Return of the Great Yorkshire Airshow

Welcome to this latest edition of Aerodrome and our regular look at the fascinating world of aeroplanes and the historic aviation scene in the UK.

As we all now thankfully find ourselves in British summertime and with the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown definitely bringing a sense of positivity to the nation after an extremely difficult year, I am sure that I’m not alone in starting to hope that aeroplanes might soon be back on the agenda once more. Indeed, can we even start to think about the possibility of attending an Airshow or two before the summer is out? Let’s keep everything crossed that we will be able to, because there is no doubt that display organisers will be hoping to do just that and to welcome as many of us to their airfields as they are safely allowed to do, as they will all be desperately in need of a cash injection after a barren few months of inactivity.

As I uttered the fateful ‘A’ word earlier, there is nothing for it but to feature an enjoyable event from the Aerodrome archives in this latest edition of our blog, in the hopeful expectation that it won’t be long before we will all be able to take our places amongst an Airshow crowd again in the near future and that our cameras will click in anger once more. Our choice of event is quite an unusual one, a show which took place on the site of a former RAF fighter station which had only recently come into private hands, but one which had not hosted an event of this kind for over twenty years. With the new organisers cleverly galvanising the support of Britain’s largest county, we are heading for Church Fenton airfield and the magnificent Great Yorkshire Airshow.

RAF Church Fenton, defender of the North

At one time in its history, RAF Church Fenton Meteors were performing both day and nightfighter duties at the same time

The military airfield at Church Fenton was proposed during the mid 1930s as a direct response to the threat posed by continued German military expansionism and the need to establish a new fighter station for the protection of the industrial north. Initially, there was significant local opposition to the proposal, with people not understanding the reasoning behind sacrificing valuable farming land for the production of a new airfield, particularly when there was an existing airfield just a few miles away at Sherburn-in-Elmet. Despite this opposition, the plans were approved and construction on the new airfield started, but to make matters worse for the locals who had been in opposition, the works also included the construction of decoy airfields at nearby Kelfield to the east and Hambleton to the south, with the existing airfield at Sherburn acting as a relief landing ground.

The new airfield opened on 1st April 1937, even though construction was still underway. Facilities already established at that time included two shortened ‘C’ Type hangars, a collection of workshop and administration buildings and an extensive grass runway to support flight operations. The first aircraft residents at the new Royal Air Force airfield were No.213 Squadron with their Gloster Gauntlet Mk.II fighters and No.72 Squadron with their impressive new Gloster Gladiators, the RAF’s most capable fighter in front-line service at that time. Indeed, the arrival of No.72 Sqn provided RAF Church Fenton with an early claim to fame, as their new residents would be the first unit to be equipped with the Gladiator fighter, a move which not only represented official acknowledgement of the airfield’s importance, but also of its designation as a fighter station. At that time, the Gloster Gladiator represented the absolute pinnacle of RAF fighter technology and was the pride of the force. 

As Europe erupted into conflict, but prior to the start of the Battle of Britain, further development of the airfield had taken place, with the erection of more buildings and the laying of concrete runways and taxiways, a move with further underlined the importance of the station. As a Sector Station within No.13 Group, RAF Church Fenton was used as both a defensive and offensive airfield, but throughout the period of the Battle of Britain, its relatively remote, northerly location dictated that it was too far from the air battles raging in the south to have any direct impact, as its squadrons had to remain ready to repel any raiders which could be sent against the north at any time. Its only involvement in the battle was to play host to combat ravaged squadrons which were withdrawn from the fighting to allow pilots to rest and recuperate, whilst the squadron itself could be re-equipped and brought back up to operational strength. Following the end of the battle and the Luftwaffe’s move to a night bombing campaign, Church Fenton would quickly be tasked with establishing a night fighting school, training crews in the techniques associated with night interception and utilising the new in-aircraft radar technology which would become so important during the remainder of the war. The station would become one of the first in the country to train crews in this new and highly advanced aspect of the European air war.

Marking the significant contribution made by Polish airmen in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, the Historic Aircraft Collection’s Spitfire Vb has been finished in the markings of a Polish manned unit. Both Spitfires and Hurricanes were based at Church Fenton during WWII

Another interesting aspect of Church Fenton’s wartime service was that it would be connected to the training of American volunteer pilots destined for service with the Royal Air Force. With the reforming of No.71 ‘Eagle’ Squadron at the airfield in September 1940, the first of the three American Eagle Squadrons, the US pilots were initially equipped with the portly Brewster Buffalo fighter, and whilst the aircraft may have proved adequate for squadrons fighting in the Far East, it was quickly deemed unsuitable for use under European conditions. The sight of these stubby little fighters in the skies above North Yorkshire would prove to be extremely short indeed, as just one month after the reforming of the squadron, they would relinquish their Brewster produced fighters for the dependable Hawker Hurricane, an aircraft in which the first Eagle Squadron pilots would begin operational flying. For the remainder of the war, Church Fenton would see plenty of operational activity and at various times would be home to such aircraft types as Spitfires, Hurricanes, Typhoons, Mustangs, Blenheims, Beaufighters and Mosquitos, in addition to the short lived residency of the Brewster Buffalo. It would also be home to the first all Canadian RAF Squadron (No.242) and the first all Polish RAF Squadron (No.306).

Following the end of the Second World War, unlike a great many of Britain’s wartime military bases, Church Fenton retained its status as a front-line fighter station and would actually undergo a period of further expansion. In April 1946, it would become one of the country’s first stations to operate jet fighters (and definitely in the north), with the arrival of No.263 Squadron’s Gloster Meteors and indeed by the end of 1949, it would be home to no less than five entire squadrons - a mix of jet powered fighters and piston powered de Havilland Mosquitos and Hornets. By the early 1950s, Church Fenton had become a jet only station, as Meteor fighters, then Hawker Hunters and later Gloster Javelins all operated from the airfield. This continuation of its operational stature would also see further works completed on airfield infrastructure, with the main runway being re-surfaced and extended to better accommodate jet operations and a large concrete pan constructed in front of the main hangars. Unusually, for most of the 1950s, the home based jet fighter squadrons based at Church Fenton were employed in the roles of both day and night fighter operations.

Another classic jet type, but most definitely not one which was ever based at RAF Church Fenton, this stunning MiG-15 trainer was definitely one of the star attractions at the 2015 show

In July 1959, all of the station’s fighter squadrons left for new homes, as the base was now required to take up a new role, that of training new pilots for future service in the RAF’s front line squadrons. Church Fenton now embarked on a much more sedate period in its history, although it could definitely be argued that this new role was equally important to the ongoing defence of the nation, replacing the noise of Britain’s early jets with the cultured sound of the piston powered de Havilland Chipmunks and Scottish Aviation Bulldogs. The sound of jet power would quickly return though, as the hard working Jet Provost trainers of No.7 Flying Training School would arrive in the early 1960s, the start of a thirty year association between the airfield and this classic British jet. During this period, Church Fenton would also host both the Leeds University Air Squadron and later the Yorkshire University Air Squadron, with this quiet corner of Yorkshire becoming synonymous with the training of new pilots and the opportunity for youngsters to experience the thrill of flight. In yet another significant first for the airfield, it would also be the first to operate the Short Tucano T.1 in a basic flight training role, a turboprop tandem trainer replacement for the venerable side-by-side Jet Provost. Between 1998 and 2003, RAF Church Fenton would have the honour of being the RAF’s main Elementary Flying Training base.

Unfortunately, following the announcement of the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, the days of this normally extremely busy RAF training base were numbered, as it was decided that a thawing in East/West relations gave the Government an opportunity to rationalise and save money. Sold to a private company in 2014, the airfield is now known as Leeds East Airport, however, for one glorious day in September 2015, the former RAF Church Fenton opened its doors to an Airshow crowd one more time, with these historic buildings once again playing host to large numbers of people and reverberating to the sound of jet and piston engines, but we will be hearing more about that day a little later in the blog.

Airshows at RAF Church Fenton

All the fun of the fair, RAF Church Fenton Airshows could always be relied upon to produce an interesting and varied display programme to keep everyone on the airfield entertained

As one of the country’s premier fighter/training stations, it will come as no surprise to learn that RAF Church Fenton regularly played host to annual Airshow events, from the very first Empire Air Day which was held on 20th May 1939, to the last days of its use as an operational base. For the Royal Air Force, Airshows gave the force an invaluable opportunity to ‘connect’ with people in the vicinity of the airfield in question, inviting them onto the base to show them what the day to day operations on the airfield looked like. Importantly, it is also an opportunity to thank them for continuing to support flight operations and any disruptions this may cause to daily life. The benefit for visitors was that not only were they made to feel extremely welcome, but also that they would have the opportunity to see some of the RAF’s latest aircraft and to be entertained by some of the forces’ most talented airmen, some of whom were either based at or will have been trained at Church Fenton. In addition to this, the thrill of being allowed onto an active military air base was a highlight in the calendars of many people in attendance, with Airshows also proving to be a particularly effective vehicle for the recruitment of large numbers of new recruits for the force over the years.

After the Second World War had ended, Airshows at Church Fenton would be quite a regular occurrence, beginning with the station ‘At Home’ days, followed by a couple of the September ‘Battle of Britain’ displays, which were always hugely popular with the public. The Airshows which will always be inextricably linked with the base were the SSAFA events, shows which will probably be the most familiar to fellow Aerodrome readers. These shows were run for the benefit of the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen Families Association, with all proceeds directed to this extremely worthy cause. The first of these events took place in the early 1960s and from that date, SSAFA and Church Fenton Airshows went hand in glove, with many events being held in consecutive years. Indeed, my own recollections of the several Church Fenton displays I was fortunate enough to attend were all SSAFA linked events and I have to admit, had me scouring the programme to find out what this acronym stood for.

In addition to remembering just how much I enjoyed these shows, and not just because of its northern location and the fact that it was only about an hours drive from my home, I can also recall the extremely large crowds always in attendance and just how passionately the county of Yorkshire was about their annual Airshow. In addition to this, as well as counting on strong support from the Royal Air Force, a Church Fenton show would also benefit from several slightly more unusual items in either the flying or static displays and could usually boast some extremely popular international aviation participants. In the days when Airshows truly were Airshows, this was one of many UK events which would always be well supported by the local population and could always rely on a small army of committed aviation enthusiasts descending on this beautiful corner of the country for each and every show. From the organisers perspective, come rain or shine, they knew they would have a full airfield for their show, something which was particularly important in the wonderful days of pay on entry Airshows - a dodgy weather forecast could never put us off!

As an RAF training station, Church Fenton Airshows would always feature such types as the Chipmunk, Jet Provost and as pictured here, the Bulldog

Unfortunately, as with a great many of the Airshow events we used to enjoy in years past, our ‘happy time’ inevitably had to come to an end sometime and in the case of Airshows held at RAF Church Fenton, that came in July 1994 and the last of the SSAFA shows at the airfield. As Church Fenton was at that time just a relief landing ground for other training bases around Yorkshire and the costs of staging the show were still being met by the RAF at a time of great financial hardship, the decision to end the Airshow was not long in coming, if a little sad for enthusiasts and local communities alike. Little did we know back then that this would be the sign of things to come and as far as the number and variety of UK Airshow events were concerned, things would never be quite the same. As the final display aircraft landed and the crowds slowly made their way off the base, would RAF Church Fenton ever play host to an Airshow again in the future?

The Great Yorkshire Airshow 2015

One of the first display aircraft to take to the skies at the 2015 Yorkshire Airshow was this beautifully scruffy looking Douglas C-47 Skytrain, one of the real aviation war winners of the Second World War

With the airfield no longer required by the MOD, it was put up for sale and subsequently purchased by a private buyer towards the end of 2014, with the future of this former military airfield looking increasingly uncertain and definitely a long way from the glory days of the old SSAFA displays. Having said that, the Airshow gods certainly move in mysterious ways and it didn’t take long before a surprising development had the name Church Fenton on everybody’s lips once more. After almost twenty years without hosting a major Airshow, the new owners of the airfield announced ambitious plans to host ‘The Yorkshire Airshow’ in the late summer of 2015, harking back to the glory days of the old RAF station Battle of Britain Airshows and whilst the confirmation of display acts was a little sketchy at first, the announcement could hardly have had a more positive impact, especially for enthusiasts in the north of the country. With huge legislative and financial hurdles ahead of them, would the new owners be able to satisfy all the event criteria and appeal to enough people to make this a viable new event, not only for the following year, but for many years to come?

If organisers were worried about whether their ambitious initiative would appeal to the Airshow-going public, they needn’t have had any concerns, as people supported the event in their droves! At a time when events were disappearing from the Airshow calendar on an annual basis, news on one making a triumphant return to the scene was always going to gain popular support and that proved to be the case. With some enthusiasts clearly hoping to rekindle memories of RAF Church Fenton Airshows past, the good people of Yorkshire just wanted to re-claim a major Airshow event for the county and they turned up in huge numbers. In fact, the public response was so overwhelmingly positive that it caught organisers completely off guard, with the sheer number of cars trying to get on and off the airfield on 26th September 2015 quite literally bringing the surrounding area to a standstill. For those people who left it a little later in the morning to head for the show, it was traffic chaos, with the standing traffic resulting in plenty of complaints heading in the direction of show organisers and demands for refunds and discounts. When they reviewed the event in the days and weeks which followed, the number of complaints and social media comments must have had an impact on their decisions when planning for future events.

One of the main reasons why the show attracted such impressive crowd numbers must have been one of the final Airshow appearances of a very special aeroplane indeed, one which was based at another Yorkshire airfield just a few miles to the south, the mighty Avro Vulcan. As the only airworthy example of this distinctive aircraft flying anywhere in the world, Avro Vulcan B.2 XH558 can probably claim to be the most impressive individual civilian owned Airshow display aircraft of all time, with its appearance at any show guaranteeing the latest instalment of a phenomenon which was known colloquially as ‘The Vulcan Effect’, and the new Yorkshire Airshow was to be no exception. In fact, during 2015, the Vulcan Effect was in maximum overdrive, as her operators had confirmed earlier in the year that this would be her final display season, before a withdrawal of official technical and engineering support would see her grounded for good. The Church Fenton display would be one of her final ever Airshow appearances.

This first show image collection is all about the Vulcan and what turned out to be one of its final display appearances in Yorkshire skies. Ensuring that this re-launch of the Church Fenton show was going to be well attended, as this first image shows, it seems as if everyone was determined to take one final look at the mighty Vulcan

It’s not difficult to see how much of a challenge it must have been to keep the Vulcan flying each year, as this was a highly complex former military aeroplane and one which required the support of specialists possessing a very specific skill set, skills which were becoming hard to find. With these skills fast disappearing, it was becoming an ever increasing challenging to keep the aircraft in the air and should the support of some very large aviation companies be removed, that would be that as far as flying the aircraft was concerned - unfortunately, that announcement was made at the end of 2014, ensuring the following year would be the final year we would see the Vulcan in the air. And then there was the question of funding and the fact that the sums required to keep this massive aeroplane in the air were absolutely astronomical. We all knew it had to happen at some point, but confirmation that 2015 would be the final display season for the Vulcan may have been met with widespread sadness, but everyone was determined to see the Vulcan flying as many times as they could during this historic final season. With the Church Fenton display being one of the final opportunities to the see the Vulcan in the air, it could be argued that this alone would ensure that Yorkshire would be grinding to a halt for the duration of the event.

With regard to the Church Fenton showground itself, this was actually rather impressive and was a dog-legged arrangement, with a temporary grandstand erected at the intersection of the two display lines. The main display line ran NNW to SSE and was long enough to accommodate the vast majority of the crowd, however, a large number of people decided to position themselves on the dog-leg, past the control tower and overlooking the display aircraft parking area. From a photographers perspective, the use of runway 34 as the main display datum meant that for most of the day, the sun was favourably at our backs, something aviation photographers value greatly. With all the arriving and departing aircraft using the other runway, this meant that everyone on the airfield got a great view of the aircraft taking part, no matter where they decided to position themselves.

As for the display itself, it really was excellent. A varied and interesting selection of historic and contemporary aircraft were arranged for our entertainment, with the mighty Avro Vulcan clearly taking star billing for many. Other highlights included an impressive selection of classic jets, including the stunning MiG-15UTI (or its Polish manufactured derivative) and a display which took us right back to the memorable Church Fenton Airshows of old, one which was reminiscent of the RAF’s Vintage Pair which used to gracefully entertain crowds at displays all over the country in the good old days. In a simulation of those classic shows of years past, Gloster Meteor NF.II WM167 and de Havilland Venom FB.4 WK436, both operated by the Classic Air Force, flew a series of graceful formation passes along the length of the crowd-line, making their own tribute to the flying heritage of this former fighter station. Indeed, the show’s organisers were very clever in booking a selection of aircraft types which had strong links to Church Fenton, right from the early days of the Second World War, through to the final days of its operation as an RAF station.

This next selection of images is all about classic jets, from the Meteor and Venom of the Classic Air Force, to the Folland Gnats which provided a suitable final show appearance escort for the mighty Vulcan

With Church Fenton’s history in mind, perhaps the most poignant display aircraft on the entire programme was the Historic Aircraft Collection’s magnificent Supermarine Spitfire. This stunning fighter is now something of a UK Airshow veteran and a relatively rare example of the Mark Vb variant of this famous fighter - it has also been flown for several years in markings to honour the Polish airmen who fought so valiantly for the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. As we saw earlier during our historic review of RAF Church Fenton, the airfield was home to the first all-Polish RAF squadron (No.306) during the early stages of WWII, making this a particularly poignant tribute to the station’s heritage, but hold on, there is more! At the end of this particular Spitfire’s service career, BM597 was used as a master mould for the production of fibreglass replica Spitfires for use during the filming of the classic ‘Battle of Britain’ film. Of even more relevance than this, Spitfire BM597 would go on to spend over 20 years serving as RAF Church Fenton’s gate guardian, prior to its restoration to flying condition. In what was also the 75th anniversary year of the Battle of Britain, this Spitfire surely had a claim for being the display highlight of the entire show, particularly when considering its incredible links to the venue itself.

With a display programme which really did have something for everyone, from early helicopters, to the majesty of the mighty Vulcan, this ‘new’ Church Fenton ‘Yorkshire Airshow’ proved to be a really memorable event, made all the more enjoyable by the fact that it was also blessed with good weather. Unfortunately, as the Vulcan made its hugely popular and rather sad final Church Fenton appearance, you could already begin to see large sections of the crowd making for their cars and an early getaway from the show. It did not take long for the first car horns to start sounding in frustration, a clear indication that all was not well on the surrounding roads. As an Airshow veteran, this only served to vindicate my usual habit of delaying starting my journey home until long after the show had ended, not only allowing me to capture some memorable aircraft departure images, but also to avoid any traffic issues resulting in the sheer volume of traffic heading for the exits. By the time I eventually set off, the majority of the road dramas suffered by many had subsided and my own recollections of the show are that it was a really fantastic day.

With a generally successful first show under their belt, the burning question now was whether the north of England could finally look forward to an annual event to get behind in the years to come? With confident organiser boasts of even more spectacular events to come and the attendance of some real headline aviation acts, we were certainly optimistic at that time, especially after having experienced just what could be achieved at the former RAF Church Fenton. As we now know, it didn’t take too long for these hopes to be dashed, as for whatever reason, the organisers decided that they would not be staging a follow-up show in 2016 and indeed, we have yet to hear any details of plans to stage the show in the future.

Whatever happens from this point forwards, I am certainly glad that I had the opportunity to attend the resurrected Church Fenton Airshow, more than 20 years after I had last enjoyed an event on this relatively local airfield to me. Today, the Leeds East Airport has excellent modern facilities and has seen significant investment committed to its ongoing operation, which appears to be specifically targeting the regions business community. Will this historic former military airfield ever stage a public Airshow again in the future? If it does, I genuinely hope I will be able to take my place amongst the crowds to witness such a historic occasion and the latest instalment of the ‘Great Yorkshire Airshow’ into the bargain. Surely, Britain’s largest county deserves a show to call its own! 

Here is a final selection of images taken at the 2015 Yorkshire Airshow …. Enjoy!

This next selection of images begin with HAC’s stunning Spitfire Vb, an aircraft which spent over 20 years serving as RAF Church Fenton’s much loved Gate Guardian and could definitely claim to be the most poignant display aircraft of the show. We move on to look at some of the other piston engine powered aircraft to grace the proceedings, including the much missed P-51D Mustang ‘Ferocious Frankie’ and Peter Teichman

Not wanting to leave out classic helicopters, this next series also features a picture entitled ‘Watching you watching us’, whilst leaving the final final word to the Vulcan …. how could we end with anything else?

I am afraid that is all we have for you in this latest edition of Aerodrome, but we will be back with more aviation related content for your enjoyment in four weeks’ time. If you would like to send us a selection of your own pictures, or suggest an aviation related subject you would like to see covered in a future edition, please use our aerodrome@airfix.com address, where we will be delighted to hear from you.

In between new editions of our blog, the aviation related conversation continues over on the Airfix Aerodrome Forum and we can also be contacted on either the Airfix or Corgi Facebook pages, in addition to Twitter for both Airfix and Corgi – please do get involved in all the aviation related discussions and let us know what you think about Aerodrome. 

The next edition of Aerodrome is scheduled to be published on Friday 7th May, however, we might just sneak another one in before then.

May I extend a sincere thank you to you all for continuing to support our Aerodrome blog, which is now entering its 6th year of production.

Michael

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Airfix

Gloster Gladiator, Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, North American P-51D Mustang, Gloster Meteor, Hawker Hunter, de Havilland Chipmunk, Jet Provost, Folland Gnat and Avro Vulcan 

Corgi

Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane, North American P-51D Mustang, Gloster Meteor and Avro Vulcan