Imperial War Museum Duxford hosted their Battle Of Britain Airshow on the 10th and 11th of September, in the iconic setting of this former WW2 airfield in Cambridgeshire. The event saw a wide variety of warbirds and rare overseas military assets partake in the last big airshow at IWM Duxford in 2022. However, on the 8th of September the United Kingdom lost Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96, bringing to a closure a 70-year reign, and fulfilment of a promise of loyal service to the United Kingdom and the wider Commonwealth, with the late Monarch passing away peacefully at her summer residence at Balmoral, Scotland. This sad event triggered a well-rehearsed sequence of events which sent the United Kingdom into a period of national mourning, which in turn, grounded the likes of the Royal Air Force display teams. Other events set to be held over the same weekend as IWM’s airshow; Portrush in Northern Island and Abingdon Air and Country Show, both cancelled for differing reasons – the former due to the bulk of the flying display being from the Military, as well as a mark of respect, whilst Abingdon being a MOD airfield, was closed down during the period of national mourning, meaning the airshow could no longer be held. The event at Duxford was able to continue as neither of the above factors affected the show, with the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight being the only lose due to the sad event of the Queen’s passing. The event did respectfully make adjustments to the show, with some late tweaks to the flying programme to remember and honour the life of the Queen.
The flying programme began with a 2-minute silence in honour and respect of Queen Elizabeth II, a moment which saw the 17,000 spectators at Duxford raise to their feet, and many bowing their heads – you could have heard a pin drop. As the two minutes ended, the silence was broken by John Romain diving in from behind the hangars at Duxford in the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Supermarine Spitfire PR.IX, otherwise known as the NHS Spitfire. Something I noted was that people with cameras weren’t machine gunning the Spitfire as it flew through on that first pass, many stood in sombre silence – this wasn’t the moment for photos. The Spitfire, still emblazoned with many hundreds of names from the headline-grabbing fundraising flights over NHS hospitals during the height of the lockdown and Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, as well as the “Thank U NHS” wording on the underside, was put through a routine of poignant passes with John Romain at the helm; he himself having been honoured by the Queen for the aforementioned fundraising efforts – it was a touching tribute, and the perfect way to begin a show which took on a very different feel that weekend.
Following the Spitfire recovering at Duxford, another well-known warbird pilot took to the skies for his solo display; that of Peter Teichman. Flying his North American P-51D Mustang ‘Tall-In-The-Saddle’, marked as a ‘Red Tails’ aircraft flown famously by the 332nd Fighter Group, The Tuskegee Airmen – a squadron made up of African American pilots during World War Two. The infamous Mustang whistle off the gunports and the roar of the Merlin filled the skies over Duxford as the fighter was put through its paces in one of the few solo slots of the day – the bulbous canopy really stood out during some of the rolls and climbs, with the red accents catching the brief sunlight. An “Eastern Formation” was billed, which was slightly less exciting than that, with Bob Davy in his Yakovlev YAK-3UTI for a short solo routine – a display which is always a bit too distant for such a small airframe, and a pair of Hispano HA-1112 Buchon’s in the very skilled hands of display duo, Paul Bonhomme and Steve Jones, The display was a very rare occasion where a warbird routine had smoke throughout, with both aircraft smoking as they were led through loops and topside passes together. Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Sally B’ took to the Cambridgeshire skies following the Buchon's returning to the airfield, with the heavy four engined bomber performing her solo routine. The only airworthy, civilian four-engined bomber in Europe, ‘Sally B’ needs a constant stream of donations and support to keep her flying, and you can help keep her flying be visiting their social media or website. It was a treat to see her in the air again, looking stately as she flew across the skies.
A pair of unique formations were flown back-to-back during the afternoon flying programme, the first being the unusual ‘Mercury Formation’ – a collection of aircraft which all use versions of the Bristol Mercury radial engine to power them. Leading the formation was the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Bristol Blenheim IF (making its return to the UK airshow scene this year), followed by the ARCo Westland Lysander, fitted with bombs on its wheel struts, and the Shuttleworth Collection’s own Lysander. Bringing up the rear of the four ship was the Shuttleworth Gloster Gladiator MK.I. Flying a number of formation passes, the four aircraft graced the hazy skies before the Gladiator broke off for a short solo routine. The Gladiator flew solo this time, but it is hoped in the near future it’ll be re-joined by the second UK based Gladiator when it returns to the skies. The Lysanders performed a joint series of passes with the two types, one built in England, the Shuttleworth example being built in Canada. The Blenheim ended the formation with its own short solo slot with a number of passes for the crowds, and for me was the highlight of this sequence - there is something about the glass cockpit and overall handsome shape of the Blenheim which catches my imagination.
The second formation was a new one; the “38 Formation”, this seeing aircraft which were flying in 1938, just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The formation was made up of The Fighter Collection’s Grumman FM-2 Wildcat and Curtiss Hawk 75, as well as the Supermarine Spitfire MK.1, owned by IWM, and a Hawker Hurricane MK.1 from Hurricane Heritage. The formation too did a number of passes together before breaking off for short solo passes. A note to the Grumman Wildcat for noisiest take-off of the day from any warbird. Another Supermarine Spitfire solo came in the form of the Mk.XVI courtesy of Suffolk Spitfire. This uniquely marked Spitfire, wearing the colours of the United States Air Force, was flown through one of the more eye-catching routines of the day, with plenty of topside action – unfortunately, the skies were dull, and rain was ever-present during the afternoon which made photos hard during that period of the show as a result.
The Fighter Collection had intended to send up their Hawker Nimrod, but the inclement weather made it unwise for that, and it was kept on the ground, however, the collection did fly the biggest of their warbirds on the flightline – the Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat and the Goodyear FG-1D Corsair. The pair gave a high-performance routine with the Corsair first, and then the Bearcat. The Bearcat especially was shown off exquisitely with the bountiful power hauling it across the skies – handling more like a modern aerobatic aircraft than a late-war design. A much slower display team, in the form of the Tiger Club’s Tiger 9 team were in the skies for a series of gently passes, with some windy conditions to content with no less. Their commentator was quick to boast that they were the only nine-ship display team in the UK this year, with a not-so-subtle nod to the much debated seven-ship RAFAT Red Arrows for this season. The team fly a mix formation of de Havilland Moth types, with the bulk being the iconic Tiger Moth, although one was a converted drone type, taking on an unusual role which has only really become mainstream in recent years.
An unusual pairing came from two Beech Model 17 Staggerwing’s, these two elegant and classic art deco era aircraft were put through some lovely formation passes, with the Pratt and Whitney Wasp junior radials providing plenty of noise and grunt. With one airframe in a radiant yellow and owned by Nigel Wilson, and the other operated by Peter Kuyper’s in a unique camo scheme as it would have been seen during the Second World War by the exiled Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands, the pair were a sight to see for the spectators at Duxford. A late addition to the line-up was a bit of Jet age power in the form of the Norwegian Air Force Historical Squadron with the de Havilland FB.6 Vampire. The Vampire carried a distinct black band on its wing for the weekend as a mark of respect to The Queen, as the jet was put through a gentle routine of aerobatics and topside passes – the Vampire was carrying a temporary RAF scheme whilst it’s been used for a filming project here in the UK during the summer of 2022.
The only military participation came from the Czech Air Force with their Mil MI-24V/35 Hind and Mil MI-17-1SH Hip, performing twice during the afternoon’s display programme. The first demonstration came from the duo in a unique aerial ballet of flying, seeing opposition passes and rotations, as well as brief solo displays within the routine. The Hip was slightly more subdued than the aggressive Hind, but the pair gave a very rare display indeed. The second display was a solo by the Hind, specially painted in a unique “Tigermeet” scheme which highlighted the history of the no.311 squadron which served in the Royal Air Force during WW2, and was the only fully Czechoslovak-manned bomber squadron, with this depicted by the Vickers Wellington and Consolidated B-24 Liberator on each side of the fuselage. The display was likely the very last to be seen in the UK by a Czech Hind, and possibly any of the type as they are phased out in Europe for American Bell AH-1Z Vipers and UH-1Y Venoms in the Czech Air Force, at least. The solo demonstration was showed off with distinctive orange smoke winders fitted to the wing stubs as the brutal looking helicopter was put through its paces in the hands of its experienced crew.
The finale of the flying was, of course, the Duxford Big Wing formation. This year seeing 16 Spitfires and 4 Hurricanes partake in the spectacular formations passes, whilst a solo Griffon powered Spitfire, this time being the beautiful Silver and Red schemed Spitfire MK.XIV ‘RN201’, in the hands of John Romain playing the Joker slot between the large group forming up. The Saturday afternoon sun gave way to a deluge briefly during the formation passes, forcing the aircraft to hold out over the M11 for a short while, whilst the crowds got a good drenching. The reward was some beautiful light for photos though, with the bubbling clouds and the orange tint to the skies, as well as one of the many rainbows criss-crossing throughout the afternoon. As the formation came through for their final pass, a number of the aircraft broke away, allowing for one final tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with the national anthem being played as the roar of Merlins filled the air, leaving some in the crowd emotionally moved by the final tribute of the day, and a fitting closure to the flying at Duxford.
The full list of Spitfires and Hurricanes, and their operators is as follows:
The Duxford Battle of Britain Airshow was an aviation spectacle which was, at its core, a look back at the history of aviation during the darkest days in the World’s history. Fitting it was then, it was the first national event to be held following the Queen’s passing, and a sombre reminder of that generation which is very nearly consigned to the history books in its totality, with our Head of State of 70 years and one of the last tangible links we had to the past, no longer with us. Whilst we sadly have to let these figures from our nation’s history pass away, the connection to the wartime generation, those who served their nation, such as our Queen, fall to the steeds which carried many of them into battle and represent them – the Spitfires, the Hurricanes, and the vast array of aircraft we all travel to see throughout the summer months. Duxford, the home of the British warbird establishment, once again reminding us so poignantly that with the final lines in the chapter of the wartime generation being penned, the stories live on, and can be told, and retold, through these iconic aircraft which we all watch with endearing and enduring admiration, both at their technical marvel, but also at the symbolic significance in which we remember those brave men and woman that they undoubtedly and proudly represent. Long into the future, I know many will gaze upon the skies when the distinctive sound of a Rolls Royce Merlin is heard overhead, and remember fondly those we have lost during the war, or who lived to tell their tales and educate us - a thread woven through the fabric of our recent history, tying the past to the present, much like Our Queen did for so many years. Long may Duxford host these historic aircraft, to keep open the book of our history and educate generations to come.
Words and Photos by Matt Silvaire.
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