For
the 2016 show, I decided to take all three of my vehicles on display. The
activity began on Thursday, collecting the Dodge from storage and
bringing it home. Because Lynne was working in Richmond, I was able to
take the GPW to Croft on Thursday afternoon, and be collected on her
way home. On Friday morning, we then drove the M201 and Dodge to
Croft. It then took about three hours to set up the tent and the
display of vehicles.
The
Pitts Special flew in on Friday, but the rest of the visiting aircraft
arrived on Saturday. There were the Bestmann and Chipmunk around 9am,
and the Twisters Duo aerobatic Team later in the morning. I took the
photo opportunity for some more 'Follow Me' duty, leading the Bestmann
and Chipmunk to the display area.
The
Twisters landing and on static display.
2016
was a record year for military vehicle entries into the show, there
being over 100 entered.
The
good weather allowed uninterrupted racing, although the wind picked up
on Sunday, it at least stayed dry.
Back
to the aviation theme, we had a rare Bristol Hercules aero engine
which was running at regular intervals across the weekend. It made a
nice change from the 'Merlin' and 'Griffon' engines often seen at
airshows.
There
were 300+ classic cars on display, and probably the most ever entered
into the show.
On
Sunday, while the Twisters flew their second display, the Sherman,
FV432 and Stalwart took to the arena for a blast around.
We
didn't get a great sun set on Saturday evening, but I still took the
chance for some long exposure shots of the aircraft against the
orange/purple glow of the clouds over Darlington.
Around
4pm on Sunday, the wind eased a bit, and the Bestmann and Chipmunk
flew out back to Breighton airfield.
I
started packing away small display items about 3pm, and late in the
afternoon, by the time
most other vehicles had gone, I got my three vehicles together for a
quick photo-shoot. Shortly after, I took the Ford to the Croft
Engineering workshop to be locked up for the night. I would return
first thing in the morning to return that home, followed by returning
the Dodge to its storage yard. It was a busy, long weekend, but an
excellent show.
