ARCo/HFL WAR BIRDS ON DISPLAY

ARCo/HFL WAR BIRDS ON DISPLAY – 24th April 2010

With the Spitfire Society holding their AGM at Duxford, John Romain had invited the Society members to a visit to the Aircraft Restoration Company/Historic Flying Limited engineering facility before and after their meeting. Parked on the grass outside were Spitfire Ltd’s MkLFIXe PL344/TL-B and MkXVI TD248/CR-S, which did not fly during the day. Historic Aircraft Collection’s Spitfire Mk Vb BM597/JH-C and Hurricane XIIa Z5140/HA-C and ARCo/HFLs Spitfire TrIX and recently repainted Hispano HA-1112 MIL (Buchon) along with their Boeing Stearman and Harvard lV/1747/’Taz’. Just before lunchtime JR took off in the LFIXe for a solo aerobatics display.

During the afternoon there were some excellent flying displays with Cliff Spink in the LFIXe being the first up. Rod Dean in the TrIX and then Dave Harvey in the HAC Hurricane followed. During this period, Maurice Hammond arrived in his T-6D Harvard 'Fools Rush In', and after a short visit, departed. Then with John Romain in the Buchon, the TrIX and LFIXe went up for some formation flying that developed into a tail-chase. After the Society had finished their meeting, they were back in the compound and the TrIX was airborne again with a Spitfire veteran on board. It rendezvous and flew around with G-BMFD, a twin engined Piper PA-23 that had arrived at lunch time, which was being used as a camera ship. The HAC Spitfire and Hurricane then departed and joined up with G-BMFD as they headed south for North Weald and the ‘Gathering of Veterans’ meeting that was taking place on the Sunday. Just before 17.00, the Buchon, TrIX and LFIXe fired up their Merlin's again which was followed by a scramble type take off and a low, fast, three ship beat-up of the airfield before they all turned south for North Weald.

The only down side to a very enjoyable Saturday at Duxford was the high cloud that diffused the sunlight and the haze didn’t make for good lighting conditions, photography wise.

Brian A Marshall