Great Warbirds Air Display 1989 - more pics added

[comet4]

A few pictures from the greatly missed Great Warbirds Show which was organised by the Sally B team. The pictures here are from the 1989 show at West Malling.
Of special note that year was the display by the Sunderland G-BJHS which subsequently went to America for the Kermit Weeks collection. Also there was a rare outing for Doug Arnold's P-51.
As usual, hope there's something of interest here.
Graham

[Cimmerian]

Nice shots. What a good show that used to be.

[APG]

Now that was a proper show, always enjoyed the trip down there, thanks for sharing

[G-ASSV]

Great pictures of the finest airshow there's ever been. Such a shame that West Malling airfield is no more. Many happy memories of the Great Warbirds displays.

[nigelblake]

Yep, great shows, and what a sight that Sunderland was!! A lovely nostalgic set of images.

[Daz]

I used to love the great Warbirds shows. These images bring back happy memories

[King Cobra]

Not sure which year it was but one Great Warbirds show I went to was one of the wettest shows I ever attended. Could have rowed a boat down the runway.

[Rory76]

Nice selection. What the hell is the bizarre looking two seater, above the Canadian transport?

[Daz]

Nice selection. What the hell is the bizarre looking two seater, above the Canadian transport?

Hi Rory. It could be a Fairchild PT-19 Cornell.

[F-86]

Vultee BT-13.

Great shots from a show that is missed so much, shame West Malling ended up the way it has.

[comet4]

Hi chaps,

It's a Fairchild PT-23.
It is basically the same as the PT-19 but with a Continental R-670 radial engine instead of the Ranger L-440 in-line engine.
The first picture is the Vultee Valiant

Graham

[tankbuster81]

lovely memories,i used to live 4 miles from the show,all the formations would circuit over our back garden..

[Vodka]

yes awful shame now! I did my first solo there back in 84' with 618VGS. The main hangar is now a bloody Asda! and car park. would of been nice if they could of done something with the control tower, perhaps a bar come restaurant at least with an aviation theme to it.

[F-86]

Hi chaps,

It's a Fairchild PT-23.
It is basically the same as the PT-19 but with a Continental R-670 radial engine instead of the Ranger L-440 in-line engine.
The first picture is the Vultee Valiant

Graham

Yep you are correct, didn't read the question properly and the PT-23 didn't show up on my phone hence the Vultee answer.

[comet4]

Here are some more pictures from the same event.

Graham

[Daz]

Thank you for bringing back some great memories.

[Wingnutt]

That was the only time I went to the GWAD at West Malling; very remiss of me, but 1989 was a great show.

Thanks for sharing those photos.

[Sussexguy1966]

Happy memories at West malling. Some great pics here shame something like this show isnt around the kent area here anymore. I remember going with my old man every year, one year pop star Gary Numan was there flying his "Zero" disguised Harvard really great show badly missed nowadays.

[The Dudster]

Im pretty certain although not 100% that this was taken at a GWAD one year, somewhere i also have a picture of Sally B with yellow tail fin.

Hasn't the GWAD kind of show morphed its way into Legends now via the Fighter Meet ?

[BDL]

Not sure which year it was but one Great Warbirds show I went to was one of the wettest shows I ever attended. Could have rowed a boat down the runway.

Think that was 84?

@Comet4 I must have been the other side of PH-DDA when you took that.

[jaguar]

Nice to see a picture of "Dolly" in all her glory.

Paul. ex Aces High ground/aircrew/

CPC AviationPhotography

[rob68]

by my reconing there are 17 airframes that have either been sold abroad or no longer with us!!