Category Archives: vintage

The Oldest Flying British Aircraft

The very earliest days of aviation meant a lot of experimenters and innovators were trying their hand at flying. Some had success and many didn’t. Most of those early planes were never preserved (and many probably didn’t deserve to be. Even those that led to further success for their creators didn’t necessarily get to survive because things were moving on so fast and the historical significance would only become apparent many years later.

Consequently, it is quite a treat when something this old not only survived but is still airworthy. The oldest flying British aircraft is the Blackburn Type D. I guess the fact it is a Type D tells you that Blackburn had three preceding types that either didn’t work or didn’t survive (or perhaps both). This plane dates to 1912 although the engine is a later version. It has been in Shuttleworth’s hands since the late 1930s and it will fly if the conditions are right. Fortunately, they were when I was there for the Festival of Flight.

Unlike the two older planes that flew before it, the Type D seemed a lot more capable a plane and it was able to climb and manoeuvre around the display area with relative ease. The conditions were good to it, and we got to enjoy a lot of time with it before it landed. An amazing piece of history to witness on display.

Kemble’s Other Residents

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My visit to the TBAG event at Kemble was quite a while ago now. However, still more to share from that day out. The airfield is home to the Buccaneers and the Phantoms that I have posted about but there are some other aircraft that are parked there. This includes one of the Ex-British Airways 747-400s that were painted in retro liveries. There is a Gnat painted in Red Arrows colours, and a Canberra PR9 in a silver scheme. Both look good.

A Hunter is also in a silver scheme which is a nice addition and there is a Bristol Britannia that I have posted about previously. These are all by or close to the café so any visitors to the airfield will have a few cool planes to check out during their visit.

The Bleriot Gets Airborne – Just!

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The Shuttleworth Trust has a Bleriot XI aircraft that is airworthy. This is not the first one I have seen because I saw the one Eric Presten kept in Sonoma, but I never got the chance to see that one fly. The Festival of Flight show at Old Warden had ideal conditions for flying the old planes and the Bleriot came out. They limit it to flying up and down the runway. No messing around with turns. Instead, they hop along the runway, turn around on the ground at the end and then come back.

It is not an overpowered aircraft, and I did wonder whether it would get airborne or not. It would bounce up off a bump and then fly along for a while, before settling back down. I don’t know how much they push the performance given that this is an extremely rare and valuable aircraft so maybe it could do more. However, watching it I did find myself wondering about what would make someone want to take something like this across the English Channel.

I Need to Be Grateful to the Flamant

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When I went to the military air show at Shuttleworth earlier in the year, I had a really good time. I then saw a bunch of advertising for the Festival of Flight which they described as their biggest show of the year. Having had a really good time previously, I didn’t feel a strong need to go back. I was quite happy to skip this one until… On the Friday, I saw some images from people that were there of the planes arriving. There was a lot of stuff there including all sorts of unusual old types. One plane in particular caught my attention and that was the Dassault Flamant.

Now I was thinking about going. Saturday we already had plans, and I wasn’t going to mess with those. Sunday was a bit more open, and the forecast was certainly looking better. When Nancy said she didn’t have anything specific she wanted to do, I made the decision to go. This was absolutely the right call. The show turned out to be an absolute blast. The afternoon displays were excellent and then, after the pause, the evening display was started a little early. I will talk about the rest of the show during other posts, but this one is all about the Flamant. A transport aircraft that Dassault built for the French military, a few of these are apparently still around. It is such an interesting looking plane and seeing it operate at close quarters in such a nice location was great.

Ye Olde Pub Gets Closer to Home

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I had been able to photograph the B-17, Ye Olde Pub, when it appeared at the show down at Klamath Falls in Oregon. That was a bit of a hike to get to. In 2024 it put in an appearance at a show a lot nearer to our then home – the Olympic Air Show at Olympia. That made for a far shorter trip to see it – its home in Madras OR is also a fair trek. Olympia is only about 1:45 away if the roads are good.

The put on a good flying display for the show. The light was surprisingly good for Olympia! It is held on a weekend in June that has a remarkable track record of delivering substandard weather. The local photographers constantly wish for it to be moved to a different time of year without any success. The plane was operating from the main ramp area which meant it was very close to you when it taxied in and out.

I wasn’t the first to spot this so I can’t claim to be the inspired person, but there is a taxiway marker board at Olympia that says B17. That made it quite easy to get a shot of the plane taxiing out with the B17 board in frame. A bit cutesy but I don’t think anyone was objecting. It seems like a lot of the airworthy B-17s are having major maintenance undertaken at the moment so having Ye Olde Pub active is great. I won’t even get upset about the use of the words “ye olde”!

The Conditions Are Calm at Last

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During my first show at Old Warden, there was a reasonable amount of wind throughout the day. This was in the back of all of our minds, and we wondered whether things would calm down enough to launch the Edwardian planes later in the day. The forecast was not for this to happen. As the sun started to get lower in the sky, I was quietly optimistic that the wind would calm but it was proving me wrong for the longest time.

Then, very quickly, things seemed to change, and the organisers realised that there would be a chance to get some more fragile types up in the air. Then it was just a question of what would be willing to fly. Getting these vintage types airborne requires, skill and effort but also a bit of luck. They didn’t all play ball, but the Avro Triplane was up for the challenge. I know it is a reproduction but that doesn’t stop it being great to see it fly in the lovely evening conditions.

My First Real Comet Aerial Shots

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The de Havilland Comet was an air racing aircraft from the 1930s that won the MacRobertson Air Race from the UK to Australia. I first saw the aircraft at the end of the 80s but I didn’t see it fly at the time. There is a replica of the aircraft that is based in the US and I saw that at Oshkosh one year. However, it was this year that I finally saw it flying. It is a very elegant looking aircraft and one with a fair turn of speed.

It performed during the Military Air Show that the Shuttleworth Trust held at their Old Warden Aerodrome. The sun was going in and out while it was up which was not ideal but still provided plenty of opportunities to get some shots. Various passes were made, and I was quite pleased with how it looked head on as it ran in towards the crowd. I should have more chances to photograph it this year so let’s see how we do.

Pima the Following Day

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A bit of a step back for today’s post. This one goes back to early ’24 when Mark and I were in Arizona. We had done a night shoot at the Pima museum the evening before courtesy of our friend Joe. We decided to head back during the following day to see everything in daylight. Despite being early in the year, the temperatures were pretty high and there was a limit to how much I could handle outside. I did get a few different subjects but then it was time to retreat to the hangars to get out of the sun.

The museum was more extensive than I recall from my original visit years ago. I don’t know whether the hangars had all been added since I last visited or I had just not realised what I was missing. Whatever the reason, there was plenty to see. The variety of exhibits is just amazing. Whether it is vintage fighters, old civil aircraft or widebody jets, there is something there for any speciality. The strength of the collection makes it possible for them to get all sorts of exhibits, and their space means that can be of any size. Recently, they have taken delivery of a Martin Mars flying boat, for example. No small task when you aren’t too close to any water!

Tip Toe the Dragon Rapide in the Crosswinds

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I’m pretty sure that, over the years, I have posted about the Dragon Rapide. It was the first plane I ever flew in, and I have seen a few over the years. When I went to Shuttleworth’s show recently, there was a Rapide undertaking pleasure flights. I suspect I might add more pictures of it to this blog before too long, but I am going to start with some images of it landing. There was quite a strong crosswind when I arrived at the airfield and the pilot was quite busy bringing the plane in. A nice bit of wing down technique and she kept this old taildragger under control. A little later the wind was really making things interesting, and it was the other wheel that was brought down first!

A Visiting Spit While We Wait

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During the Buccaneer event that I went to at Kemble, we spent some time in an enclosure out near the taxiway. This would be good for the first part of the event, but I was out there quite a while before things were due to kick off. While hanging around, the purr of a Rolls Royce Merlin came to my ears and, downwind there was a Spitfire. It flew a nice curving approach and touched down before taxiing in quite close to where I was standing. It was a two-seat example and presumably had come to provide rides for some enthusiasts. I didn’t see it head back out, so I don’t know whether it was a brief visit or whether it did some rides and then left. Interesting markings on it, though.