Our yearly bus trip to the Flying Legends air show at RAF Duxford started on Friday 7 July 2017. After the first participants, that boarded the bus in Nijmegen, several dozen others followed at the various pick-up locations in the Netherlands and Belgium. The drive to Calais was smooth, as was the ferry crossing and the remainder of the journey in England. Therefore, we arrived in time at the base again not to miss anything.
The day of our visit (Saturday 8 July) started cloudy, but as the day progressed the clouds made way for sunshine and blue skies. This year saw two P-51 Mustangs from the USA, including a very rare P-51B. This one had even made it across the ocean flying, from Texas to Duxford. Unfortunately it shattered its canopy during first “pass” during the air show, so we were only treated to one round of flying. The next day the stand-in for this Mustang made a forced landing in a cornfield just outside Duxford (fortunately the pilot suffered no injuries).
The presence and fly-bys of a of number of racers of the 30s was unique. The DeHavilland Comet was a very remarkable one. The winner of the famous London-Melbourne race, in which “our” Uiver played such an important role, has been beautifully restored and is a real gem for those admiring pre-1945 propeller-driven aircraft.
Another highlight was, besides the more common 10+ Spitfires, the presence of no less than four Hurricanes, including one Sea Hurricane.
Of course the “re-enactors” were present again. They help creating the atmosphere of 30s/40s very well. Many of these volunteers make sure they dress up differently each year; good for different pictures!
After yet another fun day with a huge amount of propeller noise and the “balbo” (a mass formation at the end of the show) it was time to take a seat again in the comfortable bus that was to take the whole group back home safely again. On Sunday morning 9 July the last participants were brought back to the location where they were picked up the Friday before.
