The news report from our May bank holiday event!
Well this May bank holiday weekend saw lots of flying, but not without its issues!!
The DC-3 'Drag 'em oot' had its test flight on Saturday ready for an air show at Abingdon on Sunday. The aircraft performed well with only a couple of minor snags which were tweaked before it left for Abingdon that afternoon.
The DC-3 returned to EK on Sunday afternoon ready for its displays with us on Monday 7th May.
As expected the normal bank holiday weather caught up with us again and rain was forecast for our flying day on the monday.
We had scheduled two Mustangs to join us from Hardwick Warbirds (operated by Maurice Hammond) but we were given the news early that week that his strip was waterlogged and he would not be able to make it. That caused a great rush to ring round the aircraft operators and track down another Mustang that would be able to join us on the Monday. Upon contacting the Old Flying Machine Company at Duxford we had found our replacement aircraft 'Ferocious Frankie'.
During the Monday event the weather managed to hold until approximately 1 o'clock when we were greated by fine rain through to around 5pm. This meant that we had managed to have the first DC-3 flying display and we had received the Mustang from OFMC at Duxford.
The weather however did not hamper the days flying. At 2.30 we saw the BBMF Dakota give us a flypast shortly followed by our DC-3 and Mustang flying displays.
We must say that the DC-3 display and the Mustang display were surely the best we have had at East Kirkby, especially considering the weather. The Mustang was displayed as much as an aerobatic aircraft as a warbird and Nigel Lamb (the pilot) demonstrated his zero feet rating tremendously well.
Not only did we have the aircraft flying displays but we had two Lancaster taxy runs and some great re-enactors on site as well!
Here are a set of photos taken by our on site photographer Martin Keen of Silksheen Photography-