IWM Duxford VE Flying Day

Date: May 5th 2024.

Event : IWM Duxford VE Flying Day

Location : IWM Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK, CB22 4QR

This was the first flying event of the 2024 season at Duxford. As a member of the IWM the event is free to attend and living only 40 minutes away makes for an easy event to attend.

A Duxford Flying day is really a mini Airshow. Flying is themed around a subject and is usually limited to around two hours. The numbers on the airfield are limited to around 5,000 and makes for a more relaxing time as the crowds generally and the on flight line are a lot less.

The biggest challenge when attending almost all the flying events at Duxford if the light. The runway is orientated almost North East to South West, with the crowd line on the northern side of the runway. This means until late afternoon the glare of the Sun is constantly an issue coming from your right, consequently limiting the direction you can photograph.

I set myself the objective of using slow shutter speeds as I wanted “Full Prop Rotation”, this is where the propeller appears as a complete circular blur giving the impression of speed and flight to the aircraft. I was getting close in some instances, and the shutter speed required is dependent on the aircraft as the RPM on engines for a similar speed varies. It also helps if the plane is slow flying and predictable in its direction as this makes panning with the camera a lot easier. Hence the Catalina is easier than the Spitfire!

As is usual for Duxford events a number of re enactment groups are in attendance adding period flavour to the airfield.