Papa 10
Miserable Old Git
I found my photo album (youngsters ask your parents) from May 1993 and unless I missed something completely the running order at the Derwent Reservoir was:
Chipmunk WK590 coded 69 (this may have been privately owned)
Hercules C1 XV186 (just on a training flight)
Sea King HAR3 ZE370 which did a full SAR demonstration including rescuing a survivor from the middle of the reservoir
4 x Tornado GR1 from 617 Squadron (haven't got the serials for these) which did a run at hilltop level as a four-ship, then came through the valley below us in trail - spectacular!
2 x Hercules C1 just passing, slightly above us
Mosquito TIII RR299
Lancaster B1 PA474 (marked at the time as PM-M2 (squared - implies the squadron had more than one -M)
9 x Hawk T1 the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team - The Red Arrows.
My notebook says there was also a Gazelle HT1 coded W that I couldn't read the serial from. I expect that brought a VIP.
Pretty decent for a free show. We watched from quite high on the hill, which is definitely the thing to do at Derwent: anybody can go to an airshow and look up at aeroplanes, the trick is looking down at them.
We also had two Goshawks in the valley, not much chance of that these days.
John
PS: In aid of the above contention about looking down:
Lancasters (and BBMF Spitfires and Hurricane) from above Goodwood. They are B&W in case anyone thinks their eyes have gone funny.
John
Thank you for taking the time and trouble with this post, it is really appreciated.
The Sea King actually did a 'dummy' rescue run in the days leading up to the show and I was birding the 'dams' and thought it was a real rescue--doh
I would assume the Gazelle carried Richard Todd (the actor who played Guy Gibson in the film) who was present and as he said the real heroes were the actual crews of the day and not the actors/filmakers, although it gave the public an insight in to what 617 squadron achieved. Although only having a mild interest in aircraft I left feeling very humble when considering what the crews had endured with no praise being high enough, and I actually shook hands with some of them.
Vic Hallam was instumental in the 617 Squadron museum formation in one of the towers of Derwent Dam which had a full scale model of a 'bouncing bomb' invented by Barnes Wallace (another 'local')
The Gos have taken the hint after years of persecution in the valley and are now frequenting other areas.
Thank you again :t: