Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

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MiG_Eater
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by MiG_Eater »

Does anybody know if White 14 is likely to fly?

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convair
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by convair »

Ticket for sale - Biggin Hill

Bought a ticket for Saturday but will not be using it

£25.00 (paid £29.50)

On line ticket so I can email it over

PM me if interested

BossMann
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by BossMann »

paullangford wrote:No stand out acts for me this year, No Gripen, F16, or Mil 24 to wet my appetite for going in.
Would have been great to get a Typhoon Display or F-35 flyover as part of the RAF 100 year.


Last year was really special at Biggin Hill with foreign participation - Czech Gripen/ Mi 17/ Mi 24, French Patrouille de France, Belgian F16 demo

It felt like the organisers were trying to bring back the Biggin Hill International Air Fair!

MiG_Eater
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by MiG_Eater »

It was a real classic. A one off by the looks of it.

Good luck convair... i'm afraid you'll need it!

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Jakub.Zurek
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by Jakub.Zurek »

Provisional flying times are up on their website: https://lbhacommunity.co.uk/2018/08/13/ ... lay-times/

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lynothehammer
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by lynothehammer »

RAF Typhoon Flypast both days added today...

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The Baron
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by The Baron »

It's got some nice stuff in the line up but nothing that makes me want to go, and their desire to include twin seater Spits when there's a hangar full of gorgeous single seaters leaves me cold.
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Jakub.Zurek
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by Jakub.Zurek »

The Baron wrote:It's got some nice stuff in the line up but nothing that makes me want to go, and their desire to include twin seater Spits when there's a hangar full of gorgeous single seaters leaves me cold.


What do you mean? BGHH have two two-seaters MJ627 and MT818, and three single seaters TA805, RW382 and TB885. They’re all taking part. I don’t think they have any other airworthy single seat Spitfires that are just going to sit this show out in their hangar?

AARDVARK
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by AARDVARK »

Jakub.Zurek wrote:Provisional flying times are up on their website: https://lbhacommunity.co.uk/2018/08/13/ ... lay-times/


The BOB set piece might be good but other than that rather uninspiring this year,I thought that last year’s event might have been a bench mark for future shows and was like the Air Fair of old butvut seems sadly not to be.

clearstone
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by clearstone »

If you are going, make the most of this one. With the airport plans for 2020 and a new super-hangar, much of the showground car park area will be a building site soon - https://locateatbigginhill.co.uk/the-future/

2019 may well see a return to a single day show, possibly back in June.

Witchcraft24
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by Witchcraft24 »

Indeed, signs for the longevity of this show are not good. It will be a great shame to lose another airfield show.
It is possible that Biggin and Dunsfold may be lost in the same year, neither of which are related to any Shoreham fallout.

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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by clearstone »

Maybe, but even if everything was going smoothly, they've still got to go through the design stage and further planning at Dunsfold. There is also a small issue of a judicial review - http://www.liphookherald.com/article.cfm?id=128034&headline=Local%20Plan%20challenge%20will%20%20now%20go%20to%20judicial%20review&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2018

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AMB
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by AMB »

AARDVARK wrote:
Jakub.Zurek wrote:Provisional flying times are up on their website: https://lbhacommunity.co.uk/2018/08/13/ ... lay-times/


The BOB set piece might be good but other than that rather uninspiring this year,I thought that last year’s event might have been a bench mark for future shows and was like the Air Fair of old butvut seems sadly not to be.


Alas, I have not been back since the current owners stopped the fantastic Biggin Hill Air Fairs. I attended every one of those since 1966, as the variety of stuff they had there was incredible - fast jets,airliners, international participation - the lot. The current organisers have lost the plot - not a single fast jet or any international participation this year and nothing that makes me want to go.
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BossMann
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by BossMann »

Last years airshow felt like a step in the right direction to return to the International Air Fair Days with foreign participation from the Belgian Air Force F16, Czech Air Force Gripen, Mil Mi 17/ Mil Mi 24 duo, Mi 24 solo and the only UK display by the French Air Forces Patrouille de France.

The only thing that restricted the displays to flat shows last year was the airspace limitation by london ATC, although I'm sure in the past the Reds, Frecce, PdF, Breitling Jet Team, Russian Su27s and the Fast Jets have done full if not rolling shows - what is the current airspace restriction?? is limited to flat displays all the time??

Arn't the organisers of the BHFoF are the same as the organisers of the International Air Fair? Its great at least that they have brought back an airshow to this historic BOB air station.

I was hoping that after last years international show might have marked a return of the full International Air Fair this year....... but the Belgian A109 chose Eastbourne over Biggin Hill and strangely the RAF Typhoon isn't displaying or even operating from Biggin, whereas the Biggin Hill Air Fair was a 'priority one' airshow for the RAF in the past.

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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by timuss »

Well i went today and enjoyed it on the whole, the weather wasn't great that probably didnt help with not much sunshine until right near the end. The displays them selves were good just missed something in my eye. The Typhhoon flypast was cancelled as the display time at Eastbourne was changed so we didn't get the flypast.

The warbird sections were very well done the pyro was a loud and certainly made an impression. With the lone Buchon attacking the field and the pursued my the Hurricanes and Spitfires. just needed maybe another Buchon to make it a bit more of a threat.

The Spifire finale in the newly completed Mk16 certainly was flown beautifully by Dan Griffith right up until near the end when it looked like he lost the engine a lot of spluttering as he broke back into the circuit to land, and as he rolled back over the bump he rolled to a halt as the engine stopped as the fire service raced over to have a look, i guess that wont be flying tomorrow.

All in a good show but a big contrast to last years superb show a real shame.
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ted633
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by ted633 »

Had a very good day, thoroughly enjoyed it. Weather didn't really play ball, but it didn't curtail any displays and a bit of a change to not sit there sweating my tits off like all the previous shows this year!
As for the flying, as said above the Battle of Britain set piece was great with a lot of very loud explosions. Not many places you can see 8(?) Spitfires together apart from Duxford. The other warbird displays also put on a good show, with the majority giving a nice topside pass or two. RAFAT were very obviously the crowd favourite, you do see a very different reaction to them when compared to at RIAT, with lots of whooping and cheering for every manoeuvre (which would drive some on here mad I expect!)
Personally though, the best display would have to go to the Spitfire finale, with a very powerful and elegant display. Unfortunately though, as already said, seemed to develop an engine fault just after giving a wing waggle at the end of the display. Fortunately it all ended happily.

The showground seemed very busy, especially at the crowd line, but traffic getting in and out was a breeze. I left just as the Spitfire landed and was out the gate a few minutes later. I've never got out of anywhere as quick as that before!

The main gripe others have had with Biggin this year seems to be the lack of jets / foreign visitors. Since the launch of Festival of Flight a few years back, there has never been any such attendance, with the show marketed as a more 'village fete' type event instead of a full blown airshow. Hence, the more 'family' displays with a nod to the history of the airfield thrown in. Obviously the exception to this was last year with the Biggin 100th. Yes, it was a nice reminder of the air fair days, but whether people agree with it or not, was very much the exception and not the rule.

Now to sort the photos out...

Tom105
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by Tom105 »

Went today was a good show and all should be congratulated on dealing with the wind that cannot have been easy to fly in. Lost the GWDT due the wind however the BBMF who cancelled early on filled the gap which a very nice display. Main reason for going was to get some of the BHHH Spitfires shame TD885 as would have been nice to see it but there is always another day and the aircraft made it safely to the ground. Only gripe was the number of kids who kept trying to push me out of where my chair was, i don't object to allowing them into gaps but when there is not one I do.
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melodrama
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by melodrama »

Excellent show, but shame about lack of a fast jet or two. Gather the Belgian F16 doing nowt in UK other that Riat this year and last year’s Gripen a real coup. But not getting the Typhoon to display was a bit off (although Sunday fast pass much appreciated) RAF should support the show a little bit more; after all Biggin Hill probably the only ‘RAF base’ many people could name! Reds were terrific both days; Pitts Special remarkable; Bleinhem a glorious old crate beautifully shown off with Hurris. Sea Fury great to see too. Just needed a bit more noise!

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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by melodrama »

Final Spit a thing of great beauty of course, brilliantly flown

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The Baron
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Re: Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2018

Post by The Baron »

Belgian F-16 performed at Cosford and Yeovilton.
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