FLYPASTS (& POSSIBLE STATIC)

The Royal Air Force will again participate with a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III and Airbus A400 Atlas fresh from the Kings Flypast and based from nearby RAF Brize Norton with a Flypast from each.

Subject to operational needs the C-17A may also land for static display.

We are pleased to have with us an example of the famous North American Harvard. This aircraft type first flew in 1935 was used extensively for pilot training during world war two.

Todays aircraft comes from Navy Wings, based down at Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton.

www.navywings.org.uk

We are both excited & delighted the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will participate with the iconic Avro Lancaster.

The Lancaster is the RAFs iconic World War Two heavy bomber, powered by four Rolls Royce Merlin engines and will treat us to a series of passes.

The planned Dakota that was originally with it has cancelled due to it not flown yet since its maintenance.

www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/battle-of-britain-memorial-flight/

The iconic Boeing B-17 is based at Duxford Airfield  and is operated by Elly Sallingboe of B-17 Preservation and flown as a memorial to the 79,000 Allied airmen who lost their lives in Europe during the Second World War. 

The aircraft is the only one of its type flying within Europe. 'Sally B' will perform a beautiful display with us, but operating from / back to its home base Duxford.

www.sallyb.org.uk 

The Westland Scout served as a land-based general purpose military helicopter with the Royal Naval-orientated Westland Wasp helicopter broadly similar with the main difference being the Navy Wasps had fixed wheel undercarriage to enable them to land on ships decks.

The type's primary operator was the Army Air Corps (British Army) which operated it in several conflict zones including Northern Island and the Falklands War.

At least one Scout will be on static display.

The Air Cadet Historic Flight (formerly 621 Volunteer Gliding Squadron Historic Flight) will be in attendance showing the importance or Air Cadet gliding through the years.

This Kirby Cadet XA310 was delivered to 87 Gliding School, Weston Super Mare on 18 March 1953. 87 Glider Squadron became 621 Volunteer Gliding School where XA310 spent its entire service career so it is particularly fitting they are able to operate this airframe as part of the 621  Volunteer Gliding Squadron Historic Flight

We are thrilled to be supported by Joint Air Command in that a very rare sight of a formation of four RAF Boeing Chinooks from RAF Odiham will perform a flypast.

The Chinook is the backbone of the RAF's heavylifting helicopter fleet and first entered service as the HC1 variant back in 1981. However newer versions in the form of Mk5, Mk6 & Mk6A are in service both at RAF Odiham & RAF Benson.

The formation will fly-past us on route to join with the main formation for the Kings Birthday flypast. 

The Ka 6 is a single-seat glider designed by Rudolf Kaiser,built by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co, Germany and is constructed of spruce and plywood with fabric covering. 

This Schleicher Ka-6 is owned by Mr Kevin Hale

We welcome back Mr Iain Smith who will be demonstrating the aerobatics of his Pitts S1 - but more commonly known as the Jubilee Pitts with its bright colours.

The sequence will include stall turns, loops, rolls, knife edge passes aswell as straight & level flypasts. His routine is approximately 8 minutes and will be operating from / back to its home base.

A second glider provided by the Air Cadet Historic Flight (formerly 621 Volunteer Gliding Squadron Historic Flight) will be this rare Grasshopper TX1.

These entered RAF service from 1952 and gave many their first taste of gliding. As you can see from the photo it is a very fragile glider with the pilot completely exposed.

The Tutor is a basic training aircraft in the RAFs inventory that serves on fifteen University Air Squadrons around the UK. This gives student pilots the first real taste of fixed wing flying before moving on if successful to bigger, more powerful types within the RAF with a further thirteen Air Experience Flights giving young Air Cadets their first taste of flying.

The display aircraft will be operating from its home base at RAF Wittering 

www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/tutor-t1/

One of our most loyal supporters have been The Gazelle Squadron which are based not too far from the airfield.

The team are run by volunteers whom the majority are either serving or ex serving personnel. The Gazelle was used by all three UK military services however all are now retired with many in private hands, like with the Gazelle squadron.

They will be operating from / to their home base.

The team was originally formed in 1961 by six instructors from the Parachute Training School at RAF Abingdon: Flight Lieutenants Hearn and Thirtle, FS Moloney, Sergeants Peacock, Robertson and Mcloughlin.

The team were nicknamed ‘The Big Six’ as most of the members were shorter than 5 ft 6 in! ‘The Big Six’ made their debut display at the Farnborough Air Show in 1961. In 1965 the team increased to twelve personnel and renamed the 'Falcons' and has since performed to millions of people both in the Uk and abroad.

www.raf.mod.uk/display-teams/falcons/the-team/

The ASH 25 glider is a two-seater high performance Open Class glider manufactured by Alexander Schleicher from 1986 until September 2008, originally with a 25-metre wingspan. 

This will form part of the glider area that is being put together and will be one of the largest gliders on show.

The Gazelle served with the Army Air Corps, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force from the early 1970s as both a lightweight attack and training helicopter.

The Army Air Corps was the biggest user with 158 helicopters on strength, the Royal Navy with 30 helicopters on strength and the Royal Air Force with 14 on strength during their peak. All Gazelles are now retired from UK military service. This example is with the Historic Army Aircraft Flight.