Legends 2010

[UKTopgun]

A great Sunday show indeed. I remember watching the seafire infront of me thinking 'why is he not pulling higher?' , he has to get more height!
Seemed the prop was about 6ft clear of the ground for an age, anyway it was ok in the end - anyone have any theory why he was so low?
Similarly, not sure anyone told the Polikarpov pilot he shouldn't just lift then bank over the crowd line about half way down it :0)

I was sat (on chair) by one of numerous windbreaks that 'guarded' about 25ft of display line, I think it is high time DX powers that be banned these rotten things, also you can't see a thing if you are stuck behind one. Also I noticed more grown men bickering about rights to be at the front with cameras! Simple answer, go very early and you will be at the front, don't and you won't - don't see why many can't get that...
Spoke to an IWM guy and he said ladders were not allowed but windbreaks/tents are, but he said if enough people write to DX making a complaint then it has a good chance of being listened to.

Anyway, loved the show, the big tail chases seemed more concentrated at the back than past years, leading to slightly reduced impact i thought (stress the word slightly, they were still fantastic!) Dodged southbound M11 traffic jam and took A10/M25 back home, a route I have never taken before but it turned out to be very smooth and quick.

Congratulations Mr Grey & Mr Kynsey, also Jane L, wonderful show as ever, roll on 2011!!!!!

[Mattster256]

Apparently the whole polikarpov thing was so he could get out of the way of the yaks that were beating up the airfield. Good job to, those yaks weren't gonna stop for anyone cos they were so cranked up!

[SuffolkBlue]

I have to agree in regards to the tailchase's. Might have had a better impact with them facing the crowd then going away.

All that said - brilliant show. Many thanks to everyone who put the time and effort into it......just hope the show wasn't too "feeble" for some people though

[Red Dragon]

Well we rolled up and parked up at the gate nearest to the "tank bank" at 4am on Sunday, and the three of us had an excellent day as always, most memorable for me was the Spitfire tailchase, and the Sea Fury pair Was it me though or did the P-51 tailchase seem a little toned down on Sunday? But the Seafire take off was SPECTACULAR!!! about 5ft off the ground with it's landing gear up!!!! WOW!! to the pilot!!

All in all a very day!!!!!! Roll on 2011 !!

[Jsysco]

I have to agree aboutt the tail chases - the mustang display was much weaker than the mustange chase last year, mainly because of the P40 running up and down closer to the display line (on Sunday at least).

And yes, that Seafire take off was something else....

[Red Dragon]

I have to agree aboutt the tail chases - the mustang display was much weaker than the mustange chase last year, mainly because of the P40 running up and down closer to the display line (on Sunday at least).

And yes, that Seafire take off was something else....

I have a photo that's virtually identical to that. It was an awesome take off!!!

[classicaviation]

What a great weekend, as usual, with the TFC pulling it out of the bag yet again in a second year of uncertainty. I-16, Yak 3's & 9, 3 Sky Raiders mixed in with the usual array of Spits, Mustangs etc...what a show!

Those with eagle-eyes on the program will have notice MeierMotors' Hispano Buchon (purchased from America and advertised on Courtesy Aircraft Sales) was scheduled to appear at the show at time of publication of the magazine. With ARCo set to complete the rebuild of a second DX resident Buchon; next year's wish list has to include three Buchon's!

[lanemiker]

I think he meant B-25's, cos as far as i'm aware the only 'Liby' operates with the CAF, and somehow i cant see them wheeling Dougan out of the AAM

Mattster256,

Not quite true. The Collings Foundation operates the only "true" B-24. She is a B-24J and is painted as "Witchcraft". She flies in their "Wings of Freedom" tour around the US with their
B-17G "Nine-0-Nine, B-25J "Tondlayo" and TP-51 "Betty Jane". I have seen them numerous times. It would be fantastic to get them to come to a Legends airshow.

The CAF Lib began life as a B-24A. But due to pre-delivery accident, she was modified as a LB-30 transport. She is now painted in the colors that she was originally meant to be in as "Old 927"

Lance

[Mattster256]

Ah, thanks for that lanemiker, i had no idea there was a second around

[lanemiker]

Ah, thanks for that lanemiker, i had no idea there was a second around

Mattster256,

Here are some photos of the Collings Foundation B-24J "Witchcraft" along with the other aircraft in their "Wings of Freedom" tour.












Lance

[jimbob1194]

Witchcraft is a gorgeous B 24. I believe she was based at Rackheath, Norfolk, in the Second World War. Well the original.
Went to Rackheath last year. There is a little mermorial, but that is all. It is now an industrial estate.
A real good museum is Parham in Suffolk. The control tower is the museum, and it really is a cracker. Highly recommended. The men and women that work there are all volunteers, and are very friendly. The original 'Liberty Belle' was based there in the Second World War, and of course returned there in 2008. The volunteers even got a flying trip in Liberty Belle the year before I believe.

http://www.parhamairfieldmuseum.co.uk/

Ok, rant over. Sorry chaps.


James

[classicaviation]

HI.would anyone know where i can find a list of warbirds/civil visitors for flying legends i would be gratefull.many thanks keith

Contact TFC for any excess programs. Gives you a little souvenior too!

[classicaviation]

The Collings Foundation operates the only "true" B-24.

Lance, can you clarify what you mean by this? Or is it purely the fact that the CAF Lib became a transport?

[lanemiker]

The Collings Foundation operates the only "true" B-24.

Lance, can you clarify what you mean by this? Or is it purely the fact that the CAF Lib became a transport?

classicaviation,

Yes, Early production models of the B-24A were delivered to the British with the first six off the line known as LB-30A's. The CAF Liberator was the 18th LB-30B of an order of 20 for Great Britain She was involved in an landing accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico in July of 1941 prior to her delivery to England. She was sent back to Consolidated in San Diego who rebuilt it to a transport configuration. AM-927 was used as a company transport aircraft throughout World War II.

The Collings Foundation’s B-24J Liberator was built at the Consolidated Aircraft Company’s Fort Worth, Texas plant in August 1944. Shortly afterward, the aircraft was delivered to the US Army Air Force, and in October of 1944, she was transferred to the Royal Air Force. The B-24 saw combat in the Pacific Theater as KH191 in operations ranging from anti-shipping to bombing and re-supply of resistance force operations.

Originally, the CAF LB-30 had a large cargo door on the left side of the aircraft and passenger windows along the fuselage. The B-24A (LB-30) aircaft had round engine cowlings versus the elliptical ones normally found on later model B-24 aircraft. The CAF LB-30 has recently gone through a restoration started by the late Gary Austin to convert the LB-30 back to her B-24A configuration. A restored "Old 927" was rolled out in 2007 and is currently the oldest and only flying B-24A Liberator in existence. Here is a photo that I took of her at the 2008 Indianapolis Airshow



The Collings Foundation's B-24J is the world’s only fully restored and flying Consolidated B-24J Liberator.

Here is a photograph that I took at the 2008 Thunder Over Michigan Airshow at Willow Run, MI of both the B-24A "Old 927" and the B-24J "Witchcraft" flying together.


Lance

[lanemiker]

Witchcraft is a gorgeous B 24. I believe she was based at Rackheath, Norfolk, in the Second World War. Well the original.
Went to Rackheath last year. There is a little mermorial, but that is all. It is now an industrial estate.
A real good museum is Parham in Suffolk. The control tower is the museum, and it really is a cracker. Highly recommended. The men and women that work there are all volunteers, and are very friendly. The original 'Liberty Belle' was based there in the Second World War, and of course returned there in 2008. The volunteers even got a flying trip in Liberty Belle the year before I believe.

http://www.parhamairfieldmuseum.co.uk/

Ok, rant over. Sorry chaps.


James

James,

I agree. The Collings Foundation B-24J "Witchcraft" is a beautiful aircraft. She is painted to represent the aircraft "Witchcraft" that flew with the 467th Bomb Group, 790th Bomb Squadron out of Rackheath. The real "Witchcraft" was a B-24H built by the Ford Motor Company at Willow Run, MI. She amassed an amazing 130 missions in total during her service in World War II from April 1944 to April 1945, without a mechanical turnback. After the war she was brought back and parked at the same field she was produced at just a little over a year earlier. At Dupage County Airport several years ago, I met the gentlemen who painted the artwork on the nose of the original "Witchcraft" prior to heading over to over to England. His name is Robert DeKerf. He saw the aircraft when it first came out of repaint and noticed the nose art wasn't painted correctly. When she came to the Dupage County Airport in West Chicago, during the "Wings of Freedom" tour that year, Mr DeKerf brought his original sketches out to the aircraft and repainted her correctly. It was really something to see him repainting the artwork on an aircraft similar to the one he painted over sixty years ago.

Lance

[jimbob1194]

Cheers for the info Lance. Lovely to hear such a story.

James

[classicaviation]

Cheers Lance, appreciate the info

[RodMcKenzie]

The Control Tower is still extant at Rackheath - it stood derelict for many years, but was renovated into office space in 2006 or so. Sadly, some of the other buildings - inlcuding the parachute store - have been recently demolished.

Still can't get used to the CAF Lib as "Ol' 924" - she'll always be 'Diamond Lil' to me!

[RodMcKenzie]

Oops - I meant "Ol' 927" [memo to self - do not post & answer phone at same time ]

[lanemiker]

Oops - I meant "Ol' 927" [memo to self - do not post & answer phone at same time ]

Rod,

I agree. I remember going to my first CAF (back then it was the Confederate Air Force) airshow with my Dad in 1976 (ooh, that hurt) in Harlingen, TX and seeing the CAF Lib as "Diamond Lil" Great nose art on her back then. Once they put the glass nose on her, aside from the round engine cowlings, she looked like a 9th Air Force Lib over in Benghazi that just came back from Ploesti. I really enjoyed those early CAF airshows. Back then they had the B-17, B-24 and only flying B-29 in the air at the same time among the rest of the aircraft there and ones that flew in. The shows were four day events back then. Great shows and wonderful conditions to shoot photos in. I was just getting into aviation photography and was shooting 35mm print and slide film with a Yashica Rangefinder camera. After I saw my photos from the 76' show, I decided then when I needed something a little more powerful and moved into the SLR era with a bigger zoom lens. I was hooked then. We went in 1976 and 1977. Ahhhh, the good old days...

Since then the CAF has moved their operations up to Midland, TX. Not quite the same as the days in Harlingen.

Lance

[RodMcKenzie]

I used to read about those Harlingen shows and think "if only we had something like that over here" - fortunately I wasn't the only one, and some of us had the drive & resources to make it happen!

I was lucky enough to be in the (huge) crowd at Norwich airport in 1992 when 'Diamond Lil' (as she still was) arrived after an epic trans-Atlantic flight to mark the 50th anniversary of the 8th AF in Britain. Caught her again at the Swanton Morley airshow before engine problems curtailed the trip. Then in 1998, through a quite remarkable set of circumstances, I found myself in Texas so naturally I made the pilgrimage to Midland: 'Lil' was in the hangar, along with 'Tinker Belle' and the Twin Mustang, among many others (there was a B23 Dragon parked out back which I believe was up for sale - anyone know what happened to it?). Also I got to see the nose art gallery which was absolutely wonderful. So yeah, I have a lot of affection for the CAF and the B24 in particular...

[lanemiker]

I used to read about those Harlingen shows and think "if only we had something like that over here" - fortunately I wasn't the only one, and some of us had the drive & resources to make it happen!

I was lucky enough to be in the (huge) crowd at Norwich airport in 1992 when 'Diamond Lil' (as she still was) arrived after an epic trans-Atlantic flight to mark the 50th anniversary of the 8th AF in Britain. Caught her again at the Swanton Morley airshow before engine problems curtailed the trip. Then in 1998, through a quite remarkable set of circumstances, I found myself in Texas so naturally I made the pilgrimage to Midland: 'Lil' was in the hangar, along with 'Tinker Belle' and the Twin Mustang, among many others (there was a B23 Dragon parked out back which I believe was up for sale - anyone know what happened to it?). Also I got to see the nose art gallery which was absolutely wonderful. So yeah, I have a lot of affection for the CAF and the B24 in particular...

Rod,

According to the FAA website, the B-23 N62G S/N 2724 has been sold to the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group Museum out of Geneseo, NY. It's current status according the FAA website is questionable. I'm not sure if she is still in TX or has been moved to NY.

Yes sir, those were good times going down to the Rio Grande Valley to attend the old CAF airshows. I have not been to Midland yet.

Lance

[classicaviation]

Review of Legends 2010 is now on the Blog. Link at bottom of this post or under the avatar. Events coming up that a well worth a visit are East Kirkby, Little Gransden and Duxford September show. The first two are charity events and very inexpensive for the visitor.