The first full show for Duxford in 2007, the Spring Show had been eagerly awaited by enthusiasts and casual admirers alike. The weather as always had to be watched and with a changeable forecast for the afternoon the day could become another casualty as did some of last year’s events. One of the day’s themes was the 25th Anniversary of the Falklands War, when Argentina took control of the Falkland Islands by force and Britain responded with force. The Air War in this conflict was a closely fought battle with both sides showing daring and skill. The Argentine Air Force had many spectacular successes against the ships of the UK Royal Navy but against the Sea Harriers (SHAR) of the Fleet Air Arm they were simply outclassed. To mark the start of the anniversary year some of the aircraft types involved in the conflict were represented. Two actual participants are on permanent display in Duxford hangar 2: Westland Wasp of HMS Apollo and in hangar 5 a Pucara of the Argentine Air Force. Unfortunately we would not be seeing any Sea Harriers or the Vulcan’s that made a name for themselves in the conflict. A shame too that we would not see a Super Etendard, Skyhawk or Mirage that proved to be such a devastating team when used against shipping. There would also be flying displays by warbirds and RAF training aircraft but no heavy metal on today’s line up not even Bruce Dickinson (the Iron Maiden Front Man) in the Twin Pin.

A Canberra B.Mk2 GBVWC, owned by Classic Aviation Projects and Air Atlantique was flown today by Andy Rake, an ex RAF Canberra pilot. The Canberra was operated by both sides in the Falklands conflict and only retired from RAF service in 2006. The first British jet bomber in prototype first flew in 1949 and over 1400 of the type were built including those built under licence. In service the Canberra was used as a bomber, electronic warfare aircraft, training and reconnaissance. In the Falkland’s conflict the RAF used the reconnaissance PR Mk9 from secret locations. The Argentine Air Force were using B Mk.62s, which flew 54 sorties against the British forces. Two Argentine Canberras were shot down one in air to air combat by the SHAR XZ451 of Lt Curtis and the other fell to a Sea Dart missile fired from the Type 42 Destroyer HMS Cardiff. Today’s display was a fine example of the type’s abilities although restricted by the requirements of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to a max 90 degree angle of bank. This aircraft has only 3000 hrs flying time logged as she was used for testing and development purposes; she also held the world altitude record for a while. The current flying profile would allow the aircraft to fly for another 60 years!.

The first helicopter display was the Bell UH-1H Huey. The type was used by the Argentine during the conflict. The sound produced by the Huey reminds us of the Vietnam War rather than the Falklands. The example we see today was built in 1972 and served in Vietnam chalking up 559 combat hours. After being restored in the US she was imported into the UK and is registered G-UHIH. She is presented in the colours of 129th Assault Helicopter Company. The display itself was a little restrained and was focused on the centre of the crowd line leaving the majority of the spectators without a close view of the classic warhorse. Even with this disappointment the sound of the machine was a pleasure to be heard. She is owned by the G-HUEY Partnership and even at a distance it was great to see her.

The Seaking Mk4 displaying today came courtesy of 846 Naval Air Squadron at RNAS Yeovilton with a complement of Royal Marines and a Landrover. The display showed the versatility of the type to quickly deploy marines and deliver hardware in the shape of the Landrover being hoisted from the flight line and carried around the airfield before being returned to its starting point. The Seaking then deployed Marines via a rope and collected another via the winch. It was a pleasure to see this big helicopter displaying its abilities. Argentine troops were delivered by Seakings to Port Stanley at the start of the conflict. After the islands were secured the Argentine Seakings were used to shuttle men and material around the Islands as well as patrolling the coast. British Seakings were used to sweep ahead of the taskforce searching for submarines and intership shuttle flights. They were also employed as decoys in an attempt to confuse Argentine sea skimming missiles the deadly Exocet. It’s well worth a mention here about the rescue work done by the Wessex and Seaking helicopters both in recovering downed air crew and medical evacuation work. Perhaps the most memorable rescue for those of us who watched the conflict develop on television was the devastating result of an A4 Skyhawk attack on the troop carriers Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram. At anchor but still with troops on board the big ships made prime targets, when direct bomb hits set the Sir Galahad ablaze the casualties were great. The Seaking and Wessex helicopters working in the area were quick on the scene and were so desperate to save as many as possible they flew in zero viability due to the thick smoke and used their downdraft to blow the life rafts away from the burning vessel loaded with munitions. The helicopters flew the injured to other ships nearby and certainly saved many lives.

Westland Scout AH Mk1 XT 626 of the Army Air Corps Historic Flight, the type entered service with the British Army in 1963 as a light battlefield helicopter. During the Falklands conflict the Scouts carried supplies to the front line troops and even carried Gurkhas (Nepalese troops) on there skids to assist in rapid deployment against Argentine positions. The Army Air Corps Historic Flight are a regular participant on the UK airshow scene and have featured in Checksix reports many times. Today the Scout was supported by the Flights de Havilland Beaver XP820 - AL Mk 1. Westland Wasp owned by Kennet Aviation, the Naval version of the Scout, capable of carrying torpedoes or depth charges for anti submarine warfare or missiles for anti shipping operations. Although the type was being replaced by the new Naval Lynx some vessels not capable of supporting the Lynx were deployed with the Wasps. Wasps from the HMS Endurance flew in support of Lynx and Wessex helicopters in an attack on the Argentine submarine Sante Fe. In the attack the submarine was badly damaged and had to be beached in Grytviken bay. Displaying with the Wasp the two aircraft showed themselves to be as able as ever and covered the crowd line from start to finish.

The Naval Lynx was a key element in the air war and taskforce defence. With a dipping sonar to hunt submarines and the, as then new and unproven Sea Skua anti shipping missile the Lynx was a formidable weapon. The Sea Skua missile was proven when two Lynx operating from HMS Coventry and HMS Glasgow attacked an Argentine surface vessel after a British Seaking came under fire. The vessel was destroyed (some reports of this event claim two vessels were hit). The vessel is now believed to have been on a search and rescue mission looking for the crew of an Argentine Canberra shot down the day before. The Black Cats performed their display with the skill we have come to expect from the Navy’s official helicopter display team. One of the pair was presented in a special display colour scheme for the 2007 season. The aircraft is still operational on normal duties but with a little more flare than its comrades.

Army Air Corps Blue Eagles Display Team, Lynx x 1 Gazelles x 4. Having recovered from the illness that affected the Abingdon display the full team were at Duxford to give the first public showing of the 2007 routine. The Lynx we have already looked at (Naval version). The Gazelles were also serving during the Falklands campaign too in the light battle field role. Three Gazelles were lost during the war two to ground fire and one to friendly fire. The Blue Eagles display was spiced up by a couple of new moves for the 2007 season and everyone noticed. The Lynx roll was still in use and the full team joined in on the mass helicopter salute at the end of the day to the fallen of the Falklands War.
The RAF Chinook Display Team is well known to our readers already (see the Chinook report in the Aerobatic Teams side bar). This was the same crew that displayed at Abingdon at the start of May with the same calibre performance from the big helicopter. The RAF Chinooks were to have their metal tested in the Falklands war in the same year the RAF received them. Four Chinooks along with six Wessex helicopters and eight Sea Harriers were being ferried to the war zone on the Atlantic Conveyor, a Cunard merchant vessel.The ship was attacked shortly after the Harriers of both the Navy and RAF had deployed. The Argentine Navy assault Dassault Super Étendard struck the ship with Exocet missiles to devastating effect. Only one Chinook “Bravo November” (ZA718/BN) and one Wessex that were airborne at the time of the attack survived. This was a terrible blow to the land forces and put the helicopters and crews under enormous pressure. The detachment commander, Squadron Leader Dick Langworthy, was left to operate without spares, tools or manuals as these were all on board the stricken ship.

Early on during the deployment Bravo November and crew had an escape that says much about the rugged durability of the Chinook. On a night operation transporting troops during a heavy snow fall Sqn Ldr Langworthy could not see and during a descent he hit the sea at 100 knots (175km/h), the engine intakes were flooded and the crew expected major damage. Sqn Ldr Langworthy and Co Pilot Flt Lt Andy Lawless (now Wing Commander Lawless) succeeded in getting airborne again and returned to the point of departure without radio or the Co Pilot’s emergency escape door which was lost during the impact. On the return to Port San Carlos an inspection found little damage other than some dents to the fuselage and the damage to the radio system plus one less door. Wing Commander Lawless assured me that it was very cold indeed. The loss of the door and lack of parts did not stop the Chinook operations. Bravo November was the only large helicopter in use until reinforcements arrived on the 10th June in the shape of four more Chinooks. From the 26th  May to the 10th June Bravo November lifted 1,530 troops 600 tons of equipment and 650 POW and much of this was done with one escape door missing so the cockpit was open to the weather! Squadron Leader Langworthy was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in the conflict. Twenty one years later now upgraded to HC MkII, Bravo November was operating in the Gulf War in very different conditions. In an assault on the Al Faw peninsula Squadron Leader Steve Carr flew Bravo November into action in terrible conditions and enemy fire. He too was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in the same aircraft. Bravo November is still hard at work today with the Joint Helicopter Force in Afghanistan.

During the warbirds section of the display we were treated to the first public display of the long awaited Hawker Nimrod II K3661 of the Historic Aircraft Collection (HAC). A development of the Hawker Fury the Nimrod was a carrier based fighter and served in the inter war years. By the time WWII started the type was in use as a trainer although the Danish still had the Nimrodderne in active service when Germany invaded. The aircraft we see today was built in 1934 and served with 802 Flight in the Mediterranean, and is represented today as she was then with the code 602 and yellow markings of C-Flight Commander’s aircraft. The aircraft was rediscovered in 1972 on a rubbish dump and saved.The restoration did not start until 1992 and the first flight was in 2006. This is truly a beautiful aircraft and the Rolls Royce Kestrel engine sounds fantastic, a real treat for the Duxford crowd.

The Fighter Collection put up the big cats to start the 2007 display season and what a sight and sound they make running in as a formation abreast. The three carrier based fighters all had a good reputation for robustness and agility, the short dimensions and power to weight ratios made for a successful Naval fighter. Grumman FM2 Wildcat G-RUMW N4845V JV579 Bu 86711 [F], the Wildcat was the only carrier fighter in the US Navy until its bigger brother the Hellcat arrived. The type remained in use to the end of the war and saw service with the British Fleet Air Arm as the Marlet. It made it name in the Pacific theatre where it was outclassed by the Mitsubishi Zero. Not all Japanese aircraft were Zero’s and the main threat to the Navy was the torpedo bomber. Against these the Wildcat was a great success. The history of the TFC Wildcat is not well researched but she does carry the manufacturer’s number 5765 and there is a record of her being owned by Dale Newton of Oregon from 1964 to 1970. TFC would be happy to hear from anyone who has information on this aircraft.

The Hellcat became the answer to the superiority of the Zero over the Wildcat and made a big impact in the Pacific theatre. Much bigger than the Wildcat and packing a much bigger punch it claimed over 70% of all US carrier based victories downing over 5,000 enemy aircraft. Even with its larger dimensions the Pratt and Whitney R-2800-10 maintained a good power to weight ratio and added to its mild handling characteristics. The type was nicknamed the “ace maker” by the Navy pilots who flew them and praised their handling at all altitudes. TFC’s Hellcat is the only one flying outside the US and is presented in the colours of Lt Vraciu of the US Navy. The type also saw service with the French Aeronavale in the Indochina war in the 1950s. The Bearcat was the last piston engine Grumman fighter and was considered a challenging aircraft to fly. The big Pratt & Whitney R2800 18 cylinder 2300 hp radial engine was capable of out performing some of the early jet engines and made the aircraft a handful for the pilot to control. It arrived in service too late for WWII but it did perform well where used in anger again by the French in the 1950’s Indochina war. TFC’s Bearcat was built in 1945 and has the manufacturers number D -1088, serving with the US Navy for 10 years. After that she passed between several owners until coming into the possession of TFC in 1981. The pilots of TFC still consider the Bearcat to be a challenge to fly.

Hawker Sea Fury VR930 of the Royal Navy Historic Flight (RNHF) based at RNAS Yeovilton, keeping with the Naval warbirds theme the next display was the mighty Sea Fury. The last piston-engined fighter of the Royal Navy the Sea Fury served in the Korean War with distinction and even downed a Mig-15 and damaged two others. For more information on the RNHF see our article in the reports, then museum section, of this web site. VR930 was recently re-painted in the authentic scheme of 802 NAS whilst serving on board HMS Vengeance. The Sea Fury is still considered to be the fastest piston engined aircraft in the world and surviving Sea Furys are often used for air racing. The second warbird group was made up of Spitfire Tr9 PV202 of the Aircraft Restoration Company (ARC) with Spitfire XVI of Spitfire Ltd and P51 Mustang of the Old Flying Machine Company (OFMC). ARC’s Tr9 was built in 1944 and flew 76 combat missions during WWII After the war she was converted to a training aircraft for the Irish Air Corps and displayed in those colours until this year. She was restored by ARC after a fatal crash at Goodwood in 2000. Spitfire Ltd’s MkXVI is a regular at Duxford and never fails to please. OFMC’s P51-D Ferocious Frankie was built in 1945 and served in the UK and the US before moving to Canada. Another regular at Duxford she has been in the possession of OFMC since 1999.

Sally B is the only B-17 flying in the UK and is a flying memorial to the servicemen who gave their all with the USAAF in Europe during WWII. She was repainted last year and looks terrific; she still carries the Sally B identity on one side and Memphis Belle on the other. She took the starring roll in the Warner Bros movie Memphis Belle in 1989 and displays today with smoke canisters attached to two engines playing the part of a battle damaged aircraft trying to get home. Battle of Britain Memorial Flight(BBMF) Lancaster Bomber PA474 with Spitfire P7350 (Mk IIa) and Hurricane PZ865 (Mk IIc). The BBMF’s Lancaster PA474 underwent a major service at the end of the 2006 display season and as part of the service the paint was stripped back to the skin. When she emerged from the hangar she carried a new identity, “Mickey the Moocher” was gone. In its place now stands the “Phantom of the Ruhr” one of the few Lancasters to complete 100 missions to become a centurion. Escorted by the Spitfire and Hurricane the BBMF are still the best loved display in the UK. And of course PA474 is still one of only two Lancasters still flying in the world.

Another new incarnation of a firm favourite is Team Guinot, Aerosuperbatics (formally the Utterly Butterlys). Guinot skincare of Paris are the new sponsor and the colour scheme is a little restrained when compared to the old one. The display is still as dynamic as ever as the wingwalkers and aircraft dance to the music of Mr Pratt and Mr Whitney. And after standing above the aircraft for a display like this the wingwalkers probably need some of the skincare products their sponsor makes. North American T-28 Fennec (Trojan) of Radial Revelations, designed to replace the USAF T6 Texan trainers the Trojan proved to be a very successful design and was adopted by Navy and Marines. With the addition of hard points on the wings the Trojan went to war in the counter insurgency and close air support role in South East Asia and North Africa. The French company Sud Aviation converted some Trojans, they were then known as Fennecs. The display we saw today showed clearly why this trainer became a capable warbird, the 425-hp Wright Cyclone R-1820-86 radial piston engine pulls the Fennec around like a fighter giving it a max speed of 343 miles per hour and a terrific rumbling sound, a great display all round.

The Royal Air Force provided two displays of its training aircraft, the Tucano of 72 Squadron and jet noise supplied by the BAe Hawk T1 of 208 Squadron . Both displays were as you would expect from the cream of the RAF’s training flights. The finale of the day was the helicopter salute to the service personnel on both sides who gave their lives during the Falklands War. Participating in the flypast were the Lynx and Gazelles of the Blue Eagles, the Army Air Corps Historic Flights Westland Scout and de Havilland Beaver, Kennet Aviations Westland Wasp, 864 Naval Air Squadrons Seaking and Huey of the G-HUEY Partnership. All in all Duxford delivered a great first full air show for the 2007 season and even the weather although threatening managed to hold off. Well done to the Duxford Team and we hope the weather stays on their side for the next show The Flying Legends Air Show on the 7th and 8th July.

Checksix would like thank the Duxford Team and Tracey Woods the Marketing and Public relations Manager for their cooperation and delivery of a great day.

Will Moore / CHK6

Release 4.0/2008

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