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Midair Squadrons Classic Jets To Fly At Air Day

Midair Squadron Classic Jets by Karl Drage

The world’s only airworthy Canberra PR9 (XH134) has been added to RNAS Yeovilton International Air Day’s 2014 line-up. Only recently-reflown, this sole survivor is operated by the Midair Squadron, whose Hunter T7 XL577 will also be at the show.

Performing their powerful display, under the skilled piloting of Flt Lt Mike Leckey and Sqn Ldr (R) Dave Piper, the Midair Squadron have quickly become an internationally-recognised act and an emerging favourite on the airshow scene. Delighted with the announcement, Midair Squadron Operations Director and pilot, Dave Piper commented: “This booking solidifies the Midair Squadron’s prominence within the UK’s display circuit. The combination of a Hunter and Canberra PR9 is a totally unique display visual, and the dynamic pair will captivate the hearts and minds of audiences young and old.”

Both the Canberra and Hunter have historic links to RNAS Yeovilton. Operated by FRADU (the Fleet Requirements and Air Direction Unit), examples of each were based there from the early-1970s to the early-1990s. The Midair Squadron’s involvement in Air Day 2014 will thus bring back a sight not seen in Somerset’s skies for very many years.

The Canberra and Hunter will take part in Air Day’s five-plus hour Flying Display, alongside a wide range of types linked to the show’s ‘Carrier Aviation’ theme, modern-day combat aircraft, aerobatic teams and other very popular classic jets including Avro Vulcan B2 XH558.

Tickets for Air Day can be booked online at www.royalnavy.mod.uk/yeovilton-airday at the discounted advance rates or by calling 08445 781 781.

Historic flight confirmed for Bournemouth Air Festival

Not satisfied with two incredible ‘firsts’ for this Summer, (Red Arrows every day and a Dakota), organisers of this summer’s Bournemouth Air Festival, supported by Mouchel and City Fibre Gigler, have confirmed the much anticipated Canadian Lancaster will be appearing with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

The last two Lancaster bombers still flying in the world will come together in a series of events this summer, in a meeting unlikely to happen ever again and will be taking centre stage at the Air Festival on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st.
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) will fly their Avro Lancaster from Hamilton, Ontario on August 4th with plans to arrive in England on August 8th. The North Atlantic crossing will include en-route stops at Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, Narsarsuaq, Greenland, and Keflavik in Iceland, before arriving in the UK.

Jon Weaver Air Festival Director said; ‘I am delighted to confirm we’ll be hosting the Canadian Lancaster & her display team this summer. This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the world’s only two airworthy Lancaster’s take to the skies together.

He added; ‘The aircraft is guaranteed for the weekend and we hope to raise funds for Thursday and Friday, to give everyone a chance to see this unique sight – if anyone is interested is supporting us, please get in touch!’

Here for the month of August, Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum President and CEO, Squadron Leader (Ret.) David G. Rohrer C.D. who is a current Lancaster pilot, added; “This is a “Once in a Lanc Time” event and a special salute to all the veterans of Bomber Command. On behalf of the team and all involved we are really looking forward to displaying for the Bournemouth Air Festival”.

www.bournemouthair.co.uk

Last two airworthy Lancasters to fly at Wings & Wheels

Lancaster - credit: Doug Fisher

Wings & Wheels is delighted to confirm a once in a life time air display with the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s (CWHM) prized Avro Lancaster which will be flying at the Show on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th August 2014.

Joining the only other airworthy Lancaster in the world, owned and operated by the RAF BBMF, CWHM will display at Dunsfold Aerodrome as part of a month long tour of the UK. As well as celebrating the exceptionally close British/Canadian relationship, the tour will also commemorate the sacrifice and dedication of Commonwealth Bomber crews and the professionalism of both nations’ air forces today.

The home of Wings & Wheels, Dunsfold Aerodrome, has strong historical ties with the Canadians. The Aerodrome began life on 11 May 1942 when the First Canadian Army – mainly the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Engineers – began construction of the emergency airfield. After just 20 weeks the site was officially handed over to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on 16 October 1942. During the War the Aerodrome was home to the RCAF 400, 414 and 430 Squadrons.

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum President and CEO, Sqn Ldr (Ret.) David G. Rohrer C.D. who is a current Lancaster pilot, comments: “This Trans-Atlantic crossing and visit to the BBMF and England is a “Once in a Lanc Time” event as it will not happen again. A rare window of opportunity was identified to bring the last two flying Lancasters in the world together as a special salute to all the veterans of Bomber Command, many of whom are in their late 80s or older now. We are delighted to be displaying at Wings & Wheels and on an Aerodrome which has such strong links with the Royal Canadian Air Force.”

Jamie McAllister, Event Director comments: “Wings & Wheels is going to be one of only a handful of aerodromes across the UK where it will be possible to watch both Lancasters display and we are absolutely thrilled. We are very proud of the Aerodrome’s Canadian heritage and to be able to commemorate it in such an iconic and historic way is something we can’t wait to share with our visitors.”

As well as the Lancasters, visitors to Wings & Wheels can also enjoy the world famous Red Arrows, Vulcan, BBMF Spitfire and Hurricane, Tucano, Apache and a host of other modern and historic aircraft during the 5 hour flying displays. For four and two wheeled fans, supercars and classic and vintage icons put on an awe inspiring display of power and speed on the Top Gear track in a 2 hour auto spectacular from Brooklands Museum.

The show also includes over 25 fixed-price catering outlets, 2 bars, hospitality facilities, free on-site parking, public camping, lost children point, disabled access, informative show commentary, opportunities to meet the pilots, official show merchandise and grandstand seating.

Tickets start from £20 for adults, £45 for a family (2 adults and 3 children aged 5 – 15yrs), £6 for children aged between 5 and 15yrs and under 5s are free. Hospitality packages start from £150 per person, weekend passes, grandstand tickets and camping are also available. For more information visit www.wingsandwheels.net or to book standard tickets call 08712 305 572.

Wings & Wheels is promoted by Dunsfold Park Limited and in 2014 will be assisting the fundraising efforts of Brooklands Museum Trust and Help for Heroes.

(Lancaster photo credit: Doug Fisher)

Vintage Film Night at the Fleet Air Arm Museum

Vintage film - Airship

Friday 16th May, the second of a new series of film nights at the Fleet Air Arm Museum will screen a number of films from the archive.

The rare footage from WW1 and WW2 and the early 60s show the development of Royal Naval aviation from the earliest days of the Royal Naval Air Service, forerunner of the Fleet Air Arm, through to the 1990s.

Says Barbara Gilbert Senior Archivist “We all know about the trenches on the Western Front during the First World War but not many people realise that the Royal Naval Air Service had bases in the Aegean. From these airbases, they operated not only aeroplanes but airships. This vintage footage gives us a glimpse of what was involved.”

Other films to be screened will include, 1930s footage of the Fleet Air Arm showing off its carrier-borne squadrons of Fairey IIIFs and Blackburn Ripons from HMS Renown and HMS Furious.

A WW2 film following recruits as they join the Fleet Air Arm and a film of life on board the Floating Fortress that was HMS Victorious in the Mediterranean circa 1960 when her air group consisted of Supermarine Scimitars, De Havilland Sea Venoms and Westland Whirlwinds.

Tickets for the film night can be obtained on line at www.fleetairarm.com or from the door on the night. Tickets cost £5.00 for film night only or £12.50 to include supper in the museum’s Swordfish restaurant prior to the screening.

Airshow to aid RAF charity

The organiser of Folkestone Airshow 2014, Open Air Promotions Ltd, has named the RAF Benevolent Fund as official charity partner for the event.

Director Yvonne Holder said that the organisation did wonderful work supporting serving and former RAF personnel and their families and it was fitting that it benefited from an event in which so many iconic military aircraft would take part. “Our donation will be a share of the money received from the sale of souvenir programmes. Cover price will be £3.50, of which 50p will be given to the Fund”.

Paul Hewson, regional director of the RAF Benevolent Fund, said that the charity was ‘absolutely thrilled” to have been chosen as an official partner for what promised to be Folkestone’s biggest and best air show. “Few people realise the extent of the work we do. Every year, we spend more than £20 million on a wide range of support services and without the generous support of events like the Folkestone Air Show it simply would not be possible to provide them on the scale we do”.

Folkestone Airshow takes place on Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8. The flying programme on the first day will feature the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team.

www.folkstoneairshow.com

Sea Harrier To Join Ground Displays

Harrier RAF Cosford Air Show

This year’s ground displays at the RAF Cosford Air Show will be joined for the first time by a Royal Navy Sea Harrier.

The Sea Harrier FA2 arrived by road earlier this week after being transported across the country and was delivered safely to RAF Cosford engineers who are now working hard to piece it back together in time for the Air Show. On loan from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall, this Sea Harrier ZH796 was built in 1996 and has flown approximately 1300 flying hours. It was retired from service in 2006 and was the last of its type to fly from HMS Illustrious before it was decommissioned. It is now housed at the School of Flight Deck Operations at RNAS Culdrose where it is used in support of naval groundcrew training.

This aircraft joins three other Harriers on display at this year’s Air Show, a GR3 and two GR9’s each with a unique configuration. The exhibit is part of a special display to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the Kestrel, the prototype for the Harrier. The original Kestrel is part of the RAF Museum collection and will also be part of this special line-up.

Amanda Butcher, spokesman for the Cosford Air Show, said:

“The addition of this Sea Harrier will enable us to represent the history of Harrier aircraft of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy across the years. This will be a unique opportunity to witness the evolution of the Harrier family from the Kestrel right through to the Harrier GR9.”

www.cosfordairshow.co.uk

Airscene 2015 Airshow Calendar Competition

This years competition opens officially  this coming thursday (1st May) and will close on 30th September 2014.

Prizes have been coming in thick and fast with the latest contribution coming from Terry Jones Art ( www.terryjones-art.co.uk ), with two commemorative prints on offer. Both prints can be seen on the following page http://www.terryjones-art.co.uk/red%20arrows%20special.htm – the Jon Egging print has been allocated to first prize and the Sean Cunningham print to 2nd prize.

Terry is very generously donating the proceeds from sale of both prints to the Jon Eggings Trust and The Royal Air force Benevolent Fund respectively. In the hope of winning one of these great prizes, it is understandable you may not wish to make apurchase at this time, but do please make a donation to either (or both) of these very worthy charities in the meantime.

The RIAT tickets have now also been allocated to 1st prize, other airshow tickets are awaiting confirmation and will be detailed as soon as possible. This years prize table now stands as follows:

1st Prize

£150 voucher (to include p&p) courtesy of Key Publishing Ltd

RIAT – pair of public entry tickets for sunday July 19th 2015 (valued at £39 each) (R)

Flt Lt Jon Egging (Red Arrows) Commemorative print courtesy of Terry Jones Art (valued at £75)(UK)

Family ticket to Newark Air Museum (valued at £21 each)

2nd Prize

£100 voucher (to include p&p) courtesy of Key Publishing Ltd

Flt Lt Sean Cunningham (Red Arrows) Commemorative print courtesy of Terry Jones Art (valued at £75)(UK)

Pair of family ticket to Newark Air Museum (valued at £21 each)

3rd Prize

£50 voucher (to include p&p) courtesy of Key Publishing Ltd

Family tickets to Museum of Berkshire Aviation (valued at £8.50 each)

1st runner up prize

Wingman 16″ x 12″ print courtesy of Oxon Images (Value = £33.90)(UK)

Family tickets to Museum of Berkshire Aviation (valued at £8.50 each)

Mono print T-shirt courtesy of Cosford RAF Museum (valued at £12.99)

2nd runner up prize

Apache Storm 16″ x 12″ print courtesy of Oxon Images (Value = £33.90)(UK)

Family tickets to Museum of Berkshire Aviation (valued at £8.50 each)

Mono print T-shirt courtesy of Cosford RAF Museum (valued at £12.99)

3rd runner up prize

B17 Bomber Escort 20 ” x 10″ print courtesy of Oxon Images (Value = £30)(UK)

Mono print T-shirt courtesy of Cosford RAF Museum (valued at £12.99)

Good Luck everyone!

Mighty Vulcan To Roar Over Cosford

Vulcan - credit Andrew Brown

Ticket sales for the RAF Cosford Air Show are expected to get a big boost following today’s announcement of new aircraft for the flying display. After much speculation the organisers have today confirmed that the Vulcan will provide its full display for the second year running. The Avro Vulcan aircraft, registration no XH558, is the only aircraft of its type still flying anywhere in the world and makes a welcome return to the Midlands premier aviation event.

Other important news released today was the appearance of two operational aircraft from RAF Brize Norton. The giant C17 and Voyager aircraft will be making their first ever appearance at the RAF Cosford Air Show.

Air Show Spokesman Amanda Butcher said “These three new aircraft make a great addition to our line-up and give us the opportunity to showcase to our audience RAF aircraft involved in current operations as well as the iconic and popular Vulcan.”

Other aircraft appearing at the show as part of the 5 ½ hour flying display include the Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Blades. The ground attractions include an arena featuring the Field Gun teams and the RAF Combined Pipes and Drums as well as a craft hangar and a wide display of other attractions

– Standard air show tickets can be purchased online at www.cosfordairshow.co.uk or by calling the 24-hour ticket line on 0871 230 1083 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network charges). Advance tickets are priced from £20, representing a 20 per cent discount on tickets bought on the day (£25 subject to availability). There’s FREE car parking and FREE admission for all under-16s accompanied by an adult.

Air Tattoo Makes Aviation History

F35B copyright USMC

AVIATION history will be made in the UK this summer when, in a major airshow ‘first’, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the Joint Strike Fighter, makes its much-anticipated European debut.

This hugely important multi-role combat aircraft, which has never before been seen outside of the US, will display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford on July 11-13.

Three examples of the F-35B, the short take-off/vertical landing version of the Lightning II optimized for operation from austere bases and smaller ships, will be based at RAF Fairford: two from the US Marine Corps and one destined for the UK. The flying displays on all three days of the airshow, will see participation by one aircraft.

The aircraft’s appearance at Fairford will allow a whole new audience to see at close quarters this highly advanced multi-role platform, which, in F-35B form, will demonstrate the ‘hover’ capability required for operation from, for example, Britain’s forthcoming new aircraft carriers.

Its appearance at RAF Fairford in July will be the latest in a long list of legendary military aircraft that have made their UK debut at the Air Tattoo. These have included the F-14 Tomcat in 1976, the MiG-23 in 1991, the Typhoon in 1995 and the V-22 Osprey in 2006.

Air Tattoo Chief Executive Designate, Andy Armstrong said: “Not only will people witness aviation history being made at the Air Tattoo this summer but they will also see a breath-taking demonstration of the future of combat aviation. Those people who, like me, enjoyed seeing the legendary Harrier display its hovering capabilities in the past will relish the opportunity to see its state-of-the-art successor.”

In the words of Lockheed Martin, the F-35B combines for the first time ‘the most lethal fighter characteristics: supersonic speed, radar-evading stealth, extreme agility and short take-off/vertical landing capability.’

The stealthy Lightning II is a vital aircraft for the air arms of the nine countries who have, thus far, signed up to become part of the programme: apart from the US and UK, also involved are Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey.

The type is rapidly entering service with the US Air Force in CTOL (conventional take-off and landing) F-35A guise, and with the US Marine Corps in F-35B form. The UK plans to procure 138 F-35Bs for joint operation by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, and has begun pilot and maintainer training on the aircraft at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The F-35 will, in future, become a common sight in our skies – but it will perform its first international display at this summer’s Air Tattoo.

The Air Tattoo is staged annually in support of the RAF Charitable Trust. Tickets for the event are only available in advance. Specially-priced Earlybird tickets for this summer’s Air Tattoo, on July 11-13, are available until May 31 from www.airtattoo.com or by calling 0800 107 1940. All accompanied under-16s go free. Free parking.

Thunderbirds Are Go.. At The RAF Museum

Date: 11th May

Time: 10.00 – 5.30pm

Entrance: £7 Adults/£5 Children

In a special one-day event, ‘Model Futures’ celebrates the art of science fiction model making in film and television with talks and presentations by industry insiders.

Since the early days of silent films, model effects – or ‘miniatures’ – have played an important role in creating screen illusion. With the use of models film-makers can create scenes – or even entire worlds – that would otherwise be impossible to capture on film.

British film-makers have proved particularly inventive in developing the art of miniatures, allowing the UK to become a world leader in the production of science fiction and fantasy films – notable successes including 2001; A Space Odyssey, and the Star Wars, James Bond and Superman franchises. Television too has provided a showcase for model making skill, in series such as Dr.Who and Blake’s 7, and most famously in the many programmes devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson – among them Thunderbirds, UFO and Space:1999.

Speakers include:

Alan Shubrook, Model-Maker: 1200pm

Model maker Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90, The Secret Service, UFO. Alan will be providing an exclusive presentation of his own collection of backstage photos from his days working on the shows.

Mat Irvine, Special Effects Designer: 1.30pm

Doctor Who and Blake’s 7; through Horizon and QED and onto award-winning dramas Edge of Darkness and The Singing Detective

Mike Trim, Special Effects Designer: 3pm

Thunderbirds, and its successors Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90, the Secret Service and UFO

 www.rafmuseum.org