Flying Legends

Our last morning at OY-RIAT-camp site was foggish. We got up early; the taxis were ordered for 07:00. I thought we’d be the first ones to get up, but spectators from the camp were already walking towards the RIAT aerodrome in a steady flow. They wanted to get the best places possible.

Breakfast tents were first open at 07:00, so we had to accept a morning without breakfast. Today’s destination was Fowlmere from where we were going to Duxford.

At the Oaksley Park where our aircraft stayed overnight we were met by the friendly members of the Oaksley Park flying club who offered us a cup of coffee – that helped! They also showed us around in their hangars – there were some really nice fully restored historic aircraft. After having a briefing, we took off for Fowlmere.

Beautiful places on our way:

Fowlmere aerodrome, our destination:

Getting to Duxford wasn’t as easy as we thought. Only one small taxi was available, and we were 10 people. Traffic jams, waiting time… When we finally got to Duxford, there wasn’t any luggage drop (contrary to RIAT), and we had to carry all our bags with us. (I secretly admired our vikings for being able to carry all our stuff so gracefully).

There wasn’t any food available on our way from RIAT; the time we got to Duxford was around 13:00 and we were quite hungry. So the very first thing after settling down was to get something to eat. Jesper and Per were the first ones to succeed with this task (note their happy smiles!):

The queues to the food stalls at Duxford were enormous.

The apron and a corresponding taxiway were right in front of the crowdline, and the spectators could take photos of the taxiing aircraft. The runway was further away, and all the flying took place a bit further.

Norwegian DC-3 on the photo below. I had a flight in this aircraft a couple of years ago, in Norway.

Lots of interesting activities were happening, both in the air and on the ground.

Some enthusiasts took the opportunity to get dressed into a period clothing or a suitable uniform. One of those brave men came by, and Jesper took a selfie with him:

A beautiful Thunderbolt passing by:

We had a very nice camp with all our bags, and several chairs. There were very limited areas with grass, otherwise concrete. It was a hot and humid day, and to lay down on the grass you would have to walk a long way. And then you’d not see any air show. But we were very happy, not hungry any longer, just a little bit tired. Per captured one of those moments:

There were of course many other interesting things to see, like model aircraft:

Entertainment:

A Spitfire (replica) and a DH9 on static display. For 20-30 GBP it was possible to sit in the Spitfire and to have a photo of you taken; many people did that. The DH9 from 1918 was so precious – nobody was even allowed to come close.