There is literally nothing like the Goodwood Revival in this country. That statement may even extend to Europe and beyond. For three days in mid-September, the site of the former RAF Westhampnett and, latterly, Goodwood racecourse, is transformed into a motoring, fashion and aviation festival, the likes of which you won't experience anywhere else. From the moment you arrive on site, you know something is different - spectators are parked in fields off site, with old classic cars allowed to park in the fields around the main gates. Modern trade stands are strictly pitched outside along the metal walkway erected to visitors to enter the showground on; only period stalls, market stands and food outlets are permitted within the racecourse.
As you arrive under the vast Goodwood Revival banners, mightily impressive in their own right and an indication of the type of craftsmanship, attention to detail and class you're likely to find inside, you're struck immediately by the atmosphere. The majority of visitors choose to dress in period 1940s to 1960s clothing, meaning that there is a wonderfully eclectic mix of characters to be found, with fashion choices ranging from Winston Churchill and Elvis impersonators, to greasers, 'flower power' girls, soldiers, airmen and all manner of civilian fashion. Tweed jackets, trilby hats and pleated skirts are very much the order of the day.
The Revival plays host to hundreds of classic cars over the weekend, ranging from 1950s and 60s Grand Prix cars, sports and GT cars, as well as motorbikes, military vehicles, classic saloon cars and everything in between. For the classic car enthusiast, there can surely be no more enticing an event! The circuit itself has been lovingly maintained in its original layout, grandstands and all, which offer superb views of the racing action. In addition to the many vintage vehicles on show are some absolutely unique ground displays that add to the intangible atmosphere of the event, including a 1950s circus with wrestlers, clowns and even a bearded lady!
The attractions extended to live bands, mock 1960s film sets, a 1950s holiday camp (complete with beach huts) and a recreation of a 1960s British street, with a period Tescos store selling 1960s produce (not at 1960s prices, I must add!), a bus garage and hippies. Even the food vendors came in period vans to join the festivities. I admit, it probably sounds a little odd when you look at it out of context, but rest assured, once you're there, you can't help but immerse yourself in the atmosphere and soak up the relaxed, jovial vibe. As far as amicability goes, the Revival is second to none.
I could wax lyrical all day about the assorted re-enactors and attractions on the ground - they are indeed too numerous even to list individually - but, as with Gareth's Dunsfold review, this is an aviation website and, as such, the focus is always the aircraft. In that respect, Goodwood certainly doesn't disappoint. On the ground, there is also the superb 'Freddie March Spirit of Aviation' aircraft park, with more than 25 vintage aircraft participating in a static display that is judged on several grounds by a panel of celebrity judges, this year including Rowan Atkinson, Ben Fogle and James Martin.
This year, Demon Displays Limited's gorgeous Hawker Demon won the Spirit of Aviation award. It was certainly a tough choice, with all the participants looking immaculate; there were some real gems on show, and with no obstructive barriers, it was possible to marvel at close quarters at just how well maintained these lovely machines are.
Notable participants included Hawker Nimrod, Antonov An-2, a pair of stunning DH-60 Moths, a WACO biplane, two Spitfires (the 'Spirit of Kent' MkIX and Paul Andrews' MkXVI TE184), Beech Staggerwing, Percival Pembroke, Chilton DW1 and, perhaps the grandest - and most bizarre looking - of all was the Sikorsky S-38 amphibian, making one of only two appearances in the UK (the other being the Jersey airshow, where it arrived in the evening to join the static display) before heading back to the USA.
Early morning visitors like myself were lucky enough to catch the aircraft park bathed in golden Autumn light under crisp blue skies; those who stayed until evening also reaped the benefits, with a red sunset providing a dramatic, fiery backdrop to the aircraft.
The display flying is organised by the Old Flying Machine Company (“OFMC”), they have done this since ‘Revival’ began in 1998. This year, seven aircraft took part in some 37 (note- this includes BBMF fighters)display slots over the weekend, with participation from aircraft belonging to Duxford-based airshow stalwarts OFMC, The Fighter Collection (“TFC”) and the Historic Aircraft Collection (“HAC”), supported on Saturday and Sunday by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (“BBMF”).
“We fly throughout the day, starting with an early morning slot taking off at twenty to nine, through to the evening slots when we land at 7.20pm”, explains OFMC’s Alister Kay. Alister is tasked with pulling together and planning the flying displays at the Revival alongside the director, ex-Red Arrows leader, Tim Miller.
The thought that goes in display pairings and routines, as well as the plethora of other ground attractions scattered across the site, extends to the aircraft park on the ground, with the warbirds parked into the crowd in an ‘L’ shape. The positioning of the warbird park is such that, regardless of the position you’re viewing them from, you always get the fantastic background of the trees along the perimeter, framing each aircraft perfectly. It also caters for the aviation photographer; Alister explains the reasoning behind the unusual approach the aircraft ground displays:
“We try to park the aeroplanes in the best locations for the public, which means adopting a more random format. The reason is so that, wherever you stand, be it in the main crowd, the Aero Club or the driver’s enclosure, you can see most of the aeroplanes. When we have the aeroplanes neatly lined up, most people will only see the nearest one or two.
“It’s much more interesting this way; people can set up good photographs. It’s one of the few places where you feel you can almost touch the aircraft and watch them being pushed back, prepared and started up, then taxied back in and shut down, all right there in front of you.” The Aero Club provide a large number of instructors and staff to ensure no-one crosses the barriers; they all wear period costume rather than horrible yellow jackets.
The ‘Revival’ venue presents quite a challenge for participants, as Alister explains:
“The curved display line has an entry and exit over the track, and at these points are large sterile zones that must be clear of people, however this is where people sit during the races – and they don’t particularly want to be moved! There could be thousands of them, but they have to be moved before each display starts.” Moving hundreds, if not thousands of people out of these sterile zones when they have, in some cases, set up chairs and picnics on the grass, is a tough job, but one that is strictly adhered to.
“We have planned display slots with a duration of 17 minutes, but often we are in the cockpit and about to start the engine when we’re told, “Start time’s delayed by 20 minutes” or, “Slot duration is reduced to 8 minutes. The timings can even alter whilst airborne and we must have a plan for these potential changes.”
This also leads to broader, more adaptable approach to display planning than you would see at most airshows, with the potential for last minute delays or slot shortenings requiring the pilots to run through their displays and discuss their forthcoming routines as near to the display slot as possible. Alister explains how the comparatively few display aircraft and pilots allows for a more practical approach to display briefing.
“The more aeroplanes and pilots that are involved, the more complicated it is to orchestrate. The pilots who fly here are very used to flying together and so we can brief by the aeroplanes, whereas if we were flying with unfamiliar pilots briefing some of the things we do could take hours in the briefing room.
“At a normal airshow, there is a fixed plan and you have a briefing in the morning, hours before you fly. If you make a change you’ve got to find everybody and run through each element again. Here, we have a major briefing at the beginning of the event to talk about the issues including the site, rules, timings and, of course, safety.
“The pilots think through their own displays and have a final brief an hour beforehand by the aeroplanes. We meet well before our slot time, we decide what we’re going to do and then go and fly, and it works brilliantly that way. Most of the pilots have flown at Goodwood for many years, OFMC first displayed here in 1999. I have flown over 50 displays here and so have many of the others. Because we all fly together throughout the year we can work very flexibly.”
The unpredictable nature of the flying also impacts on the visiting aircraft and pleasure flight movements, which can, on occasion, be extremely beneficial to the passengers, as Alister describes. “It’s a busy airfield, and they can’t have aeroplanes landing and taking off while the races are going on, so once the races have stopped, you have a sudden influx of both fixed wing aeroplanes and helicopters. There are four staff in the tower and they work hard. Sometimes landing aircraft have to wait for a delayed race to finish, or land before the next on starts. The radio gets very busy”
In order to ensure that no slots go unfilled, and that everything runs smoothly on the day, each display slot is allocated a reserve aircraft, which requires further flexibility from the pilots and ground crew.
“We always have someone sitting in another aeroplane, so we can launch a replacement if there’s a technical problem. Standby pilots need to be briefed on what the plan is so they can step in if needed.”
So what of the displays themselves? Alister explains:
“Because the display line is unusual you have to adapt”, says Alister. “You’ve got to fly a simple and very well thought out routine; if the aircraft is presented well, it is most effective. When the display is flown well the spectators get some of the best possible views of the aircraft as it banks round. Technically it is a brilliant line to fly and with practice it is better than the normal line at other sites.”
The vastly experienced pool of pilots on hand included all three UK Red Bull air racers. Nigel Lamb flew most of the MH434 Spitfire slots; he first flew at ‘Revival’ in 1999. Two times Red Bull winner Paul Bonhomme flew sorties in the Spitfire V and P-51 whilst his Matadors team mate Steve Jones flew Spitfire IX MH43 once each day. Alister Kay flew Ferocious Frankie, Pete Kynsey flew the Bearcat and Charlie Brown flew HAC’s Hawker Hurricane XII in a graceful aerobatic display that demonstrated Sir Sydney Camm’s rugged fighter to good effect. These are some of the most prolific and knowledgeable display pilots in the UK, whose job at Goodwood is simply to adapt their displays to fit the constraints imposed upon the site.
The Goodwood display line certainly allows for some unique photographic opportunities, with aircraft often flying a low pleasing topside configuration, showing off the aircraft’s best angles to good effect. Literally all of the displays employ this style through necessity, though it’s a great thing for the crowds; I certainly can’t think of a location where you’ll see such impactful displays. Even the warbird displays at the likes of Old Warden and Little Gransden, famed for their ‘dog leg’ crowdlines, don’t leave the impression they do at Goodwood, such is the style and unmatched quality of the flying.
Highlights from the weekend’s flying surely had to be the early morning and twilight displays, with the former enjoying the best light of the day at 8.45am, with the sun still low in the sky, bathing the airfield in a golden September light against a crystal clear, deep blue sky. The first display of the weekend was provided by the OFMC pair, with Nigel Lamb and Alister Kay at the helm. Alister describes the remarkable experience:
“Nigel and I were circling over the airfield at 5,000ft and twenty to nine on Friday morning. The weather and visibility was perfect; we’re sitting up there and I have a seemingly motionless Spitfire a few feet away from me. Beyond the Spitfire, and moving behind it as we turn, I can see the Isle of Wight, then a sparkling sea and white clouds followed by green countryside stretching into the distance. It was like part of a film – I almost had to ask Nigel to throw in a loop to bring me back to reality!
“In the evening display I can see the Spitfire’s exhaust glowing red and blue, I know I am very lucky to be here.” These morning and evening display slots are surely one of Goodwood’s main selling points for aviation enthusiasts; nowhere else do you see flying that early in the day, nor that late at night (Old Warden’s evening displays being a possible exception, depending on the time of year – but you certainly wouldn’t see the warbirds flying that late). There’s something quite magical about them that elevates them above the afternoon displays. You really have to experience it yourself to appreciate that feeling.
Opening Saturday’s proceedings were the Bearcat and Mustang, with Pete Kynsey and Paul Bonhomme demonstrating that a restrictive, single display axis need not impinge too much on their displays. The Bearcat display in particular was the essence of raw, piston power, with Pete’s usual inimitable style contrasting power aerobatics (rolling zoom climbs and huge, sky-filling loops) with the aircraft’s dexterity (8-point hesitation rolls and precise aileron inputs).
My personal highlight of the weekend simply had to be Saturday’s evening display from Nigel Lamb and Alister Kay in the OFMC Spitfire and Mustang, who departed into a stunning red sunset. Commencing their display at approximately 7pm, and landing a fair time after the sun had dropped below the horizon, these two legendary allied fighters tore through the cool, calm evening air, their Merlin engines singing a twilight hymn to the fallen in honour of the airmen who gave their lives flying from RAF Westhampnett during the 1940s. The passion and sheer excellence of this display was unmatched, with the duo performing countless close formation loops, barrel rolls and low passes.
There’s something about flying at that time of the evening that you feel deep down in your soul. Perhaps it is the purity of it all; with the racecourse closed and many spectators already heading home, Goodwood falls silent. Ambient noise fades, the air cools and the aircraft sound a lot louder – you can feel the vibrations in your chest as they roar past, close and low. There’s nothing else like that feeling.
The major set-piece on Sunday was the Revival’s Battle of Britain tribute, featuring numerous ground displays supplemented by a flypast, in a unique box-four configuration, from the BBMF’s Hurricane II and Spitfire II, joined by HAC’s Spitfire V and OFMC’s Spitfire IX. On the ground, and perhaps most importantly, were nine veterans who were based at RAF Westhampnett during the Battle of Britain, returning for the first time in 70 years. Lord Freddie March, joined by the veterans, paid a moving tribute to ‘The Few’ who flew from Goodwood during the Battle, with the service of remembrance culminating with a seven gun salute from the Royal Horse Artillery and a flypast by three Spitfires and a single Hurricane.
This scenario was planned to the second, by Tim Miller, so that the formation arrives at the culmination of the seven gun salute, breaking in two sections as they passed. Indeed, on the day, despite earlier delays imposed by late running races, the flypast arrived dead on their allocated time.
“Our Battle of Britain tribute was put together in the briefing room by Tim (Miller), and it worked perfectly”, says Alister. “The last shot in the seven gun salute fired exactly as the formation broke; a second earlier, and it wouldn’t have worked. That timing was orchestrated by Tim. It was delayed by 22 minutes, but it was still run by the second, just 22 minutes late.
“Tim is well known as one of the great Red Arrows leaders and he gets huge respect from all the pilots. He knows exactly what is going on in the cockpit and when he talks on the radio it is as if he is in one of the aeroplanes. He can picture a complex scenario and foresee all the potential snags. We have a full de-brief with him as soon as we land and his comments are always relevant and useful to the pilots.”
With the 2010 Revival drawing to a close and aircraft beginning to depart for their home bases, I ask Alister what we can expect next year.
“Goodwood will come up with a major theme, and something quite spectacular, I’m sure.” As for aircraft participation “What they really wanted for the last two years was a Sea Fury, but both times the aircraft went unserviceable at the last minute. On Thursday when we came down here, the Sea Fury (owned by TFC) was out and running, but come Friday morning, there had a bucket full of hydraulic fluid on the hangar floor. Possibly third time lucky next year, then!"
The flying at Goodwood was simply exceptional, in every case. From the wonderful topside passes from the BBMF trio to the otherworldly evening display from the OFMC pair, the quality of displays was just phenomenal. It’s unfortunate, then, that the organisers seem content with promoting only the motoring side of the event; pre-show publicity rarely touches on the flying, which seems to me to be a missed opportunity, particularly given that the displays you’ll see at the Revival is the most impactful, dramatic flying you’ll see at an airshow. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’ll be donning the trilby hat and strolling into the magnificent time warp that is the Goodwood Revival next year; I implore you to do the same. On reflection, it's hard to summarise the whole "Goodwood experience". As I left the site on Sunday evening, I recall overhearing a gent discussing the Revival with his friend. He said, and I quote, "All your ills just fade away at this place... You're at peace with yourself, and with the world, while you're at Goodwood". I couldn't have put it better myself. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’ll be donning the trilby hat and strolling into the magnificent time warp that is the Goodwood Revival next year; I implore you to do the same - there's nothing like it on this planet!
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