Based at the historic North Weald airfield in Essex, Peter Teichman's Hangar 11 Collection boasts four pristine examples of the key Allied fighter aircraft of World War Two. Airshow goers will undoubtedly be familiar with Peter's displays, with his growing fleet appearing at events of all scales up and down the country, from private bookings at weddings and parties to appearances at the biggest shows of the year at Fairford and Waddington. In late November, the Collection opened its doors to a loyal handful of supporters for the first of what will hopefully become an annual Supporters' Day.
Let me say from the offset that this report is going to be far shorter than the very wordy, lengthy reviews that I usually produce! By the very nature of the event, there wasn't really a huge amount I could write about in any detail without stepping on the toes of a future GAR article that is currently in the works - keep an eye on the site in the coming months for more news!
Peter Teichman has, through his skills as a display pilot and the sheer volume of airshow bookings he has received since he joined the circuit in 2002, risen to the very forefront of the British warbird scene. Peter's quartet of splendid fighters - the Hurricane IIb, Spitfire PR.XI, P-51D Mustang and P-40 Kittyhawk, with a fifth, a Spitfire Mk.IX, under long-term restoration to flying condition - fall under the Hangar 11 Collection banner and are regular performers across the UK and Europe.
2010 has indeed been an exceptionally busy year for the Collection, with Peter having completed more than 60 public displays during the six month airshow season. These statistics alone surely make Peter a front runner for the busiest private operator in Europe! Quite remarkably, some 40 of these were performed in the delectable Hawker Hurricane IIb 'Pegs', still a relative newcomer to the circuit having debuted in 2009 but an aircraft that has, in Peter's capable hands, given the Hurricane something of a new lease of life, with his displays demonstrating the aircraft's often overlooked agility and manoeuvrability.
Peter established the Hangar 11 Supporters' Club in early 2010, as the Collection's popularity continued to increase. For a very reasonable entry price, members are granted access to a dedicated members' section on the Hangar 11 website, with exclusive photographs, news and a very interesting blog that is updated throughout the year by 'PT' with details of the Collection's recent goings on. In addition to these ongoing benefits, members also have the opportunity to attend an exclusive supporters' day at North Weald, where they have a chance to mingle with the Hangar 11 crew, get up close to all four aircraft and enjoy a private display from Peter in one of his aircraft.
This year's inaugural supporters' day was held on 27 November at a fogbound North Weald. With the recent heavy snowfall across the country and some rather dangerous driving conditions to navigate, attendance was down with many prospective attendees unfortunately weathered in elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Nonetheless, despite the somewhat depleted turnout, those who were able to make it through the mist were treated to a fine day's entertainment, courtesy of Peter and his engineers.
My brother and I set off from glorious Ilford shortly after 9.30am, our departure time having been delayed by some thirty minutes owing to my body's inability to coax itself out of overnight hibernation. North Weald is only a short journey up the M11 for me, all told about half an hour of driving. Why trouble myself with an unnecessarily early rise?! We arrived a little after 10am to find GAR's Huw Hopkins, our friend Richard Judge and his lovely missus waiting outside Hangar 11 for us. Apparently in our lateness we'd already missed two 'PT' displays...pull the other one, fellas!
The diminished attendance was perhaps beneficial to those who could make it, as it enabled those seeking a photographic memoir of the day to get their shots without too much 'human clutter' in the background of their images. Another natural benefit that your author took full advantage of was that the buffet was overstocked and needed emptying - it's a tough job, taking on those sandwiches, but someone's got to do it. It'd be rude to let it go to waste!
The social aspect of the day was spot on, with the very relaxed timetable allowing visitors to catch up with their fellow enthusiasts to shoot the breeze and enjoy the craic with faces new and old. Peter and his team were on hand throughout the day, with 'the boss' in particular meeting and greeting his guests individually. The hospitality shown by the Hangar 11 crew was just tremendous, going a long way towards making everyone feel very welcome in their humble abode. Most notable in the hangar was the bare metal Spitfire PR.XI PL965, having recently been mated with the original Merlin engine that she wore during operational service. The Spitfire had flown two faultless sorties - the first post-heavy maintenance flights - the previous day and it will soon be repainted in an authentic 'photo recon' blue scheme. The remarkable level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that has gone into this beautiful machine was clear for all to see upon closer inspection.
With the sun battering the fog into submission by early afternoon, 'PT' took the gorgeous P-51D Mustang 'Jumpin' Jacques' into the blue for a brief sortie, giving his guests an all too rare out-of-season taste of some warbird action. The Saturday market, held on the Eastern apron (covering what used to be the jet pan and warbird park during the days of the Fighter Meet airshows), precluded any aerobatics over the airfield, but despite these restrictions, Peter still managed a number of passes over the airfield - all the more welcome, given the threatening weather we'd experienced for much of the day!
With the aerial escapades out the way, the visitors began to disperse after a cup of tea and a final whizz around the hangar - typically, we were the last to leave (a trend continued at the recent Coventry Night Photo Shoot). Can you blame us, given the four hangar-bound lovelies keeping us company? In all, then, an excellent day. Cracking company, some unrivalled access and internal photo' opportunities and a fine buffet to boot. It sure beats an afternoon of Top Gear repeats and premature Christmas jingles on the radio!
GAR wants to interact with its readers so if you have a question for the author or a comment to make on this feature, please click on the button below. The best comments will appear right here on GAR.If you would like to discuss using any of our imagery or feature content please contact us.