Biggin Hill Battle of Britain Weekend 2004
While it moved to September and was dubbed ‘Battle of Britain Weekend,’, 2004’s Biggin Hill event was the International Air Fair in all but name. The aerial battle of 1940 was very much at the heart of the event, but it was actually some amphibian aircraft from a different era that were the show stars.
All photography by Paul Johnson/Flightline UK.
The late September light gave the 2004 Battle of Britain Weekend a very special atmosphere, particularly on the Sunday which saw the fuller flying display. The show saw the final public UK display by the Utterly Butterly Barnstormers who were moving on to new sponsors Guinot for 2005 onwards. There was also superb international military support with F-16AM Fighting Falcon solo displays from the Royal Netherlands and Belgian Air Forces, a flypast from the F-15E Strike Eagles of the USAF 48th Fighter Wing plus the excellent Dassault Alpha Jet E solo display from the French Air Force.
However it was the incredibly rare appearance of Iren Dornier’s Dornier Do24ATT that stole the show. The sight of the 1930’s era airframe, albeit modified with modern avionics and turboprop engines, passing across the London backdrop was truly memorable, particularly as it was in company with Plane Sailing’s Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina.
