#airshowscot full details here
[youtube]https://youtu.be/8L5h9u-CJk0[/youtube]
Another few weeks on and we are well on the way to what I think will be a great Airshow. As well as the aircraft I spoke about last time, I can now confirm a few more, some of which I think are real stars.
The Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford Airfield recently completed their rebuild of the only airworthy Bristol Blenheim in the world. The Blenheim will be performing at Scotland’s National Airshow 2015. Another spectacular warbird to add to the list is the Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk, from the Hangar 11 collection, which will also be making its debut in its newest colour scheme.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/pS6F0mxVP5E[/youtube]
We will also be welcoming local pilots Gavin Hunter and Jim Mctaggart to the show once again. Gavin will be performing his usual spectacular aerobatics in his Bucker Jungmann, resplendent in Spanish Air Force colours, whilst Jim will be flying his Piper L4 Cub, a Second World War liaison and reconnaissance aircraft, painted in a late-war US Army Air Corps scheme. This aircraft was designed for low, slow flying, and Jim shows off its capabilities in his own inimitable fashion.
We always have a small display team at the Airshow, and this year we will be seeing the TRIG Team, flying a pair of bright yellow Pitts Special biplanes. These aircraft are amazingly nimble, and the TRIG display never disappoints.
In my last blog post I mentioned the Royal Navy’s contribution to the display. Now I can announce an addition that, whilst not being a current part of the Fleet Air Arm, certainly played its part in the history of that service; the Supermarine Seafire, the naval equivalent of the famous RAF Spitfire. The display will feature a Seafire Mk XVII, a type used by the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy in Korea. We will also welcome back the Huey Team, who will be here in force: a UH1H Iroquois (or Huey) will feature in the flying display, whilst the OH-6 LOACH will be parked in the static display.
Finally, we come to the truly international part of the event. This year, for the first time we will be welcoming the Royal Jordanian Falcons aerobatic display team. The Falcons are the national team of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and will display in their four Extra 300 aerobatic aircraft. Completing the line-up for 2015, we have the Royal Norwegian Air Force, who are bringing a Lockheed P3C maritime patrol aircraft to the show.
There is a link between East Fortune and the Norwegian Air Force; 333 Squadron, to which the P3C belongs, was formed at RAF Leuchars in 1943 as a Norwegian manned RAF Squadron. They are now based at Andoya, in the far north of Norway, and have been quite busy recently tracking submarines in the North Atlantic and northern North Sea.
I think that’s it for now – in my next blog post we’ll look at arranging airspace booking and other challenges encountered in the run-up to a display.