Sunday August 30th 2009 will see Little Gransden stage the 17th running of this event and Dave Poile MBE and his team already have a flying display line-up containing no less than 23 items, with scope for one or two tasty additions still to be added.
Not to be confused with the nearby glider field and former WWII bomber base at Gransden Lodge, Little Gransden's display line includes a dogleg that ensures the displaying pilots spend plenty of time showing off their top surfaces and thus presenting plenty of great photographic opportunities to those in attendance.
The intimate nature of the venue is ideal for those smaller, ofter slower types that may otherwise get lost in the vast expanses at other shows in the calendar, and consequently, Little Gransden attracts several acts that aren't seen so frequently elsewhere during the season.
A type to debut at the 2008 event was the resident, newly-arrived Spartan 7W Executive, at the time the only example present in Europe but since then owner, Nigel Pickard, has added a second aircraft to the 'fleet' in the shape of NC17615. All being well the intention is to fly both aircraft together at the show.
Royal Air Force participation will comprise of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Lancaster, PA474, as well as Flt Lt Bill Ramsey and the 2009 Tutor Display.
One of the highlights for many will be the appearance of Hangar 11's Hawker Hurricane MK.IIB, "Hurri-bomber", G-HHII. After a three and a half year restoration that's consumed some 28,000 man hours, the only remaining airworthy Hurri-bomber has finally arrived on the airshow circuit.
Peter Holloway's "Shuttlewaffe" collection will, as in previous years, provide several display items. Attendees can look forward to seeing his Bucker Bestmann, Focke-Wulf Stieglitz and Fiesler Storch put through their paces, along with the 108 Flying Group's Messerschmitt 108 G-ABTG. Maintaining the German theme, but representing an earlier era will be the Sywell-based Fokker DR-1 Triplane belonging to Paul Ford.
Other famous military types of yesteryear will include the Rolls Royce owned Spitfire PR.XIX, the Vampire Preservation Group's Vampire T.11, one of Maurice Hammond's P-51D Mustangs, Justin Needham in the Cessna Birddog, Tracey Austin in the Bell 47 Sioux helicopter, and Clive Denney in Andrew Herbert's Chipmunk - the latter performing a memorial display in honour of Ian Davies who was sadly killed in a crash last year.
Naturally there will be plenty of other items of interest both in the air and in the ground, and the organisers will be hoping to be able to make a sizeable increase to the £70,000 the event has donated to charity since its inception.
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