Duxford Airshow - Part One

We used the remainder of our summer holiday fund in spectacular style - we visited the Duxford Airshow! Actually we visited it twice, and finally got in on the second attempt. On Saturday we got within three miles before becoming gridlocked in traffic, and watched the Red Arrows displaying in the distance before hearing on local radio that the gates were closed. It was a very disappointed drive home.

On Sunday we departed King's Lynn at half past nine to make it in time for the two o'clock flying display - we were taking no chances on missing out again. And it worked out just great, as we found ourselves wandering along the flight line just after eleven. The aircraft below is receiving ground power from a Houchen, which is still in RAF colours.

What a fantastic event Duxford is. I've been to plenty of airshows in my time (some even when not working there in RAF guise), and was very impressed. So was Sam, who found the whole thing extremely exciting. There were plenty of aircraft buzzing around right from the time we arrived, and the anticipation among airshow crowds is infectious.

Nothing to do with the photos, but we decided to eat healthily all day. Just potatoes and grass we said. Potatoes, carved into thin strips and stored briefly in hot oil. And, as cows eat only grass, they must be made of grass, so eating a beefburger probably counts as two of your five a day.

A walk along the flight line is surely essential. You can see the aircraft close up, sometimes have a chat with the owners/crew, and the pictures you can take are miles better. Ferocious Frankie, below, is based full time at Duxford and is a regular in its display programmes.

We chose to use up our summer holiday fund this weekend. Thanks to the sale of some of Grandad's collectables that he handed down to us, we built up a goodly sum over the winter, enabling us to enjoy the spoils in the summer. It's not cheap to gain entry to Duxford (£37.80 for the two of us this year), but I vote it as being definitely good value for money. We blew another few bob on some rather cool binoculars which will serve us well for many years to come....

As it was Duxford's Battle of Britain tribute show, the emphasis was naturally on aircraft from that period. Here's a Buchon plane painted to resemble a Messerschmidt 109 - in fact this very plane starred in the film The_Battle_Of_Britain . Duxford was the airfield used to film much of the action.

RAF Museum Hendon - The Battle Of Britain Hall

Did I mention that it's free entry to Hendon museum? Yes, free. You have to pay to park if you drive there, but I reckon £3.50 is a very, very small price to pay. The Battle Of Britain Hall itself is worth £3.50. Above is Sam reading about the Hurricane. And below is a Messerschmidt 109E, which I think looks menacing and sinister even today. But why did they paint the nose section yellow?

The Stuka dive bomber is just as daunting as the ME109. Being so close to one of these fearsome and terrifying war machines is an uncomfortable feeling. How many people died because of this very plane?

There's an excellent area dedicated to depicting the Blitz, and I am really cross that our best picture was blurry! Not fair.

The Junkers bomber was the one responsible for flattening Coventry, and many other English towns. Despite it's role against us in the war, I think the glass cockpit area is stunning and iconic.

Our answer to the Junkers at the time was the Blenheim. Not a bad aeroplane, but not a patch on the German's bomber.

As well as planes the Battle Of Britain Hall houses vehicles, dioramas (is that the right word?), and there is an hourly film show called Their Finest Hour. It's an atmospheric, edgy, impressive show which is projected onto a screen hung above the aircraft. Lighting is synchronised with the images and commentary, and I found it moving anduplifting. Sam thought the dogfight footage and bombing scenes were great.

The vehicle above is a barrage balloon tether. As soon as he saw it Sam announced that the paint scheme was exactly the same as that of some Dinky RAF vehicles that Grandad gave him once. They now have pride of place on Sam's "museum" shelf of his bookcase. We pondered on why the winch operator would be housed in the cage and decided it was in case of a snapped cable, whipping lethally hither and thither. Were we right?

On the way out of this area there's the chance to walk right through an immaculate Sunderland seaplane. It's fantastic! Here's Sam perched in the doorway.

Finally, here's a poignant photo that Sam took. This display is entitled "An RAF Armourer" and Sam took the picture as a little reminder of Richard, who sadly died last year.