Flying Legends 2015

After having missed out on Flying Legends last year ... me and my buddy Serge didn't think twice to participate in this year's adventure Leaving Kiewit airfield, near Hasselt, Belgium at 21h30 on Friday evening - by coach   For a 12 hours trip direction west - including taking the ferry accross the Channel   Making landfall in Dover Saturday morning at dawn   And a few hours later...   We were sadly not the first coach to arrive   The best places were already taken when we chained our seats to the fence   A quick look at the Victor in front of the AirSpace hangar   Breakfast   New for me - and a highlight - Red 7 - a Gustav from Germany   Two P-51 Mustangs, sharing the morning sun   Not only aircraft - but also visitors cars got my attention - there are still quite a few classics on the road in Britain   Protecting your skin - and ears !   Supporting Sally B - I got myself one of these caps   Old recognition models for sale   An opportunity to sit in a Spitfire - and have your picture taken... if you didn't mind the long queue   It was the first time I saw R/C aircraft guys at Duxford   Great idea ! Many impressive big aircraft - including this highly realistic Boston light bomber   Duxford "Shopping Street" was getting crowded   Model kits !!!   ... only armor model kits - at £5.00 each   Now this looks more interesting - Kit Krazy   ... and I was in the market for a Chieftain at a good price   Fly today with Classic Wings...   But winged excitement comes at a price ... maybe next time   The American Air Museum was under reconstruction - sheltering for the moment only the B-29 and the B-52   Hannants was still closed   Another first for me... Oxford miniature cars in real life... in OO scale ! So many !   Nice lady in period dress - including umbrella - visiting a French movie star (Flyboys) Nieuport 17   Music   Mr Laurel & Mr Hardy making their entrance I really enjoyed these guys - a superb act !   The Blenheim Society...   Where I visited an old friend - Mark Peacock - volunteering for the Blenheim Society   The inside of the "old" Blenheim Mark IV cockpit   Things to buy - to support the Blenheim Society   ... and I decided to do my bit   The Flight Line was opened at 10AM - for £5.00 you could get closer to the stars of the show   Magnificent Curtiss P-40C   ... and it's close relative, an equally magnificent Curtiss P-36C   Red 7 again - a Buchon restored/converted to G-4 status with an original Daimler-Benz DB605 engine I loved it...   The world's only airworthy Hawker Fury - 1930's elegance at its peak Note the red exhaust covers   And the worlds only Blenheim Mark I   Another view on the Flight Line - I counted 14 Spitfire's (including 1 Seafire)   Curtiss Hawk 75 in it's original French colors   I was struck by the small size of the radiator opening on this Warhawk   The volunteers in period dress guarding the aircraft... it can make for nice pictures   P-38 Lightning - the crown jewel of the Flying Bulls fleet of historical planes   Sally B - always drawing a crowd The only airworthy B-17 bomber in Europe   As the Flight Line closed - my buddy Serge and me decided to hide for the sun in the AirSpace hall   For the current V-bombers Group Build - I paid some close attention to the Vulcan bomber   Noting the exhaust pipes don't point in the same direction   The starboard engines had a "connecting cover plate " between the engines - which was missing on the port engines... ? +   Note the very small inboard intake - next to the big air intakes   The show started at 13h30 The Spitfires were the first to go up Not my best picture - but unfortunately my only picture of this Seafire   Korean war Corsair - visiting from France - ready for take off I love this scheme - it's a change from the previous French Aeronavale scheme   Sally B trailered into position - while a full flight of Spitfires pass overhead   Power in the sky - two Corsairs and a Bearcat   Curtiss P-36C ready for take off   Both Corsairs climbing   Two P-36s and two P-40s... what a sight !   The Sally B caughing into life...   Red 7 and the other Messerschmitts were also taking position for take off   One of my better fly by pictures - difficult to miss such a big object   Sally B coming in for landing   The three Messerschmitts banking away   Ju-52 thundering by...   Red 7... not my best picture - but I don't get many chances to take pictures of a flying Gustav   Both Gladiators - preparing for take off   The Messerschmitts coming in again - here Buchon G-AWHE - in a desert scheme   Bücker Bu-131 doing acrobatics - in a 1936 Berlin Olympics inspired scheme   My star of the show - the Blenheim Mark I   ... looking for it's take off position   Both Nimrods flying by - grace in the sky   Hawker Hurricane ready for the sky   Such a memorable Battle of Britain flight...   The Blenheim showing it's undersurfaces It's good to see a short nosed Mark I in the air - after having previously flown in long nosed Mark IV / Bolingbroke configuration   Piper Cubs doing their show   While the Blenheim came in again   Grumman Avenger roaring by   The Red Bull B-25 could make a lot of noise !   And the Red Bull P-38 pleasing the crowd   ... then giving a magnificent show   A Corsair preparing for the Balbo flight   Grumman Wildcat joining in   Many Spitfires participating in the Balbo as well   Morane Saulnier MS-406 (or D-3801) in Swiss neutrality markings - also joining the Balbo   So many engines reving up - ready for take off "en masse" ... thrilling !   Part of the Balbo flight   What means the end of the show ... and we rushed to Hannants   To pick up my package   Then quickly stopping at Cockpit Collection - the aviation graphic novels from Les Editions Paquet   To buy The Grand Duke - by Yann/Hugault   Romain Hugault himself was signing...   Sadly I didn't have time for this - as the coach didn't wait   Time for leaving was 19h30 (Belgian time) sharp   And as we left... it sure felt good to be able to sit again   Later in the evening we reached Dover - to get the ferry back to the old continent   And the next day - after an exhausting night with little sleep ... I could fondle the loot   I think I'm in a Soviet prototype phase...   And yeah... I'm also getting into aircraft targets now   Stuff for my next project...   Thanks all All comments, remarks, suggestions and especially corrections are welcome Thank you

William De Coster / Belgium e-mail  Date created : 20 July 2015