BBMF 2024 Members’ Day
Header Image: Lancaster PA474 and some of the 2024 Members’ Day crowd. (Photo: Neil Burgess)
The 2024 BBMF Members’ Day, held at the Flight’s home at RAF Coningsby on Saturday 28th September, was blessed with beautiful weather and bright blue skies. Although the flying programme was limited by the ongoing pause in flying for the BBMF fighter aircraft, the day was much enjoyed by all who attended.
Around 1,500 members of the Official Club and about 570 of the Lincolnshire’s Lancaster Association came to Coningsby for the day, the latest in a long line of annual events, exclusively for ticket-holding members, allowing the BBMF to thank its supporters in a special way.
Once again, the park-and-ride buses ferried everyone quickly and efficiently from the car park to the BBMF area, with a tour of the RAF Coningsby base thrown in for free, allowing glimpses of the airfield not normally seen by the public.
The BBMF hangar housed more stalls than ever this year, adding interest and retail opportunities. The Club had its own stand as usual, allowing the team to meet many Club members and to recruit some new ones. Eight Club members, who were winners in the Club’s calendar photographic competition, were able to collect their prizes of a free copy of the Club’s 2025 calendar in person. The 2025 calendar, which was launched on the day, proved to be very popular with many copies sold, as well as other Club-branded items. It was wonderful for the team to meet and chat with so many members face to face.
With the BBMF fighters unable to fly, their presence in the static display allowed people to get closer and made an impressive line-up. Those who hadn’t seen it before were touched by BBMF’s tribute to Squadron Leader Mark Long with the markings on the starboard side of Spitfire Mk XVI TE311. As the BBMF fighter pilots were not involved in flying, they and other personnel were able to spend more time by the aircraft talking with members. A Eurofighter Typhoon was also on static display along with the Typhoon Display Team stand, and many people were also able to meet this year’s Typhoon display pilot, Flight Lieutenant Dave ‘Turbo’ Turnbull.
Meanwhile, the Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance AW169 ‘Ambucopter’ landed at Coningsby to support the charity stall and was then scrambled on a ‘shout’ during the flying display in the afternoon.
The flying programme saw the BBMF Lancaster PA474 displaying twice in beautiful blue skies, each time arriving overhead from crowd rear.
The Typhoon display, in this year’s specially-painted display aircraft with its D-Day stripes, was as ear-shattering and impressive as ever.
In addition, ex-OC BBMF Squadron Leader Mark ‘Disco’ Discombe gave a neat display in the Rolls-Royce Heritage Flight’s Harvard IIB KF183, which in recent years has been used to train new BBMF fighter pilots before they fly the Hurricane.
Despite the limited flying this year, all those who attended clearly wanted to show their support for the BBMF, and there is no doubt that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event. Some said they were so pleased that the Members’ Day could just go ahead after the tragic events of this year. The day was summed up by member Lee Wilson who said, “Superb day and thank you to the BBMF after such a terrible year”. Whilst Club member Irene Abbott, for whom this was her first Members’ Day, said: “Thank you to all at Coningsby for a memorable day. We are looking forward to next year.”
