Staverton Air Show 1981

While editing this footage of nearly 30 years ago it struck me that while the Harrier is now on its Americanised Mark 7 variant with the hovering Joint Strike Fighter is just around the corner - and the C-130 is now a longer aircraft with curved Dowty propellers - some airshow attractions like the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Sally B seem to have stayed the same for ages! Of course, all these aircraft are painted in different markings from time to time and have vast amounts of love and money poured into them but, like the steam locomotives in GWR 150, they just don't date like some of the aircraft in service at any given time since World War II. Similarly, an air show just isn't an air show without the Red Arrows who in 1981 had only recently converted from the Folland Gnat to the British Aerospace Hawk and left RAF Kemble for Lincolnshire. Sadly, some old friends do depart from the scene in unfortunate circumstances as was the case with the De Havilland Mosquito. The onetime Skyfame Museum at Staverton once boasted an airworthy example, although this stayed on the ground after a landing accident in the 1960s. The machine filmed here was also to crash in 1996 although I understand a scratchbuilt replica is set to fly in New Zealand in 2010.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Gloucestershire Airport
• Staverton
• 1981
• air display
• Hawker Siddeley Harrier
• Lockheed C-130 Hercules
• Boeing B-17 Sally B
• Hawker Hurricane
• Supermarine Spitfire
• Avro Lancaster
• Westland Sea King
• The Red Arrows
• British aerospace Hawk
• De Havilland Mosquito

[alandrewett]

Hi Motorcrosser 12! Staverton air shows continued at least up to 1990 although the Skyfame museum which sponsored them originally left in the 1970s. Nowadays though there is more serious competition from Kemble ( now civilian, then military ) and RIAT at Fairford. A shame though, as I like that atmosphere of small airshows rather than big ones.

[motorcrosser12]

When did they stop having air shows there? Wish they still had them now! I was there yesterday and they were only doing aerobatics in small planes above are heads. Was good to watch but i would prefer to watch this there.