The Imperial War Museum Duxford opened its 2025 flying season with the VE Day Flying Day. As the occasion demands, the short flying programme mixed some of Duxford’s finest airworthy warbirds with some more joyful and colourful flying in clear blue skies. It was also the first mainland UK event for the Commemorative Air Force’s Douglas R4D-6S and its ‘Navy to Victory’ Tour.
Paul Johnson/Flightline UK reports. All photography by the author.
Duxford’s VE Day Flying Day came at the end of a busy week across all the Imperial War Museum sites which all marked the 80th Anniversary of VE Day in the their own way starting with a ceremonial gun salute from HMS Belfast on the preceding Bank Holiday Monday. IWM Duxford itself has a busy summer season with numerous events including seven different air displays including two major airshows.
For the opening VE Day Flying Day, it was certainly a glorious day with near clear blue skies. However, there was a sting in the tail with a strengthening gusty southerly wind. Though all the planned display items did fly, it did mean that at fairly short notice the organisers were forced to close the infamous tank bank area to allow some of the lighter participants to angle their landing approaches more into the wind.
The wind also meant that the crew of the Commemorative Air Force Douglas R4D-6S were unable to complete two short local flights before and after the flying display. The R4D-6S is a maritime patrol variant of the C-47 Skytrain which was operated by the US Navy during the Second World War. It should have been part of 2024’s Dakotas over Normandy tour but technical problems encountered just before the transatlantic crossing. However that setback was turned into a opportunity for a short European tour during the first half of the Summer 2025 season to mark the 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe and the Pacific. The tour has been made possible by a partnership with the Imperial War Museums which will see this unique aircraft based at Duxford until the end of July supporting events large and small in the UK and around Europe. During the Flying Day, the aircraft was open for tours and the small support crew were on hand all day to talk about the aircraft and the historic naval artefacts that they have brought over from the US. Another Douglas DC-3 derivative also caught the eye, this time the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Douglas Dakota III which was on show in one of the hangars having just completed a major service with the Aircraft Restoration Company and newly repainted in the colours of South East Asia Command.
As well as the R4D, many of Duxford operators had showcase exhibits on show around the hangars and showground area including Aerial Collective and Paul Ford’s Fokker Dr1. His newly built Fokker DVII was also out on the flightline for a short time. There were also a number of exhibits from a number of local museums, particularly though with links with aviation plus a selection of stands from the United States Air Force Booster Clubs from RAF Mildenhall and Lakenheath.
The flying displays last for just under two hours and got underway with aerobatic displays by Pete Kynsey and Anna Walker. Pete was flying his Le Vier Cosmic Wind ‘Ballerina’ which looked sublime in its smart green and cream colour scheme against the deep blue skies. He was following by Anna flying the Bűcker (CASA) Jungmann who flew a very spirited aerobatic sequence complete with a rolling circle and a very smooth slow roll despite the somewhat choppy winds.
Further colour came later in the flying courtesy of the Tiger Club’s Turbulent Team flying three Druine D31 Turbulents. The gusty conditions precluded much of the team’s barnstorming including the limbo flying and balloon bursting. However, all three pilots did incredibly well to put together some excellent formation flying and low passes despite being bumped around a lots by the wind.
The warbird elements of the flying provided some snapshots of military aviation developed during the Second World War. The Battle of Britain was the theme of the first big set-piece with the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Hispano HA1112-M1L Buchon with John Roman at the controls tangling with the Imperial War Museum’s Supermarine Spitfire Ia N3200 and Jennifer Taylor’s Hawker Hurricane I P3717 flown by Jon Gowdy and Frank Chapman. Further Spitfires featured later in the programme thanks to Comanche Fighters with their Spitfire Ia AR213 flown by Brian Smith and Spitfire IX ML417 piloted by Anna Walker. Though now in American ownership, both Spitfires have a long history displaying in the UK formally under the stewardship of Tony Bianchi in the case of AR213 and ML417 operated for many years by the Fighter Collection. After some formation passes the aircraft split for some solo passes and aerobatics.
The end of the flying programme switched to military operations towards the end of the Second World War. The work of the Army Cooperation pilots during the land campaigns was represented by the Piper L4 Grasshopper of Anthony Bendowski which gave a very spritely display of its agility and slow speed handling.
Closing the display was the very potent pairing of Fighter Aviation Engineering’s Republic P-47D Thunderbolt and the Fighter Collection’s Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat flown by Pete Kynsey and Stu Goldspink. Both flew sweeping aerobatic sequences in the clear blue skies highlighting the incredible performance of the later piston engine fighters over the early war aircraft such as the mark one Spitfire and Hurricanes that had flown earlier.
Despite the challenges of the gusty winds, the VE Day Flying Day was a superb start to Duxford’s flying season that looks set to get better and better as it goes on. The next Flying Day is being held on Saturday 7th June and will mark the contribution of air power to the D-Day landings 81 years ago.
