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Text: |
Urs Schnyder |
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Pictures: |
Urs Schnyder & Michael E. Fader |
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
As always when we attend a Duxford airshow, we try to be on site already on the Friday before, as it is sometimes possible to take unique pictures during the validation flying of the different participants. Another reason is of course the weather. It unfortunately sometimes happens that the Friday is the only day with nice sunny weather. Also this year the weather was a spoilsport. After a nice week and Friday the weekend was grey and even managed some showers during the Sunday display.
Re-enactors
Re-enactors seem to become ever more popular at airshows. It started out with people being dressed as pilots. Now we have whole camps of re-enactors at airshows who don’t just show off their personal outfit but also various military vehicles of different sizes. It is also not only men but an increasing number of women who take part in these displays and activities. Some people invest quite a lot of money into their outfit as original items like pilots watches from wartime can fetch quite high prices. They of course make attractive photo subjects next to the aircraft. During the flight line walk they are controlling that the people stay on the tarmac.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Period Fairground
There seem to be an increasing number of historic Fairground attractions like Ferris Wheel, carousel or swing boats that feature at Duxford’s Airshows. Like the Re-enactors they also provide a glimpse into the past of our history and are therefore a welcome part of Duxford’s airshows.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
The Battle of Britain
This is the customary opening of every Battle of Britain airshow at Duxford. This time there were two Messerschmitts attacking the airfield. Two Spitfires were scrambled and after a short while got into dogfights with the German fighters. Probably because of the small number of aircraft, the dogfights were more realistic than at some previous shows with more aircraft. The bad guys were shot down and the good cause won as indeed they did in 1940.
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Big Bomber Formation
This was a first as far as we are aware. The Avro Lancaster flying in Formation with the B-17. The organisers of the airshow are to be congratulated for making this happen.
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Besides the Formation with the B-17, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight also displayed on its own. On Saturday it was the Lancaster and one Spitfire while on Sunday the Lancaster was escorted by two Spitfires. The BBMF has also changed its way of displaying in a positive way. The Fighters now also seem to fly to the edge of the airfield and give the audience a chance to get views other than just their undersides as it was in earlier time when their display was restricted to the centre of the airfield.
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
Hurricanes and Spitfires
As we all know now, the Hurricanes were more numerous than the Spitfires in the Battle of Britain and bore the brunt of the fighting. The wrong idea of more Spitfires was of course helped by the film as there were more flyable Spitfires than Hurricanes at the time. This is of course still true, but there have been quite a few Hurricanes restored to airworthy condition lately. The number of Spitfires being made airworthy is of course still increasing with every year as it is now possible to restore airframes that were considered hopeless some years ago. What is also increasing is the number of converted two seaters for passenger flying.
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
Sky Spies
This Lockheed Electra is a unique Aircraft. It was used by the Australian Sidney Cotton to take pictures of German Military installations shortly before the war. For this missions it was fitted out with some cameras in the wing leading edges and the fuselage. It was damaged during the war in a bombing raid and afterwards left for the US where it stayed until 2022. It was then brought back to the UK and restored by Air Leasing at Sywell aerodrome to its original 1939 condition.
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)
