drew in around 5,000 aviation
enthusiasts but, thanks to
good organisation and a great
atmosphere – enthusiasts are
much closer to the aircraft than
at Duxford, for example, so they
feel much more involved in the
proceedings – word got around
and this year’s event attracted more
than 20,000 visitors.
Keith and his team appreciate
their approach engenders a spirit of
community among their customers,
airshow fans and others. He offers
a fascinating example: “We want
to carry on with round-chute
re-enactment drops from the C-47.
Earlier this year, we had an amazing
time with the C-47 at Upottery
airfield in Devon, from where the
101st Airborne flew on the eve
of D-Day, as shown in the TV
show Band of Brothers. Due to
the weather we couldn’t position
the C-47 to Upottery that evening
as planned, so I bought 50 cot
beds for the parachutists who had
come all the way from Belgium,
all dressed in proper wartime gear,
and who slept at the airfield. The
most moving aspect was that the
next day, some locals who were
kids when the 101st originally flew
from there to Normandy, turned
up to watch the C-47 depart,
and they remembered vividly all
the C-47s taking off. One (now
elderly) gentleman burst into song
and that gave us all goosebumps.
We’re looking to make this a more
regular event because it’s so emotive
and good to keep history alive.
We will be involved in the D-Day
anniversary activities in Normandy
next year, and it’s great to have
such an authentic C-47 with that
in mind.”DAKOTA DREAM
Even though there’s much to
juggle at present, Keith is keen to
expand the business and his real
desire is to operate a DC-3 airline.
He said: “Many people have such
affection for the type. I love them.
But they are getting thin on the
ground, so we have to find the
right aircraft before we set up an A
to B passenger service in the
UK. There is still room
to expand the warbird
operation though, and
new aircraft willbe coming
on stream. We know
the demand is high,
especially from our repeat
customers and we are good
at marketing this type of
experience. Each one of
these warbirds is a big
investment though, so they
would have to work well
from a business perspective.
Some would say we’ve
achieved a lot in a short space
of time, but it feels like we’ve
been at this for much longer –
and it’s a tough game. We haveto be good at multi-tasking and
wear a lot of hats, and all the time
with safety in mind.”
So, the future looks busy for
Aero Legends, with expansion of
its vintage flying, from in-the-
cockpit Spitfire experiences to
the fly along trips, the latter
growing in popularity.
As Keith
summarised: “All
the product lines are
doing well, but this
operation is much
more than just flying
in a Spitfire. The fly
alongs with warbirds
and the Devon are
really growing
because you can
get a different
aspect on a classic
fighter. Elizabeth
is, though, in my
opinion,
the best
T. 9
Spitfire
in the UK and we’ve
even made a big effort
with installing high-end
video recording gear,
so customers have a
great souvenir. It all comes
back to us providing not just
a flight, but an experience.
We get it, and the volunteer
groundcrew get it. We’re all
here because we want to be, and
that shows to our customers.”
http://www.aerolegends.co.uk“We do have to remind ourselves that a normal day for us would
probably be an extraordinary day for a member of the public.”December 2018 FLYPAST 51