Last week I went to my second airshow of the year at Duxford for the jewel in the crown of their season the Battle Of Britain Airshow.
I was greeted by this beautiful sunrise.
The main focus of the show this year was the 85th anniversary of the Battle Of Britain and there were plenty of warbirds lined up for the flightline walk.
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| I was tempted with this bag 😂 |
The Blenheim arrived with some friends.
I've had really bad sciatica for the last month (my body is clearly punishing me for being forced to climb up and down off of the pebbles at Airbourne) so I skipped the exhibition halls in favour of getting a seat (I normally use my picnic blanket) at the front of the member's area.
I think I made the right decision as I ended up with one of the best seats in the house!
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| A Bulldog being commandeered for a chat |
One of the highlights of the show was the amazing sight of 8 Hurricanes in the air together. Whilst there are plenty of Spitfires still flying (no complaints there!) Hurricanes are a far rarer sight hence why managing to gather 8 together was so special.
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| One of the Hurricanes getting airborne |
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| The Hurricanes over the flightline |
There was the traditional Battle Of Britain scenario -
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| Spitfires pursuing a ME109 Buchon |
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| Buchon |
I was introduced to an aircraft type I've not seen before, this lovely AN-26 Invader 'Sweet Eloise'.
Some more American aircraft, Curtiss Warhawk & Hawk 75.
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| Warhawk |
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| Hawk 75 |
And of course Sally B the Flying Fortress who lives at Duxford.
One of my favourite WW2 aircraft the Bristol Blenheim also lives at Duxford.
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| Flying over the NH90 |
The Belgian air force sent one of their NH90 helicopters to perform a search and rescue display. Apparently the squadron asked to go to Duxford to perform to pay tribute to the Belgian aircrew who fought in the Battle Of Britain.
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| They are such lovely looking helicopters |
There were 3 Mustangs at the show this year 'Moonbeam McSwine' (who I saw for the first time at Airbourne), 'Jersey Jerk' and 'Miss Rebel'
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| Moonbeam McSwine taxi-ing past |
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| Obligatory photo of the Fighter Squadron Maverick & Mustang |
There were two classic jets at the show the ever-popular Norwegian Vampire and Mistral Warbirds F86 Sabre.
They both gave us a much-needed blast of hot air as they taxied past as the wind was quite chilly.
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| Ta much Vampire |
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| The Sabre landing in style |
Thank you so much to Mistral Warbirds for sharing my video of the Sabre to your Instagram 💓
The Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster was a late-addition to the Saturday show which made me so happy. This season it's been my mission to see her as much as possible before she goes into deep maintenance at the end of the season (she's currently estimated to be back for the 2027 season).
I really enjoyed watching her perform as the Spitfires & Hurricanes were taxi-ing past ready for the 'Big Wing'.
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| This is one of my favourite photos I've taken all season |
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| I've loved her 'over the crowd' departures this season |
Duxford is most famous for their 'Big Wing' finale to the show, when multiple aircraft take to the sky to make some of the most beautiful sounds known to man (in my humble Autistic opinion) as the Merlin & Griffon engines rumble overhead. This year was the biggest 'Big Wing' I've ever seen since I started going in 2017, there were 7 Hurricanes and 15 Spitfires!
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| One of the Spitfires taking off |
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| Wow |
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Listen to the noise -
It was the perfect end to a day spent commemorating the aircraft and those who operated them. We were also treated to the gorgeous almost-full Harvest Moon on the way home.
You can watch highlights of the show here -
I have one final show to go to before my season draws to a close. I'll be back at Duxford for their Flying Finale at the start of October which currently has the Red Arrows, Typhoon and BBMF booked with more aircraft to be announced. Fingers crossed for a final bit of Autumn sunshine 🤞
Love Jen
XxxX
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