Aviators
Dreams.
Shoreham,
not being too far away was an attractive venue to visit on August 30th. Competing
with Bournemouth at hosting an airshow, Shoreham had more appeal to me as their
event was of a more vintage flavour. Also your ticket was charity related, (£22).
I arrived in good time to find the usual volume of traffic these events attract,
but being on a bike the queue soon melted. Bikes were invited to park on hard
standing adjacent to the hangers, so locked up and with a portable tank bag packed
with sun screen, shades, water and a picnic, the day began.
Not only as
an airshow, the Shoreham event also attracts vintage/classic bikes, cars and many
interesting trade and refreshment stands. Flying began at 1030hrs. We weretreated
to a host of older generation aircraft with displays continuously disolving into
one another. Most of the lighter early machines were based on the airfield`s park
which was arranged in a good way for spectators to easily see them static or taxying
to the runway. Flying displays were honed to perfection and at one point some
8 or 10, tri and bi wing, British and German livery fighters, staged mock dog
fights and airfield raids with earpiercing pyrotechnics. Great stuff. Lunch break
arrived too soon, but not without entertainment ! Into the skies flew large scale
radio controlled aircraft performing spectacular stunts. One model was of a large
scale Hawk from the famous Red Arrow team, complete with correct sounding, jet
propulsion ! Another display was of a full size Pit Special, with a real pilot.
His flight was in tandem with a 1/3 scale R.C. Pit Special of the same livery.
Amazing.
Lunch over and good weather still with us, the full size displays
continued. Another mock airfield strafing raid as original Spitfires, Hurricanes
and German 109`s screamed and danced in the sky. Then followed a number of stunts
and fly byes from U.S. aircraft. Mustangs, DC3`s, and a rare appearance of a privately
sponsored U.S. Flying Fortress. The next treat was the W.W.2. Memorial Flight,
a Lancaster bomber with it`s two fighter escorts. The follow on being the, "tin
triangle" ? The only flying Avro Vulcan bomber, from the sharp end of our,
"cold war", fleet. Her display was as good as any that I have seen at
simular events. Stirling stuff.
The show finished at 1700hrs which was closed
with a very noisy and ultra impressive flight of the Typhoon, (Euro fighter).
Virtually space age technology, unbelievable rates of turn and sheer vertical
power, all just under Mach 1.
Calling me a petrol head or kerosene head,
or am I both ? Whatever the answer, it was a brilliant day out, topped and tailed
with a biking sprint there and home. Next year ? Yes please ! ............club
member Steve Langford