Biggin Hill Air Fair 1986

[King Cobra]

The highlight for many was Concorde escorted by two Mk.IX Spitfires but quite a bit of military action, most of the pics of which I can't lay my hands on at present. The Tristar wasn't something you saw display every day either. Anyway, here we go.

1.
ZA544/544 Tornado GR1 RAF TWCU/45 Sqd Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

2.
XZ931/R Gazelle HT2 RAF 2 FTS Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

3.
XZ138/K Harrier GR3 RAF 233 OCU Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

4.
XX894 Buccaneer S2 RAF 2018 Sqd Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

5.
XX889/WS Buccaneer S2 RAF 2018 Sqd Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

6.
XX889/WS Buccaneer S2 RAF 2018 Sqd Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

7.
XX238 Hawk T1 RAF 4FTS Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

8.
XW907/CU-40 Gazelle HT2 RN The Sharks Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

9.
XV501 Phantom FGR2 RAF 56 Sqd Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

10.
XV501 Phantom FGR2 RAF 56 Sqd 235 Mirage F1c EC30 French AF Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

11.
XS637 Andover C1 RAF 32 Sqd Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

12.
XJ763/G-BKHA Westland Whirlwind HAR2 Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

13.
XH304 Vampire T11 RAF Vintage Pair Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

14.
WA669 Meteor T7 RAF Vintage Pair Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

15.
TB382 Spitfire Mk.XVIe Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

16.
PA474 Avro Lancaster B1 BBMF Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

17.
ML417/G-BJSG Spitfire Mk.IX Biggin Hil by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

18.
ML407/G-LFIX Spitfire TrIX Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

19.
MH434/G-ASJV Spitfire Mk.IXb Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

20.
LS326 LS326 Fairey Swordfish WB271 Fairey Firefly AS5 RN Historic Flight Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

21.
LS326 Fairey Swordfish RN Historic Flight Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

22.
G-BOAB Concorde British Airways ML417/G-BJSG Spitfire Mk.IX MH434/G-ASJV Spitfire Mk.IXb Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

23.
G-AMPY Douglas DC-3 Air Atlantique Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

24.
EN398 Spitfire Mk.IXc replica Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

25.
AR501/G-AWII Spitfire MK.Vc Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

26.
133722/N1337A Chance-Vought F4U-7 Corsair Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

27.
235 Mirage F1c EC30 French AF Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

28.
82-0647/WR Fairchild A-10A 81TFW USAF Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

29.
80-0207/WR Fairchild A-10A 81TFW USAF Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

30.
80-0003/BT F-15C 36TFW USAF Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

31.
59-1007/G-TJET Lockheed T-33 Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

32.
44-85784/G-BEDF B-17G Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

33.
44-85784/G-BEDF B-17G Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

34.
G-AIXD DH82 Tiger Moth Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

35.
G-BBAJ Lockheed TriStar British Airways Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

36.
G-BOAB Concorde British Airways Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

37.
G-BOAB Concorde British Airways Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

38.
XX889/WS Buccaneer S2 RAF 2018 Sqd Biggin Hill by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

[Blackbird]

Oh happy days

Many thanks for posting.

Andy

[BigClick67]

Very nice
... and that Buccaneer topside is sensational!! Never seen such a shot before - excellent!!

[Amp]

Beautiful images of the Vintage Pair there.
This was the weekend before Mildenhall if memory serves.

[st24]

Beautiful images of the Vintage Pair there.
This was the weekend before Mildenhall if memory serves.

Indeed. Quite haunting; barely a week from tragedy.

Fantastic post of glorious days. Quite the line up- great to see the Trike pulling a top side!! Great stuff.

[King Cobra]

Very nice
... and that Buccaneer topside is sensational!! Never seen such a shot before - excellent!!

Thanks. The Buccaneer was a very energetic display. The scans are from prints but if I can find the negs, I'll have another go at scanning the airborne stuff.

[King Cobra]

Beautiful images of the Vintage Pair there.
This was the weekend before Mildenhall if memory serves.

Indeed. Quite haunting; barely a week from tragedy.

Fantastic post of glorious days. Quite the line up- great to see the Trike pulling a top side!! Great stuff.

Aye. Was at Mildenhall chatting to my 92 Sqd nav mate while the Pair was going through its routine. All of a sudden they weren't in the sky and the telltale plumes of smoke told their own tragic story.

[Spiny Norman]

As good a Golden Oldies thread as we've had. Great to see these.

A very nice line-up but pick has to be the Buccaneer display one. These kinds of shots were but dreams to anyone with a 200mm in those years!

[King Cobra]

As good a Golden Oldies thread as we've had. Great to see these.

A very nice line-up but pick has to be the Buccaneer display one. These kinds of shots were but dreams to anyone with a 200mm in those years!

I think I was using my Minolta 75-300 then. I did get a Sigma 400 but I'm pretty certain that didn't arrive until a couple of years later.

[Airshowhammer]

Thank you for sharing. These are stunning. Always makes me wish i was born a lot earlier

[AMB]

Great stuff! I was there and really miss the Biggin Hill Air Fairs - great variety and something for everyone. Always something there you hadn't seen before.

[Ken Shabby]

Wonderful picture!

The Biggin Hill Air Fair had its ups and downs, but this was definitely one of the good years. Jock Maitland and his team seemed always able to pull something surprising out of the hat. The Tristar was a classic example. And many of us - yours truly included - took it all for granted.

[BDL]

What a post and what memories.

Remember staring right down the barrel of that Gatling gun on the A-10 and being given a graphic description of the damage it would do to my head by the pilot!

And yes, we all took it for granted didn't we? Bloody hindsight!

[duxfordhawk]

Thanks for sharing these, they are brilliant, I remember this show well and feel lucky to have grown up near Biggin Hill and seen so many great displays there.
I have really fond memories of the Spitfire/Concorde flypast, I was only 12 at the time and it was something really special. I cannot deny I have lost my love of airshows a fair bit over recent years, I only attend two or three a year now. But seeing photos like these remind me of how lucky I was to have been able to attend so many shows in the 1980s and 90s and to have memories such as seeing a Buccaneer how and fast cutting through the valley at Biggin Hill and Concorde etc.