Vickers Spitfire MkV1 Victorious in World War II

The Duxford Airfield is in the area covered by the Cambridge Raynet group, and regularly attracts crowds of around 15,000. Since this is a museum, the aircraft displaying are invariably from the era of the two World Wars, and nostalgia is the order of the day!  Picture below shows the museum's recently acquired (2001) SR71 Blackbird moving from it's temporary display in the 'superhangar' to it's permanent home in the re-vamped American Air Museum.

At RAF Mildenhall, however, in the heart of the West Suffolk countryside, the accent is on more modern generations of high powered, noisy, jet aircraft.

Another large 'International grade' show is the RAF Waddington International Air Show in early July. Waddington is home to three squadrons of Air Reconnaisance aircraft - two of Sentry E3s of NATO allegiance and one of BAE Nimrods, and is among the busiest of all RAF bases.
Left: Shuttle Orbiter Discovery returns to Kennedy Space Centre.

Other Air Shows which have featured in this area in recent years include open days at RAF Lakenheath, only a few miles from Mildenhall, as well as RAF Honington, also nearby.

A number of smaller airshows are a feature at the grass Rougham Tower airfield, lying just east of Bury St Edmunds, where single type planes often fly, some offering the opportunity of a trial flight.

The presence of these airfields carries with it the ever present danger of a major disaster, not least being the nightmare of a fuel-laden crash in the vast afforested regions within West Suffolk and neighbouring Breckland.

Forest Heath and other nearby groups remain in constant vigilance; a number of Crash Rescue type exercises have taken place with these dangerous contingencies in mind.©

PS. See also Air Fête 2001 Thanks for coming.