Pilot September 2017

66 | Pilot September 2017 http://www.pilotweb.aero

T

his year’s 25th annual Flying
Legends Air Display organised by
The Fighter Collection (TFC) on
8-9 July at IWM Duxford was
indeed memorable for its
outstanding flying and the overall nostalgic
experience provided for the large crowd. It
will also be remembered for the two
remarkable incidents to P-51 Mustangs.
Amongst the 44 aircraft line-up for the
flying programme were a dozen Spitfires,
five Hurricanes and five Mustangs, four
Curtiss Hawks, and for the first time a
quartet of historic racers.
The three-hour flying display (presaged
by the Red Arrows on Sunday) opened with
a formation of eight Spitfires and a Seafire,

led by Cliff Spink in the silver-painted

Spitfire XVIII SM845. Next up was a solo

display by Nick Grey in Comanche Fighters’

P-51B Mustang Berlin Express that had

arrived at Duxford just a few days before

after Lee Lauderback, CEO of Stallion 51,

had flown it across the Atlantic from

Houston, Texas. Diving in across the airfield

at over 340kt on its opening pass the P-51’s

bubble ‘Malcolm’ hood inexplicably

disintegrated damaging the fin and port

tailplane and showering the runway with

fragments. Nick Grey was uninjured and

quickly landed the draughty fighter. This

P-51B was restored by Pacific Fighters and

is painted to represent the aircraft flown by

1Lt Bill Overstreet who famously pursued a

Luftwaffe Bf 109 through the arches of the

Eiffel Tower in Paris before shooting it

down. John Muszala made its first post

restoration flight at Idaho Falls on 27

November 2014.

The flying continued with a trio of naval

fighters — TFC’s FG-1D Corsair and F8F

Bearcat along with Anglia Aircraft

Restorations’ (AAR) Hawker Fury ISS flown

by Richard Grace. Three of TFC’s unique

collection of Curtiss Hawks then took to the

air. The familiar sight of B-17 Sally B initially

accompanied by a P-51 ‘Little Friend’ is

always popular. From Switzerland, Classic

Formation’s DC-3 and two Beech 18s gave a

very distinctive display with tight

manoeuvres almost within the airfield

boundary. It was next the turn of the

‘Luftwaffe’ to take to the sky with artistic

aerobatics by Anna Walker in the Spanish-

built Jungmann and John Romain in the

‘newly weathered’ Buchón joining combat

with Alan Wade in TFC’s Warhawk.

A highlight of the afternoon came with

the Battle of Britain sequence in which five

Hurricanes, three Spitfire IAs and ARC’s

Memorable Legends at Duxford

Old Timers

Words and photos by Peter R March

IF YOU HAVE AN

OLD TIMERS STORY

Contact Contributing

Editor Peter March

[email protected]

or Pilot Editor

Philip Whiteman

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Above and left: P-51B’s bubble ‘Malcolm’ hood

disintegrates over the runway but Nick Grey safely

lands the cabriolet Mustang

Unique Battle of Britain

formation: five

Hurricanes, three Spitfire

IAs and the Blenheim

Classic Formation’s

shiny DC-3 and

Beech 18s

B-17 Sally B accompanied

by a P-51D ‘Little Friend’

PHOTO: JOHN DUNNELL