Marketed by the Imperial War Museum as the 'Battle of Britain Memorial Flight weekend', Saturday's "photocall" was a chance to get up close to the Flight's aircraft, meet the pilots and crews and enjoy a number of events in the ground and in the air, in addition to Sunday's flying display, which was set to feature extensive BBMF participation with all of their airworthy aircraft due to appear, including one of the Chipmunks on static. Unfortunately, due to serviceability issues, the Spitfire V and the PRXIX pair were unable to attend, and the crosswind at Duxford was outside the Lancaster's operational limitations, meaning it would not be 'landing on' at Duxford.
Despite these issues, Saturday's BBMF day was absolutely fantastic. Laid out in a similar fashion to North Weald's Gathering of Warbirds and Veterans the previous month, the event allowed unrestricted access to the Flight's Dakota, Chipmunk, two Spitfires and two Hurricanes, alongside Peter Vacher's beautiful Hawker Hurricane I, which arrived on Saturday morning in formation with the two BBMF Hurricanes and the Historic Aircraft Collection's example. The IWM's Typhoon had also been positioned next to the Spitfire II, showing just how far aviation has come in the past 70 years.
To the IWM's credit, they positioned the aircraft on the hard standing with no barriers or obstructions, and only the aircraft's pilots and ground crew to police the area. Pleasingly, as with the North Weald event, everyone was courteous and patient when it came to taking photographs and having a closer look at the aircraft. As a result, a most enjoyable time was had. Being afforded such close access to these immaculately kept warbirds was a real pleasure. Meeting the men behind the aircraft - be they the veterans who flew them, or those who maintain and fly them in 2010 - added an extra dimension to the event and elevated it above the usual Duxford experience. Indeed, the one thing that shone through clearer than anything was that the BBMF crews have a great deal of passion and enthusiasm for what they do. The outgoing and insightful Flight Lieutenant Anthony Parkinson in particular was brilliant at engaging the public, always keen to answer questions and show spectators over the Spitfire II.
When you consider the additional flying from the Fighter Collection's Sea Fury T.20, TF-51D and Harvard, alongside displays from the Black Cats Lynx pair and a full routine from the Lancaster, this event was well worth the entrance fee and presented a different experience to the standard Duxford fare. It would certainly be good to see some more of these more informal events taking place there in the future.
The odds certainly didn't appear to be in Duxford's favour come airshow day. Sunday 16 May dawned overcast and fairly windy, slowly progressing to steady rain for much of the early morning; something of a tradition at Duxford shows of late. Despite the eventual clearing of the weather to a fine, sunny day, Duxford's misfortune was to continue with the last minute announcement that the volcanic ash cloud that had grounded flights for almost a week in April was currently over parts of the northern United Kingdom and, as a result, the majority of the Royal Air Force participation - including Typhoon, Hawk, Tucano and Lancaster - would not be participating in the flying display, bringing about the cancellation of the much anticipated Typhoon and Spitfire IX pairing that was one of the marquee attractions.
This 11th hour blow meant that the flying programme would have to be reshuffled completely, with less than 90 minutes to go before the display was due to commence. Remarkably, Jeanne Frazier and her organisational team quickly re-jigged the flying order and the display got underway dead on 2pm, continuing to past 5.30pm with virtually no gaps in the flying. Duxford have a history of presenting slick flying programmes, but they deserve additional praise here for handling a major stumbling block without faltering.
Sunday's flying display was based around the theme of RAF: Past and Present, showcasing a variety of aircraft spanning the history of the service, from Se5a to Typhoon. At first glance, this had the potential to be one of the typically broad Duxford themes, allowing them to build the flying programme around the based aircraft and a select few visiting aircraft.
To their credit, the IWM pulled together a gamut of RAF types, representing all areas of the Air Force, including fighters, trainers, bombers and liaison types, with some interesting participants that you don't often see elsewhere included in the display. The flying display featured several interesting combinations of aircraft, the most noteworthy of which were the Cooke Aviation Piston & Jet Provost pairing from Yeovilton, showing the evolution of that trainer in the changing world of 1950s aviation, and the climactic duo of Hawker Hunter and F-86A Sabre. The former saw Dave McKay in the Provost and John Beattie in the Jet Provost performing a pleasing routine of simultaneous solo aerobatics, indicative of the development of the Provost airframe over the span of only a few years.
Highlight of the flying display for many was Jonathan Whaley's storming display in his Hawker Hunter F4, 'Miss Demeanour'. Jonathan was on world beating form at Duxford, flying a lengthy routine that demonstrated all aspects of the Hunter's performance. Starting his display with a tight turn away from the crowd in true fighter style (something that I haven't seen in another classic jet display) to give a good view of the undercarriage retraction, the display went on to exhibit all facets of the Hunter's performance capabilities, encompassing manoeuvres that portray the rapid roll rate, low speed handling characteristics and refined power of the machine. Particular highlights were the double roll when pulling out of a half cuban on the B axis and the slow speed, open cockpit "Empire of the Sun" style pass at low level, with Jonathan waving to the crowd!
'Miss Demeanour' appeared later in the flying programme, rounding off the day in style with a two-ship formation display alongside Golden Apple's gorgeous F-86A Sabre, piloted by Mark Linney. The subsequent Sabre solo ended the day on a high - indeed, it was one of the best Sabre routines I've seen in recent years, with plenty of power behind the low, close passes.
Duxford is synonymous with warbird flying, given both its wartime role as a fighter base and its current standing as home to Europe's largest collection of warbirds, and the Spring Air Display delivered the usual high-quality piston powered displays that we have grown accustomed to over the years. Particularly noteworthy was Stephen Grey's typically excellent exhibition in the Fighter Collection's Sea Fury T.20, with his usual high standard of big, graceful manoeuvres showing the raw power of the 'Fury. The Sea Fury's hangar 2 stable mate, TF-51D Mustang 'Miss Velma', was later flown with the precision and excellence that Pete Kynsey always delivers. Pete's Mustang performance was superb, mixing elegant loops, half cubans and rolls on multiple display axes with hesitation rolls - including his trademark 8-point barrel roll - that employ the Mustang's ailerons to good effect.
The show also saw the welcome return of the Fighter Collection's Harvard, flown by Anna Walker. Hopefully this signals the start of the Collection's return to display flying following the grounding of their UK-registered fleet in 2009. Indeed, in the week following the show, the Collection's Spitfire V, EP120, undertook multiple test flights and took part in the big warbird display at La Ferté Alais in France; hopefully a sign of things to come for the rest of the fleet. Unfortunately, the planned Hurricane four ship sequence was affected by the loss of BBMF's MkII, PZ865, which suffered technical problems on start-up that prevented it from partaking in the formation. Nonetheless, multiple Hurricane set pieces are still relatively unusual and always a delight to see. Here, Al Pinner led a lovely 'vic' formation for several passes and turns in front of the crowd, a foretaste of the massed Battle of Britain fighter formations that should be prevalent at Duxford's September event. Earlier in the display, the crowds were treated to a fine duo routine from two genuine Battle of Britain veterans, with Al Pinner in the Vacher Hurricane joining the BBMF's Spitfire II.
Making a long awaited return to the skies over Duxford was the Historic Aircraft Collection's beautiful Hawker Nimrod. The Nimrod had been grounded due to severe technical problems suffered at Yeovilton in July 2009, and was returned to Duxford by road only a few weeks before the May Air Display, where it was swiftly assembled by HAC's engineers and prepared for its comeback display. Flown with panache by the irrepressible Charlie Brown, the Nimrod's display was a delight to behold, showing the excellent performance afforded by this graceful Hawker design through consecutive loops and Charlie's trademark picture-perfect barrel rolls.
While the warbirds and classic jets provided the majority of the highlights, there was still plenty of variety to be found earlier in the day. Unfortunately, the Cambridge Aero Club's quartet of Cessna 152s, led by former Shuttleworth Collection Chief Pilot Andy Sephton, and Extra 200, flown by Luke Hall, were lost in the crowdline and subsequently lacked the impact of the aforementioned displays, despite the Extra's technical prowess and the top notch formation work of the Cessna trio. Similarly, the Old Warden duo of Bristol F2b and Se5a were very welcome additions, but were ultimately lost for much of their display in Duxford's lengthy crowdline. Old Warden remains the best place to see these remarkable machines in their element.
Other displays were provided by regular Duxford participants including B-17 Flying Fortress 'Sally B', Andrew Dixon's Percival Pembroke, Mark Miller's de Havilland Dragon Rapide and a pair of Aircraft Restoration Company Chipmunks.
The flying displays at Duxford are always of the highest quality, but this event could have benefitted from one of the multiple warbird set pieces that have become Duxford's key selling point over the years. When reflecting on some of the choreographed sequences seen at Duxford airshows in recent years, I recall Spitfire tailchases, big American piston engine fighters beating up the airfield at low level, Messerschmitts flying over the tank bank. The Spring Air Display seemed to lack some of the emotive drama afforded by these warbird showcases. A sign of the times, perhaps - classic aircraft are becoming increasingly expensive to operate and thus more expensive for organisers to schedule in an air display capacity.
It was a nice surprise to be treated to the Hawk and Tucano solo displays later in the programme, which were given the go ahead following a review of the ash situation and the RAF's authorisation for these displays to take place at Duxford. Both of these routines are particularly polished this year, utilising some different manoeuvres that set the 2010 displays apart from their predecessors. Tom Saunders' Hawk display is most excellent; the negative G barrel roll and half Cuban are almost painful to watch! I for one cannot understand some of the harsh criticisms levelled at Tom's display on the internet aviation forums, as his routine at Duxford was no further from the crowd than any of the other RAF aircraft. Regardless of the online consensus, the Hawk display is a fine demonstration of the aircraft's capabilities that should prove very popular with the masses throughout the summer.
Commentary for the display was provided by 'Aircraft' magazine editor Ben Dunnell, supported by Duxford regular Colin Wilsher. Ben and Colin did a fantastic job, especially given the constantly changing nature of the flying programme due to the aforementioned ash cloud. Ben Dunnell's knowledge and focus brought an authoritative air to his commentary that is informative without overwhelming the general public with technical details. It was also refreshing to hear a commentator who makes a point of speaking predominantly when the aircraft are repositioning away from the crowd, allowing the spectators to enjoy the uninterrupted sound of the aircraft as they make their passes along the display line.
Almost on cue as the flying display finished, the airfield was hit by a deluge that had people rushing to their cars. However, despite the sudden 5.30pm exodus, the airfield cleared remarkably quickly, and the car parking marshallers should be commended for keeping on-site congestion to a minimum. The car park swiftly emptied with virtually no disruptions; a far cry from the chaos that Duxford had a reputation for just a few years ago.
One area, however, that I do feel needs addressing is the behaviour of some individuals on Sunday's flightline walk. I observed four individual occasions of spectators verbally harassing veterans and ground crew for standing in front of the aircraft they were trying to photograph. The abuse of veterans is particularly reprehensible, though it appeared that they were thankfully unaware of the antics of the select few who seek to ruin it for others. It was certainly a far cry from the laid back atmosphere of Saturday's unrestricted and free flightline walk. There is an argument that an additional fee of £4 to photograph aircraft from the same angles, at a distance further than you would find at other airshows, is unreasonable. However, this is no excuse for the unacceptable behaviour that was seen at Duxford. It is also worrying that the Air Cadets tasked with policing the flightline failed to take heed of the diatribe. The whole flightline walk experience left a sour taste; steps need to be taken by the IWM to ensure the walk is regulated more effectively than it currently is.
While the Spring Air Display lacked the trademark blistering warbird set pieces that are a Duxford tradition, the organisers are to be commended for overcoming a major last minute disruption and putting on a seamless three and a half hour programme that featured strong RAF participation, two fantastic classic jet routines, some excellent warbird displays and a smattering of interesting RAF types from various backgrounds.
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