Flying Legends 2019

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18 years 9 months

Posts: 2,116

https://i.postimg.cc/4dPSPNJf/1-TFC-Legends-2019-website.jpg

Flying Legends Air Show Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th July 2019, come and celebrate Flying Legends at IWM Duxford.

Click here for tickets.

Original post

Member for

7 years 3 months

Posts: 216

Is there anyone who can help me with some questions in regards to the Duxford airshow? I have bought tickets, flight line walk and a car parking ticket for both Saturday and Sunday
Where is the main car park for the people who have purchased tickets? I see that it opens at 0800 on both days, but from experience is it open earlier?
How is the traffic first thing in the morning?
Flight line walk, where does it start and any tips?
Any tips for a good spot to park myself (and the wife) for the day and get some decent photos?
Any other tips would be great.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,000

Hi Brenden,

Car Parking: The event is ticket only, so there is no particular car park for ticket holders. You'll either have to present your ticket at a booth as you drive in or once you're on foot, depending on what car park you're directed to. The overflow car parking isn't that far from the airfield, although can be a bit rough. If you have anybody with mobility problems it's well worth requesting a parking slot in the main museum car park which is held back for visitors who need it.

Opening: The opening times are strictly adhered to, I've not heard of anyone getting in before the stated opening time.

Traffic: It's pretty busy all day and I have heard that early is no quieter. The traffic management arrangements seem to have been tuned to a fine art and I haven't had traffic trouble at a Dux show for years. There is sometimes a few minutes wait arriving/leaving, but nothing major.

Where to put yourself: It really depends what you want to see and what the conditions are like. The flying is easily seen from most spots but you will probably want to put yourself at one or other end of the crowdline for a lot of taxiing, run-up, etc type ground action. Keep an eye on the wind for the day so as to have an idea of which runway direction will be in use. The crowdline is South-facing so unfortunately you'll be facing the sun for most of the day, protect your eyes, wear a hat etc.

Other tips: You will probably want to bring your own grub as the museum cafes get swamped pretty quick and the prices from the burger vans etc is always a tad high and again busy. Bringing your own saves money and valuable rivet counting time, I speak from experience.

Main advice is to take it all in and enjoy it.

Member for

7 years 3 months

Posts: 216

Thanks mate, being an Aussie all out our airshows are into the sun, so I am used to it. The other thing is bring plenty of water. Do you know if they have free water refill stations around at all?

Member for

8 years 7 months

Posts: 427

No they charge you an extortionate amount for bottles instead

Profile picture for user 1batfastard

Member for

11 years 2 months

Posts: 3,650

Hi All,
Now the video..........:cool:

Geoff.

Member for

12 years 1 month

Posts: 54

Hello,

Just received confirmation of the booking of the "all organized" travel including coach from Belgium and intrance at the meeting.
First time me and my father will go to Legends (and first visit to Duxford), pretty excited and crossing my fingers for a nice weather.

Member for

19 years 7 months

Posts: 1,274

Just had a look at the list of participants. No BBMF this year?

T J

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,415

Never understood why Hangar 11 are not involved.

Member for

19 years 4 months

Posts: 814

The parking permit i’ve received this year is different to the usual IWM large format A4 print outs. It’s printed exactly the same as the entry ticket bordered in blue ?

Member for

5 years 2 months

Posts: 6

Whilst I was taking pictures early this morning on the flight line about 7:45am, a photographer was taking several pictures of an aircraft. He was the only one taking pictures of that particular aircraft, as most people had moved on. Another well known photographer/picture collector was now waiting very impatiently for this man to move. While the photographer was taking a few close ups which lasted at most a minute, this other photographer (with a telescopic extension on his camera) was making clicking noises and asking this person to move out the way very rudely. The man said he would be done in a second but this wasn't good enough. After a few more comments the man moved on and the rude photographer got his picture. I felt this approach was uncalled for as all he had to do was wait a minute for this man to move. They are lucky that they are allowed to get pictures that close and that early in the morning, with not many people there. Just thought I would point this out and hopefully some people will be a bit nicer next time.

Member for

11 years 4 months

Posts: 31

Does anyone know if the Prototype Fury flew in the end? I had to leave after the 3 x C-47 display.

It was a great show as usual. This is not a criticism, but it felt like the display was even further away compared to last year. Is there stricter rules this year?

Member for

11 years 6 months

Posts: 259

I saw it moving out to the threshold as I was leaving, but can't confirm as to whether or not it got airborne

Member for

12 years 1 month

Posts: 54

Hello,

Just back home few hours ago after a long trip back in coach and ferry.
It was my first time at Flying Legends and my first visit to Duxford and in my opinion It was a wonderfull show: very well organized (we're the 8th in the queue for the entrance waiting the doors of the Visitor Center to open, so we didn't see any queue, so my opinion is potentially a bit biased (correct word in English ?) regarding queues and organization in the later peak entrance hours.

High points of the show, with my modest experience of airshows and first visit to Duxford Flying Legenfs.

- 12 ships Spitfire formation, just waaawwww
- 5 ships 109 formation : 5 or 6 years ago, nobody will have think it will occures one day.
- The ultimate fighter four ships : very very tight formation, incredible with 4 differents types (Spit, Fury, Mustang and 109) having different flying specifications.
- The double Joker with Nick Grey in the Bearcat and Richard Grace in the Fury.
- The 3 ship C47 / DC3 : having completly missed the D-Day commemoration, it was a nice sight.
- The various solod display of TFC aircraft with a special mention for Peter Kinsey in the Bearcat : as Nick Grey commented during his presentation : it's incredible to see the level of "peacefull airmanship" of this guy : when you see him making display, you understand why the Grey's thrust him as the chief pilot of TFC.
- The Balbo : never seen before and what a thrill

Nick Grey made a few comments about TFC news and projets

  • The Fiat is waiting a prop trouble to be fixed but with hight hopes to be flying next year.
  • they're considering retrieving from storage the Mk22 project they have since a long time.
  • Not directly airshow related but a sad point: Stephen Grey decided this year will be the last one seeing him flying, after already retiring of displaying few years. From the word of Nick, he's very sad about that. I just hope he know how so many people are grateful about what he did (and continue to do) for the pleasure of historical airplanes enthusiasts.

The DH9 didn't fly yesterday : the owner was already starting to comment and tell the story of the project when Dodge Bailey made a call about a minor engine problem.

Regarding the participant aircrafts, I simply don't understand the criticism about the lack of diversity : from my point of view the diversity level of a airshow is more trying to offer a different selection of aircrafts each year, than offering each year a high level of diversity with a list of mandatory types to be present at each show, with the risk to present a show similar to others airshow available in Europe or UK.
Considering the context (others UK airshows, some regular participants from France down for technical issue, like the French blue Sea Fury) and the 75 years of D-Day, in my opinion, making such a gathering of Spitfires and 109 was a very good choice (To be honnest the prospect of 15 Spitfire was one of the element who make me attend this years, after year of hesitation facing the organization issues to come from Belgium. I'm sure next year the show will be completly different with a different strategic orientation, probably with more types representation than this year, making again this show so unique.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,566

Whilst I was taking pictures early this morning on the flight line about 7:45am, a photographer was taking several pictures of an aircraft. He was the only one taking pictures of that particular aircraft, as most people had moved on.

As Flight Line Walk didn't open until 8.15 (Sat) this person must have been accredited media to be out that early. Unfortunately people get a bit hot under the collar at times out on the flight line - snappers complaining about re-enactors getting in the way is one complaint that arises quite often...

Stupidity also floats to the surface like cream - number of times I've had to point out smoking is not allowed on the live side of the barriers...

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,435

British contributors criticising FL content on social media could do worse then read Iclo’s post and reflect about how fortunate, in fact, they are. A foreign visitor’s view provides a welcome perspective.

Iclo, great report, thank you. I missed it this year but will be back next year. It is always a great show.

Hats off to Stephen Grey - in just over a year's time (24th August I think) it will be 40 years since I heard and saw a red Mustang zotting over my head, little realising that I was watching the genesis of what became TFC. In a recent idle moment I listed the airframes that I believe have been a part of the collection or its parent company at one time or another - as fliers, projects, part of a deal/swap, or possibly just briefly as part of brokering deals on behalf of other collectors. I've got to 79! Some 40 of those have been active at Duxford at one time or another and been displayed at Legends and elsewhere, many of them types we might not have otherwise had the opportunity to enjoy in the UK.

I am sad to hear Stephen is stopping flying but thank you for sharing your hobby and providing a great deal of pleasure to so many others.

Member for

12 years 8 months

Posts: 400

Another wonderful show this year, no complaints at all from me about the aircraft taking part.

The weather just about held but a lot of the lighting was challenging for photography so I just put the camera down and enjoyed the show.

There are a few shots here if anybody wishes to see some of the formations: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmF7G88r

The highlight for me was watching the DH.9 fly for the first time - living so close to Duxford (and Old Warden, for that matter) and being exposed to such an amazing variety of airworthy aircraft flying the whole year round can sometimes make one forget just how lucky we are. I will never get tired of waching a dozen or more Spitfires tailchasing eachother all over the sky.

5Z2A5515 by SimonR

5Z2A5278 by SimonR