Headcorn Battle of Britain Airshow

[Latinbear]

For my first and most likely last aviation event of the year I attended the Friday of the three day sell out Battle of Britain show at Headcorn in Kent. It was my first visit to the airfield and I was  thrilled to discover how close to the display line the fence line was. That said, much of the fence was taken up with a premium priced enclosure of socially distanced tables and chairs leaving a few small gaps available for cheapskates like me. However, the closeness of the display line meant that decent shots of the aircraft were possible.  Strangely, spectators were barred by staff from the fence line where a Spitfire was located at the southern end but allowed at the fence line further up the runway but subsequently Tony Parker taxied a Spitfire up to this area to allow a close up look at the aircraft as  well as chatting to the crowd and answering their questions which was a very nice touch. I wandered up right to the north end where I was the only spectator. Never had that experience at an airshow before! 

 

The day itself was very windy and cold. The BBMF along with a Buchon and Spitfire Mk1 from Duxford cancelled owing to the weather and by mid afternoon the light was such that photography was pretty much a waste of time. 

 

Given what has happened with other public events the organisers deserve full credit for having the courage to go ahead with the show and the pilots did a tremendous job in what were difficult conditions.  The Stampes in particular were bobbing around like corks in a rough sea. 

 

I really enjoyed my day out and would certainly go to Headcorn again. 

 

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8. The view from the north end

 

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That's it. Thanks for looking. 

[Alpha Delta 210]

Lovely set. I love the Daks!

 

I'm shivering at the show at the moment and just enjoyed the Dak display. 

 

It is gusting up to 25 mph at the moment, so I'm not sure if we will get a full display. 

[ColinChipmunkfan]

Very nice photos on what look slike a difficult day for photography. I really like the picture of the Harvard taking off.

[Latinbear]

6 minutes ago, ColinChipmunkfan said:

Very nice photos on what look slike a difficult day for photography. I really like the picture of the Harvard taking off.

Thank you Colin, nice of you to say so. The Harvard was flown by a furloughed BA pilot who is a training captain on the A380. By the time the two Spitfires put on the closing display the conditions for photography were awful. Even the shots that I haven't binned had to be substantially lightened. 

[John R]

Well done for getting any pictures at all, let alone decent ones.

A friend and I got the three day ticket thinking that there would be a fair chance of getting at least one decent day. Ho! Ho!. We went on Saturday.

On 9/26/2020 at 1:49 PM, Alpha Delta 210 said:

It is gusting up to 25 mph at the moment, so I'm not sure if we will get a full display. 

At the the time Alpha Delta replied my friend and I were on our way home thoroughly chilled despite being dressed for the Arctic, as the rest of the program did not seem worth dying for.

[Latinbear]

4 minutes ago, John R said:

Well done for getting any pictures at all, let alone decent ones.

A friend and I got the three day ticket thinking that there would be a fair chance of getting at least one decent day. Ho! Ho!. We went on Saturday.

At the the time Alpha Delta replied my friend and I were on our way home thoroughly chilled despite being dressed for the Arctic, as the rest of the program did not seem worth dying for. Did they manage to get to the end?

Thank you John for the kind comments re the shots, much appreciated. There was a bit of a hiatus on the Friday afternoon which I think was probably a combination of the weather and the gaps caused by the cancellation of the BBMF and the Duxford contingent. The last performance was of the single and two seat Spitfires and they landed at 4pm which I believe was when the show was due to close.  There may have been a flying programme with timings kicking around somewhere but I didn't it. 

[F-32]

Great effort in very trying conditions

[Latinbear]

2 hours ago, F-32 said:

Great effort in very trying conditions

Thank you F32, much appreciated.  Although the camera and lens combo is quite heavy a combination of the wind and a slow shutter speed meant that quite a lot of shots have ended up on the cutting room floor so to speak.