WWII Flying Legends Air Show - UK

[Mr Flannel]

G'day guys

The footage in the tac comps sub-forum of that awesome F4 corsair fly-by at the K&M match reminded me that this is on. Unfortunately (or fortunately for the Brits), it's being held in the UK 30 June/31 July at Duxton Airfield. All due credit to the Brits, they do keep this stuff alive.

Check out this video trailer - well worth a look. Puts shivers down the spine.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/37599899

A lot of the warbirds come from here:

http://fighter-collection.com/pages.php

 

[Roy Batty]

Re: WWII Flying Legends Air Show - UK

I ever went there 4 years ago. it was great to say the least

I've seen things flying that you see once in a lifetime. 2 hurricanes Mk1 in the same show...a gladiator too, a very rare P-36 if I recall well.
the Ferté-Alais show in France is also improving with years.
the most impressive flying coffins I've seen in the area are a Polikarpov I-16 and a Fw-190A8. the early P-40's are also great to see in flight.

 

[Mr Flannel]

Re: WWII Flying Legends Air Show - UK

I'd like to see the FW-190 going through its paces. Amazing looking machines. I wonder how many of the components have to be fabricated from scratch to get/keep these birds going.

 

[Roy Batty]

Re: WWII Flying Legends Air Show - UK

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Dr Scholl</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I'd like to see the FW-190 going through its paces. Amazing looking machines. I wonder how many of the components have to be fabricated from scratch to get/keep these birds going. </div></div>

actually, parts weren't really made from scratch. the one I saw was Christophe Jacquard's property, wich lives ten miles from my place. I've seen the assembly from the begining.
parts, for the most of them, have been machined in Germany with the same tools, same metal and same plans as the original. so close from the real one that the serial number follows the last production batch from WW2.
some original parts like canopy, instruments, ect...
in this case, German products proved poor fit and a huge work to make it reliable enough for flying. specially engine cooling revealed quite troublesome.
the wooden VDM propeller replica caused a crash 1 year after the maiden flight because a blade broke and caused a crankshaft failure. have talked with a pilot, and let's end a myth: the FW-190 is a flying coffin regarding reliability, and given the stall charateristics, it is NOT for beginners.

 

[Mustafa]

Re: WWII Flying Legends Air Show - UK

Oh man I want to go to that! That looks SOOOo amazing!

 

[TNT]

Re: WWII Flying Legends Air Show - UK

Does this show ever come to the States? I dig the pilot's setup at about 0:50. Is that modern equipment decked out to look old school? Oh what it would be like to get to fly one of these planes...
No matter what cool toys I have, I always find some people with much cooler ones, and wonder, could I ever do that? I'm really happy that these guys maintain these aircraft and share the experience with spectators through these airshows.
I am always amazed when there are so many millionaire movie stars who would rather spend their money on drugs/booze/cars than on something wicked cool like a P-51 or Spitfire.

p.s. interesting info on the FW-190 - I never heard much about it other than the common conception that it was the challenger to the P-51 and far superior than the Me-109 in terms of design.

 

[Roy Batty]

Re: WWII Flying Legends Air Show - UK

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TNT</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
p.s. interesting info on the FW-190 - I never heard much about it other than the common conception that it was the challenger to the P-51 and far superior than the Me-109 in terms of design. </div></div>

superior to the Me-109, yes in term of modularity and conception.
when you look inside a FW, it looks like a jet and you have a panoramic view. the airframe and the landing gear is strong enough for a fighter-bomber use. the 109 is a lighter and more agile plane.
challenger of a P-51, I don't think so. the firepower of some version of the FW-190 was incredible, as well as the climb rate, the roll rate and the diving speed.
basically, the FW-190 was an interceptor well suited for hit & run tactics when the P-51 was a true fighter, well suited for long range escort, and much more forgiving for the pilot.