Thousands celebrate the dynamism of the fighter aircraft at The Duxford Air Show

12 September 2016

Thousands of visitors enjoyed a thrilling day at The Duxford Air Show: Meet the Fighters at IWM Duxford yesterday (Sunday).

 

The Duxford Air Show commemorated the 80th anniversaries of the formation of Fighter Command and the first flight of the Spitfire with a display which showcased the speed and agility of historic fighter aircraft.

Visitors enjoyed a wide range of activities across the museum site, including:

  • Musical entertainment from The Bluebird Belles, Pete Wayre and the RAF Wyton Band.
  • Living history groups representing the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
  • Talks by Colonel Richard Graham about flying the SR-71 Blackbird, next to the aircraft he flew, which is on display in the American Air Museum.
  • The chance to see a cutting edge Boeing Insitu ScanEagle, displayed in the American Air Museum by kind permission of Boeing.
  • The chance to build a large-scale model of a B-29 Superfortress aircraft.
  • Talks by the IWM Duxford Conservation Team about the conservation work that takes place at IWM Duxford and the upcoming conservation of a rare Handley Page Victor at IWM Duxford.

Visitors were enthralled by reminiscences from veterans who served at RAF Duxford during the 1950s and 1960s.

Highlights of the flying display included:

  • A duo of Grumman F8F Bearcat and Hawker Fury FB 11
  • The Great War Display Team of eight replica First World War aircraft in the skies together.
  • A First World War Bristol F2B Fighter and Sopwith Snipe aircraft.
  • Two Second World War Hispano Buchon (Messerschmitt Bf 109) aircraft followed by one Hispano Buchon flying with two Mark Ia Supermarine Spitfires, recreating the dynamic flying sequence they recently flew for the upcoming feature film Dunkirk.
  • A group of glorious 1930s biplanes: Gloster Gladiator Mark II, Hawker Nimrod Mark II, Hawker Fury Mark I and Hawker Demon.
  • The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Avro Lancaster
  • A recreation of training tactics employed by Second World War fighter pilots demonstrated by a Piper Cub towing a drogue which was ‘attacked’ by a Hawker Hurricane.
  • A Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 flying with two de Havilland Vampires
  • B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B
  • The dynamic aerobatics of the Red Arrows (pictured top)
  • Fifteen Spitfires in a massed formation and tailchase display (pictured below)

(Image removed)
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