Hi everyone! My 2019 airshow season has finally begun with a trip to Dunsfold Wings & Wheels show last month.
It was my first trip to the aerodrome and very sadly it was to be the last show there so I was very lucky to go when I did. Dunsfold is famous for being the BBC Top Gear track and they also had a car show during the day (hence the 'wheels' part of the name), I must shamefully admit that I missed most of the car action due to being in the world's longest ice cream van queue 👀.
There is a lot of important aviation history attached to the Dunsfold Aerodrome, it was the test site for a number of ground-breaking Hawker aircraft such as the Harrier, Sea Hawk, Sea Fury, Hurricane and more. You can read more about it's history here.
On the car journey up the weather could have been best described as biblical, with torrential rain and flashes of lightning, still not enough to put us hardened plane-geeks (and Mum) off. Luckily the weather started to clear and the cloud to lift as we arrived, so much so that by the time the show opened it was brilliant sunshine.
Kicking things off were the Strike Display UK team of two Strikemasters simulating a ground attack with plenty of noise! As a bit of a pyromaniac myself anything with smoke and explosions always gets my vote! Although I still manage to jump even when I know an explosion is going to happen!
One of the highlights for me, as always, was the Chinook display. Even though we see a fair few Chinooks round here I always love the thudding 'wocka wocka' sound that their blades make and the sheer mobility of the helicopter. I particularly like seeing them at airshows when there is a runway and they show off their ability to 'wheelie' up and down it.
The RAF's two primary training aircraft were also there in the form of the Tutor and Tucano teams. The Tutor put on a really dynamic display against the blue sky.
2019 is the last year of the Tucano display before the RAF moves onto the Texan aircraft. Their display this season is a real send off in style and I'm looking foward to seeing them here at Airbourne one final time.
There was a really good selection of warbirds at Dunsfold, many were painted in D Day invasion colours to mark this year's 75th Anniversary. I enjoyed seeing the P47 Thunderbolt or 'Jug' for the first time -
We also had the BBMF Spitfire
A Dakota
Sally B the B-17 Flying Fortress
And also a Westland Lysander which gave today's STOL (Short Take Off/Landing) aircraft a real run for their money as it got airborne in a matter of meters!
The tempo changed with the arrival of the Turbulent Team , if you've never seen aircraft take part in flour-bombing, balloon popping or attempting the limbo then you're missing out!
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Wings & Wheels were lucky enough to be one of the few shows this year to feature the Red Arrows ahead of their jaunt to North America later this summer (I'm still trying to forgive them for missing Airbourne later this year!). Any of you who've read any of my previous airshow blogs will know what a Red Arrows fan girl I am so I'll spare you the gushing and just leave you with a couple of photos.
Another of my favourite aerobatic acts was performing, Rich Goodwin with his muscle bi-plane. If you think biplanes are dull then wait until you see Rich throwing his Pitts S2C around the sky and see how quickly you change your mind!
The day rounded off back on a warbird theme with a P51 Mustang and two Hurricanes. The Mustang roared and whistled her way across the sky
The show was closed fittingly by a pair of Hawker Hurricanes flying over the aerodrome that their manufacturers called home, I'll never get tired of Merlins roaring over me and to have a pair of Hurricanes shining in the late afternoon light was really special.
Dunsfold was a really great day out and I'm genuinely gutted to not be able to go again. It was a great opening to my geeking season, roll on Airbourne and Duxford!
Love Jen
XxxX
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