Duxord's Flying Legends Airshow - July 2011
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The Flying Legends air display continues to enthrall. What a line-up of superb historic warbirds.
Seven Supermarine Spitfires, six P-51 Mustangs, four Curtiss Hawks, 3 Buchons (Bf-109s), 3 Skyraiders, 3 Sea Furies,
3 Fokker Dr.Is, 3 de Havilland Dragons/Rapide, 2 Corsairs, 2 DC-3s, 2 Hawker Nimrods, Hurricane, Morane J-143,
Hawker Demon, Hawker Hind, F8F Bearcat, P-38 Lightning, Yak-9, B-17 flying fortress, Nieuport 17, Fairey Swordfish,
Junkers Ju-52 and a partridge in a pear tree. It was like Christmas with sunshine, and each display was another glorious present, to add to wonders of the day.
Duxford is where the Spitfire entered service with the RAF, and Spitfires opened this years display with a scramble accompanied by a Hawker Hurricane and three Buchons (Spanish Messerschmitt Bf-109).
The Horsemen P-51 Mustang display team fielded two Mustangs rather than their usual three. Pilots Ed Shipley and Dan Friedkin gave a smooth, close formation display. The weekend started with six Mustangs, but ended with five. The long time Duxford regular, 'Big Beautiful Doll', was involved in a collision with an AD-4 Skyraider as they pulled different rates of turn after their run in and break.Rob Davies, piloting Big Beautiful Doll, was forced to parachute from the Mustang. Fortunately he was unharmed despite being at quite a low altitude when leaving the aircraft and striking the tail section. The Mustang was completely destroyed. The Skyraider lost several feet of its starboard wing, which caused it to make a rapid 360 degree roll. The pilot was able to complete his circuit and landed safely. After a couple of months, the wing was repaired and the Skyraider returned home to France.
A range of Curtis Hawks were present. Hawk 75, P-40B Warhawk, P-49F Warhawk and P-40N Warhawk.
Three Buchons displayed. Although painted in Lufwaffe colours, the Rolls Royce engined Buchon have a much deeper, rounder chin than a Mercedes powered Messerschmitt Bf-109.
The three Skyraiders on display were impressive because of their size and manoeuvrability. As we saw after the collision, a Skyraider can also fly after losing five or six of one wing.
The Hawker Sea Fury was represented by three examples. Two two seater T.20s and an FB10 ISS. Frederic Akary in the ISS Fury teamed up with Nick Grey in a T.20 to perform dramatic aerobatics. Roaring across the airfield at all sorts of angles, heights and directions, and all at high speed.
A first since the 1930s was a formation of two Hawker Nimrods, Hawker Demon and Hawker Hind. Next year they may be joined by a Hawker Fury! The Flying Legends display continues to amaze year after year.
Like the Sea Fury, the F8F Bearcat is an impressive powerhouse of an aeroplane. TFC's Bearcat was flown in the high power setting 'Joker' display. Stephen Grey wows the crowds with high speed manoeuvres, while the Balbo, mass formation, forms up.
It is not just fighters that perform tail chases. There was a DC-3, C-47 tail chase that showed the aeroplanes to great advantage. A trio of de Havilland aircraft also flew in formation; two Dragons and a Rapide.
Aeroplanes from the Red Bull collection, 'The Flying Bulls', attended Flying Legends for the first time. The F-4U-4 Corsair and Lockheed P-38L Lightning were very well displayed. The Lightning was highly polished to a 'put your sunglasses on' degree. Aircraft from this well known collection have not visited the UK before, so they were a great draw for this air display.
At the other end of the reflective arc, was the F4U-5NL Corsair of Max Alpha-Meier Motors. Matt black with dark red codes. Very stealthy looking. Other fighters from WWII were, the HAC Hawker Hurricane, Morane D-3801 J-143 / M.S. 406 representing the Battle for France and from the Eastern Front a speedy Yak-9.
The Great War Display Team flew mock battles with a duo of Fokker Dr.I Triplanes replicas and a Nieuport 17 replica in Escadrille Lafayette colours. Another Fokker Dr.I was displayed by Mikael Carlson from Sweden. He flew his display in a manner that made it more than clear, why the Fokker triplane deserves its dogfight credentials. After landing, the light weight Fokker was caught by the prop blast of a larger warbird, and ended up on its nose. Mikael climbed out unhurt, but the Fokker Dr-I will need some repair work.
The Fairey Swordfish of the Royal Navy Historic Flight made its display, flying slow and slower still. The Junkers Ju-52 operated by the Lufthansa Foundation flew in its usual stately fashion, while the UK based Bucker Bu-133 Jungmeister cavorted about the sky.
Bombers of the WWII period were also represented. B-17 Sally B, flew in formation with P-51s Big Beautiful Doll and Ferocious Frankie. Sally B also made a fly-by with smoking engine, in memory of all the USAAF aircrews that returned to their bases battered and wounded. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight of the RAF displayed their Avro Lancaster. One of the classic aircraft to come out of WWII, the Lancaster is a sight well worth travelling to see.
Take a look at the photographs, but do try and visit Duxford for real. See you there!
