One thing quickly becomes apparent as soon as you set foot at Imperial War Museum Duxford in the days preceding Flying Legends: this is a truly international air display, in every sense. I can think of very few other shows where you hear such a variety of foreign voices; Australian, Brazilian, Czech, Dutch, German, American, Russian – people spend a huge amount of money and dedicate a lot of their time to ensure they can experience Flying Legends. Indeed, the vast majority of overseas visitors will have booked their accommodation and flights to the United Kingdom months before there is even a suggestion of what we can expect to see at the show itself, such is the allure of this world-famous aviation phenomenon.
It isn’t difficult to see what the attraction is. Over the years, Stephen Grey, Jane Larcombe, Jeanne Frazier and the rest of the Fighter Collection team have consistently delivered exceptional shows, allowing Flying Legends to cultivate, in short order, a reputation that has put it at the very forefront of the world’s airshows. One has only to reflect on some of the unique aircraft we have been privy to over the years, be they imports from the United States (A-36 Apache, Grumman F3-Fs, B-17 Flying Fortress ‘Liberty Bell’ and TF-51D Mustang) or comparatively local aircraft from the Continent and beyond (types such as Polikarpov I-15, Lavochkin La-9, Lockheed Super Constellation and SAAB B-17, to name but a few) to realise just how special Flying Legends is. The show offers a multitude of types you simply won’t see gracing the skies together elsewhere and on top of the usual visitors – many of whom have developed strong relationships with TFC that facilitate their repeated appearance in the UK – you can almost guarantee that Stephen Grey will pull a new and exciting debutante out of the bag.
This year was no exception; hot on the heels of 2009’s FlugWerk FW-190 UK debut was the first appearance in the UK of a Polikarpov I-16 Rata, a charming ‘devotchka’ flown to the UK by its owner, Thomas Jülch, all the way from Mannheim in Germany. Further debutantes included Stéphane Canu’s Yak-3UA, Vega Team’s AD-4N Skyraider (sporting a fetching Aeronavale scheme) and Meier Motors’ TF-51D Mustang, completing a trio of aircraft from the Meier stable at Bremgarten in Germany. There were numerous complaints before the show that a lot of the aircraft in attendance had been seen before. A fair assessment, given that the majority of the participants were return performers, but you have to consider just how rare a sight these European warbirds are in this country. Warbirds from Germany, France, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland are uneconomical to bring to the UK on a regular basis and, as such, you’re almost guaranteed to only be able to see them at Duxford, let alone in the numbers that Flying Legends presents. The days of 39 aircraft ‘Balbos’ may be over, but ‘Legends remains a show with impressive numbers of aircraft – this year alone, we were treated to five P-51D Mustangs, eight Spitfires, three Yak variants, three Skyraiders and two Hawker Sea Furies. An impressive list by any airshow’s standard!
Flying Legends for me started on the Thursday prior to the show, which gave me my first taste of the Polikarpov I-16, with the little fighter displaying early in the morning before the lower cloud and showers had passed. Whilst the flying wasn’t exactly constant, there was still plenty going on, with aircraft arriving and practicing throughout the day. The ‘mystery Mustang’ that had been touted on TFC’s blog shortly before the show arrived in formation with its Meier Motors stablemates; a TF-51D Mustang, resplendent in an attractive silver scheme, that had never been seen in this country before. Later in the day, Stephen Grey flew a display in TFC’s F8-F Bearcat, an aircraft that had, until recently, been grounded due to the ongoing CAA permit issue that has blighted TFC fleet for more than a year. Stephen certainly seemed to be enjoying himself, racing around the circuit in his favourite of aircraft. Also taking the Bearcat for a spin was US pilot and airshow living legend, Steve Hinton, a man who has flown pretty much everything there is to fly! This was the first time I’d seen Steve at the controls of the F8-F and he certainly didn’t disappoint, flying a dynamic routine that combined precision aerobatics, big powerful vertical manoeuvres and low level passes. The early evening flying from some of the based warbirds, including the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Hispano H-1112 Buchon and TFC’s TF-51D Mustang ‘Miss Velma’, was of the highest quality, as you'd expect from Messrs Romain and Kynsey: an enticing look at the delights we could expect over the weekend.
Friday was much the same as Thursday, though there wasn’t quite as much activity as previous years. By refraining from releasing a full, detailed participants list, TFC had helped create an air of excitement as speculation and rumour regarding potential arrivals began to build. Throughout the day, everything from the replica Me-262 to the Red Bull P-38 Lightning was rumoured to be “on the way” to Duxford. These occasionally outlandish rumours (which spread like wildfire across Duxford – there seemed to be few who hadn’t heard from a “reliable source” that the EADS Buchons were on their way...) are all part of the Legends fun and help the build up to the event in their own special way. Indeed, there was a strong sense of anticipation as a formation of four European warbirds called up on the radio. Eyes, lenses and binoculars turned South as aircraft appeared as tiny dots on the horizon, provoking genuine excitement: was it the new French Yak 3? Had the Meier Motors Buchon made it? Was the FW-200 Condor leading the formation?!
Having enjoyed a full day of flying, the Imperial War Museum were quick to clear people out shortly before the museum closed at 6pm. Not wanting to miss the Sea Fury duo and the I-16 that were preparing to display, we headed for a nearby road to watch practices from the aforementioned trio, the Hawker Nimrod and Meier Motors’ Spitfire VIII, all of whom displayed in perfect evening light until after 7pm. I appreciate that the IWM have to prepare their site for the next day’s airshow, but I’m sure it wouldn’t have been too much of an inconvenience to leave the museum open until 6.30pm on this occasion to allow the numerous people who wanted to watch the remainder of the flying to do so without having to find an external location to spectate from.
And so, on to the show itself. With an entrance fee north of £30 per adult, Flying Legends certainly isn’t cheap. Factor in an additional £5 for the admittedly very well produced souvenir programme, another £4 for access to the flightline walk and up to £7 for a cheeseburger (with chips, onions and a drink, you’re looking at about £12-15 for a ‘meal’ from the Gourmet Burger stand) and it adds up to a very expensive family day out. Combined with accommodation and travel expenses for those coming from further afield and you can anticipate that the weekend’s expenditure could easily run into hundreds of pounds. My wallet is certainly suffering after four days of hotels, meals, entry fees and associated airshow expenses. Compared to the RAF Waddington airshow held the week prior, which bore a very reasonable £22 fee for an eight hour plus flying display alongside extensive static exhibits, you have to question whether the show offers good value for money.
There are strong arguments for both – Flying Legends is comparatively short, usually lasting three to three and a half hours, though the quality or warbirds in attendance, and access to the extensive Imperial War Museum site, help balance the argument somewhat. Personally speaking, the quality of flying displays alone more than justifies the cost. It isn’t just a question of what appears, it’s the way the aircraft are demonstrated and the passion with which they are flown. Flying Legends’ strength, and indeed one of its key selling points, is the immaculate timing and choreography of the display. Each scenario is timed to perfection, with aircraft scrambling into the hold to formate or prepare for their routines during the previous slot, meaning you’re often treated to multiple ‘tiers’ of aircraft in the same piece of sky, with two display axis in use and two runways available.
The illusion of chaos created makes for a unique, adrenaline filled display, the likes of which you’re unlikely to find elsewhere; there is literally always something going on. As one group of aircraft break to land, another formation or solo item is running in from the opposite end to start their display. The tone is set with the opening ‘Spitfire Overture’ salvo and is maintained for three hours until the ever spectacular ‘Balbo’ finale. It is this intensity that makes Flying Legends what it is. There may be longer, cheaper airshows out there, but there are none that tender the wall-to-wall warbird nirvana that ‘Legends has delivered since its inception in 1993.
As is now traditional at Flying Legends, the ‘Spitfire Overture’ opened the flying display, with eight of R.J. Mitchell’s finest in attendance, portraying the full gamut of types spanning the majority of the aircraft’s development cycle, from the smooth-sounding grace of the Spitfire I to the raw power and growl of the Griffon powered Spitfire PR.XIX. Having departed in the company of John Romain in the Buchon and Dave Harvey in the Historic Aircraft Collection’s Hawker Hurricane XII, the Spitfires formed into a six-ship formation behind the crowd, flying large circuits over Cambridgeshire for several minutes before commencing their routine. This is always one of the more enjoyable parts of the day: the anticipation as the crowds await the return of these marvellous aircraft, their engines playing soft, evocative symphony in the summer skies.
A big Spitfire tailchase is really the only way to start Flying Legends and, whilst the 2010 opening didn’t quite reach the magnitude of 2009’s FW-190-based immensity, it was still meritorious in its own way. Particularly excellent were the last, low passes by Christophe Jacquard in his Spitfire PR.XIX and Maxi Ganza in the ex-Robs Lamplough Spitfire VIII, superimposed against the wheeling figure of eight tailchase by the remaining six aircraft, whose positioning was so tight that it was possible to capture, at times, all six aircraft in one photograph.
Being the Battle of Britain 70th anniversary, it was fitting that the Spitfire sequence was followed by a traditional dogfight, with John Romain in the Buchon bouncing the Hurricane before being intercepted by Cliff Spink in Spitfire Ltd’s Spitfire IX. It is a testament to these pilots that, in a year where similar dogfights are commonplace at a lot of events, they still managed to put together a routine that stood out from those seen thus far. Indeed, some of their low, arcing passes brought back fond memories of the famed Hanna father and son dogfights; naturally, the RAF won the day and the Buchon, once again, made a dash for home. In keeping with the 1940 theme was Daniel Koblet in the Association Morane Charlie-Fox’s Morane D-3801, now a regular performer at Flying Legends. Whilst not the most attractive of aircraft, with its portly build and stout fuselage, the Morane possesses an element of purposeful charisma. The Morane certainly couldn’t be considered a successful aircraft in the same vein as the Hurricane or Spitfire, having been decimated by the Luftwaffe in the Battle of France – a fact somewhat glossed over by French commentator Bernard Chabbert, who continues to speculate that, with several hundred more aircraft, the Moranes could have halted the German advance across Europe; opinions born of national pride rather than factual evidence, surely!
No sooner had the Spitfires broken into the circuit to land, the next quartet were running in from crowd left to start their display. Led by Carl Schofield in Vega Team’s Skyraider were Lt Cdr Dave MacKay in Kennet Aviation’s AD-4 and Christophe Bailly in the Salis Collection machine from La Ferté Alais, with former Royal Navy Historic Flight Commanding Officer John Beattie sitting in the box in Kennet’s Seafire XVII. The formation quickly broke into two individual, simultaneous displays, with the Seafire flying high level aerobatics while the hulking Skyraiders flew several formation passes before breaking into a superb, prolonged tailchase, the likes of which haven’t been seen in the UK for over a decade. A single Skyraider is a potent, intimidating hoss of an aircraft, but three are about as formidable a sight as you’re likely to see at Flying Legends!
The Naval segment continued with a breathtaking display by TFC’s Hawker Sea Fury T.20 and Mistral Warbirds’ Hawker Fury ISS. This duo made their ‘Legends debut in 2009 and put on a fine showing at that event, but their display here was just phenomenal – one of the high points of the entire season, by my reckoning. With Nick Grey flying more elegant, fluid aerobatics in the T.20 primarily on the B-axis, Frédéric Akary brought his Wright-powered Fury in close for some awesomely fast passes down the A-axis, pulling up at the end of the crowdline into what could only be described as the warbird equivalent of a zoom climb, flying vertical two point hesitation cubans and near vertical 360° rolls, breaching the 4,000ft cloud base on Saturday. The Fury ISS is an incredible aircraft in every sense; it looks and sounds wonderful (particular when diving in from altitude) and, based on Monsieur Akary’s performance in the aircraft, it appears to be a great deal of fun to fly, too. The format of this routine worked much better than the tailchase seen in 2009; without the restrictions forced on the aircraft by the nature of a tailchase, the Furies were free to demonstrate their sheer power and manoeuvrability that served them well in the Korean war.
Closing out this Naval cavalcade were the Grumman F8-F Bearcat and a welcome ‘Legends return in the French Navy schemed F4U Corsair, making its first appearance at the show in four years. Now owned by the ever expanding Meier Motors organisation at Bremgarten, the Corsair was flown by Brian Smith over the weekend, joining Pete Kynsey in TFC’s Bearcat, which was also making its first public display appearance in over a year. Together, this big piston US Navy duo flew parallel aerobatics along the A-axis, with ‘PK’ flying a full vertical roll before pulling over the top of a half-cuban, overtaking the Corsair on the way down.
Pete Kynsey’s display exhibited all the diverse hallmarks of his refined aerobatic background, with loops aplenty, hesitation rolls, rolls at the top of a loop and contrasting graceful barrel rolls, showing the versatility of the lithe Bearcat. Guest commentator Bernard Chabbert went as far as to call TFC’s Chief Pilot the “Obi Wan Kenobi” of the warbird industry, in one of his typically off the wall musings. Perhaps more appropriate was his assertion that Pete Kynsey is “this generation’s Alex Henshaw.” On the basis of what we’ve seen thus far from the ‘Balbo Master’, that claim certainly holds a great deal more weight than his Star Wars analogy!
The only mild disappointment was the lack of the usual scorching Mustang beat ups, with the five examples present flying a more sedate, distant pattern that lacked the impact of previous years’ routines. It would be churlish to complain, given the numbers of aircraft involved and the quality of the flying in this sequence, but personally, I prefer the standard format. Still, it’s always good to tweak the formula every so often to avoid repetition, and that they did, with Stuart Goldspink flying Christian Amara’s P-40N Kittyhawk in a solo routine nearer the crowd while the Mustangs, led by Steve Hinton in ‘Miss Velma’, pursued one another across the skies, producing a sweet Packard Merlin serenade.
Following the sextet was a very welcome appearance by the only US Army Air Force bomber in attendance in the beautiful shape of B-17 Flying Fortress ‘Sally B’, filling an important void left by the loss of B-17 Flying Fortress ‘Pink Lady’, the B-25 Mitchells from Europe and the A-26 Invader, none of which were at the show for various reasons. Joining the ‘Belle’ was Alister Kay in the Old Flying Machine Company’s P-51D Mustang ‘Ferocious Frankie’, flying an excellent routine that varied between higher level ‘top cover’ and sweeping low level strafing runs that made for one of the most memorable solo displays of the day. Also noteworthy was the fighter-like performance of another US design, with Dakota Norway’s gorgeous bare metal C-53 Skytrooper being thrown about the skies in a demonstration that belied the aircraft’s size. Dakotas are not uncommon at British airshows, but this particular example has only ever appeared at Flying Legends.
Solo highlight of the weekend simply had to be Thomas Jülch’s Polikarpov I-16 Rata. Whilst not the most attractive of aircraft in the traditional sense, the Rata possesses barrels of agricultural Russian charisma and grunt; the way it rattles and clatters around the skies, powered by a M-62 radial engine that completely dominates the aircraft’s small yet sturdy frame, offers the impression of a real pit-bull of a fighter. Purposeful and muscular, the I-16 isn’t an easy aircraft to fly by all accounts – a fact ably veiled by the machine’s skilful displays over the weekend.
While Saturday saw a fine, but ultimately sedate display that was heavy on straight and level passes and figure of eight circuits, Lithuanian aerobatic guru Jurgis Kairys took the controls on Sunday to show the crowd what the Rata is really capable of. Seeing the I-16 flung into an avalanche, or flick roll, at the top of a loop is a hugely impressive sight, but witnessing two consecutive avalanches flown on three separate occasions throughout the display was a sight that will live long in the memory; a true ‘Legends moment and one of the highlights of the weekend. The Rata display combined gasp-inducing aerobatics and pleasing lower, closer top-side fast passes, much to the delight of Sunday’s crowd and, naturally, your author!
Further Russian aviation was represented by a trio of Yakovlev fighters in the form of two Yak-3s and a single Yak-9, one of the former presenting another ‘Legends first in the debut of Stéphane Canu’s red and silvery grey Yak-3UA, joining Chris Vogelgesang’s stunning winter camouflaged Yak-3UA ‘White 100’ – surely one of the most attractive warbirds in Europe – and Paul Boschung’s ‘Adobe Globe’ sponsored Yak-9UM for an outstanding Russian fighter sequence that saw the latter aircraft, flown by their owners, beating up the airfield at low level while visiting French pilot and occasional TFC jockey Patrice Marschasson simultaneously flew a graceful display of aerobatics in the new Yak-3UA. This display was a fine example of the ‘Legends trademark, seemingly filling the sky with aircraft and ensuring that there is never a quiet moment; as the closer, lower tailchasing elements are repositioning for another run down the line, the solo aircraft is effectively filling the gap in front of the crowd whilst demonstrating a different aspect of the Yak’s performance via loops, precision hesitation rolls and half-cubans.
With all the high-octane heavy metal warbird displays dominating the programme, it is easy to overlook the historically important contributions made by several lighter, altogether more civilised aircraft. Often dismissed as ‘filler’ by some quarters, the likes of Boeing Stearman, PT-22 Recruit and Piper L-4 Grasshopper all played a significant role in their respective fields and for that, they will always be deserving of an appearance at Flying Legends. It was particularly nice to see the Old Warden based PT-22 duo making the short hop from Bedfordshire in the hands of their proud owners, Steve Roberts and Tracey Curtiss-Taylor. While their duo was a little lost at Duxford, simply due to their comparative size, they flew a lovely formation display that, together with the Breitling Wingwalkers, the Bucker Jungmann and Jungmeisters and the Real Aeroplane Company’s trio of the nippy Mew Gull, Arrow Active and Miles Magister, represented the age of innocence; a time before boys were sent to war, when aircraft were primarily used for pleasure, rather than war. It is also gratifying that the commentators never overlook the contributions these aircraft made, instead recognising that they are equally as deserving of a spot on the flightline as the Mustangs and Spitfires.
One of the key ‘Legends ‘moments’ of the weekend, and something that will surely be considered the formation of the British airshow season in 2010 was the unprecedented Hawker gathering of Demon, Hind and Nimrod, complimented on the ground by TFC’s static Nimrod. This magnificent trio of stunning, classic Hawker designs probably won’t be seen elsewhere this year, though the Sywell airshow in August are planning a similar gathering. As fantastic as this formation and the subsequent displays were, there may be the opportunity to surpass this year’s efforts with a five-ship Hawker flypast comprising Demon, Fury, Hind and two Nimrods in 2011...
And so, with the show drawing to a close, it came the time for the long-established ‘Balbo’ – a formation of, this year, some 25 warbirds in close formation. The whole prelude to the ‘Balbo’, with aircraft scrambling in quick succession and formating several miles away in front of the crowd whilst Stephen Grey flies the ‘Joker’ slot in the Bearcat, has become the thing of airshow legend. The number of aircraft they get up is irrelevant; regardless of the size of the formation, it is always an impressive, powerful sight, particularly given Duxford’s wartime history and the part the airfield played throughout the conflict. The unenviable yet ultimately rewarding task of leading the ‘Balbo’ falls to Pete Kynsey, who is tasked with briefing 25 individuals, many of whom very rarely, if ever, fly together and some of whom are European pilots who do not speak the best English. Despite this, year after year the ‘Balbo’ seamlessly comes together to the delight of all, making several passes over the airfield before the individual elements of three and four aircraft perform their run in and breaks, timed to perfection so that there are no gaps between the first departure and the last landing – quite remarkable, given the amount of effort that goes into getting all those aircraft together, and a true testament to the skill of everyone involved. As I said at the beginning: pure warbird nirvana.
With the final aircraft returning to Earth safely, I reflected on what had been another superlative show. Flying Legends is incomparable to any other show, unrivalled in its style and the quality of the aircraft on display. There had been some exceptional flying in 2009, so much so that many dubbed it the finest Flying Legends in the event’s history, but I believe that the passion and finesse demonstrated in 2010 surpassed even that event. True, the flying lacked a star item of the magnitude of the FW-190, but that is no fault of the organisers and they did very well to pull together a stunning array of warbirds at a time when the industry as a whole is suffering something of a downturn.
Stephen Grey and his colleagues never rest on their laurels and always manage to pull something memorable out of the hat. However, the real heroes here are not only the men and women who fly these aircraft, but those who strive to keep them in the air. The continued efforts of the engineers and ground crew must not be forgotten; without them, there would not be a show.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t still gripes about the show. Frenchman Bernard Chabbert’s philosophical, wistful commentary can be a bit much at times; the man simply doesn’t stop speaking for three and a half hours! Some of his mysticisms are quite profound (his comment that Stephen Grey created Flying Legends to “find the answer to life’s big questions” is an intriguing contemplation, for example) but the verbose style of his commentary is off-putting to many listeners. There certainly isn’t any need for endless play-by-play style commentary, particularly when said commentary often drowns out the sound of the aircraft the public paid to see. To his credit, Melvyn Hiscock attempted to rein Bernard in, but there is little anyone can do to stem the flow of Gallic mysticisms that pour freely from Mr Chabbert throughout the day. One thing is certain, though: he has unmatched passion and enthusiasm for aviation!
There was also a bizarre decision by the IWM to reformat the western parking arrangements somewhat, introducing a six lane entry system whereby one lane at a time is permitted to proceed to the ticket booths, leaving five lanes of people stranded for up to 15 minutes. Having arrived at Duxford so early, it was frustrating to see people who had arrived after me being given priority. Thankfully, the entry system reverted to the usual style on Sunday. Proof, perhaps, that there wasn’t really any need to alter anything in the first place! Still, it was a minor gripe in an otherwise superb weekend.
Flying Legends continues to buck the trend of similar, overly familiar airshow line-ups by presenting warbirds you simply won’t see elsewhere in the UK, let alone as part of such a refreshing, electrifying spectacle. Long may it continue!
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