BBMF at ‘Airbourne’ Eastbourne
The annual Eastbourne ‘Airbourne’ event is the largest free seafront air show in the world and is held over four days, this year from Thursday 11th to Sunday 14th August. The air show attracts huge crowds totalling around 450,000.
The BBMF supported the Eastbourne 2016 event as it always does and the fickle British summer weather almost ‘played ball’. On the first day, the weather and surface wind conspired to prevent the BBMF fighters from joining in, but the Lancaster appeared solo, to the delight of the crowds who had missed its presence in 2015 whilst the ‘Lanc’ was recovering from its No 4 engine fire. The fighters caught up with the Lancaster on the Friday and for the final three days the crowds were ‘wowed’ by the BBMF’s ‘signature’ display of the Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire three-ship, in beautiful weather.
The aircraft, aircrew and ground support personnel deployed to Southend Airport for the period and operated from there rather than from Biggin Hill as originally planned, because the runway direction at Southend was more favourable for the limited crosswind limits of these historic aircraft. As is usually the case for the BBMF, the Flight conducted numerous flypasts at other events in southern England during the four days, in addition to displaying at Eastbourne.
The opportunity was also taken to for some air-to-air photography of the BBMF aircraft off the white cliffs of the English south coast, with Richard Paver as the photographer.
