FlyPast – August 2018

20 FLYPAST August 2018

AIRSHOW DUXFORD

T

he first air event of the

season at IWM Duxford nearly

always draws a large crowd,

particularly if the weather forecast

is kind. For the Cambridgeshire

airfield’s May Bank Holiday

weekend special, the skies behaved

• although those of us driving
  home to the Midlands on Sunday
  night had to battle through some
  frankly terrifying thunderstorms.
  The show itself was largely
  blessed by sunshine, and a fine
  and varied programme of flying
  was presented to a fulsome and
  appreciative audience. There
  were also some interesting
  ground attractions, including the
  Trailblazers Zone in Hangar 4 which
  saw live interviews with adventurers

from the aviation world, including

Ademilola Odujinrin, the first

African pilot in history to fly solo

around the world.

Most attention was drawn to the

flight line, particularly at 13:00 on

Saturday when Stu Goldspink took

Republic P-47D Thunderbolt Nellie

up for its first display at Duxford

for many years. Before its lengthy

sojourn in the US, this fighter flew

from here as No Guts, No Glory and

it’s great to see it back – and in new

markings too.

Lovers of all things noisy were

well catered for by the French

Air Force’s Dassault Rafale, and

on Sunday, the Alpha Jets of

the Patrouille de France were as

breathtakingly precise as

always. It was also a rare treat

to see multiple North American

Harvards and de Havilland Tiger

Moths in the air together, while

the Great War Display Team simply

excelled with its dramatic and pyro-

assisted recreation of a World War

One dogfight.

The participation of Aces High’s

Douglas C-47 Skytrain certainly

whet the appetite for next year’s

Daks Over Normandy event,

a mass gathering of the DC-

‘breed’ to commemorate the 75th

anniversary of D-Day, and there’s

simply never a bad time to see

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress

Sally B and Plane Sailing’s

Consolidated Catalina in their

natural environment.

Among the more unusual

participants, 46 Aviation’s Farner

Werke Schlepp C-3605 stood out

for many. The angular, triple-finned

Swiss machine is surprisingly agile,

and with its unusual looks received

just as much attention on the

ground as in the air. Each day was

brought to a satisfying conclusion

by a showcase from Supermarine

Spitfire Mk.I N3200, a favourite

shape and an evocative sound in

the skies above this storied airfield.

The next big Duxford event will,

of course, be the Flying Legends

Air Show which takes place on

July 14 and 15. Admission will be

by advance ticket only, as is now

standard practice for shows here.

http://www.flyinglegends.com

Festival Spirit

Steve Beebee reports from Duxford’s Air Festival, a two-day

spectacular that kicked off the attraction’s airshow year in style

20 FLYPAST August 2018

The distinctive shape of Farner Werke Schlepp C-3605 in Duxford skies. Plane Sailing’s elegant Consolidated Catalina at the Duxford Air Festival.

Air Leasing’s Hawker Fury FB.II SR

getting airborne.