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Flying Legends - Duxford


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Believe it or not I drove right past Duxford this morning at about 9am going home after seeing my younger son in London this weekend and I had not much on today and the weather was perfect. The reason I didn't go in? They've changed it to advanced booking only! In the past me and my friend Ian [ who helps me man the Iconicair stand at Telford ] used to go about two or three times a year but after a few absolute howlers where the wind was very high or torrential rain we used to hang onto very carefully the weather reports and then not go or choose which day to go Saturday or the Sunday.

But this new idea has scotched us a bit and we also felt as brilliant as it was we seem to be seeing a similar line up every time. To book in advance on the off chance of good weather has been a bit of a gamble not worth taking. In our opinion it's the best air show anywhere.

On one occasion the CAA decided they didn't like the aircraft's paperwork and grounded them all which almost resulted in a complete cancellation, to get round this Duxford invited all the historic aircraft from Europe over and it was quite something, It was the first time we had seen two of the new build FW190's flying and other exotic aircaft.

We will go back in a few years and hopefully the Beaufighter will be finished and some other aircraft we haven't seen will show up.

It's like the Cirque du Solei you have to see it once in your life and you will never forget it.

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8 minutes ago, GrahamF said:

Believe it or not I drove right past Duxford this morning at about 9am going home after seeing my younger son in London this weekend and I had not much on today and the weather was perfect. The reason I didn't go in? They've changed it to advanced booking only! In the past me and my friend Ian [ who helps me man the Iconicair stand at Telford ] used to go about two or three times a year but after a few absolute howlers where the wind was very high or torrential rain we used to hang onto very carefully the weather reports and then not go or choose which day to go Saturday or the Sunday.

But this new idea has scotched us a bit and we also felt as brilliant as it was we seem to be seeing a similar line up every time. To book in advance on the off chance of good weather has been a bit of a gamble not worth taking. In our opinion it's the best air show anywhere.

On one occasion the CAA decided they didn't like the aircraft's paperwork and grounded them all which almost resulted in a complete cancellation, to get round this Duxford invited all the historic aircraft from Europe over and it was quite something, It was the first time we had seen two of the new build FW190's flying and other exotic aircaft.

We will go back in a few years and hopefully the Beaufighter will be finished and some other aircraft we haven't seen will show up.

It's like the Cirque du Solei you have to see it once in your life and you will never forget it.

 

Couldnt agree more with Graham, superb airshow but after being bitten a few times now with the weather etc and seeing not a lot of flying we have stopped going, the advance booking spolied it for us but then in some ways I do understand it as the traffic is a nightmare around there on flying days.

 

Regards. Andy

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I went!

 

VERY hot day (30deg+). Luckily, Mrs Shoggz and myself are both Premium IWM members, so we got to go in their nice enlcosure to watch..

 

It is a good show, with lots of thought put into the themes and movements.

 

Highlights for me: Seeing a P38 Lightning in British skies again. Seeing the Jug that has just come back from the USA. The F35/Spitfire/P51D formation to celebrate the UK/US relationship was fantastic. When the two oldies peeled off and let the Lightning become unleashed it literally want straight up like a rocket with that fantastic jet 'thunderclap'.

 

I know it is a machine with a troubled development, but boy, as a performer, it rocks!

 

The large number of airborne Spitfires they manage is almost becoming passé - which it shouldn't!

Converesely, it is still a real thrill to see four Hurricanes and four Buchons in the sky together.. (They did a tribute to the Battle of Britain film which filmed at Duxford 50 years ago.)

 

There were three Corsairs and four P51Ds which is more than I have seen together for quite a while too.

 

One quirk of the hot temperatures.. The 'baby' Spits (Mk.Is & Mk.Vs) were all towed back to the flightline after each flight.. I can only assume that their notoriously quick overheating radiators would not have coped with the taxying involved! The Mk.IXs and above all came back under their own 'steam'.

 

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It's on my list to go again, was there in 1990 for the 50th anniversary of the BoB.... it was FANTASTIC................. just to stand on hallowed ground, ..........I'd have been thrilled to stand there if it had been an abandoned old field with tall grass, just to be THERE was a heart pounder for me, BUT to have all the flying and  the old trucks................ to see a REAL Spitfire and Hurricane take off from there was magic to me....... you guys that live close, are SO lucky.................... 7000 miles away for me....I WILL be back though...

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