2023 – Page 4 – Airscene News

Pair of Tickets for Midlands Air Festival added to CC Prize Pot

Midlands Air Festival organiser James McDonald has confirmed the addition of a pair of tickets for next years air show to be added to the prize pot.

Regularly featuring acts such as the barnstorming Turbulent Team, Catalina Flying Boat, Auster and Westland Wasp – all on top of a mass balloon launch, Midlands Air Festival is one of the first traditional Air Shows on the UK calendar each year.

Next year’s Midlands Air Festival is scheduled for 3 days from May 31st – June 2nd 2024 at Ragley Hall in Warwickshire. With model aircraft, Nightfire display and a busy arena schedule it really is a show with something for everyone. Tickets will be going on sale on 1st September at: https://www.midlandsairfestival.com/tickets.html

James McDonald has confirmed he will also be joining the judging panel again this year – James said after last year’s judging that he isn’t really a technical expert when it comes to photography, but that “I’ve just gone on my gut reaction to the images, I guess it’s all about interest and impact for me”. As Airscene usually sorts out the technical stuff when shortlisting, James’ approach to judging is perfect in order to hopefully achieve a balanced playing field 🙂

If you haven’t yet entered the 2024 Calendar Competition, you still have up until the 31st September to get your entries in (2 in total but please read the rules fully). For full rules and to enter visit: http://www.airscene.co.uk/competitions/2024calendar.php

Two-week countdown to air festival

Bournemouth Air Festival

The countdown is on for the Bournemouth Air Festival as more displays and attractions are announced. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to visit the town on 31 August for the free four-day event.

In a first for the festival, the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco plane will join the line up and making their debut will be the Starlings Aerobatic team, who will bring a two aircraft aerobatic display to the event.

Visitors will be treated to a new performance by former RAF Tornado pilot Richard Goodwin in his unique G-JPIT bi-plane, which he has recently reengineered to include two ATM Lynx Jet engines.

Making a welcome return will be the Yakovlev 50 and the Norwegian Historical Squadron with their classic jet the deHavilland Vampire FB.52

The Night Air programme will include The Firebirds Display Team and Otto the Schweizer 300C helicopter with their vibrant pyrotechnics, not forgetting the Typhoon with its roaring night display.

Back on land, and in another first for the festival, Madame MOJO’s Cabaret Club will be offering performances throughout the four days.

Visitors can also take advantage of funfairs, big screens showing films and 1.5 miles of food and drink stalls.
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Portfolio Holder for Connected Communities and Tourism, Cllr Millie Earl, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming everyone back for this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival.

“An incredible amount of work has gone into ensuring this event will be fun for everyone.

Festival Director Jon Weaver said: “We encourage everyone to travel sustainably to the festival and try the Park and Ride, walk or cycle their own bike or a Beryl bike to the festival.

“If you are from out of town, we have some excellent coach operators offering great prices down to the festival.

“We’ve been made aware of planned strike action on the trains on Saturday 2 September and we are waiting for confirmation on how this will affect trains. Please check the South Western Railway website for more information.

“While enjoying the festival, please help keep our beautiful seafront clean by recycling and disposing of your rubbish responsibly and leaving only footprints.”

Also returning to the festival will be the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, who will be performing Sunday morning 11am-12pm and the Beat Retreat Sunset Ceremony in the Lower Gardens on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6.45pm.

The Commando Recruiting Team will be giving Unarmed Combat demonstrations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 6.20pm.

Crowd favourites the Red Arrows will perform at 5.30pm on Thursday, 5pm on Friday and Saturday and 2.45pm on Sunday. You can get up to date access to the full Flying programme by purchasing the Coronation Souvenir programme here.

The RAF Typhoon will display each day and the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster will perform the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

There’s still time to snap up the last few VIP hospitality tickets for the best view of the festival here.

CC winner gets airborne

Last Sunday saw Ian Schofield, the winner of the Airscene 2023 Calendar Competition, take up his Trial Flight prize with Phoenix Aviation, at Solent Airport in Hampshire.

Weather was partly cloudy with a bit of a breeze when Ian arrived at the airfield in Lee on Solent. After a quick photo shoot Ian went upstairs for his breifing from his pilot Hugh, before heading back to the Ikarus for his flight.

Ian flies a lot on commercial aircraft, but had never been in a microlight before – so a totally new experience. He did get the opportunity to have a go at the controls and made a few turns, but suspected that Hugh was doing a lot of rudder work. Ian enjoyed the trial lesson and had this to say about it afterwards:

“For such a lightweight aircraft it wasn’t bumped around the sky and you could feel the power. It felt like you were flying rather than being blown around by the wind”.

Phoenix Aviation offer trial lessons, for anyone considering taking flying lessons who wants to see what it is like. They do currently have a hold on the sale of trial flights while they clear a backlog due to non-flying weather in recent months, but hopefully they will be back on sale soon.

Trial lesson prices currently start at £105 in the Ikarus C42 or £155 in the Piper PA28, with options to pay extra to land at other local airfields. So if you are interested in a trial flight around the Solent area, do bookmark their website below:

https://www.phoenixaviation.co.uk/trial-lessons

CC Prizes from Key Publishing

It gives me great pleasure to announce that Key Publishing are returning to Airscene as a sponsor again this year.

Two years of pandemic and staffing changes did mean I have had to find new contacts, and try to get what is effectively new sponsorship in place.

I was permitted to pick prizes this year from the current catalogue, and so Key Publishing will be providing the following:

1 copy of “Avro Military 1910-63” valued at £15.99 and 2 copies of “Aviation Photographer” – a bookazine valued at £4.99. I had made this pick before the bookazine sold out, and it is not certain it will be back in print when the competition closes, so winners of the bookazine prizes will be given the opportunity to select any alternative bookazine up to £5 in value if this one is not available.

Please support our sponsors where you can, Key’s shop can be found at: Key Publishing Shop: Aviation and Transport Specialists — Key Publishing Ltd

Chinook and Memorial Flight set to fly at Bournemouth

Bournemouth Air Festival Chinook

The popular Royal Air Force Chinook Display Team will be returning to Bournemouth Air Festival for an impressive aerial display this year.

The team have only chosen only eight air shows to display at this season, so their performance of pirouettes and turns over our award-winning coastline, is not to be missed.

The iconic sounds and sights of the World War Two aircraft in the shape of Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster will also make a graceful reappearance across the four days which runs from 31 August – 3 September.

Festival goers can ensure they get the best view by taking advantage of VIP daytime hospitality or VIP live music evenings with dusk flying in the official marquee.

Visitors can also snap up casual reserved seats on the beach with a dedicated ‘Sandbar’ and toilets – all on the central flight line in an exclusive area.

This year’s festival, organised by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP Council), includes exciting ground events such as a fun fair, performances from the band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines and fireworks. There will also be food stalls and the opportunity to meet Armed Forces officers in the RAF, Royal Navy and Army Villages.

Councillor Millie Earl, Deputy Leader of BCP Council and Portfolio Holder for Connected Communities, said: “Having the Chinook Display Team and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at this year’s event is an opportunity not to be missed.

“Make sure you to get the best view of the festival and snap up some of the hospitality seats going. The event promises to be something for everyone.”

This Chinook display appearance is supported by Thales UK

www.bournemouthair.co.uk

Shackleton WR977 Work Starts at Newark Air Museum

Shackleton at Newark Air Museum

On 25th July, 2023 installation work started on a bespoke scaffolding system around the nose and forward fuselage of Avro Shackleton WR977 at Newark Air Museum (NAM). This will allow teams of museum volunteers to work on this significant restoration and repainting project in safe conditions.

In 2023 NAM successfully installed jacking pads underneath the aircraft, which allowed refurbished jacks to be installed under both wings of the aircraft. This allowed NAM to make the aircraft safe; helped to mitigate issues with the main undercarriage structures; and allowed the visiting public to once again have some access inside the aircraft.

The installation of the new scaffolding by Inspired Scaffolding Services from Bilsthorpe near Newark will allow for restoration work to be undertaken on the front section of WR977 in a safe and secure manner. This work will include: sealing the main cockpit glazing; in-depth cleaning; conservation of, and the painting of this area of the aircraft.

For most of the work period, WR977 will remain as part of the museum’s open cockpit offer. The modest contributions for accessing this iconic aircraft (when possible) will contribute towards the ongoing fund raising campaign to cover the scaffolding hire costs and the cost of the weekly safety inspections.

The current anticipated timeframe for the work is ten weeks; from the end of July through to the first week of October.

In these challenging times NAM is seeking support to help fund the costs associated with the hire and regular safety inspections of the scaffolding. This NAM fund raising campaign can be accessed via the following Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/wr977-scaffolding-2023

www.newarkairmuseum.org

RIAT 2024 Anybody?

The Royal International Air Tattoo has today confirmed the addition of a pair of tickets for RIAT 2024 to be added to the prize pot in the Airscene 2024 Calendar Competition.

A bit too early to say what the theme for the Air Tattoo 2024 will be in it’s 28th year with Royal status, but we suspect there could be a ww2 link with it being the 8-th anniversary of D-Day next year. So perhaps we can expect a C-47 or two? No doubt there will be lots of invasion stripes anyway 🙂

Whatever the line up is, the forecast is fine and sunny for the winner of the this years Calendar Competition, as this pair of tickets for the Sunday are allocated to 1st place prize.

Entrants are permitted to send in 2 images for review, so if you are good enough to make the shortlist that will go forward to our panel of judges in October, then do get your first entry in asap!

http://www.airscene.co.uk/competitions/2024calendar.php

Final aircraft announcement

RIAT Spartan

We’ve already had lots of fantastic announcements in the run up to RIAT23 and this week is no different. So here we go, our final aircraft announcement…

We are excited to welcome the Zambian Air Force to RIAT for the first time, along with great aircraft from our regulars the Royal Air Force, United States Air Force and the Italian Air Force.

We are also very pleased to confirm that the Royal Air Force will be bringing one of their
F-35B Lightning II aircraft to join the flying display for all 3 days.

Following on from that, we have another addition to our SKYTANKER23 theme. On both Saturday and Sunday, the USAF will be bringing their MC-130J Commando and CV-22B Osprey. Examples of both aircraft will be seen in the flying display (including simulated air-to-air refuelling flypast) as well as being available for closer inspection on the static display.

From the US Navy, we welcome their TACAMO aircraft, the Boeing E-6B Mercury. You will be able to see the aircraft up close on the static display on both Saturday and Sunday.

Joining as the 58th nation to participate in RIAT, it is with great pleasure that we welcome the Zambian Air Force to this year’s show. They will be sending their C-27J Spartan for the static display.

We are also very excited to announce that SAAB will be bringing their new Gripen E aircraft for its UK debut! You will be able to see this impressive jet on all three days of the show in the flying display as well as the static display in SAAB’s showcase area alongside a GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft.

Finally, we have a small update from the Italian Air Force who will be displaying an F-2000A Typhoon in our special ITAF 100 static display area.

Check our website now for the full list of all aircraft attending the show! Follow the link here for the full list of this week’s announcements as well as the show line-up.

With just 2 weeks to go, we’re all in a flurry of excitement and like you, all eager to see the aircraft up close and in the sky.

Sunday tickets are selling fast so if you haven’t bought them already – get your tickets now!

www.airtattoo.com/tickets

Cockpit-Fest 23 at Newark Air Museum

Newark Cockpit Fest 2023

Cockpit-Fest 2023 proved to be another great event at the Newark Air Museum site in eastern Nottinghamshire. Once again the Cockpit-Fest and Aeroboot display areas were located alongside each other on the Southfield Site, which works well by integrating both aspects of the weekend.

The two-day event was well attended and drew a lot of positive feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike. Amongst the attendees were visitors from Hawaii, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and from across the UK. One young school girl chose to attend Cockpit-Fest with her father who was exhibiting at the event, rather than go to her Year 6 Prom!
The museum trustees were particularly thankful to a host of people: all of the Cockpiteers and Exhibitors, their friends and families; the Aeroboot stall holders; the museum staff, aircraft openers and volunteers who helped during the build-up, during and after the event.

Support for this year’s event came from the following people and organisations:

Ken Ellis (‘Wrecks & Relics – Spirit of Cockpit-Fest’ Awards)
The Museum Shop
Jane Knox-Kiepura & Kiepura Aviation

As now seems to be the case with Cockpit-Fest there was a diverse range of cockpits and supporting displays on show and everyone who displayed at the event was a winner and a credit to this wonderfully diverse hobby. Below are this year’s official results:

Grand Champion (Visitors Award) – Bill Fern (SYAM), Jaguar GR1, XX736

Visitors Award Non-Cockpit – Richard Fryer, Flying Helmets display

Cockpiteers Cockpit Award – Ritch & Max Blood, Provost T1 cockpit

Cockpiteers Award Non-Cockpit – Richard Fryer, Flying Helmets display

Wrecks & Relics Spirit of Cockpit-Fest Award (Ken Ellis) – Bill Fern (SYAM) –
Vickers Valetta cockpit

Wrecks & Relics Spirit of Cockpit-Fest Award (Ken Ellis) – Ian & Gary Morton –
Dove, G-ANAP cockpit

Cockpit-Fest will be back next year, on Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd June, 2023

www.newarkairmuseum.org

RAF Museum presents Horrible Histories Up in the Air Adventure

RAF Museum Horrible Histories

Where: RAF Museum
When: Sat 22 July – Sun 3 September
How long: Each session is 2 hours
How much: £7.50 per person, or £25 for 5 people on our group saver ticket

This summer, fasten your seatbelts as the RAF Museum presents Horrible Histories Up in the Air Adventure.

Get ready to experience the (sometimes gruesome) history of flight in the Horrible Hangar. Meet fearless and foolish flyers and solve the clues in this fully interactive experience for all the family.

Based on the Horrible Histories book, ‘Up in the Air’, written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown, the RAF Museum will bring characters from the book to life with some of the truly brainless blunderers pursuing the desire to fly! Legendary aviation pioneers from throughout history will be on hand to steer you around six amazing zones for one fantastic adventure, including the Engineer’s Workshop; Barnstorming Braves; Creation Station; Meet the Inventor; Selfie Zone and the Up in the Air Challenge.

Barry Smith, Director of Visitor and Commercial Development RAF Museum said:
‘We are incredibly excited about our partnership with the Horrible Histories team at Scholastic. This is our biggest, most exciting family event of the year. Full of all the hilarious mishaps, mistakes and triumphs we love from Horrible Histories combined with our iconic aircraft and expert knowledge, there is something for everyone. Meet the characters and work together as a family, couple or group to complete the challenges in each zone.’

Elizabeth Scoggins, Publisher Non-fiction, Brands and Licensing said:
‘It’s been a joy to see the Horrible Histories collaboration with the RAF Museum come to fruition. A truly entertaining and immersive experience awaits children and families this summer with exactly the right mix of fantastic fun and foul facts that Horrible Histories has delivered for generations.’

Bespoke Horrible Histories activity packs and a free Twinkletoes Trail around the Museum are also on offer for visitors throughout the summer break. Not only did Twinkletoes the cat feature in the book, she’s the Transatlantic traveller and lucky charm of Arthur Whitten Brown who flew on the first ever non-stop transatlantic flight in 1919. Twinkletoes is the purrfect character to guide you round the Museum and can also be spotted on display at the Museums Midlands site over the summer.

This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of Horrible Histories – the world’s bestselling historical book series for children.

The Horrible Histories Up in the Air Adventure runs from Saturday 22 July until 3 September, with three 2-hours sessions daily. Advanced booking is strongly advised for this immersive experience. Tickets are £7.50 per person, or £25 for 5 people on our group saver ticket. Book now for a great day out this summer, visit www.rafmuseum.org/HorribleHistories.