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Firstly, a confession. This is not the epic image of RAF veteran Harrier pilot Mark Linney aboard his Vans RV-8 you think it is. It's AI and we really don't use AI. However Mark's not actually performed his new display in his new toy yet. So, some of the ace photographers whose work we use, like Paul Johnson, can work miracles, but photographing something that hasn't happened yet is not amongst them. What we do know is that Mark is no stranger to Airshows and especially not

Last year we were one of the Airshows considerably favoured with a visit on the tour of Ready 4 Duty, an epic from the ages which saw the only Navy version of the DC3 cross the Atlantic and spend the summer in the UK. It was an epic, historic feat of Airmanship and it was a joy to work with the Commemorative Air Force. They obviously enjoyed it too because (and we can only hope this becomes a tradition) this year the CAF are doing it again, and (to scale at least) it's just a

Originally designed by an airline captain called Tom Cassutt, this home built machine is capable of 248mph and, theoretically, capable of flying over 450 miles. You'd have to be mad to want to do so as, like all racing machines it's not exactly comfortable, but who cares - it's absurdly quick and that's what really counts, even if it was made in some bloke's garage. This is a very welcome return of a Formula One Air Racer. There are a number of differences between this and th

Making a welcome return; one of two flying Westland Lysander's, courtesy of our friends at the Aircraft Restoration Company. This was the clandestine aircraft of choice for clandestine missions. Taking agents in and out of occupied France, for example, with the help of the Resistance and at night. Lysanders can land on just about anything in absurdly short distances. They've also got a nine cylinder radial engine, by Bristol, which produces just shy of 900hp. So they can take

Here's a few things you should know. It's very powerful (500hp), very loud, has six fuel tanks, can take off and land in very short distances and has one other party trick. It's seriously quick. Speed usually isn't something you can have with an aircraft which can land on a postage stamp, but one of the reasons why this was the Gulfstream of the Golden Era is that the Staggerwing can be all things to all movie stars. So the likes of Jimmy Stewart and Walter Matthau (both serv

Some moments in history defy expectations. If you were to be asked what the last dogfight over Germany consisted of in WWII, you'd probably think of Spitfires shooting down ME109's and all manner of ultra high speed, high horsepower aerial mastery. Horsepower, however was in the 65hp range and speed was probably about the same if not less than the vehicles on the ground fleeing what was left of the Reich. The 65hp was all that the Piper Cub reconnaissance aircraft, aboard whi

SATURDAY ONLY Your eyes do not deceive. Thanks to the immense generosity of 2Excel Aviation on Airshow Saturday we'll be graced by a visit from a true giant; their Boeing 727. The 727 is an iconic 'trijet' (three jet engines) and a massive 133 foot long. Originally built as an airliner, with a freighter version, 727's earned a reputation as the backbone of the airline industry from the 60's to the 90's. It can fly over 2,000 miles at just under 600 mph. Advancements in engin

Display aircraft should all be historic warbirds like the Spitfire or Sally B, right? Maybe some smoke laden mad contraption like Rich Goodwin's Jet Pitts? Not always as you'll see; we're delighted to welcome Jason Buglass for the first time and in his first year as a display pilot. It's far, however, from his first year as a pilot. He's one of those pilots who's flown just about everything, everywhere. All over Africa, bush flying. A Transatlantic crossing, aboard this very

SUNDAY ONLY Just say it out loud - you'll get it. It's been a while since the BBMF's catchily named Dakota, ZA947, has been to see us and we're very grateful she's coming back. The C47 Dakota is a military transport derivation of the Douglas DC3. It's renowned as being one of the most successful and venerated military cargo aircraft of all time. This is not altogether surprising as the DC3, quite simply, is the aircraft which created what we know today as the modern airline i

SATURDAY 25TH ONLY It's been some years since a BBMF fighter has visited Old Buckenham, and a more fitting year in which to do it we can't think of. This year is the 90th Anniversary of the Spitfire's first flight. Our theme this year is MH434, arguably the most storied and famous of the lot, but we're grateful that on Airshow Saturday we can add another example of Reginald Mitchell's masterpiece to the roster; courtesy of the Royal Air Force. It's rather nice that Supermarin

At the same time we celebrate 80 years of DeHavilland's least fearsomely named aircraft, the Chipmunk, here's something in the way of contrast. It's also 80, as like the Chipmunk it first flew in 1946. That's where the similarity ends. The Vampire's single jet engine belts out a bit more power than the Chipmunk so it goes a bit quicker and climbs a bit faster. 138mph v. 548 mph and 900 feet a minute v. 4,800. However, those pilots who first flew on the Chipmunk often progress

Well it's both actually. It's been some time since we've been fortunate enough to have Miss Pick Up, a Consolidated PBY Catalina come and dwarf almost everything else at the Airshow. The boat bit is because the aircraft was originally intended to be a very long range patrol bomber, intended to seek out and sink enemy ships. It's considerable abilities soon meant that it's role was expanded massively and it proved superb at escorting convoys, destroying submarines, shifting ca

It missed WWII by a year and doesn't exactly have the most fearsome name in aviation, but there are few trainers as influential and long lived as DeHavilland's Chipmunk. And by long lived, what we mean is that the RAF were still using them in 1996, so 50 years service. Some of it was Royal. His Majesty completed his first solo flight in one in 1969 and held a pilots licence shortly afterwards. They're still used for training today, and by display teams all over the globe. In

For those who haven't been present when four tiny, VW Beetle engined aircraft have stolen the show, here's a chance to see a team who proudly fly in the colours of the Early Learning Centre; the Turbulent Team. Turbulent, in this case refers to their aircraft of choice, a tiny device called a Druine Turbulent. So tiny in fact that the intrepid members of the team don't actually fully fit into them, so they're a bit cold but have a very clear view of what's ahead. This is a pa

The 'Jug' is making a very welcome return. 'Jug' as a nickname doesn't really do much to convey just how much of a fearsome beast this incredibly rare WWII icon really is. Fully loaded they could be 8 tonnes. That's three Spitfires. It's actual name is suitably illustrious; The P-47 Thunderbolt. Having an 18 cylinder engine engine belting out 2,000hp helped not only shift all that weight, consisting of over a tonne of rockets, but enabled it to go over 400mph. They were also

It's been a couple of years since we've seen Christophe display here. His very first air display took place at Old Buckenham and it turned out to be the start of an illustrious display career for France's Christophe Simon. He went on to display all over the UK at illustrious venues like Duxford and one particular display at RAF Cosford resulted in Christophe being awarded the reserved-for-the-very-best Bill Hartree Award for Best Flown Display. Since then he's got even better

A few years ago our friends at Ultimate Warbirds offered us a display from their 'new' P-51 Mustang, "Jersey Jerk". Back then there was a photo, but only of the aircraft on the ground. That was more than sufficient for us to say yes - they're famed worldwide for having some of the most iconic and perfect aircraft in existence. It was a very safe bet, and it paid off. Roll forward a few years and "Jersey Jerk" is a firm favourite at Airshows all over the UK. We were very lucky

As Old Buckenham remains the UK's centre of electric flight, it would be quite wrong not to make use of the UK's first Electric Aircraft Charger and welcome back the World's only Electric Aircraft Display Team - NEBO Air's Electric Arrows. Sam and Alex are back in the cockpit, whilst Team Principal Kerry will be looking after everything on the ground. Everything on the ground covers a lot of things and mostly a rather large plug attached to the solar charger which provides al

Firstly, no, it's not a helicopter. This remarkable looking machine is an autogyro and its the first time we've welcomed it and Peter, the pilot and owner, to Old Buckenham. The big rotor you can see is rotated not by an engine but the wind. It's given a helping hand by the engine to get spinning on the ground, but when that's done there's only a propeller at the back which pushes the aircraft along, rotates the rotors and then by some wizardry the entire machine can take fl

Every so often someone comes along who just has that certain extra something. A complete inability to be dull and a healthy understanding that actually, yes, the rules of physics do exist but can be adjusted are some of the endearing qualities which mean not only have we listened to the crowd, but we can have an old friend back. He's called Rich and he qualifies as more than having that extra something. He's assuredly not dull and the laws of physics, well they can be adjuste