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  Battle of Britain Air Show 2022
  Part 2
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Text:

Urs Schnyder

Pictures:

Urs Schnyder & Michael E. Fader

   

Czech Helicopter Demonstration

Unusually the Czech Air Force sent two helicopters, a Mi-171 Hip and a Mi-35 Hind. They first performed together, while the Hind later gave a solo display. The Hind is in special colours to commemorate No 311 Squadron, a Czech bomber unit of the RAF, flying Wellingtons and Liberators during the war.

The Czechs of course played a role in the Battle of Britain with No. 310 Squadron the first Czech squadron forming at Duxford in July 1940. It was therefore fitting that the Czechs made the last showing of these types before retirement here at Duxford.

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Bearcat & Corsair

The Corsair and Bearcat were the most powerful naval Fighters of the day, having finally the same performance as land based fighters.

The Corsair was first carrier qualified by the Royal Navy and used on its carriers. The Bearcat came too late so see action in the war and therefore never served in its intended role as by that time the jet had started to make their mark.

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

 

Vought Corsair Mk. IV (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Vought Corsair Mk. IV (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Vought Corsair Mk. IV (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Vought Corsair Mk. IV (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Supermarine Spitfire XVI

   
 

The Aircraft was built as a Spitfire Mk XVI and server in the RAF until 1953. It then spent 35 years as a gate guardian before it was restored to flying condition and sold to the US. After a fatal crash it was brought back to Britain and restored as a Mk IX. Unusually it is painted in the colours of the US 309th Fighter Squadron in the Mediterranean.

An interesting feature are two signatures on the pilots entry door. According to the owner, they are from two Spitfire pilots that served in Burma. At the time of their visit they were 95 and 102 years old!

   

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

1938 Fighters

The formation was composed of four aircraft that were in service or developed in the last year of peace, the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I, the Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, the Curtiss Hawk 75 and the Grumman Wildcat in British service known as the Martlet.

While the Spitfire and Hurricane came just in time to save Britain, the Curtiss was already obsolete at the beginning of the war, it was used in numbers by the French. The Wildcat became one of the great naval fighters in service with the US Navvy and the Royal Navy.

 

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Grumman Wildcat VI (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Grumman Wildcat VI (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Grumman Wildcat VI (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

 

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Curtiss Hawk 75 (Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

Curtiss Hawk 75 (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Tiger 9

The Tiger 9 Display Team announced themselves proudly as the only aerobatic team in Britain displaying with 9 aircraft. This of course was a punch at the RAF’s aerobatic team the Red Arrows who currently only fly with seven aircraft.

The Tiger Moth is of course an extremely light aircraft and they had to fight the partly strong wind to stay in Formation. The team was originally founded in 2005. The pilots come from all walks of life to fly this historic aircraft.

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

   

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

De Havilland Vampire

   
 

The Norwegian Vampire had been stationed at Britain since spring, when it took part in the filming of “The Shepherd”. Many of the Norwegian squadrons were of course also formed during the war as RAF squadrons and continued after the war when they were integrated into the Norwegian air force.

 

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Beech 17 Staggerwing

After quite a while it was nice to see the Beech Staggerwing back at Duxford. The Beech Model 17 was first built before the war as an executive transport. Both the examples flying were built during the war and flew with the Royal Navy and  the US Army Air Force respectively.

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Duxford Wing   aka   Balbo

The big finale of the airshow was to be a recreation of the Duxford big Wing as advocated and used by No. 12 Group.

Sixteen Spitfires and four Hurricanes took to the air for their big wing formation. On Saturday however the weather pulled one of its antics and started such a massive downpour that the formation had to circle for about 20 minutes off site until the rain had cleared. No mean feat to keep formation for that long. After two flypasts in Big Wing formation they reformed into a Balbo formation before coming in to break and land. As The Balbo was running in, the National Anthem was played in Honour of the late Queen.

The Sunday fortunately stayed dry and the formation could proceed without waiting.

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

The Joker (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Hawker Hurricane (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

Hawker Sea Hurricane (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

The Joker (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

The Joker (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

The Joker (Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

 

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

 

(Picture courtesy Michael E. Fader)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

(Picture courtesy Urs Schnyder)

   

We would like to thank Hannah Llewellyn Jones from IWM for providing press facilities.

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last update 1. October 2022

Written 21. September 2022

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