This page was created on an LCII without 'Net access by a certain David Aitken from Linlithgow, Scotland.
Oh, no- not an Anorak!
I was among thousands of aviation enthusiasts from all over the world, who visited RAF Leuchars in Fife (Scotland) on Saturday 16th of September, to see a multitude of aircraft from all over the world and all times in the past century. We are not anoraks! Millions of people on this planet visit airshows each year to marvel at the technology of new aircraft, wonder at the nostalgia of the old, and wander round the static displays. These include, as well as aircraft, many vintage military vehicles and active displays by other branches of the military.
Above: An American Willy's Jeep on Static Display
Better than IAT
I have to say that I felt Leuchars '95 was somewhat more interesting than the International Air Tattoo during the summer. I took the sleeper down to RAF Fairford from Edinburgh for the Saturday of the weekend, which may have been a bad idea, with the prospect of seeing "The World's Greatest Aviation Spectacular", but was quite disappointed by what I saw. For a start, the static display consisted of a huge line of the same American tanker aircraft (I was too uninterested to wonder what they were). Congratulations to them for coming up with quite a few aircraft I haven't seen before, such as the Hawker Hind, Gloster Gladiator, Westland Lysander, Bristol Blenheim, Hawker Hunter and DeHavilland Vampire, but these aircraft were all at the beginning of the show and will have been missed by many. And for what was supposed to be the 'Victory Airshow', there was a distinct absence of the Memorial Flight until the end of the day, by which time I had left. The whole day was detracted from by the sweltering heat.
Above: The Memorial Flight, Better Seen at Leuchars
A Greater Spectacular
As well as being much more accessible to me than the south of England, Leuchars was a much better airshow. The static displays were extremely varied and interesting, with aircraft, vehicles and demonstrations, and the air displays were perfectly planned with a great selection of different aircraft, and the memorial flight making an appearance near the middle of the one-day airshow.
Above: A Chinook on Static
The aircraft on flying display varied from the Rover Group Flight, a pair of propeller-driven Extra 300 monoplanes, to the Tornados of 43(F) Squadron, and from the vintage Avro Lancaster to the Nimrod (The one that keeps crashing), which made a nervous fly-past, probably on its way to RAF Lossiemouth near Inverness.
Above: The Nimrod Makes a Single Pass
Them Again
Never one to be left out, the Red Arrows display team flying their Bae Hawk trainers made yet another welcome airshow appearance, and the Patrouille de France team in their Alphajets was there on a PR mission, one of their quite impressive smoke-trail pictures being a heart with an arrow through it.
Above: The Red Arrows Shoot Past at Low Level
Why Don't You?
Leuchars Airshow is on annually in the middle of September at RAF Leuchars, Fife, across the Tay from Dundee.
The International Air Tattoo is on annually towards the end of July at RAF Fairford, Swindon, a long train journey west of London. (It's not that bad...)
Below: A Striking F-5 In Use by the Royal Norweigan Air Force
