There was a deep undercurrent of misfortune running through the Shoreham airshow this year as far as the weather was concerned, breaking the trend of good weather that has often blessed the show over the past decade. Saturday's programme saw a large weather front bringing forceful winds, occasional heavy showers and very low cloud that curtailed the start of the flying programme by almost two hours and prevented any of the visiting aircraft operating from other airfields from appearing, alongside several aircraft that were due to arrive in the morning to partake in the static display.
For the third year running, Shoreham shared display acts over the weekend with the seafront airshow at Bournemouth, with a number of aircraft - including programme highlights such as the Avro Vulcan, Hawker Hunter F.58 'Miss Demeanour' and B-17 Flying Fortress 'Sally B' - remaining firmly on the ground at Bournemouth airport over the weekend. On reflection, Shoreham got away mildly compared to Bournemouth, whose display was almost entirely cancelled on both days, save for a single helicopter display. A massive disappointment for all involved, particularly given that it was a free show; one hopes that the repercussions don't affect future airshows at Bournemouth.
Furthermore, the Vampire T.11 and Folland Gnat pair from North Weald were unable to make it through the low clag and thus had to cancel their appearances too. In all, Saturday's flying programme saw some 11 individual display slots while Sunday's dire weather forced the cancellation of all but four displays. While the majority of the crowd seemed to have resigned themselves to the fact that the prevailing low cloud and rain would naturally see the curtailment of any flying, there were still rumbles of discontent from those who seemed to believe that efforts should be made to fly in 300ft of cloud and less than a mile of visibility, regardless of the dangers this would pose to the crews, aircraft, spectators and local residents!
Following Sunday morning's glider crash, I was certainly glad that no unnecessary risks were taken in getting up additional acts; it was abundantly clear that this weather, for the most part, was below the minimum safety requirements for the vast majority of the scheduled acts. To elaborate a little on Sunday's Swift glider crash, pilot Mike Newman was involved in a landing accident that hospitalised him with three broken vertebrae. It isn't right to comment or speculate on the cause of the incident, but the Global Aviation Resource team would nevertheless like to take this opportunity to extend our best wishes to Mike Newman - we wish him a speedy and full recovery.
Credit must go to the crews who displayed on Sunday; the standing ovations received by the Harrier and Hurricane in particular reflected the appreciation of the audience, many of whom had sat through hours of rain and cold to see just a few acts perform. Indeed, Peter Teichman's tremendous display in BE505 was a high point of the weekend, proving that a flat show can have equally as much impact as a full aerobatic display. Some of Peter's low passes, with Lancing College standing proud in the background, stirred up memories of the Hanna's displays at Shoreham in the 1990s. Wonderful!
I must also mention the show commentator, Terence Henderson, whose genuinely interesting anecdotes reflecting on his career as a Concorde pilot, amongst other subjects, kept the crowds entertained during the quiet periods on both days. His interviews with pilots and crew helped bridge the lengthy gaps - many commentators could certainly learn a thing or two on style and substance from this man.
The display commenced with the Twister Duo, which saw Guy Westgate and Peter Wells flying their full aerobatic routine in some utterly horrible weather - again, major respect to Guy and Peter for braving the conditions, even more so their decision on Sunday to battle through the low cloud to display at Sywell, even after their friend and colleague Mike Newman was hospitalised following the Swift glider accident. Further aerobatic displays were provided by local man Justyn Gorman, who flew both the Extra 300 in a dynamic gyroscopic sequence as well as the charming Super Decathalon, an aircraft that looks unassuming yet displays like an aerobatic champion; the negative-G half cuban was particularly impressive, as were the knife edge passes along the entire crowdline!
The programme continued with a popular display of vertical short take-off and landing capabilities from Flt Lt Steve Kenworthy in the ubiquitous RAF Harrier GR7, restricted to flying a brief routine that consisted of a sort take-off, hover along the crowd, the famous Harrier bow, climbing peddle turn and a steep approach to land. Regardless of the length or dynamism of the routine, the warm applause from the crowd evidenced their appreciation at the appearance of this most revered of aircraft. Further RAF support was provided by Flt Lt Tom Bould in the Tucano and a brief appearance by Bill Ramsay in the Tutor on Sunday as he departed for Bournemouth.
At the other end of the spectrum was the storming BAC Strikemaster display, provided by another local pilot, Tom Maloney. The abundance of moisture in the air allowed for some very impressive passes, with vapour clouds bursting off the top of the fuselage and wings as Tom arrived into his routine, low level and top-side. As with many of the displays, aerobatics were an impossibility, but it hardly affected this superb performance. Tom's display in this Viper powered twin seat powerhouse is worth seeking out - it's just a shame that the Strikemaster has seen so few bookings since its return last year.
Shoreham invariably assembles a fine smattering of warbirds for their air display, and 2010 was no exception, with a mouth-watering mix of six Spitfires, four Hurricanes, Buchon, Me-108, two P-51D Mustangs, Harvard and B-17 Flying Fortress scheduled to appear. While the weather put paid to some of these items, we were still treated to a scorching P-51D Mustang duo from Rob Davies in 'Big Beautiful Doll' and Maurice Hammond in the lovely 'Marinell', who flew a couple of formation passes before splitting into a brief tailchase, followed by solos from the individual aircraft.
I've often found that Maurice Hammond's Mustang displays have been rather tame compared to those given by other P-51D pilots, but his display here had a little more vigour than usual, perhaps due in part to the low cloud that necessitated a 'flat' show, with plenty of fast passes along the runway rather than more high and distant barrel rolls and aerobatics. Peter Teichman also gave the crowds a brief look at his P-51D 'Jumpin' Jacques' when he departed the static park on Saturday to complete a booking at Silverstone; there aren't many airshows that can boast appearances by three Mustangs.
Undoubted highlight of the Shoreham programme was the now traditional Battle of Britain scramble set piece. Orchestrated by Aircraft Restoration Company front man John Romain, the scramble this year comprised four Spitfires, a pair of Hurricanes and the Hispano HE-1112 Buchon - slightly down numerically on previous years, but a fine gathering nonetheless. This was quite possibly the most fluid scramble Shoreham has put together, and it is a front runner, alongside Biggin Hill's stunning tribute, for the smoothest Battle of Britain scenario of the year, with each of the four segments seamlessly integrating into one another, a feat all the most impressive given the variable weather at the time.
The sequence started with a series of low altitude strafing runs from rent-a-Hun John Romain in the Buchon, coupled with mock anti-aircraft 'flak', ground support from the 'Dad's Army' re-enactment group and some impressive pyrotechnics on the ground, prompting the scramble of former Battle of Britain Memorial Flight commanding officer Al Pinner in Peter Vacher's Hawker Hurricane I, a veteran of the Battle, and Dave Harvey in the Historic Aircraft Collection's Hawker Hurricane XII, an aircraft enjoying a fine swansong before its potential departure from these shores later in the year, should a new owner be found. With the Hurricanes immediately intercepting and fending off the Buchon, the Spitfire quartet were already lining up, allowing for a genuinely exhilarating sequence where the Buchon 'snotted' the Spitfires at low altitude as they began to roar into their take-off run. Stirring stuff.
With the Luftwaffe dispatched for the time being, the Hurricanes enjoyed their moment in the spotlight with a spirited tailchase over the airfield while the Spitfires formed into a box-four formation at crowd rear. As they arrived over the airfield, they were bounced once again by the Buchon, provoking quintessential Spitfire pilot and handlebar moustache connoisseur Charlie Brown in the Historic Aircraft Collection's Spitfire V BM597 to split from the formation and engage the '109' in an energetic, outstanding mock dogfight that saw both aircraft engaging the other at some point, using only sheer flying excellence to jockey back into position for the kill.
With the Buchon 'shot down' for the second time in only a few minutes, the remaining Spitfires - piloted by Rod Dean, Cliff Spink and Dave Ratcliffe respectively - returned in formation before entering a lengthy tailchase, capped off with a fine solo routine from the impressively bearded Rod Dean in Spitfire Limited's MkXVI.
Despite this being the fifth 'scramble' held at the Shoreham airshow, John Romain and his supporting players always tweak the formula slightly and have always presented something different year on year. To my mind, this was a superlative set piece that set a new standard for future 'scrambles' at the venue. I can certainly see why Aeroplane Monthly magazine named Shoreham's yearly Battle of Britain tribute as the best airshow set piece of the season - indeed, it is quickly becoming something of an airshow institution in its own right, a slice of theatre of the air that people will come from afar to see. Long may it continue.
With the weather curtailing the remainder of the flying programme following the Swift Team's valiant performance on Saturday afternoon, Shoreham really benefitted from the thought that goes into the ground displays that proved as popular as ever during the lengthy gaps in the aerial activity. Be it the opportunity to speak to re-enactors or a chance to have a wander round the Catalina, Chinook or Dakota in the static display, there was plenty to occupy yourselves with. Alternatively, the art deco terminal has a welcoming bar and restaurant area with a terrace that overlooks the airfield and the local flying club opened its doors to spectators, offering some above average hot food; if you had the stamina to queue for almost half an hour while they attempted to cope with the influx of customers seeking a full English breakfast on Saturday morning! Tasty as it was, the absence of black pudding and the sheer volume of mushrooms were most alarming...
It was also good to see an expanded collection of military vehicles on show, with the standard 1940s RAF fare complimented by a strong US Army showing, supported by numerous vicious looking armoured support vehicles and artillery that proved to be very popular with the public. Perhaps inviting military vehicle owners to the show to partake in a larger gathering could be a side-show attraction to develop in future years? It was interesting to see the 'Vulcan to the Sky' stall remaining unusually subdued throughout the weekend, a far cry from their promotional efforts at Waddington earlier in the year.
Yes, the Vulcan cancelled (eliciting the biggest collective sigh and massed evacuation from the crowdline that I've ever heard and seen when it was announced that XH558 was weathered in at Bournemouth on Saturday) but it seemed like a missed opportunity to not have people waving buckets and trying to engage the public to raise awareness. On the opposite end of the spectrum were the Catalina Society, whose crew were absolute stars, being both outgoing and informative in equal measure, be it when manning the stall or giving guided tours of the cockpit - an extremely popular and crowded place during some of the heavier downpours!
In spite of a poor forecast and appalling weather on both show days, Shoreham once again managed to attract tens of thousands of people to the event; a testament, surely, to the popularity and reputation that the organisers have cultivated over the years. It was interesting that Shoreham's crowd numbers didn't appear to suffer too dramatically, whereas airshows at Duxford, for example, have occasionally seen noticeably thinner crowds on days where the weather has not played ball. A sign, perhaps, that Shoreham's excellent, varied flying programme with some five and a half hours of scheduled flying with a cross section of aircraft spanning all aviation sectors is enough of a draw to persuade people to come along even with the thread of bad weather.
A lot of the popularity amongst public and crews alike stems from the general ambience of the show. Each year, it feels as though you're being welcomed back; it's a very homely airshow experience, with a garden party atmosphere that belies the scale of the event, an effect compounded by the intimate bar seating area outside the terminal building, which itself is a marque of the Shoreham airshow.
The efforts of the home team to be accommodating and sociable throughout the day extend to evening entertainment, with live music near the terminal, where the bar remains open until the crowds have fully dispersed. It is this extra step, amongst others, that makes Shoreham one of the friendliest, most gracious shows in the UK.
I've left the airfield at almost 9pm in the past, and I am yet to be ushered towards the exits as I frequently am at Duxford and, more recently, at the Royal International Air Tattoo. It is my view that encouraging your visitors to stay means you can reap the benefits of additional post-show income too, as spectators are gently persuaded to make their day out more than "just" an airshow visit by concluding their day with a few drinks at the bar.
Whilst I enjoyed a stress-free weekend, with no issues of crowdline space limitations that have been a problem in the past (everyone seemed jovial and understanding in that respect!), I understand that a new marquee has been added to the ever decreasing flightline space - something that may cause a problem as the event's popularity continues to grow. With the Biggin Hill International Air Fair facing an uncertain future that may see the show in its current format consigned to the history books, Shoreham has the opportunity to ascend to the top of the 'second tier' airshows, filling the Air Fair's void as the largest civilian organised show in the country.
There is every possibility that Biggin's absence from the calendar may see Shoreham attracting even larger crowds; plans need to be formulated at this stage to ensure that crowdline space is kept to a premium, with corporate enclosures kept to a minimum to allow the public - who keep the show alive - to utilise the maximum space available to them.
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