I was going through some 'old' photos on my laptop the other day and thought I'd finally upload some to Flickr. Flying Legends 2009 has been extensively covered by far better photographers, but nevertheless, I thought I'd post some from the Friday, chronologically showing the events of the day. Maybe those who are considering doing 3 days this year will realise that it's just the right thing to do!
We arrive at 10am to find the main car park almost full, such is the popularity of this show. The enormous queue snaking round the car park tells a similar story, and it's at this point that I remind myself why the Friends of Duxford pass is so handy. No queues for us! The flightline at 10am was very quiet, with only TFC's Sea Fury and the Scandinavian Historic Flight's P51D Mustang 'Old Crow' on the field.
All eyes, however, were on John Romain and the now departed B25 'Grumpy'. By the time I got to the press enclosure area at the far left/east of the airfield, John was really gunning it. Eardrums were shattered, but no one would have it any other way. The Mitchell soon departed north, at which point 'Old Crow' suffered through an unsuccessful engine run and was eventually hangared. There was a hive of activity around the Sea Fury, so off to crowd centre I went, by-passing the La Ferte Alais contingent of Skyraider & P51D, who shared the tarmac with Lufthansa's Me108.
A quick stop in TFC's hangar; 2009 was the year for the majority of the collection to remain in the shadows whilst the other, mainly European, new comers took the spotlight.
The main attraction was, naturally, Christophe Jacquard's awesome FW-190, seen here with some cunningly placed Great British ale...
My hangar 2 trip was cut short by the arrival of Carl Schofield in Peter Vacher’s Hurricane I.
The day before an airshow offers an interesting look at the private goings on of the foreign aircrew as they prepare for the day's flying.
Steve Hinton shows Stephen Grey over the ‘pit of the Sea Fury. Minutes later, ‘Grumpy’ returns with a typically energetic solo, as the ‘Fury fires up below. The Sea Fury’s departure was followed in quick succession by the Catalina, heading to Yeovilton, and the Salis Collection’s new B25 ‘Russell’s Raiders’, which departed straight into another quality routine.
Meanwhile, the Salis Skyraider was prepped by the ground crew while John Romain ran up the Spitfire XVI prior to departure into the hold.
After a nice, tight solo display, the Skyraider came back to earth. Meanwhile, Pete Kynsey departed in the Sea Fury, to the excitement of all. What a display it was! Unfortunately, the Lufthansa Me108 just couldn’t follow it…
Unfortunately, engine problems meant ‘Old Crow’ was down and out for the weekend (and several weeks, as it happens). Out on the field, ARC were re-organising the HFL hangar to get the Spitfire IX and FW-190 out. A quick look in hangar 3, and it was time for lunch. Managed to miss Frederick Akary’s Fury and the Fighter Academy Yak 9 arriving, typically!
Following a barely edible “pasta” bake, it was all go with Patrice Marchasson taking up the Spitfire PRXIX for a display, while the FW-190s was towed onto the flightline. Shortly thereafter, the Dakota Norway C-53 arrived, looking great in the best weather of the day. The Sea Fury when went up for another display with an unidentified American pilot at the controls.
Further down the line, Pete Kynsey was taxiing out in the Yak 9, while Paul Boschung arrived in the second of the German Yaks. The flightline was beginning to take shape. With PK in the circuit, I headed to the tank bank, where I caught the departure of the locally based Auster and the Dutch Spitfire TIX, which Alan Walker displayed later in the day. PK returned around 40 minutes later, putting on an excellent solo display consisting of hesitation rolls, Cubans, rolls at the top of loops and graceful aerobatics. The only other arrival during this time was the Ju52.
The distant sound of Merlins and the departure of the A-109 cameraship signalled the return of the Horsemen, who had been down south on a photo-shoot earlier in the day. Tim Manna’s Westland Wasp had also popped in for a few hours. The last of the Yaks arrived, with Chris Vogelgesang in the Yak 3.
With the cameras in place, the Horsemen performed a full rehearsal of their display. Personally, I thought it was excellent. Formation flying that close takes a Hell of a lot of skill – hats off to them.
The Morane is a strange looking aircraft, but I think it has a certain amount of charm, a bit like a 1940s version of the A10 in that respect. Here, Patrice Marchasson brings it into land on the grass following a practice display. More French flavour followed, with Eric Goujon taking the P51D for a solo display. No sooner had the P51D cleared the circuit, the Dutch B25 took of into two consecutive routines. On the ground, engineers tended to the Spitfire XVI and MS406.
As Stephen Grey departed in the Sea Fury, the WWI quartet arrived en masse. ‘Pink Lady’ arrived somewhere between their arrival and Stephen Grey’s first Sea Fury display. Frederick Akary’s Fury joined The Boss in the air, flying a very dynamic routine with some precision aerobatics you don’t usually see from warbirds. As things started to wind down, the B25 returned from France with Christian Amara’s P40 Kittyhawk.
All that was left was a much appreciated closer look at the gorgeous Yak 3 ‘White 100’ while Paul Boschung displayed his Yak 9.
Thanks for looking - I hope there's something of interest in there. C&C's welcome.
More at http://www.flickr.com/photos/esmarsh
