Category: UK Airshow News

Wings & Wheels pulled together the best all round show to date in the air and on the ground for visitors on Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th August.

Aviation giants showed their precision aerobatics up close to the crowds, dispelling concerns Wings & Wheels was affected by new CAA regulations. Whilst the sun shone down on the Aerodrome Saturday, the rest of the UK faced torrential rain and storms forcing the Reds to cancel their display but they returned on Sunday and triumphantly showed just why they are the best pilots in the world.

Other displays made the most of the blue skies Saturday and mixed weather Sunday to delight crowds as the BBMF Spitfires, Black Cats, Sally B, Blades, DC3, P51 Mustang, Hurricane, Tigers Parachute Display Team, Gerald Cooper, Jet Provost and the Turbulent Team demonstrated their flying skills.

The most popular aerobatics came from the Typhoon Display Team as Flt Lt Mark Long roared on to the aerodrome reminding everyone just how powerful, noisy and fearsome the jet is. The 747, VC10 and DC3 opened up for sell out tours and the Navy spent hours showing people the Merlin and Hawk in the Wings Zone.

Saturday was all about reunions and the team were delighted to welcome the remaining Dutch 320 Squadron with the crew from the Royal Netherlands Air Force Historic Flight in their B25 Mitchell Bomber. It was an emotional and heart-warming moment when 97-year-old André Hissink, 94-year-old Edward Hoenson, 92-year-old Eduard Jacob and 90-year-old Camille Stritzko visited the Mitchell. The Surrey and Sussex Wing Air Cadets welcomed the Dutch veterans to their marque with a Guard of honour and pipe band salute.

The Wheels increased in size and volume with the Motoring Paddock managed by Brooklands Museum showing off the limited edition Norton Dominator SS, the only remaining survivor of the French Dieppe 1912 Grand Prix team, the Lorraine-Dietrich 15,000cc G.P., a replica race spec Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe, Aston Martin Vanquish 310, Rolls Royce Phantom 2 Handlye Special and, running on a special racing fuel called nitromethane and methanol, Russ Carpenter’s Daimler V8 Dragster.

The Stunt Zone vibrated to the shows from Steve ‘Showtime’ Colley and his Gas Gas stunt Motorbike, Wheelie Joe and his drifting, wheelie displays and Mission Motorsport with their stunt tutorials and Auto Test rides. The NEW Monster Zone was a sell-out success and the kids loved taking part in Scalextric competitions.

The Military Zone was full with re-enactors, military vehicles and tanks firing and battling as well as offering passenger rides. The recruiting teams from the RAF, Army and Navy brought along some spectacular demonstrations of their equipment and training required to join their ranks.

There was a glitter bomb explosion in Sid’s Zone as our littlest guests enjoyed free arts and crafts and fun activities before mobbing Siddeley with cuddles and laughter during the many meet and greet sessions.

The new craft marquee was full to over flowing along with our loyal traders and attractions offering a variety of shopping opportunities and delicious food and the glamorous trio that make up Champagne at The Blitz brought the house down at the end of the weekend with demands for an encore as crowds didn’t want the show to end.

But the event had to end, and the new parking measures implemented inside and outside the Aerodrome were an overwhelming success ensuring people were off site within 30 minutes.

Jamie McAllister, Event Director comments: “We couldn’t be happier with the success of this year’s show. The air display demonstrated just how fantastic the RAF and private display teams are, the motoring buzzed all weekend with the sound of so many different engines, our Military Zone showcased the Aerodromes history and Siddeley popped up everywhere delighting young and old alike. We finished up with some fantastic evening entertainment which left the crowds wanting more. We couldn’t put on the show without a huge team effort from everyone involved and it is all made worthwhile when we see so many happy and smiling visitors leaving at the end of the day.”

www.wingsandwheels.net

Wings & Wheels is promoted by Dunsfold Park Limited and in 2016 assisted the fundraising efforts of Brooklands Museum Trust and Help for Heroes.

We are delighted to confirm that Aces High’s Douglas DC3 will not only be open for tours at Wings & Wheels on Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th August, but will also be displaying as part of the five hour airshow.

The Aces High DC3 was constructed in 1942 in Long Beach California and delivered to the RAF at Netheravon as TS423 in 1944 and shortly before the end of the war transferred to 436 Squadron to the RCAF at Down Ampney. It was part of the Heavy Glider Unit and took part in the Arnhem D Day landings and Berlin Airlift.

Jamie McAllister, Event Director comments: “We are very fond of the Aces High DC3. Located on the aerodrome we have the pleasure of seeing her in the air throughout the year and are delighted to be able to bring her to Wings & Wheels for our visitors to watch. They’ll not only be able to see her in the air, but also to pop down to the Military Zone for a tour inside her airframe.”  

The DC3 went to Short Brothers, Scottish Aviation, Marshalls and Ferranti, where at Ferranti, she acquired a non-standard nose that would have been the envy of Jimmy “Schnozzle”

Durante! Inside this nose, which singled her out from her eleven thousand sisters, Ferranti fitted air pass radar for the Lightning fighter and an hydraulically operated gun turret. Underneath she acquired Sonar buoy dropping equipment.

In 1969, with a surprisingly low number of hours on her airframe (around 3000 hours) TS 423 was delivered to the Ministry of Technology at RAE West Freugh, where, nine years later, named “Mayfly” she was still stored. The decision was taken by the MOD to scrap her on the Catterick fire dump.

Mike Woodley of Aces High managed to rescue her from this fate with the aid of the Imperial War Museum and Lord Onslow. On 14th September 1979 TS423 was officially christened G-DAKS and given extensive cosmetic surgery to restore her Douglas nose at Duxford.

G-DAKS made her debut with Yorkshire Television as “Vera Lynn” of Ruskin Air Services in the series AIRLINE in 1979. Her film and television credits have ranged from Poirot to Tenko, Indiana Jones, Dirty Dozen, Memphis Belle, Da Vinci Code, Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers and many others too numerous to mention.

She remains a young lady of 74 years! With over 3,600 hours total flying time N147DC is probably the lowest houred Dakota flying in the world. Aces High still operates her almost 35 years later and she is still being used in films and, as you can see if you visit the aircraft and take a tour at the show, she still has her unrestored, original WW2 cockpit and interior.

Visitors to Wings & Wheels can also enjoy the full complement from the RAF as they display with the Red Arrows, Eurofighter and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane) as well as the Royal Navy Black Cats, Blades, Sally B and the Tigers Parachute Team.  Supercars, classics and race cars put on an awe inspiring display of power and speed on the Top Gear track in a two-hour auto spectacular from Brooklands Museum. Over in our Wheels Zone is an array of interactive and static displays as well as two and four wheeled shows in the Stunt Zone with Steve ‘Showtime’ Colley and Mission Motorsport and a new Monster Truck arena offering demonstrations and passenger rides.

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.  

The 12^th annual Wings & Wheels will be held over the August Bank holiday weekend; Saturday 27^th & Sunday 28^th August 2016, at Dunsfold Park near Guildford, Surrey, and is open to spectators from 09:00 until 21:00.

Advanced rate tickets from £22 for adults or £50 for a family. Single child tickets (for children aged 5 – 15) will be £7. Children under 5 go free. Hospitality packages start from £155 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 2016 will be assisting the fundraising efforts of Brooklands Museum Trust and Help for Heroes.

Wings & Wheels are delighted to announce that the Hurricane MkIIB from the Hangar 11 Collection will once again return to entertain visitors on Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th August 2016.

Under the expert flying skills of pilot Peter Teichman, the wartime classic and firm family favourite will be displaying some of the manoeuvres that were pivotal to the success of the Battle of Britain. Famously paired with the Spitfire, the Hurricane is credited with 55% of all enemy kills during the Second World War, and provided a technological leap from bi-plane to warbird.

Jamie McAllister, Event Director comments: “Wings & Wheels is proud to be showcasing the Hurricane once again as we pay homage to the history of the aerodrome. The Hangar 11 Hurricane is a firm favourite at Wings & Wheels and we are looking forward to the iconic aircrafts display as part of our five hour airshow.”

The legendary Hawker Hurricane was born of the famous Hawker design stable and was the creation of the great Sydney Camm. It was his response to the RAF’s urgent requirement for a low wing monoplane fighter to balance the threat from Nazi Germany and its re-armament during the mid-1930s.

Currently, there are only 12 Hurricanes in airworthy condition throughout the world; this is in spite of a total production of some 14,231 aircraft in the period from 1937 to 1944. Surviving Hurricanes in flyable condition are therefore amongst the rarest of all warbirds. The Hanger 11 Collection’s Hurricane, originally built in 1942, has been restored to stock Mk IIB fighter-bomber status and is the only flying example of the famous ‘Hurri-bombers’.

The Hangar 11 Collection is one of the most active Warbird operators in Europe having displayed in 10 European countries over the last three years alone and averaging over 80 public displays per season.

Visitors to Wings & Wheels can also enjoy the full complement from the RAF as they display with the Red Arrows, Eurofighter and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota) as well as the Royal Navy Black Cats, Blades, Brietling Wingwalkers and B-25 Mitchell bomber.  Supercars, classics and race cars put on an awe inspiring display of power and speed on the Top Gear track in a two-hour auto spectacular from Brooklands Museum. Over in our Wheels Zone is an array of interactive and static displays as well as two and four wheeled shows in the Stunt Zone with Steve ‘Showtime’ Colley and Mission Motorsport and a new Monster Truck arena offering demonstrations and passenger rides.

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.  

The 12^th annual Wings & Wheels will be held over the August Bank holiday weekend; Saturday 27^th & Sunday 28^th August 2016, at Dunsfold Park near Guildford, Surrey, and is open to spectators from 09:00 until 21:00.

Advanced rate tickets from £22 for adults or £50 for a family. Single child tickets (for children aged 5 – 15) will be £7. Children under 5 go free. Hospitality packages start from £155 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 2016 will be assisting the fundraising efforts of Brooklands Museum Trust and Help for Heroes.

Wings & Wheels is excited to announce the addition of a 1943 T-34 Tank to this year’s Military Zone line up. Not only will the soviet built tank be on display with re-enactment group Defenders of the Motherland, but visitors to the show will get to experience the unprecedented firepower of the tank when the gun is fired on both days signaling the start of the military vehicle procession at 10:00.

Brought to the show on Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th August and fired by Bill Kear Plant And Agricultural Contractors Ltd, The T-34 remains a legend which has had a lasting effect on the field of tank design. It is not only the most produced tank of World War II with 84,000 built but it is also one of the longest serving tanks ever built.

This year, not only will visitors experience the thunderous gun shots from the T-34, but tanks4aride will be bringing along a number of tanks including their T-55 for visitors to experience the rare opportunity to take a ride in a real working tank. A successor to the T-34, the Soviet built T-55 was involved in many of the late 20th and early 21st century conflicts and eventually became the most produced tank of all time.  The ex-Slovakian army reserve tank visiting Wings & Wheels was built in 1977, it weighs 39 tonnes and goes up to 30mph. The tanks will also be battling and firing at 14:00 each day.

Nancy Edwards, Event Manager comments: “We have worked hard on every aspect of the show this year and the Military Zone just continues to get better every year. The T34 Tank is an exciting addition to the Zone that will really get the show started. The tank rides were incredibly popular last year and we can’t wait to welcome them back to the show.”

Visitors to Wings & Wheels can also enjoy the full complement from the RAF as they display with the Red Arrows, Eurofighter and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane) as well as the Royal Navy Black Cats, Blades, Sally B and B-25 Mitchell bomber.  Supercars, classics and race cars put on an awe inspiring display of power and speed on the Top Gear track in a two-hour auto spectacular from Brooklands Museum. Over in our Wheels Zone is an array of interactive and static displays as well as two and four wheeled shows in the Stunt Zone with Steve ‘Showtime’ Colley and Mission Motorsport and a new Monster Truck arena offering demonstrations and passenger rides.

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.  

The 12^th annual Wings & Wheels will be held over the August Bank holiday weekend; Saturday 27^th & Sunday 28^th August 2016, at Dunsfold Park near Guildford, Surrey, and is open to spectators from 09:00 until 21:00.

Advanced rate tickets from £22 for adults or £50 for a family. Single child tickets (for children aged 5 – 15) will be £7. Children under 5 go free. Hospitality packages start from £155 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 2016 will be assisting the fundraising efforts of Brooklands Museum Trust and Help for Heroes.

Another flying first at Wings & Wheels is The Historic Flying Ltd’s Hispano HA-1112 MIL Buchon. Assembled and painted as Messerschmitt ‘Yellow 10’ as seen in the Battle of Britain film, G-BWUE will be flying in the five hour air display on Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th August.

 Essentially a Rolls-Royce Merlin-engined Messerschmitt Bf109, this aircraft was one of 27 purchased at auction from the Spanish Air Force by Spitfire Productions for use in the making of the 1968 film “Battle of Britain”. Wing tips were squared off, tail struts added and dummy machine guns fitted to the wings to more visually represent the Messerschmitt BF109E of the Battle of Britain period. Upon completion of filming, the aircraft were returned to their owners or, in the case of the Buchons, put up for disposal.

By now registered as G-AWHK, The Historic Flying Ltd’s Buchon was one of eleven taken by Texan pilot and aircraft collector Wilson C “Connie” Edwards as payment for flying services during the filming. It was shipped to his ranch in Texas where it flew briefly as N9938 before being placed on static display in 1971 with the Confederate Air Force in Detroit.

Acquired by the Old Flying Machine Company, it arrived at Duxford in May 1996, re-registered as G-BWUE and sold on to The Real Aircraft Company at Breighton in Yorkshire, who initiated a full rebuild to airworthy condition. The aircraft was marked up as Hauptmann Werner Schroer’s Bf 109G-2/trop ‘Red 1’, which he flew whilst serving on the Greek island of Rhodes in early 1943.

Purchased by Spitfire Ltd. in November 2006, G-BWUE moved back to Duxford to be maintained by the Aircraft Restoration Company. The aircraft appears regularly at airshows in the UK and was also used during the filming of ‘Valkyrie’ starring Tom Cruise.

Jamie McAllister, Event Director, Wings & Wheels comments: “We love bringing new displays to Wings & Wheels and are thrilled The Historic Flying Ltd’s Hispano HA-1112 MIL Buchon is joining the air show line-up. The displays in the air and on the ground are packed full with exciting entertainment for our visitors and we can’t wait to see the Buchon in the air.”

 Visitors to Wings & Wheels can also enjoy the full complement from the RAF as they display with the Red Arrows, Eurofighter and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota) as well as the Royal Navy Black Cats, Blades, Sally B and B-25 Mitchell bomber.  Supercars, classics and race cars put on an awe inspiring display of power and speed on the Top Gear track in a two-hour auto spectacular from Brooklands Museum. Over in our Wheels Zone is an array of interactive and static displays as well as two and four wheeled shows in the Stunt Zone with Steve ‘Showtime’ Colley and Mission Motorsport and a new Monster Truck arena offering demonstrations and passenger rides.

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.  

The 12^th annual Wings & Wheels will be held over the August Bank holiday weekend; Saturday 27^th & Sunday 28^th August 2016, at Dunsfold Park near Guildford, Surrey, and is open to spectators from 09:00 until 21:00.

Advanced rate tickets from £22 for adults or £50 for a family. Single child tickets (for children aged 5 – 15) will be £7. Children under 5 go free. Hospitality packages start from £155 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 2016 will be assisting the fundraising efforts of Brooklands Museum Trust and Help for Heroes.