IWM Duxford ~ 15th April 2011

When I arrived at Duxford there were two Spitfire’s and two Buchon’s sitting outside the ARCo workshops. A good start to the day already. As I was getting some record shots, Terence and his handlers made a dash for the hangars. It was a case of ‘Quick, follow that Tug’. As I was following Terence, I made a quick detour into hangar 2 to catch up on the latest on the TFC P-47. It’s almost ready to stand on its own three wheels. The doors to 3 hangar were open and Terence was playing musical aeroplanes. They moved the HAC Spitfire/Hurricane into the sunshine to extract the Mk 1 Spitfire to take it down to ARCo. Later on as I emerged from 5 hangar, I looked down towards the M11 end and could just make out the prop on the ‘Desert’ Buchon turning over along with the prop on the Mk XVI Spitfire. Both had stopped by the time I arrived there but Cliff Spink was strapping into the Mk XVI. He took it up and threw it around the rapidly clouding over Cambridgeshire sky. A small group of Germans were visiting ARCo with one of them a Buchon pilot who was there to check out the brakes on the ‘BoB’ Buchon. He taxied onto the jet pan, ran up the engine and accelerated and braked and did the same on the return journey. A new air show feature I think. ‘Buchon Drag Racing’. Meanwhile the T9 Spitfire/TD462 fired up and taxied out for its return home to Wales after winter maintenance. Unfortunately there was an air leak and had to return back to the workshop. It did depart later that afternoon. Cliff Spink then strapped into the ‘BoB’ Buchon and subsequently threw it around the Duxford sky with a very nice display. The day for me ended with synchronised tractor aeroplane pulling as the Buchon and Mk XVI were hangared for the nigh. Apart from the early sunshine rapidly turning to cloud and becoming quite cool and having the wrong settings on my recently acquired Sony A580, a very enjoyable day out.