Great Warbird Air Display 1991 - More pictures added

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comet4
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Great Warbird Air Display 1991 - More pictures added

Post by comet4 »

Who can forget the Great Warbird Air Displays organised by the Sally B team. They were an excellent combination of Warbirds, classic civil aircraft and modern military aircraft.
This display in 1991 was at West Malling before houses were built on it. These pictures were taken on the live side so might be a little different to your own shots.

Graham

ImageAvenger

ImageBearcat 1

ImageDC-3 a

ImageVulcan 1

ImageHurricane 1

ImageJet Provost 1

ImageJet Provost 3

ImageJetstream 1

ImageProctor 1

ImageSpitfire 1

ImageTigercat 3
Last edited by comet4 on Sun 31 Dec 2017, 3:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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starbuck
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by starbuck »

Thanks very much for posting these, I used to love going to these shows.

As a coincidence I was there earlier today or Kings Hill as it is now called.

I seem to remember one year when they organised a large scale parachute drop from a formation of Dakotas, maybe around 86 / 87?

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AlexC
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by AlexC »

West Malling was perfect for me as I was living just down the road at Tonbridge at the time.
Pte. Aubrey Gerald Harmer, R. Suss. R. (att. to the Sherwood Foresters) KIA 26/9/1917 Polygon Wood, aged 19, NKG. RIP

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tankbuster
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by tankbuster »

Good memories. I loved the Tigercat.
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rjlaker
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by rjlaker »

Brings back brilliant memories! Sparked off my love of aviation at West Malling - My local show growing up in nearby Paddock Wood. Cheers for posting!

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Wrexham Mackem
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

These are great, the Bearcat and Tigercat in particular - Stefan Karwowski and John Watts respectively at the controls, I'll guess. Really nice shots.

I never visited the Great Warbirds show at West Malling unfortunately, it was always 'on the list', then it ceased to exist before I made it down. The Flying Legends of its time, although Ferté-style in mixing in some interesting and exciting participants from all eras. A great show of its time.

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tankbuster81
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by tankbuster81 »

Growing up it was fantastic for me living nearby in Larkfield. Many memorable moments, from Concorde to the Sunderland, F111 low pass early before the show one year, Vulcan with the Reds, Stefan Karworski in the Bearcat, Phantom, Buccaneer, and much much more.....
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AlexC
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by AlexC »

I may be getting this mixed up with Biggin Hill, but I remember getting out could be a problem. One year in particular was a nightmare, the staff all seemed to have b***** off and left us all to fight it out.
Pte. Aubrey Gerald Harmer, R. Suss. R. (att. to the Sherwood Foresters) KIA 26/9/1917 Polygon Wood, aged 19, NKG. RIP

comet4
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by comet4 »

I missed the parachute drop as I only attended the shows from 1989 to 1994. 1994 was the last show, probably caused by atrocious weather that year which meant that the organisers lost money.
The Sunderland that was mentioned was from 1989, possibly one of the last times that a Sunderland displayed in the UK. I actually did a report on the 1989 show but all the pictures have been blocked by Photobucket unless I pay to show them. I have now put a lot of my pictures in Flickr and hope that this works better for me.

Graham

ImageSunderland

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tankbuster81
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by tankbuster81 »

Great image. Is there a link to your Flickr page, as i would love to see more from West Malling?
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comet4
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by comet4 »

Thanks for the kind words. My Flickr link is https://www.flickr.com/photos/151622241@N05/ . I'm trying to put a variety of pictures on Flickr and not just the usual suspects. These incude pictures taken in the 1960's to pictures taken overseas. It does take a little time to sort them all out.
I will be posting some more pictures from West Malling 1991. I will also load the pictures from the 1989 show which have now been blocked by Photobucket.

Graham

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tankbuster81
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by tankbuster81 »

Thanks Graham, i look forward to seeing them.

Andy
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comet4
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by comet4 »

As threatened, here are a few more pictures from the 1991 West Malling display

Graham

ImageVenom

ImageB-17

ImageB-25 Duke of Brabant AF

ImageDH.60

ImageHawk XX249

ImageHellcat TFC

ImageHurricane TFC

ImageKittyhawk TFC

ImageSpitfire TFC

ImageT-33 OFMC

ImageTaylorcraft Plus D

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ELVIS 01
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991 - More pictures added

Post by ELVIS 01 »

Great photos, perchance do you have any more of the T-33

comet4
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991 - More pictures added

Post by comet4 »

ELVIS 01 wrote:Great photos, perchance do you have any more of the T-33


Here are a couple of pictures of the T-33. They were taken at Duxford and are the only ones I have of the aircraft in these colours.
I don't have any more of the aircraft at West Malling - you couldn't afford to take dozens of pictures with film cameras like you now can with digital cameras.
You might be interested in the picture of Mark Hanna and Nick Grey taken at West Malling. Mark was giving Nick a ride in the T-33

Graham

ImageT-33

ImageT-33 54-21261

ImageT-33 54-21261
Last edited by comet4 on Thu 04 Jan 2018, 8:19 am, edited 1 time in total.

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ELVIS 01
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991 - More pictures added

Post by ELVIS 01 »

Thanks for the photos, I was the back seater on the T-33 with Mark for displays, the photo of Mark and Nick shows me on the wing helping Nick strap in, somewhere in my photo boxes I have some air to airs of the T-33 taken from the ventral gun position on the TBM-3 Avenger with Nick in the back of the T Bird. Happy Days !

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tankbuster81
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991 - More pictures added

Post by tankbuster81 »

Fascinating story Elvis, i used to love watching Mark and Ray display, i bet you have many great stories, and i would love to see more of your photo's.

Andy
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Wrexham Mackem
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

comet4 wrote:I missed the parachute drop as I only attended the shows from 1989 to 1994. 1994 was the last show, probably caused by atrocious weather that year which meant that the organisers lost money.


And was it the last three, or four, that were at Wroughton?

That Sunderland shot is ace. I didn't get to see it fly, a great regret. It also did Coningsby I think, around this time too (come on st24, reassure my memory buddy!). I have seen the beast at Fantasy of Flight, been on board it even, but that's not the same.

Great shots.

Marathon Milkshake
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Re: Great Warbird Air Display 1991

Post by Marathon Milkshake »

Wrexham Mackem wrote:
comet4 wrote:I missed the parachute drop as I only attended the shows from 1989 to 1994. 1994 was the last show, probably caused by atrocious weather that year which meant that the organisers lost money.


And was it the last three, or four, that were at Wroughton?

That Sunderland shot is ace. I didn't get to see it fly, a great regret. It also did Coningsby I think, around this time too (come on st24, reassure my memory buddy!). I have seen the beast at Fantasy of Flight, been on board it even, but that's not the same.

Great shots.


Yep it was at Coningsby for one of their shows, I forget which year, but at the time I was a lowly ATC cadet, I remember it well as its the only time I've seen a real live flying boat, a true one, not an amphibious one, it also sticks in my mind as on the same day I got a tour around Black Mike, which included a sit in both front and rear cockpits. Anyways thats beside the point I remember the commentator going on about the fact she had been sold to somebody in the USA and Coningsby was her last ever display in the UK.
Those that matter, don't mind. Those that mind, don't matter

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