Thousands of visitors visited Duxford for the Spring Air Show on Sunday 22 May.

Despite blustery weather conditions, a fantastic flying programme wowed the crowds, including Anna Walker flying the rare Supermarine Seafire alongside Carolyn Grace in the Spitfire; aerobatic pilot Diana Britten in the CAP 232; Polly Vacher in the Piper Dakota, Helen Holliday in the Vans RV6, Tracy Curtis-Taylor in the Ryan PT-22, Clare Tector in the Chilton, Tizi Hodson in the Firefly, Mel Saggers in the Prentice and Anna Walker in the Jungmann.

Flight Lieutenant Juliette Fleming drew the flying programme to a close with a spectacular performance in the RAF Hawk.

Visitors enjoyed a packed day of entertainment, with the Museum open as usual and a range of exciting activities on offer throughout the day, including an Airfix Make and Paint Zone, a Military History Hands On History Zone with costumed interpreters chatting to visitors, children’s rides, mini tank riding and a fun Second World War dressing up and paintball area.

The next air show will be Flying Legends on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July 2011.

http://www.iwm.org.uk/duxford

Imperial War Museum Duxford celebrates Father’s Day on Sunday 19 June with the power, excitement and thrill of the Military Vehicle Show.

Hundreds of military vehicles of all shapes and sizes will be on display, including a 1943 Excelsior Welbike, 1966 Daimler Ferret, 1943 Dodge WC63, 1924 Morris Bullnose Home Guard Staff Car and the iconic Sherman Tank. The very rare Sturmgeschutz III assault gun, Germany’s most produced armoured fighting vehicle during the SecondWorld War, will also be on display.

A number of military vehicles normally on static display at the Museum will move out of Land Warfare for the Military Vehicle Show. Land Warfare will be open as usual and visitors will be able to take a sneak peek behind the scenes in the workshop where military vehicles are being conserved and rebuilt.

Activities will take place across the Museum with a number of living history groups bringing military campaigns to life:

The 1939-45 Living History Society’s British Airborne Forces section will represent military personnel from 1942 to 1945, who deployed by parachute and glider into the European, North African and Far Eastern theatres of war.

On display will be a living history encampment, with troops under canvas in Orderly Offices and accommodation sections. There will also be a Motor Transport Section, with motorcycles and jeeps, together with a recreated traditional British pub.

Displays will include weapons and personal kit, tactical communications equipment, field engineering and demolitions apparatus. The Society’s Auxiliary Territorial Service section will also be in attendance, portraying the essential supporting role of women working with vehicles and communications during the Second World War.

The Burma Mule Living History Group will be discussing the Forgotten War, with Burma Star veterans chatting to visitors about their wartime experiences, period equipment and mules carrying authentic war-issue pack saddle and loads.

The Royal Ulster Rifles represent the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the regiment in North-West Europe from 1944 to 1945. The Royal Ulster Rifles uniquely had both battalions present during the Normandy Landings on 6 June 1944. After weeks of bitter fighting, the 2nd Battalion had the honour of being the first Allied unit to enter the French city of Caen. Through some rare and authentic exhibits, the Royal Ulster Rifles aim to demonstrate what it would have been like to experience the D-Day Landings at first hand.

There will be guided tours of the Normandy Experience in LandWarfare at 12.00pm and 2.00pm and, as part of the regular programme of Funday Sundays at IWM Duxford, there will be craft activities, object handling sessions and the opportunity to meet a wartime costumed character in Hangar 4: Battle of Britain.

At 2.00pm there is the opportunity to see the military vehicles in action as they take part in a cavalcade along Duxford’s runway, with accompanying commentary. Following the cavalcade, one of the amazing vehicles on display will be awarded Best in Show.

There will also be a Military and Aviation Book Fair in the American Air Museum, together with a range of themed traders, mini tanks on display and the opportunity to ride in a tank between 10.30am and 1.00pm.

The Miniature Armoured Fighting Vehicles Association will be holding its 2011 UK National Championship at the Military Vehicle Show.

This event is included in standard admission to the Museum. Children aged 15 and under go free when accompanied by an adult.

For the first time, exclusively for Military Vehicle Show, digby trout Restaurants will be offering a traditional Sunday lunch to make Father’s Day extra special for all the family. It will be served in the Conservation Hall, under the wings of some of Duxford’s mightiest aircraft, from 11.30am to 3.30pm. Lunch is £19.95 for adults and £9.95 for children. To purchase tickets for the Father’s Day Lunch, call 01223 497 511.

Enjoy the power, excitement and thrill of Military Vehicle Show – the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day!

www.iwm.org.uk/duxford

Imperial War Museum Duxford has today launched an innovative and exciting Smartphone Application for the 2011 air show season.

The Duxford Air Shows 2011 App is now available for download from the Apple store and Android marketplace.

The App provides a dynamic on-the-day flying schedule for each of the Museum’s famous air shows, which automatically updates the phone screen with details of each aircraft taking part in the show as its display commences.

It also provides an extensive library of photography, statistics and information about over 150 classic aircraft, some of which can be seen flying in the Duxford air shows, and where in the Museum’s exhibitions you can find out more about them.

App users can keep a log of their favourite aircraft, add them to a schedule and receive a live countdown to inform them when that aircraft will take to the skies. With a map highlighting useful amenities at the Museum, the App is an indispensible tool for ensuring maximum enjoyment of Duxford’s celebrated air shows.

Duxford’s first air show of 2011 is the Spring Air Show on Sunday 22 May.

Whether you are in the audience at Duxford eagerly awaiting the first aircraft display or are virtually engaging with the air show from elsewhere in the world, the Air Show App will keep you informed of all aircraft displays as they happen.

As a special introduction, the App is FREE for a limited time. It can be downloaded at any time in the run up to the Spring Air Show and on the day itself. IWM Duxford is providing wifi access at the Museum to help people download on the day.

This dynamic guide to the Spring Air Show, and our other air shows in 2011, is a first for Duxford and demonstrates the Imperial War Museum’s commitment to innovation in new technologies and to improving our visitor experience. It aims to be the most innovative air show app around.

For further information go to www.iwm.org.uk/duxfordairshows

Launching the 2011 air show season, ImperialWar Museum Duxford’s Spring Air Show, on Sunday 22 May, celebrates the integral role played by women in the development of aviation.From technological advancement to daring aerial aptitude, in military and civil aviation; aerial adventure and aerobatics; engineering and mechanical endeavour, the achievements of women have informed air travel from its earliest incarnations to its contemporary technological advancement.

The Spring Air Show presents stunning aerial displays by a formidable line-up of superbly talented female aviators.

Anna Walker (flying a Supermarine Seafire and Bucker Jungmann aircraft) has been flying for over 30 years. At the age of 13, she started gliding and moved on to power-flying as a tug pilot. After undertaking formation and aerobatic training, Anna took part in aerobatic competitions, in her Bucker Jungmann, winning three out of every four competitions entered.

Anna now regularly displays at air shows, flying a Bucker Jungmann, a Beech Staggerwing and a Harvard IV. She is the first woman to fly a Hawker Hurricane since the female ferry pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary.

Angie Soper (flying a Yak 11) learnt to fly in 1983 at Biggin Hill, becoming a qualified flying instructor at Stapleford in 1987. Gaining a commercial flying licence, she flew Dart Heralds on night freight runs for British Air Ferries between 1989 and 1990. In the 1990s, she became joint owner of a Harvard and began display flying, before acquiring a Yak 11 in 1998. She also operates a Yak 50 and Yak 52, which are both based on her farm strip.

Diana Britten (flying a CAP 232) embarked on a career in competition aerobatics with only 60 hours flying to her credit. From 1981 to 1986, Diana progressed through the levels from Standard to Unlimited, making her World Aerobatic Championship debut in 1986.

Diana has flown in six World Championships, five European Championships and became the British Aerobatic Champion in 1995, the first-ever non-commercial pilot, and the first woman, to take the title. She followed that with the title of British Freestyle Champion.

Carolyn Grace (flying the Grace Spitfire and a Stampe) is one of only two female Spitfire pilots in the world. She successfully completed her training in the Grace Spitfire in 1990, and hasn’t looked back since, gaining her Display Authorisation in 1991 and adding Aerobatic and Formation qualifications to that in the following years.

Carolyn has perfected a graceful aerobatic display that is immensely popular with air show crowds and Spitfire devotees alike. Judy Leden MBE (flying a hang glider with microlight tug pilot Shelley Smith) is a World Champion hang glider and para glider. Current holder of four world records, Judy has also successfully
completed a long list of daredevil stunts, including flying across the English Channel in a hang glider in 1989, after being released from a hot air balloon 12,000 feet up; and jumping off the edge of Cotopaxi, which at nearly 20,000 feet, is one of the world’s highest active volcanoes.

Competitive successes include winning the Women’s World Hang Gliding Championships in 1987 and again in 1991. She has been British Women’s Champion six times and in 1995, she won the Women’s Para Gliding Championship.

Judy broke the tandem altitude record for hang glider balloon drops in 1998 and also recently broke the Tandem World Aerotowing Altitude Record, with TV presenter Matt Baker. They were towed aloft by a microlight, reaching 11,020 feet. Judy was awarded the MBE in 1989 for services to hang gliding.

Tricia Neville (displaying the Thruxton Jackaroo G-ANTZ) comes from an RAF family. She began by flying gliders at Booker and in 1990 she learnt to fly on Tiger Moths at Cambridge, where she completed her Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL). In 2002, Tricia gained her Display Authorisation.

Although Tricia never originally thought that she would learn to fly herself, she had been an active part of the ground crew for the Barnstormers Flying Circus for over a decade. She has now become an active flying member of Captain Neville’s Flying Circus and takes part in the majority of routines, organising the boys en route.

At the Spring Air Show, Tricia will be leading three aircraft in one of the Flying Circus’ most popular extravaganza displays.

Leah Hammond (flying the Auster) started flying at the age of 16. Once qualified, she did a tailwheel conversion on the Auster, before going on to fly a 450hp Stearman and then flew some 90 hours on the Harvard. At the Spring Air Show, she will be displaying the Auster, which she has been displaying since 2009.

Clare Tector (flying the Chilton monoplane) has been flying since 1999, having initially caught the flying bug as an air cadet in the early 1990s. She achieved her PPL just in time to celebrate the Centenary of Powered Flight in late 2003. Since this time, Clare has taken part in basic aerobatic competition and, in the last few years, has displayed various aircraft in shows at Old Warden.

In 2010, she was a recipient of the Fiona McKay Flying Bursary through the de Havilland Educational Trust, giving her a chance to learn how to fly the Tiger Moth. Earlier this year, she was invited to become an Apprentice Display Pilot with the Shuttleworth Collection.

Royal Air Force 208 Squadron will be displaying the BAE Systems Hawk, flown by Flight Lieutenant Juliette Fleming.

The flying programme wouldn’t be complete without a display by Jeanne Frazer, IWM Duxford’s Flying Display Director, who will be flying a Piper L4 Cub.

See some of the world’s premier female pilots perform breathtaking flying displays at the Spring Air Show, in a celebration of the women who have courageously led the way in aerial adventure.

Announcing the IWM Duxford Air Show App 2011

Imperial War Museum Duxford is launching an innovative and exciting Smartphone application for the 2011 air show season. Available from mid -May 2011, the App will give real time, up-to-theminute information about what is flying at our air shows, as the aircraft display. Available for both Android and iPhone platforms, the App will also include an extensive library of photography, statistics and information about classic aircraft you can see flying in the air shows and where in the Duxford exhibitions you can find out more about them.

As a special introduction, the App will be FREE for a limited time at launch. It will be available for download prior to the Spring Air Show and on the day itself – IWM Duxford will be providing wifi access at the museum for live downloading.

This dynamic guide to the Spring Air Show, and our other air shows throughout 2011, is a first for Duxford and demonstrates the Imperial War Museum’s commitment to innovation in new technologies. It aims to be the most innovative air show app around.

For further information go to www.iwm.org.uk/duxfordairshows

Imperial War Museum Duxford is delighted to welcome the very best British aerobatics pilots on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May, as they compete for the Duxford Trophy.

The 2011 Duxford Trophy promises to be even more visually exciting than in previous years, with an enhanced competitive zeal amongst the pilots, leading to more dynamically exciting displays.

For the first time, The British Aerobatic Association has been granted the right to award the inaugural Queen’s Air Race Challenge Cup to the winner of its Speed Aerobatics contest at IWM Duxford on Sunday 29 May.

Queen Elizabeth II has followed in her grandfather’s footsteps in recognising achievements in aviation sport through the Queen’s Air Racing Challenge Cup in association with the Royal Aero Club. The Royal Aero Club Council voted for the British Aerobatic Association to award the first Queen’s Cup to the winner of the Duxford Speed Aerobatics competition.

The trophy, made of Irish silver, bears the Queen’s Coat of Arms and dates back to 1724. At 287 years old, it becomes probably the oldest active sporting trophy in the UK.

The King’s Cup was originally established by King George V as an incentive to the development of light aircraft and engine design. An annual British handicapped cross-country air race, the King’s Cup was first contested on 8 September 1922.

During its years as an RAF fighter station, Duxford was home to a number of pilots who entered the King’s Cup Air Race, including Flying Officer Richard L R Atcherley, who was a pilot and Qualified Flying Instructor with No.29 Squadron at Duxford, equipped with Sopwith Snipes. He was the winner of the King’s Cup in 1929.

Hubert Jones had already competed in the King’s Cup when he was appointed Commanding Officer of No.19 Squadron in 1925 and he continued to compete in the Air Race during his time at Duxford.

IWM Duxford upholds the tradition of those wartime aerial aces in its annual hosting of The Duxford Trophy. Participants in the 2011 competition are amongst the most skilful aerobatic pilots in the UK, with proven records in competition at Advanced and Unlimited levels. They include members of the British Aerobatic Team representing Great Britain at international events.

Come and see the adrenalin and excitement of competition aerobatics at Imperial War Museum Duxford and see the winning pilot claim the first Queen’s Air Race Challenge Cup.

The Duxford Trophy is included in standard admission to the Museum and, as usual, children aged 15 and under go free. www.iwm.org.uk/duxford

Imperial War Museum Duxford is delighted to announce that a record number of visitors – over 96,000 – attended the museum’s air shows in 2010. This compares favourably with total air show visitors of 76,444 in 2009.

In a superb year that commemorated not only the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain but also the 65th anniversary of B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B, visitors flocked to IWM Duxford to celebrate the iconic aircraft of the Second World War and to honour the bravery of the men that flew them.

Over 11,000 visitors saw IWM Duxford’s Battle of Britain commemorations get off to a flying start at the Spring Air Show on Sunday 16 May. Demonstrating the breadth and range of aircraft flown
by the Royal Air Force, the Spring Air Show presented aircraft from the RAF’s inception to the present day.

On a hot and sunny Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 July, Flying Legends welcomed over 27,000 visitors who experienced the glorious sight of more than 50 classic warbirds, from across the globe, performing a number of stunning displays.

The Battle of Britain Air Show on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 September was the highlight of a remarkable year of 70th anniversary commemorative events. 44,000 visitors attended to pay their respects to the ‘few’ and the aircraft they flew.

In an unforgettable flying display that included appearances by the Red Arrows and the Patrouille de France, the highlight was undoubtedly the rare sight of 16 Spitfires in formation over their spiritual home.

This recreation of the summer of 1940 at RAF Duxford, combined with a minute’s silence to honour those who gave their lives in combat, produced an awe-inspiring moment which will remain a talking point of the Duxford air show season for years to come.

IWM Duxford’s 2010 air show season concluded with the Autumn Air Show, which saw 12,668 visitors celebrate the 65th birthday of B-17 Flying Fortress Sally B. A celebratory programme of American aviation saw visitors enjoy the sight of a number of iconic US aircraft.

Richard Ashton, Director, Imperial War Museum Duxford, said, “I am delighted that this year’s air show season enticed so many visitors to IWM Duxford. I’m particularly proud of this year’s programme of events commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and I’m delighted that so many visitors joined with us in those commemorations. We now look forward to next year’s air show season and hope that visitors will return to enjoy another fantastic programme of events in 2011.”

While the air show season has now concluded for 2010, plans are already in place for the 2011 events programme.

Imperial War Museum Duxford is pleased to announce dates for the 2011
air show season:

* Spring Air Show – Sunday 22 May 2011
* Flying Legends – Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July 2011
* The Duxford Air Show – Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September 2011
* Autumn Air Show – Sunday 16 October 2011

Further information regarding themes and content for each air show
will be released in due course.

http://duxford.iwm.org.uk

The National Aviation Heritage Skills Initiative (NAHSI), based at Imperial War Museum Duxford, has been honoured with a prestigious National Training Award in recognition of its outstanding contribution and commitment to training, learning and development in the workplace. NAHSI was presented with a Regional National Training Award and a UK National Training Award at the East of England Regional Ceremony held at Chilford Hall on 7 October 2010.

NAHSI was recognised in the Providers of Learning and Training category for its programme of training for volunteers in the aviation heritage sector.

Representatives of NAHSI will now be invited to the national ceremony of the National Training Awards 2010, held in London on 1 December 2010, where the organisation will compete for the Winner of the Year Award in its category.

The National Heritage Skills Initiative, working for the British Aviation Preservation Council, aims to provide training which will help and encourage volunteers to learn new skills and in so doing enhance the
standards of conservation, preservation and restoration with the UK aviation heritage sector.

Run on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) by UK Skills, the National Training Awards inspire and encourage UK industry to invest in training and development as a route to achieving outstanding organisational and individual success. Winning an award is recognition of best practice and provides a benchmark for standards of excellence in training in the UK. City and Guilds is the premier sponsor of the National Training Awards 2010.

Brian Barker, Project Manager, National Aviation Heritage Skills Initiative, said “The team are delighted to have received a UK National Training Award. To have been independently judged, against some very daunting competition and come out top, is fantastic.”

Simon Bartley, Chief Executive of UK Skills, said “I would like to offer congratulations to all regional and UK winners for the National Training Awards 2010. Achieving an award is a fantastic achievement and one that all winners should be really proud of.

Now more than ever, it is essential for organisations to continue to invest in the development of their staff. The UK’s future, after all, can only be strengthened and sustained by people who have the skills needed to meet the demands of today’s globalised economy.”

http://duxford.iwm.org.uk

The Autumn Air Show celebrates both the 65th birthday of B-17 Fortress G-BEDF Sally B, and 75 years of the B-17 Fortress. The only B-17 currently flying in Europe, Sally B delights air show crowds with her majestic display and is a favourite with IWM Duxford visitors.She has been based at the Museum, operated by B-17 Preservation, for 35 years.

Closing the air show season for 2010, the Autumn Air Show will feature superb modern and historic aircraft, with an American theme to complement the Sally B anniversary.

The line-up of iconic US aircraft includes the Douglas DC-3 Dakota, Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina, Grumman F8F Bearcat, Piper L4 Cub, leVier Cosmic Wind and USAF McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle from RAF Lakenheath.

The B17’s Boeing lineage is also represented by the Stearman biplane trainer and Apache AH Mk1 from the Army Air Corps Attack Helicopter Force at Wattisham.

Aircraft from the highly productive North American stable include the F-86 Sabre jet, P-51 Mustangs, T-28s and Harvards.

For the first time in more than two decades in UK skies, four American Pitts Special biplanes will be brought together in a flypast salute to the famous Rothmans Aerobatic Team, before performing their two separate paired routines.

A special flypast is being mounted in honour of Sally B, which flies as a memorial to the 79,000 US airmen who lost their lives in Europe during the Second World War. In acknowledgement of the United States Air Force’s historic relationship with the airfields of Eastern England, she will be escorted by three P-51 Mustangs. She will then be overflown by two F-15C Eagles of the 493rd Fighter Squadron to signify the region’s ongoing contemporary relationship with the United States Air Force.

Additional flying participation includes the BAE Systems Hawk, Embraer EMB-312 Tucano, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Supermarine Spitfire, Red Hawks Fournier Duo, Hawker Sea Fury and The Black Cats, the Royal Navy’s Lynx helicopter display team.

RAF Duxford was handed over to the United States 8th Air Force in April 1943, becoming Base 357, the headquarters of the 78th Fighter Group. The Group flew P-47 Thunderbolts and, from December 1944, P-51 Mustangs. It provided fighter escort to the large US bomber raids against occupied Europe and Germany itself.

B-17 Fortresses were flown by the 91st Bombardment Group from nearby RAF Bassingbourn from 14 October 1942 through to June 1945. The Group operated primarily as a strategic bombardment organisation during the Second World War.

On the ground, living history groups recreate the role of the B-17 Bomber crew. There will be activities for all ages, including childrens rides, tank rides and demonstrations. The Parachute Regiment will be offering aerial bungee jumps from its jump tower, alongside performances from the Parachute Regiment band and guest appearance from the Parachute Regiment mascot.

The relaxed atmosphere at the Autumn Air Show is equally appreciated by pilots and crowds and makes for a perfect Sunday outing.

Tickets for all events can be purchased online at www.iwm.org.uk/duxford or by calling the box office on 01223 499 353.

All flying is subject to weather, serviceability and operational commitments.