In many ways this is a typical British story. A small but increasingly popular air display and country show, which is a local charity's most significant donor, is almost cancelled due to what appears to be heavy handed and last minute bureaucracy from Defence Estates. The organisers manage to implement a contingency plan so that the show goes ahead, only to find low cloud, driving rain and freezing cold winds greeting them on the day itself. Somehow the weather clears to allow the majority of the flying to take place, the display concludes with the 2010 debut of the Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon - also a first for the show. Punters leave shaking their heads and wondering how on earth the team behind the event held it all together.
You couldn't make it up really and, after what went on in the run-up to the event, it really was extraordinary that anything happened at all at Abingdon on Sunday 2nd May. It would probably have been easier for Neil Porter to cut his losses and call the whole thing off. The detail behind the disagreement with Defence Estates that saw the event deprived of the runway for the show is currently still being investigated and potentially warrants further exploration in a separate feature here on Global Aviation Resource, so for the purposes of this report I'm going to stick to the show day itself.
As discussed in my blogGAR update just prior to the event, the inclement weather was oh so predictable, especially after we had enjoyed a relatively long period of dry and settled conditions - albeit one tainted by the volcanic ash cloud courtesy of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland. Attending the practice sessions on Saturday, as well as the arrival of the SHAPE UH-60 Black Hawk, we were blessed with warm and largely sunny conditions, making what most of us woke up to on Sunday morning all the more inevitable. Low cloud, periods of heavy rainfall and a bitterly cold wind signalled the UK's first airshows of the year, and you could almost imagine the weather gods sniggering as they watched hardy airshow fans heading for Abingdon and Old Warden, which also hosted its first event of the season.
After what had happened in the run up to the show it really was the last thing Abingdon's team needed but my goodness it was cold. I've been chilly at airshows in this country before now, usually at the back end of the season, but it felt more like January than May and despite three layers and a jacket I never really got warm until I was in the car and on the journey home! (I should really have had a pair of gloves with me but that's another story and one that I won't bore you with here!) But there was hope. The sceptics said it would never clear, but even on Saturday the forecast looked as if it indicated an improving picture, and this was backed up by Tucano display pilot Flt Lt Tom Bould when he arrived at Abingdon on Sunday morning with the latest news. It was very much a fingers crossed and hope for the best moment as the scheduled time for the flying display approached.
In the meantime there was still plenty to do for those who had made the decision to support the show and, by default, also the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust. Three helicopters were on the ground for the static display - a Merlin HC.3 from 78 Squadron at nearby RAF Benson, a Puma HC.1 from 230 Squadron, also based at Benson, and a US Army UH-60 Black Hawk from SHAPE, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Based at Mons in Belgium the Black Hawk is used to transport SACEUR, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, wherever he needs to go and whenever he needs to be there. The three helos were naturally a focal point for visitors to the show, especially during the worst of the conditions, with Team Merlin managing an impressively long queue to take a look at their aircraft, one which many members of the general public will have been aware is currently engaged in such important work supporting operations in Afghanistan. For more information see the exclusive embedded video within this very feature - the first fruits of our new partnership with PlanesTV.
There was more. A small funfair, farm animals, classic cars, steam engines, tank rides and a good number of traders, despite the fact that some had chosen not to take up their pitch in light of the prevailing weather conditions - probably a poor decision with the benefit of hindsight as the event was still relatively well supported by the ever resilient British public.
I have to say however that the choice of music by the commentary team during the morning was suspect to say the least. It might, and I mean might, have been amusing to play "Always look on the bright side of life" and "Bring me sunshine" once - but to hear them repeatedly when you didn't have the benefit of a tent for shelter, well, it felt like my nose was being rubbed it in all honesty, and I don't think many of the crowd appreciated the 'joke' either with plenty of negative comments overheard.
Flying was due to commence at 12.40pm but, as commentator Sean Maffett managed to call correctly, with pilot Neil McCarthy standing behind him in the pilot's tent that was obviously a no-go, so the first act was the Swift Aerobatic Display Team. Other victims of the weather were the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight - whose Spitfire and Hurricane were unable to get across from RAF Coningsby - and the Harvard which found itself stranded at Shoreham.
With the runway out of action, the Swift team flew what was essentially a seaside routine to their usual high standard, with the glider remaining on-tow behind the Pawnee for the duration with Pete Wells flying the solo Twister around them. Pete and Guy Westgate would return later for the UK debut of the Twister Duo and, despite the gusty conditions, managed to pull off an impressive display of formation aeros. It's great to see any new act on the circuit and we look forward to seeing a lot more of them in better conditions this season. Well done chaps.
Other civilian highlights from the three-hour flying programme were Andy Cubin in Delta Jets Hunter T.7, a lovely demo which certainly brought the crowd to life, DC-3 Dakota "Drag em oot" which flew some excellent passes in very blowy weather and a nice showing from the T-28 Fennec. It was also good to see the air ambulance itself make an appearance, although we only got one flypast from their EC-135 as they were called out to attend an emergency.
Matt Hampton got lucky this year and enjoyed the best light of the day in the VPG's (Vampire Preservation Group) T.11. It was a great display in this wonderful looking vintage jet and one which offers the photographers in the crowd a number of good opportunities to capture images of the aircraft. It is definitely worth noting that the VPG is once again holding a photographic competition this season with whoever takes that judged to be the best image of the aircraft this season winning a trip in the Vampire itself. Full details can be found at http://www.vampirepreservation.org.uk/competition.htm
The remainder of the flying display was largely focussed on the Royal Air Force and its ongoing support for the show is to the great credit of the Events Team as well as indicative of the work Neil Porter and his team have done to ensure the event is worthy of attracting such backing. The Tutor, Tucano and Hawk all made their 2010 debuts at Abingdon and many spectators will have been surprised, considering the conditions (described by one pilot as featuring a "brutal on-crowd wind"), that all three managed full displays.
Flt Lt Bill Ramsey was superb in the Tutor and it's nice to see him finally getting the praise he deserves from the enthusiast community; lord knows why it's taken this long though. The Tutor display is as valid as the rest of the RAF solos and in some ways more important, attending a number of events that the other aircraft can't.
The Tucano and Hawk displays meanwhile were always going to be the subject of keen anticipation at Abingdon as for many it was the first opportunity to see their special paint schemes, both of which we've been lucky enough to reveal here on GAR, in the flesh.
Flt Tom Bould should be very happy with his day's work and the Tucano looks quite frankly superb in its camouflaged scheme to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The routine is tight, crisply flown and shows off the scheme to great effect, with Tom's stall turns especially impressive.
Flt Lt Tom Saunders was another happy pilot after flying his first public display of the season in the Hawk, despite some subsequent criticism on the airshow forums. Tom doesn't make the rules at 22 Group RAF, but he does have to adhere to them and, judging by the round of applause his display received from the crowd in our vicinity, he'd do well to go with the majority verdict. This was Tom's 'home' show and one he'd been looking forward to since day one, but he'll be hoping for brighter skies and a more favourable wind to help him show off his strikingly painted Hawks this season.
Fair play to the Hawk display team for getting their gazebo up in the morning too, itself an apparently well-practiced routine in the conditions, albeit not subject to PDA! This allowed them to meet many of the general public at the show, raising awareness of the Royal Air Force and money for the RAF Benevolent Fund in the process, a vitally important element of the team's role as they tour the shows this season.
The inclusion of two flypasts from a VC-10 based at nearby RAF Brize Norton was a highlight for many and its second appearance in the Abingdon circuit, climbing away at full power after flying an approach, was a noisy and suitably impressive demonstration of this beautiful old aircraft, albeit one which is still performing such an important role in Royal Air Force service.
The C-17 Globemaster, also from Brize Norton, made just one flypast, giving the crowd a lovely top-side view of the mighty transport aircraft. While some expressed disappointment at this brief appearance it is to the credit of 99 Squadron, and 101 Squadron for the VC-10, that these aircraft, which were due to appear on the ground in the show's static display, managed to make a flying appearance instead.
The C-17's departure completed the RAF's part in the show and left the circuit clear for a true Abingdon first as Captain Tobias "Hitec" Schutte of 323 Squadron at Leeuwarden made his first appearance as this year's Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 display pilot. Flying the by now familiar "Orange Lion", his performance made for a fitting end to the flying display and some well received afterburning action. Opening the show from a low missed approach was certainly eye-catching and there was plenty of noise and colour to send the crowd home happy after what had been, to begin with anyway, a trying day.
It's difficult to say anything but "well done" to Abingdon this year. The week before the show was a difficult one for everyone involved with the event and one which ripped the heart from large aspects of the show, depriving it of any fixed wing static display aircraft (other than Tony de Bruin's Bronco which arrived as a guest of the resident VGS). Still, despite challenging weather conditions for pilots, organisers and the general public alike, Abingdon can somehow chalk up another successful event, and let's hope the air ambulance will still benefit from all the hard work that went on to make it work as well as it did. Well done Abingdon and for those of you that attended, well done for supporting the event too.
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