Flying Legends 2006

About five miles from where we live is the Imperial War Museum at Duxford. This houses one of the largest and best collections of airworthy historic aircraft in Europe. Obviously, a high percentage are British and American, but several other nationalities are represented. Their annual `Flying Legends' air display was held on 8 July this year. David took Charles, and a number of photographs .....

Charles loved going inside the Catalina, and even found time to pose for a picture

Part of the flight line seen from inside the Catalina. Aircraft visible include a C-47 (Dakota), Bf109, Junkers Ju52, B-25 Mitchell, Bucker Jungmann, Skyraider, Sea Fury, Tigercat, and in the distance the other Catalina.

There was a small playground, which Charles enjoyed as a break from admiring aeroplanes!

The museum ....

Autogyros came before helicopters. The C-30 was designed by Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva; several served with the RAF in the 1930s.	The De Havilland DH112 Venom was a two-seat shipborne development of the Vampire series, one of the world's earliest jets.	The FZG-76, built by Fiesler (better known for the Storch light liaison aircraft), was otherwise known as the Vergeltungswaffe-1 or simply V-1. It was a technically advanced unmanned aircraft which acted as a flying bomb. Range was determined by the quantity of fuel carried: when it ran out, it fell to earth and blew up whatever it happened to land on. The low pitch buzzing drone of its pulse-jet engine earned it the nickname of `doodlebug'.
Charles posing in front of a Mil Mi24 Hind, the huge and potent Russian assault helicopter, in German air force colours, having been inherited from the former East German air force on German reunificaiton.	The American Air Force Museum, part of the Duxford collection, includes this lovely Consolidated B-24 Liberator. Huge numbers of Liberators were built, mostly as medium bombers, but also as transports, maritime patrol, reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft.	The Mikoyan -Gurevich MiG-21 was the standard Soviet interceptor fighter for many years, and was an excellent machine, broadly the equivalent of the American F-4 Phantom. It certainly impressed Charles!

The flying display ....

One of the German participants was this rare Messerschmitt Bf108 Taifun light liaison aircraft from the 1930s. Willy Messerschmitt went on to design the superb Bf109 fighter.	The excellent Junkers ju52 was the standard German transport aircraft in the second world war. Though slow, it was very manoeuvrable, and its corrugated metal skin made it very resilient.	The Ju52 clearly enjoys being in the air. Not much could ever stop one of these lovely machines from flying.
This very rare machine is the only flying example of a Morane-Saulnier MS-406, one of the most potent French fighters in 1940.	The MS-406 is a stubby little machine, powered by an 860hp Hispano-Suiza inline engine. The engine has rather a caustic sound and was reputedly not the most reliable powerplant in the world.	The Polikarpov i-15 might look primitive for a second world war fighter, but its speed and manoeuvrability made it very useful in the early stages until more modern fighters were available to take its place.
Luxury travel, 1930s style - the Beech 17 Staggerwing.	Very rare Yakovlev YAK-3, one of the best fighters produced by Russia during the war. This one is based at La Ferte Alais in France.

Dozens of people had flown in to the show from many places in Europe. This Swearingen Metro had brought a group of enthusiasts from Germany.

Massed formation of many of the historic aircraft flying in the display; a magnificent sight (and sound!) to close the day.

British aircraft American aircraft Spitfires!!