The Cotswold Airport - still known to many as Kemble airfield - has been on my 'to do' list for some time, and for good reason. Invariably drawing rave reviews, Glen Moreman's team are on to a winning combination with their annual June airshow, with a strong focus on classic jet aircraft of the 1950s and 1960s. The highly praised Battle of Britain event in September has also established itself in short order as an entertaining, yet more informal event. However, opening the Airport's events calendar is the Great Vintage Flying Weekend ("GVFWE"), in its second year at the Cotswold Airport. Traditionally taking place early in the season, the GVFWE is a haven for classic aircraft from the golden age of aviation - from a time before the increasingly mighty piston-powered warbirds of the 1940s and the jets that would follow them.
Setting off from north-east London somewhat later than anticipated, owing to the poor weather forecast and the assumption that aircraft movements across the United Kingdom would be affected by the band of low pressure making its way across the country early on Sunday morning, the journey through London and out beyond the M25 was surprisingly quick. Having driven through heavy rain for most of the way, I was pleasantly surprised to be greeted at the Cotswold Airport by glorious sunshine. It wasn't to last. The precedent for changeable conditions and generally poor weather that had been set at North Weald's excellent Gathering of Warbirds and Veterans was to continue at the GVFWE. Indeed, Saturday's fly-in had been severely affected by a UK-wide front of low pressure, which brought the traditional "airshow weather" of low cloud, rain and wind. Only a smattering of aircraft made it through on day one, with the flying display element formed by the locally based C-47 Skytrain, Radial Revelations' T-28 Fennec and de Havilland Hornet Moth.
Luckily, Sunday's conditions were much more favourable, if not ideal. Whilst overcast and a tad cold for May, the rain held off until after the event had finished and the cloud was at a suitable level to be of no affect to the flying display elements. Even the sun made the occasional appearance!
At £10 per person, the GVFWE offers fantastic value for money. In addition to the fly-in and flying display, the airfield itself is home to many rare and interesting aircraft, ranging from the likes of Buccaneer and Britannia to Ultimate High's fiercely vibrant fleet of Bulldogs and Extras and a plethora of lighter civilian types. My first impression on arrival was how friendly the airfield seems. There was an intangible relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, similar to that experienced at Shoreham and Biggin Hill, which set the tone for the whole day - something that venues like Duxford would do well to try and capture themselves.
First port of call was the Delta Jets hangar, primarily home to a fine collection of rather illusive classic jets, amongst other visiting aircraft, including two of Delta's immaculate Hawker Hunter T.7s, the 'Yellowjacks' schemed Folland Gnat T.1, Jet Provost XW422 and the Air Atlantique Classic Flight's de Havilland Vampire T.55, apparently visiting from Coventry for annual maintenance. It was a real privilege to have access to this fantastic collection, particularly given that the hangar currently houses two of the recently retired 39 Squadron Canberra PR.9s and Wings Venture's lovely Spitfire IA rebuild, AR213. This aircraft has been the cause of much debate on the aviation forums as a result of what was apparently the incorrect shade of "dark earth" being used in the paint scheme. Historical accuracy aside, this is a beautifully restored aircraft which looks and sounds fantastic. The current absence of much of the cowling allowed visitors to have a closer look at the intricacies of the Merlin engine; it was hard not to marvel at the level of detail that has gone into this machine. Having spent the 2009 airshow season grounded, AR213 looks set to be making a welcome return to a select few events this summer. Two season ago, in the hands of 'Miss Demeanour' maestro Jonathan Whaley, AR213 was putting on some of the finest Spitfire routines on the circuit - with any luck, I'll be saying something similar at the end of this season!
One of the absolute delights at the Cotswold Airport is the Av8 bistro and restaurant, situated near the control tower with an excellent elevated view over the airfield. From the deck, it is possible to sit and watch the comings and goings whilst enjoying good food - the hot sausage roll in particular was a fine example of its kind - and quality, swift service from the waiters and waitresses. Good catering goes a long way towards keeping the spectators happy, and the Av8 restaurant certainly encompassed the event's charm and consumer-friendly ethos.
Arrivals started off as a steady trickle, building up as the morning went on and the weather improved elsewhere. By midday, there were near constant movements, with some fantastic vintage aircraft visible in the circuit - the likes of Hornet Moth, Miles Gemini, Miles Messenger, Boeing Stearman, a number of de Havilland Tiger Moths (including a gorgeous silver and red RAF schemed machine, similar to the example owned by the Shuttleworth Collection), Isaacs Fury, FW-190 scale replica and de Havilland Chipmunk, to name but a few. Highlights for me had to be the Spanhoe based pair of Piaggio P-149D and Morane-Saulnier MS-733. Air Atlantique were also providing regular pleasure flights in their de Havilland Dragon Rapide and Percival Prentice. The Prentice was particularly nice to see, given the type's rarity.
Two individuals who I feel are deserving of praise are the commentators, who narrated the arrivals, flying display and departures. They seemed to have a genuinely interesting anecdote for each aircraft, be it a story about the pilot or some lesser known historical background to the aircraft in the circuit. Their explanation of Yak 50 pilot Dave Morgan's career in the Falklands, for example, helped shed some light on the man behind the machine. It isn't often that you hear a different slant on the usual subjects, but their knowledge and insight made the commentary stand out as one of the real positives of the day. I certainly picked up a more than a few interesting titbits of information.
The aircraft park opened to the public at around 1pm, with spectators being afforded unrestricted access to a wide selection of classic aircraft. In addition to being a hit with photographers looking for some unusual angles and close-up shots, the intimate environment allowed for some good opportunities to mingle with the pilots and crews, whose heart and soul has been poured into these lovely aircraft. It was pleasing to see several pilots making that extra bit of effort to engage the children in attendance, with some giving guided tours of the cockpits and engines. We often forget that inspiring the next generation of enthusiasts is a vitally important aspect of an air display; after all, some of them may grow up to become the avid enthusiast squatting in the grass to get that unusual wide angle shot!
Unfortunately, I spent a little too long exploring the intricacies of the aircraft in the first few rows and consequently managed to miss out on the chance to gaze over many of the highlights in the aircraft park. It wasn't too long after the opening of the park that Wings Venture's Douglas C-47 Skytrain, resplendent in an immaculate D-Day paint scheme, fired up and taxied to the threshold. At this point, I cut my losses and headed to the front of the crowd line. I'd heard only good things about the Skytrain's display the previous day and was looking forward to seeing this aircraft for the first time in almost two years.
I certainly wasn't disappointed. In the hands of Andy Davenport, the C-47 stole the show with a storming display that exhibited both the Skytrain's grace and charismatic lines. The only mild disappointment was that the aircraft didn't execute one of the trademark wingovers that it had performed when I last saw it display at Spanhoe in 2008, but that is hardly a criticism when the rest of the display is of such a high quality. The round of applause from the audience following the C-47's landing was certainly well deserved. Following the C-47 was Richard Meredith's Pilatus P2. The P2 is a lovely machine, with many of the visual design characteristics of a Messerschmitt Bf-109. Richard flew a fine routine in the Pilatus, though, barring the first and last passes, it was often too high and too distant to get a good photograph of. Nonetheless, it was a pleasure to see this rare and seemingly forgotten warbird in the air.
Third item on the display programme was Dave Morgan flying an acutely polished aerobatic routine in a Yak 50, consisting of lomcevaks, stall turns and all manner of hesitation and flick rolls. It was a real contrast to the sedate performance of the remarkable Chrislea Super Ace, an ultra-rare aircraft that has a striking resemblance to a flying car. Flown at the GVFWE by Peter Glennon, the Super Ace is exactly the kind of extraordinary aircraft I love seeing at smaller airshows. Whilst it may lack the size of the C-47, the agility of the Yak 50 and the fighter-like characteristics of the Pilatus P2, the Super Ace offers a glimpse at the more obscure side of civilian aviation, of intriguing aeronautical developments from a time where aviation was exploding onto the general market.
Rounding off the flying display element of the GVFWE was the fantastic Antonov An-2. Burly, hulking and oozing that agricultural Russian charisma, the Antonov put on a memorable routine that ably demonstrated the aircraft's famed short take-off and landing characteristics, alongside the slow speed handling and power control that allow this massive biplane to almost hover when flying into wind, in the same vein as the Fieseler Storch's party trick. The An-2 is a brilliant airshow performer, bringing something unique to the table that defies the expectations of those who see it for the first time and judge it as a lumbering beast. Indeed, the relatively small crowd line at the GVFWE was perfect for a display routine of this nature, allowing the pilots to show off the aircraft to maximum effect, with pilot Bill Leary keeping it close to the crowd for many of the passes. Just superb!
With the flying display over, there as a mass exodus of visiting aircraft, as pilots headed for home before the variable weather made a turn for the worse. The Av8 restaurant was a fine place to watch aircraft taxing and holding at the threshold before departing, even allowing for some differently angled take-off photographs. By 5pm, the vast majority of visiting aircraft had departed - a testament to the air traffic controllers, who did a seamless job ensuring the smooth running of arrivals and departures throughout the day.
My first trip to the airfield formerly known as Kemble definitely will not be my last. The Cotswold Airport is a picturesque, amiable venue and, moreover, the GVFWE is a superb gathering of vintage aircraft that is a must for anyone with an interest in classic aircraft. All we can hope for is some kinder weather next year!
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2010-05-21 - Paul Fiddian
Super stuff E - great write-up. Photos are top-drawer too! Well done to all concerned.
2010-05-18 - Pete Buckingham
Great article! We had a good time setting up the event as usual - Saturday's weather could have been better, as it kept the numbers down of public and aircraft, but Sunday made up for it! Big thanks to Glen Moreman for organising yet another fantastic event which is a privilege to be a part of every time.
June's Airshow just can't come soon enough for us ;)
2010-05-18 - Elliott Marsh
Thanks for the comments, chaps.
Dave - unfortunately not, I wasn't around for the group arrival, however I do have some individual shots of the fleet on the ground and in the air that I'd be happy to forward to you if you like?
Elliott
2010-05-18 - grahame foskew
Thanks for the kind comments re our An-2 at G-VFWE.
2010-05-18 - Dave Peace
Elliott,
Thanks for a well-rounded write-up on GVFWE at Kemble, with some very nice photos.
Did anyone manage to photograph the arrival of the Air Atlantique Classic Flight's "combo" (formation of Dragon Rapide, Chipmunk and Prentice)?
Regards, Dave Peace
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