IWM Duxford Flying Finale
The final event of IWM Duxford’s 2025 Season of air displays was the Flying Finale on Saturday 4th October. Unfortunately the first weekend of October saw the UK’s first major storm of autumn, Storm Amy. While the worst of the weather was centred over the northern half of the UK, Duxford still experienced strong and gusty winds through the day of the Finale which severely curtailed the flying.
Paul Johnson/Flightline UK reports. All photography by the author.
Storm Amy had been forecast for quite sometime before the day of the Flying Finale so I woke on morning of the Flying Finale with an open mind as to whether the event would even take place. Afterall, the storm had generated a UK wide Yellow weather warning for wind. However, Duxford’s social media posts seem optimistic even though many of the lighter and more sensitive displays had withdrawn.
Arriving at Duxford slightly later than usual as I had waited for the official updates, it was heartening to see Duxford’s Northside car park so full. It was however once on the airfield that that optimism soon waned – it was really gusty and the start of the planning flying coincided with a line of darker clouds which in turn brought even stronger gusts of winds. Despite that, the engines of Plane Sailing’s Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina were running to start the display on time! It has to be said the pilots, Phillip Petitt and Jeff Boyling, put on a fine series of passes in the leaden skies. However, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the Catalina ever fly so slowly in to the wind or bumped around so much. On landing, the turbulence in the air close to the ground was all too obvious but the crew managed a smooth, if very short landing on the grass to conclude the only historic aircraft display of the afternoon.
As the afternoon wore on, it became evident none of the planned warbird displays could take place; nor could the wonderful Extra 330SC solo display from the French Air Force safely fly in such conditions. That just left the two displays from the Royal Air Force to close the day out and their own respective display seasons. The first of these was the 29 Squadron Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 flown by Squadron Leader Nathan Shawyer. The clouds just parted in time bathing Duxford in a brief period of bright sunshine and the crowds moved forward from sheltering in the lee of the hangars. As he concluded his display and turn north back to his base at RAF Coningsby, there was something of cheerful round of applause from around the crowdline for his thunderous displays.
There was another short break in proceeding before the day’s absolute highlight, the final display of the season by the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows. The team were operating from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk which meant they were close to Duxford which allowed them to perform a meet and greet with the public during the morning in the Airspace hangar. Despite being down to just eight jets, the team gave what was an incredibly smooth performance to round off the day. It was also a special display for Red 10, Sqn Ldr Graeme Muscat who was in the role for the final time at Duxford after a four year tour. We wish him well for the future.
This perhaps was not the finale Duxford deserved after another exceptional season of flying. However, it did prove the enduring popularity of flying displays at the venue and in particular, the Red Arrows. Despite long period of uncertainty and nothing happening, much of the crowd had hung on to the very end to see the team perform in the early evening sunshine. Hopefully, kinder conditions will return for the 2026 season.
