BBMF Public Display Approval (PDA) 2016

Each year the BBMF is subject to a Public Display Approval (PDA) process, without which there could be no public displays by the Flight’s aircraft and pilots. Normally, the PDA occurs on a single day, but this year, due to the vagaries of the British weather and some aircraft unserviceabilities, the PDA will be spread across three.

The first PDA day was on Wednesday 27th April when the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) of No 1 Group, Air Vice Marshal Gary Waterfall CBE, visited RAF Coningsby to observe the BBMF and Typhoon displays. This was one of his very last actions as AOC 1 Group before handing over to Air Vice Marshal Gerry Mayhew CBE, who also attended to ‘shadow’ the day.

 

It was already known that the BBMF Lancaster would not be available for this date – the background and reasons for this are detailed in the Club members’ newsletter for this month – but the Flight had the Dakota, its two Hurricanes and Spitfire Mk XVI TE311 at its disposal. In the event, out-of-limit crosswinds curtailed the scheduled BBMF flying programme and three of the BBMF fighter pilots were unable to perform for the AOC.

He was able to approve the Dakota display and its pilots and also cleared the revised start to the BBMF fighter display (arriving head-on to the crowd for a ‘half-horizontal-eight’ manoeuvre) and observed and cleared the fighter ‘synchro’ and tail-chase displays. OC BBMF, Sqn Ldr ‘Disco’ Discombe and the RAF Coningsby Station Commander, Group Captain Jez Attridge, achieved their display approvals before BBMF flying had to cease for the day.

 

The new AOC – AVM Mayhew – returned to Coningsby on 5th May and the three other BBMF fighter pilots – Wing Commander Stu Smiley and Flight Lieutenants ‘Parky’ Parkinson and Andy Preece – were granted their display approvals.

The Lancaster PDA will be scheduled for a date in June.