WWI dog fight!

I am lucky to live in a country that has a very rich and long history. It is so long in fact, that much of it has passed into myth and legend such as the tales of King Arthur. Despite this heritage, many people in the UK don't appreciate our heritage today and that makes me sad. History teaches us not to make the same mistakes twice, it gives us a link to the past and to our ancestors. It links us to the land that we call home. That is why I love events like the Festival of History that I went to recently. This is a massive multi-period event with live action re-enactments of battles, trading stalls, living history villages showing traditional skills and ways of living and lots of other events. One of the most impressive sights was a recreation of a World War I dog fight.


The group responsible for this are called 'The Great War Display Team' and they were incredible to watch. On the day that I was there they staged a WWI dog fight with nine planes taking part. I had my camera with me so I did my best to take photo's as they flew past and I have also done my best to identify the planes. The photo above is of a British RAF SE5 bi-plane showing the emblem of the Royal Flying Corps which later merged with the Royal Naval Air Service to become the RAF. The plane in the photo below is of a German Junker CL1 which was introduced right at the end of the Great War. It had two cockpits, the rear one being for a gunner, which was a dummy for this display.

It was an incredible sight to watch these planes perform and they all flew under 1000 ft so that the crowd could easily watch them as they turned, dived and performed their aerobatic display. Two things struck me. The first was that these planes are so slow compared to modern planes. Engineering has come a long way. The second was how maneuverable they were with some of the planes seeming to turn on a wing tip. I loved the heavy thrum of the engines too, so unlike the loud wall of noise that hits your ears with modern jets.

The aircraft danced in the air while a very amusing commentary played out for the spectators. It took the form of an interview with some British pilots who were reliving memories of dog fights with flying aces such as the famous Baron Von Richthofen also known as the 'Red Baron'. British flying ace Albert Ball battled with the Red Baron and when he died in combat he had 44 victories. The plane in the photo below is a Sopwith tri-plane which was flown by the British.


The plane in the photo below is a Nieuport 17 which was a French aircraft. This is the type of plane that would have been flown by the 'Lafayette Escadrille' as shown by the Squadron insignia (The Indian Brave) on the side of the plane and was largely composed of American volunteer pilots. They were recently the subject of a really good film simply called 'Flyboys' which is well worth a watch. (If you look closely you will see the pilot waving to the crowd!)

At the start of the Great War, aeroplanes were used for reconnaissance flights only to observe the movements of the enemy. Soon the pilots saw the merit in being armed and started to carry rifles, revolvers and other weapons so that they could attack enemy aircraft and troops on the ground. Later, larger guns were mounted on the planes themselves and this signified the birth of air fighting which is the WWI equivalent to the medieval duel. Often flying Aces would duel in the skies with each other and would often know each other by reputation.

This last photo was taken at the end of the display when the planes that had been 'hit' released smoke canisters. The top plane in the photo is of a Fokker dr1.

The display was an incredible sight and the whole crowd were stood with their heads tilted to the skies to watch those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines. I have more photos from the Festival and will post about a Viking v Norman battle soon.

RIAT

So, I know I said I would post about the Fight Camp I went to last weekend but I haven't downloaded the photo's I took yet, but I will post about it soon. Besides, yesterday I went to RIAT - the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire and had a great day despite having to queue for nearly 3 hours in traffic to get there! It wouldn't have been so bad but after 2 hours I was dying for, um, 'some relief'. I was faced with the prospect of going 'au natural a la the bears in the woods' but luckily a sign pointing up a side road advertised a cafe. Off I set and have never been so happy to find a public convenience in my life! Damn that cup of tea before I set off!!!


When I got back to the car the traffic had moved about 20 yards but I had stocked up on water and chocolate so my significant other cheered up a bit. Half an hour later the traffic started moving for now apparent reason what-so-ever! There was no sign as to why the traffic had stopped for so long. I hate that. While we were sat in the traffic we were listening to Wings FM which was giving a commentary of what we were missing. I was very annoyed to have missed the B1B, the Apache and the Blue Eagles flying. Still, when we arrived we were treated to an absolutely awesome display by Typhoon.


RIAT is the world's largest military airshow, held annually over the third weekend in July, usually in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. I saw many aircraft and the flying displays were excellent. I was particularly pleased to find the Red Arrows there. When I was a child I lived near to where they were stationed at that time and remember often seeing them fly over as they practised their aerobatic flying. I loved watching them then and that feeling has never left me. The skill of these pilots is incredible!


The Red Arrows are officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team. They were formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams that had been sponsored by various RAF commands. The team uses the BAE Hawk trainer plane, which is highly maneuverable. All of the photo's on this post are of the Red Arrows (except the first) but photo's do not do them justice. As I have a dSLR I cannot take video footage, so I have put in a video at the end to give you an idea of what they do.


Since 1966, there have been nine display pilots and each is a volunteer. Pilots must have completed one or more operational tours on a fast jet and have accumulated at least 1,500 flying hours to be eligible. Even then, there are more than ten applicants for each place on the team. Pilots stay with the Red Arrows for a three-year tour of duty with three pilots being changed every year. If one of the pilots is not able to fly the team flies an eight-plane formation but if the Team Leader, 'Red 1', is unable to fly then the team do not display at all. Each pilot always flies the same position in a formation and the pilots spend six months from October to April practising for the coming display season. During an aerobatics display, Red Arrows pilots regularly experience forces up to five times that of gravity.

In July 2004 there was speculation that the Red Arrows would be disbanded after a defence spending review due to running costs of between £15 million and £20 million. Thank goodness, the Arrows were not disbanded and the expense has been justified through their PR value and because they act as a recruitment mechanism for the RAF. According to the BBC it is highly unlikely that the Red Arrows will be disbanded, as they are a considerable attraction throughout the world and this was reiterated by Tony Blair in 2007. I really hope they don't get disbanded as they are now part of the British institution in many ways. I would also hate to think that other children won't get the pleasure I did seeing them as a child.