Duxford rounded off it's season with it's now traditional flying finale and I was really pleased to be going after a couple of years of missing it (check out my 2021 and 2022 reviews).
London in the distance
Autumn colours coming out on the motorway
Unfortunately the colours weren't the only effect Autumn had on the day as we were hit by the first storm of the season bringing high winds which put the day's flying in real doubt.
The sign in the shop said it all
Some Christmas shopping 😂
It was crazily windy so I took refuge in the AirSpace hanger.
The strangest looking Hurricane I've ever seen
One of the original briefing boards used to plot D Day
Concorde
Phantom
A beautifully painted Gloucester Javelin
The Red Arrows had based themselves at RAF Mildenhall to give themselves the best chance of being able to display as it's just down the road. This meant that the pilots were able to come to Duxford and meet the public.
Like the good plane geek I am I joined the crowd to get their autographs which was super cool. Although I still can't believe I managed to miss Red 4 😂
The organisers tried to get the flying display started with the Catalina who put on a valiant display.
Unfortunately the wind was too strong for any other aircraft to take off and all that was flying was the leaves.
Duxford's newest resident
To everyone's delight the wind dropped a little which meant that the RAF Typhoon was able to come in and display. This year's display has been phenomenal and it was great to hear the scream of the engines one more time and I think they turned up the noise just for me 😉
The show was rounded off in style but the Red Arrows who were of course well worth the wait in the chilly wind. I'll never get bored of seeing their amazing routine.
The 'diamond 8' (I had nothing to do with the missing one going tech!)
Sally B had the best seat in the house
Hanna Pass
The final synchro pair pass of 2025
You can check out my video of the show here -
The beautiful sunset as we were going over the Queen Elizabeth 2 bridge
The moon made an appearance too
Despite the limited flying it was still a great day. The organisers at Duxford deserve a massive round of applause for getting what aircraft they could in the air and it's been another great season for them. I'll be writing up a review of the 2025 season as a whole in the next month or so as well as editing my 'best of 2025' YouTube videos. The Chinook one has gone up already -
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.
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!
I also had a good view of the aircraft being moved around, run up and the aircrews interacting which I don't always see very well from further back.
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.
One of the Hurricanes getting airborne
The Hurricanes over the flightline
There was the traditional Battle Of Britain scenario -
Spitfires pursuing a ME109 Buchon
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.
Warhawk
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.
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.
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'
Moonbeam McSwine taxi-ing past
Obligatory photo of the Fighter Squadron Maverick & Mustang
They both gave us a much-needed blast of hot air as they taxied past as the wind was quite chilly.
Ta much Vampire
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'.
This is one of my favourite photos I've taken all season
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!
One of the Spitfires taking off
Wow
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 🤞
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