Well Mudge, you were right- it rained on the weekend. Thankfully, we also had Friday, and those of us who were there were treated to some beautiful aircraft in their element.
Short version: Friday was capital-G GORGEOUS, half of Saturday was rained out, and Sunday was almost a complete wash with all flying being canceled after 2pm because of thunderstorms and a field which had become a muddy sponge. I'm incredibly thankful I was out there Friday, though, not just to witness the brief but awesome display by the CWH Lancaster (on the 70th anniversary of Operation Chastise, no less!) and to see and hear the Mosquito fly. How two Merlins can be so much louder than four, I do not quite understand, but when the Lanc took off, it sounded majestic and powerful. When the Mosquito took off, it sounded like an entire building full of angry panthers or something.
CAF Helldiver... need to fix the color on this one, I had things on the wrong setting. :-/
Jerry Yagen's "other" De Havilland twin:
This was a surprise... the CAF C-46 "Tinker Belle" made an appearance, and she's seen here in the midst of a fantastic beat-up job of the airfield. These boys made a helluva impression, and I confess a new appreciation for the old Commando!
Squadron Leader Guy Gibson roars aloft in G-George on the afternoon of May 17, 1943... oh wait. It's 70 years later to the day, and the CWH crew is roaring aloft for a brief but awesome display.
They kept her at about 50 feet the entire length of the runway as the gear came up, then pitched up sharply to the left in a gorgeous climbing turn. These guys REALLY know how to work this baby.
And then, they came back around, dove for the deck and gunned it. Gave me goosebumps the size of nickels.
She was going so fast, this was the only clear shot I could get of her, and I was shooting at 1/125 sec. I cannot imagine what a rush it must be to be in this gorgeous beast in the midst of such a run.
Jerry Yagen then took up his prized P-51D "Double Trouble Two" for a little fast work in the circuit.
Oh, and there were pin-up girls.
Several T-6s were in attendance; here's a nice shot of one trying to imitate the Lancaster, sucking up the gear at minimum altitude before pitching steeply up and to the left.
The Focke Wulf got a bit of airtime on Friday as well.
Of all the pics I took on Friday, this one might be my favorite.
Scott Bregi will want to beat me with the lens of my camera, but I did get to shoot the Mossie... unfortunately, I should've stepped up my shutter speed, 1/125 just didn't cut it for this thing. This was one of the few clear shots I got.
Mike Spalding brings the Mossie back in for a landing. What you can't see here is the Bell Jet Ranger hired by the BBC which followed the thing everywhere.
This beautiful little Ryan got a bit of air time as well.
The P-40E went up for a late afternoon flight.
See all that dust around the wheels? Yeah, that went away pretty quick on Saturday. :-/
On an airfield near Minsk, a German flak unit sets up shop next to a pair of captured Polikarpovs.
Oh, and this showed up on Saturday.
The sky just wasn't cooperating at all for Saturday's flights; this is the best I could muster with the FM-2.
This guy was amazing. His name is Max, and he is the only IJN living historian I've ever met. I dearly wish the Blayd Zero could've made it down as his kit is every bit as authentic as that Zero recreation. I saw him later at the hangar dance in his IJN dress whites... very sharp. And he was a helluva nice guy to talk with as well.
Saturday afternoon, the CWH decided to relocate the Lancaster and their support DC-3 to the hardstands at Norfolk Int'l Airport so they wouldn't get bogged down and unable to depart on Sunday... a wise decision. Here, the DC-3 executes a "standard Canadian departure" by holding minimum altitude the length of the field prior to a steep port climbing turn.
She was followed shortly thereafter by the Lancaster... what an amazing and graceful beast she is.
The last display that was able to get up on Sunday was the airborne paratrooper team which jumped from "Tinker Belle"... I believe there were 11 total, 8 of whom landed successfully. The other three wound up in the trees next to the runway due to fluky winds near the surface. They're all ok, but I'm sure their canopies are likely jacked up something fierce.
And as if to highlight how muddy the field had become, have a look at the port mainwheel of Tinker Belle here upon her return.
So, there ya go. A quick overview of what was overall a terrific show, even if we couldn't get as many aircraft up as we had hoped. Our USAAF living history camp had a ton of enthusiastic and appreciative visitors, and a large time was had by all.
This should be obvious, but I'll say it anyways- no reuse or republication without contacting me first, no publication for commercial gain, etc.
Cheers,
Lynn
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