Duxford Air Show 2012 - Pt 1

The Duxford Air Show was graced with spectacular weather this year with perfect blue skies and fluffy white clouds, the perfect backdrop for photography. I went on Saturday and tried to be a bit more restrained with my picture taking, focusing on particular aircraft of interest rather than everything. I still came away with over 400 pictures and I'm working through these now, but here's the first batch that I have processed. 

I arrived early and had several hours to explore the museum and traders before the show started. First stop was the Aerospace Hall which I haven't been in for some time. Here's a a Mosquito - the 'wooden wonder' - arguably one of our best Night Fighters of WWII

There is also a wonderfully preserved example of an Avro Lancaster on display amongst other iconic aircraft both Military and Civil. 

A Vulcan B5 takes pride of place in the centre of the hall.

The Bomb Bay of the Vulcan. 

Junkers Ju52/3m "Iron Annie"

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain "Drag-em-oot", a veteran of both D-Day and Operation Market Garden

"Drag-em-oot" still bears the scars of its mission to resupply the troops in Arnhem

Inside the cockpit of the C-47

While we were waiting in the queue to get on board the C-47 we got chatting with the guy in front of us. He was a Navigation officer on board one of these aircraft in Canada after the war and described flying in them as "baking hot in summer and absolutely freezing in winter". Given its thin metal skin (with dozens of repaired puncture wounds still visible) it's amazing these planes stayed in the air given the battering they were subjected too. We got to see this old warhorse fly later in the day and I'll post pictures of that in the next few days.