The first thing worthy of note regarding this year's show at East fortune was that actually getting in was a relatively easy affair, with very little of the traffic congestion that seems to affect so many other events. I pretty much drove straight in to the base waiting only to pay for my entrance to the show - an adult ticket costing £17 along with a parking charge of £4, prices on a parity with most other shows of this scale.
With the flying display due to commence after lunch an early arrival allowed time to have a wander through the Museum of Flight. Entrance to the museum was included with the airshow ticket price which is always a nice option for visitors, especially in the event of poor weather.
Particularly worthy of note was a fairly recent addition to the collection in the shape of Jaguar GR.1A XZ119, located in Hanger 4 alongside Concorde. This Jag was retired from RAF service in June 1996 and, having been flown to RAF Cranwell, spent the remainder of its RAF career being used for ground training before being donated to the Museum of Flight. With four hangars of aircraft to see representing everything from Concorde and Tornado to Spitfire and Me163, the museum comes highly recommended and is well worth a visit if you are in the Edinburgh region. East Fortune played an important part in WWII and there is a real sense of history about the airfield.
On to the flying display programme which, though not lengthy in comparison to some events, definitely had some interesting participants. The show commenced with a trio of aircraft from the BBMF, sadly this didn't include the Lancaster this year but a spirited performance by the Dakota more than compensated. The DC-3 was joined by Spitfire PR.9 "The Last" and the Hurricane IIc; always a wonderful sight and especially so on a relatively rare visit to Scotland, which isn't exactly blessed with airshows!
P-51D Mustang "Jumpin Jacques" was another popular performer as indeed the aircraft seems to be wherever she appears. Originally based in Italy during WWII, this aircraft served a large part of the war with the 332nd Fighter Group, famous as the first all African-American air wing, "The Tuskegee Airmen".
The Chinook was a welcome visitor courtesy of the Royal Air Force and, as ever, put on an amazing display with a routine that seems almost unbelievable for such a large helicopter, accompanied by frequent 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from enthralled spectators. The Royal Air Force presence at the show was completed by Flt Matt Barker in the 4FTS Hawk from RAF Valley and Flt Lts Leon Creese and Chris "Kiwi" Enright in the Beechcraft King Air B200 from 45(R) Sqn at RAF Cranwell.
The Guinot wing walking team with their Boeing Stearman aircraft were another act that clearly captivated the crowd and they produced another fine display in perfect conditions for the event. Is there a more consistent performer on the airshow scene I wonder? Also worthy of note was a superb display flown by a man who really should know what he's doing at an airshow with Dai Heather-Hayes in his Pitts Special S-2B. Dai is currently the CAA Regional Flight Test Examiner for commercial and Instructor Ratings and the issue of Display Authorisations.
A later segment in the display took everyone on a nostalgic trip back to the world of aerobatic team flying in days gone by with a pair of Folland Gnats. With one sporting the colours of 4 FTS and the other in the more recognizable scheme worn by our very own "Red Arrows", before they migrated to the Hawk of today, they were followed by the eye catching Hunter of Jonathon Whaley. Hawker Hunter G-PSST "Miss Demeanour" has to be one of the most outstanding colour schemes worn by a vintage display aircraft; vividly coloured it may be but in my opinion it suits the sleek lines of the Hunter FG.9 down to a tee.
One change to the original programme saw the formidable Douglas A-1 Skyraider replace the Sea Hawk which is still firmly grounded at Yeovilton. The Skyraider was a welcome replacement and the crowd were treated to a lovely display in the sunshine by this large and impressive aircraft.
Local base "Archer Field" provided two displays in the programme with the Stolp Starduster Too and the Beagle (latterly Scottish Aviation) Bulldog before the second impressive helicopter display of the day, this time from the Royal Navy with the Lynx Mk.8. No sooner had the Lynx landed before the ground support was on board and she was off again for a display at Sunderland Airshow, such is the busy life of an airshow performer in demand!
Finally the moment that many of the spectators at East Fortune were waiting for; the appearance by Vulcan XH558. You could sense just by looking around that this was what the public came to see with everyone on their feet and crowding into the display area, vying to get that perfect view. The display, I thought, was rather more sedate than the one I saw last year with gentle banking and passes and just one noisy spiralling climb. But, judging by the reactions around me, the general public enjoyed what they saw and this, I suppose, is the main thing.
No RAF Typhoon to close the show this year, that honour went instead to The Blades who, with four of the world's most accomplished pilots (all of whom are former members of the Red Arrows) did East Fortune proud - a fantastic display as always by the guys in their Extra 300 XL aircraft.
Getting out of the airfield was slightly more of a challenge than getting in had been, especially for those who made for the exits as soon as proceedings had finished. However, if you stayed back and had a look around the museum and shops, the task of getting away was much smoother and infinitely more relaxed.
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