Flying Legends to roar into the skies over Church Fenton for family airshow in July

A spitfire and Mustang rest in the sun at Leeds East Airport. Photographs: Richard McDougall

Tue 13 Jun 2023 @ 2:21pm – Family, Things to do
YorkMix

Some of the rarest planes from World War II will take to the skies over Leeds East Airport (formerly RAF Church Fenton) on 15-16 July for a family spectacular brought to Yorkshire by the Flying Legends.

More than 50 warplanes are scheduled to fly, including the only flying Gloster Gladiator – the first type to fly from the airbase when it became operational, and a Fairey Swordfish – some of which were built a few miles away at Sherburn-in-Elmet.

Planned to join them are up to 12 Spitfires, two Hurricanes and numerous rare American fighters.

P51 Mustang awaits refuelling on the apron

One of the world’s foremost flight teams will top the bill at July’s Flying Legends air show with a sublime display of close formation aerobatics celebrating Leeds-East Airport’s heritage as the wartime home of the RAF’s ‘Eagle Squadrons’ of American volunteer pilots.

The US-based Horsemen Flight Team are a popular air show display act on both sides of the Atlantic and are flying to England to thrill the crowds at Church Fenton, Leeds-East, paying homage to their forbears who raced to Europe to fight for freedom before America entered the Second World War.

The Eagle Squadrons have a special significance to Dan Friedkin, one of the three Horsemen pilots. His grandfather flew the iconic Spitfire during the Second World War, sparking a family legacy that prompted Dan’s father to collect and fly vintage ‘warbird’ fighters, a love he passed on to his son.

A Spitfire pilot’s headgear rests on the cockpit frame

Flying Legends’ arrival brings the first new airshow to the North of England for decades. The display draws in thousands of vintage aviation enthusiasts who travel from around the globe and across the UK to savour the spectacle of historic aircraft displayed in their natural environment.

As well as the Spitfires and Hurricanes that won the Battle of Britain in 1940, crowds will see the famous American P-51 Mustang – known as the ‘Cadillac of the Skies’ after featuring in the Hollywood movie ‘Empire of the Sun’.

The long-range Mustang took the fight into the wartime skies, enabling the US Army Air Force to escort its bombers all the way to the capital of Germany.

The first Flying Legends to take place at Leeds East Airport is due to be staged on 15-16 July 2023.

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