Great Vintage Flying Weekend 2009, Kemble
2009 saw the return of the Great Vintage Flying Weekend following 2008’s cancellation. The event has now been taken over by the Events Team at Kemble which will also provide a permanent base for the event. The new team have brought new ideas to the event which now includes a short flying display.
Paul Johnson/Flightline UK reports from the first Kemble event of the year. All photography copyright of Author.
We last attended the Great Vintage Flying Weekend in 2004. Back then the event was a pure fly in of vintage types. Since 2004 the show moved to Keevil and Hullavington but suffered the full force of the British spring climate on each occasion. In 2008 the event was cancelled with ever rising costs and unpredictable weather being important factors. It didn’t totally disappear however, as the G-VFWE became part of the Battle of Britain Open Days held at Kemble in September from which the concept has been expanded on for 2009.
Led by Glen Moreman, the 2009 event saw several new ideas for the weekend. As well as one of the biggest fly-ins of vintage aircraft in the UK, visitors were treated to a short flying display during the afternoon as well as the chance to get a closer look at the many vintage aircraft in the Vintage Aircraft Park. Delta Jets also opened their new hanger for a closer inspection of their fleet as well as the Air Atlantique Jet Provost and Vampire.
The short one hour flying display saw several different acts. Starting the display were the Great War Display Team with a pair of Junkers CL1 replicas and a further pair of SE5a replicas. The team have a busy season ahead with sometime up to 10 aircraft displaying at venues such as Biggin Hill, Dunsfold and Southport. Moving on up the spectrum of military aviation, the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight displayed their Dakota III. Later RAF Transports were represented by Andrew Dixon’s Pembroke C1 in it’s 60 Squadron markings. Another Percival product from a similar era was also displayed by Chris Edmundson, the Provost T1. In complete contrast to the British vintage aircraft were the pair of Ryan PT22 from Old Warden and flown by Peter Holloway and Tracy Curtis-Taylor. The two pre-war American trainers sounds almost agricultural compared to their British counterparts and look stunning in the sun with their silver and yellow colours. Concluding the flying displays was a loud and exciting display by Andy Cubin in Delta Jets’ gloss black Hunter T7 – Kemble just wouldn’t be Kemble without a Hunter display.
The revamped Great Vintage Flying Weekend is certainly an event to look out for next year. Not only do spectators get the chance to see some of the most interesting vintage types flying and close-up, but Kemble’s northern side is a superb venue with the AV8 bar and restaurant to relax in, and some excellent flying displays thrown in too!
