was assisting David with.
I was saddened to hear of Dougs death and the dispersal of the collection.

Did Alister Kay ever make retirement announcement? He was always one of my favourite display pilots flying in the Ray Hanna style.
I have my own personal theories on the subject which will remain personal, but Alister is much missed.

As for ‘Ferocious Frankie’ she will be missed, I always thought she was the biggest ‘screamer’ (gun port whistle) out of all Mustangs worldwide .
‘Miss Velma’ was the first P51 I ever sat in back in January before circumstances at NWHA changed and there was talk of her being used for passenger flights in the future which got me excited as she is dual control.
There are 2 gorgeous Mustangs you can fly in at Goodwood but I was itching to being able to fly one .
I got that chance in Belgium 3 weeks ago in the beautiful ‘Scat VII’ based at Antwerp. If anyone has a dual P51 on their bucket list and can’t be bothered with the hellish flight to Orlando DM me.

Is ‘Miss Velma’ hidden away out of sight? Surprised I haven’t seen any more photos of her .

Re Friends of Duxford they really don’t make membership renewal easy. When B17 Preservation (where every penny counts) can have an online renewal facility I fail to see why the FoD can’t.
I simply got fed up listening to the ‘I am away from my desk’ message.
The upshot is I haven’t bothered renewing, added to the fact that it doesn’t provide good value for money anyway.
From next year I am considering dropping out the two IWM airshows from my personal calendar anyway as they aren’t really a spectacle anymore.
Flying Legends is still a fantastic event managing to stage a great show even when they are hit with withdrawals/unserviceability and I hope to still go as long as they stage it.

Echo what Fouga said, although another shattered Stang canopy.

Many thanks to Brian, DCW and 92ndfis for the photos, ‘Miss Velma’ was the first P51 I ever got to sit in thanks to the now sadly defunct tour operation at NW. She looks better than I imagined she would after such an arrival and better still , no one was hurt.