Grumpy Old Modeller

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Sub-Continent Stealth

Concerto for Merlins

The September Spitfires duly arrived, and the promise of sixteen to mark the seventieth anniversary of the Battle of Britain must have gone a long way to drawing the record crowd of over 40,000 that came to Duxford on the two days of the IWM's display; on the Saturday at least the car parks were full and late arrivals refused admission, emphasising that Always Remembered Sergeant's Advice, "them as is keen gets fell in previous"! The Spitfires and a quintet of Hurricanes - well, four and one - were the centrepiece of the commemoration, and the sound of multiple Merlins, with the bass notes of a couple of Griffons, was music to the capacity crowd.

A seriously early morning ensured that my chair and those of three fellow enthusiasts - both model and aircraft - from the People's Republic of South Yorkshire were up against an advantageous fence not far from the Land Warfare Museum in good time. The Media team ensured that those of us with a suitable pass were able to get on to the flightline before it's general opening time of 0900, and properly escorted - in my group's case by Brenda Marsh who with husband Brian I must have met when I joined IPMS "back in the day" - were able to get on to the grass behind the aircraft to get a better variety of photos. That done, the regular pilgrimages to the Aviation Bookshop and Hannants ensured that quantative easing was still functioning, and many of the usual suspects met and chatted to. There's a long standing theory that it's always possible at almost any time to get the necesary quorum of members to form a peripatetic IPMS branch at any Duxford display.

The display was bookended by national aerobatic teams, the Red Arrows having an early overture because of a trip to Portrush later in the day; they arrived one player short with Red 2's mount having gone temporarily lame although it was expected to be back on song for the second house. It's the first time I remember seeing this, but the Reds performed an eight-person display with their customary and expected precision; I trust this won't set a Treasury-inspired precedent to have less Arrows in the 2011 quiver. There are disquieting rumours already.

With all respect due to the Reds - and to the Patrouille de France who closed the show, as well as the other attractive performances - it was the Merlins of the Hurricanes that gave us the real fanfare. They were led by Hangar 11's R4118/UP-W; talking to one of its crew on th flightline earlier I discovered that this is partly due to its being fitted, like the Shuttlewoth Sea Hurricane, with a lower-power Merlin 3. They were accompanied, or at least pursued, by Merlin-powered Buchon "yellow 10".

The space between Hurricane and Spitfire displays was filled substantially by many of the usual subjects, including the Fighter Collection's Bearcat and Sea Fury T.20 and the apparently immortal Sally B. The BBMF sent Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire; the Lancaster flew off elsewhere but the two fighters landed and took their place on the flightline but sadly took no further part in the display. On the Saturday the current RAF contributed an energetic display by a 3 Squadron Typhoon carrying that unit's WW II code QO-G, but flown by a 29 (R) Squadron pilot, and a quintet of Valley Hawks. The T.2 leading the formation carried no unit markings - perhaps they're waithing for the deliberations of the defence review - but the other four wore 19's blue and white checks, with two also carrying the squadron's 95th anniversary logo. Much was made of the squadron's Duxford connection, with one of the commentating duo - or perhaps both, they seemed indistinguishable aurally - saying that 19's first Spitfires were delivered "just in time for the outbreak of the war"; I can't see that a year between qualifies, and my rather younger colleagues, all products of the post-Attlee generation, seemed as irritated by this rather casual elision of history as I was. Four of the Hawks returned just before the Spitfires' display to perform a "missing man" fly by, with one pulling up and out.

The sight of the Spitfires taxying out past us in a long line to the western end of the airfield, weaving from side to side as demanded by the long noses, helped to make the blood course a little faster. it also enabled me to add a couple of photo subjects that I hadn't been able to take earlier on the flight line, though the morning sun had given up on us long before and even those with really long lenses were already lamenting the effect the relatively poor light was going to have on their pictures. All got off in a rather loose gaggle over the grass, looking - if you disregarded the four-bladed props and 'C'-type roundels - just like the black and white newsreels that are currently getting another airing in the televisual commemoration. They returned in a four-box sixteen aircraft formation, making two satisfyingly close passes before subdividing in to two tailchases, one apparently either side of the airfield centreline. I don't know how long they did this - we, and I'm sure they, were enjoying it too much for such mundane calculations - but it was spendidly planned, briefed and executed. Eventually the lines broke up in to smaller groupings, and the aircraft returned to the ground and, for some of us at least, to the present.

We would probably have gone home - eventually, given the car unparking task - quite happily with this as a finale, and it's to the considerable credit of the Patrouille de France that there was no anti-climax. This year they are led by " Virginie"; I never did decipher her surname from the Gallic commentator's account, although he was very keen to stress that this was the first "Grand Slam" aerobatic team to be led by a lady. Their intentional eight-aircraft display against the still-grey sky - some French photographers I know would simply have refused to take pictures! - showed their usual skill and panache, and of course smoke; the commentator was most careful to emphasise that this was "blue, white and red", although he did slip slightly once and gave a slight cough and re-started with "white". Allons, enfants de la Patrouille!

For many of us - certaily for me, but also I suspect for many of those who weren' t around seventy years ago - the day belonged to the Hurricanes and Spitfires, and to their Merlins. While it's always good to see the longer-serving ones still active the continuing supply of "newcomers" is good to see, and helps to ensure the survival of the species. The number of two-seaters - referred to in the IWM's briefing notes as IXT, but whether this is official or merely a convenience I know not - seems to me to be growing, one of these being MJ627 with "D-Day" stripes, codes 9G-P and a maple leaf, the colours of 441 Squadron RCAF. but the one that caught my eye as it taxied out, not having been on the flightline when I did the Walk was Mark IX - or possibly XVI - TE184, marked EJC. The Spitfire expert in the next chair Identified this as belonging to "Jack" Charles, Wing Leader at Tangmere at the end of the war, a Canadian who joined the RAF - and was the scorer of Biggin Hill's 1,000th kill - but transferred to the RCAF before the end of hostilities; my favourite Osprey reference shows Mark IX PT 396 wearing his initials either side of the roundel and carrying "D-Day" stripes, so presumably this represents a later aircraft. . There will no doubt be more, but for the day sixteen were, as befits Merlins, pure magic!

Sally B's Anniversary

Duxford's October show has an end-of-the-season feel about it, and anything that follows Flying Legends and the Battle of Britain commemorative show is inevitably anti-climactic. This October's did have good things going for it, not least the splendidly blue sky once the early mists had dispersed, and the anniversary of that stalwart Sally B, now the only B-17 flying on this side of the Pond. While she was waiting on the hardstanding the re-enactors were much in evidence - see the "Welcome" page - but next time they should add a few spotty eight-year-olds asking "Any Gum, Chum?" A pair of Lakenheath Eagles saluted her and what she represents with a formation flyby, and she herself came with a P-51 escort; and for one of her passes she smoked dramatically but cleanly.The RNHF Seahawk took part in a Navair formation, and Swordfish LS326 arrived and left, but with no other participation other than looking gorgeous on the flightline in the autumn sunshine. There was an outbreak of Pitts remembering the Rothmans team, but what pleased me was the rare sortie from the hangar of the little green Cosmic Wind "Ballerina". This took part in the flying display, and like the Mew Gull earlier in the year was surprisingly sprightly. This used to be a popular subject for flying models when I were a lad, and it was really good to see the real one in its element. The photo should show you how small it is; maybe there should be one for each foot. And after the September Spitfires I feel I should end the year with a Hawker; yes, of course I'm prejudiced! How did they manage the Hucks starter on a flat top?

This area of the site will be rebuilt soon with all the best images from the past few(!) years. Check back soon for the gallery of rogues.

Meanwhile, back in Blighty....

Shuttleworth's 4th of July display was billed, very reasonably, as an American Air Day, and one of its delights was the F-86A Sabre which, we're told fairly regularly, is due to return to the USA. I have a very soft spot for the 86, and I shall be very sorry not to be able to see its smoky trail when it's gone. That apart, while there wasn't much American military involvement on the day there were a few splendid civil citributions, notably a pair - in the UK, the pair - of Spartan 7W Executives. One was flown as part of the display, the pilot taking full advantage of the Old Warden curved display line to show off his mount's elegant shape, notably the vey distinctive rake of the wing tips. both wer immaculately finished. the polished metal of the one that flew, NC17633,being seriously shiny; the contrast with the fabric-covered but equally immaculate control surfaces was very evident. I really should check to see if there's a Dujin resin kit, though deciding which of the two to build would be a real Captain Indescisive moment, or several. NC17615's scheme featured an Art Deco framing to the windows that would require, but reply, some serious hand-painting, but probably I shall be spared the choosing by the non-availability of a kit. I went to talk to the pilot following his display to tell him how much I'd enjoyed it, and was surprisd to be introduced to the very amiable owner, resulting in a long and fascinating conversation which would have convinced me to buy at least one if I thought my gold card would have taken the strain. It's such a handsome aircraft from an era, and a category, that fascinates me. And there were a pair of Wacos, but even they took second place on this occasion to the Spartan pair. I had thought that the open cockpit one was one of the "Classic Waco" line currently in production, but it's a genuine early 40s aircraft. All in all it was an excellent occasion, and quite a lot of it was blessed by that rare visitor this summer, a blue sky!

Legends

Even though this year's Flying Legends seemed at the time to be a bit smaller that in preious years, it still seemed to me at the time, and now in retrospect, the best display I'm likely to see in Europe this year, though with the Duxford BoB display yet to come I may have to reconsider in ten days time. It opened with eight Spitfires, six in close formation - though Five does seem a little wide in this picture - and two having the time of their lives tailchasing across and around the airfield, usually while the formation was manoeuvering and repositiong but occasionally undermeath them as they passed overhead. I was one of those displays that makes you think that the drivers (airframe) should be paying us for providing them with an audience! They will surely be back for the September show, but the item thad held me, and I suspect all the aviation enthusiasts spellbound may not reappear for some time. This should have been billed in the programme as "Ahh! Sir Sydney", a trio of his beautiful biplanes in immaculate and colourful finishes; I have for long enthused over the sound of multiple Merlins, with the occasional Griffon assist, but the three Kestrels produced a magic of their own. They war part of a segment of the display that covered British aircraft of the 'thirties, and the other participant of that era that first caught my eye and then rather astonished me was the Mew Gull. The shape isn't unfamiliar, and it started its display with two or three fast and low passes, which I expected; what did startle me was its subsequent very sprightly routine.

The commentary for the afternoon was partly provided by Bernard Chabbert, who has now done this several times for Legends, though this year I didn't see his Lockheed 12. He is knowledgeable, entertaining and witty, and puts most of the British commentators I hear on the UK air show circuit to shame. As with so much of 2010, the material available from which to build an air display seems a little less than last year, bur this was still very enjoyable, and is still a guaranteed highlight of my year. Now for September's Spitfires.

Wot? What?

I've found a couple of photos of a model scratch-built by Adrian Constable tthat I took at the IPMS Avon show in August, which you might think would concern the What If? tendency but which will mean nothing to anyone who isn't closely connected to a two year old. I saw it under construction at the IPMS Brampton show a year ago, but although I was intrigued by something that could have been a Victorian steam-powered space ship, I didn't know what it was until introduced to its resident TV programme by my granddaughter, but now I can talk about WotWots to her, and my, heart's content. These days it' s another bit of Mike's World!