Review - The Shoreham-by-Sea RAFA Airshow 2005 took place at Shoreham Airport, West Sussex on the weekend 3 and 4 September, and celebrated the 60^th anniversary of VE and VJ day.  The display, now in its 16^th year, continues to go from strength to strength and contains a programme catering for all interests, from fast jet flybys of the RAF’s new Eurofighter Typhoon to formations of a microlight and a flock of geese!

B-17G Sally-B has a long association with Shoreham and it was good to see the Fortress displaying despite the problems with EU insurance regulations.  Other warbird highlights included an impressive display of Spitfire power in the shape of Historic Flying Ltd’s MK.XVIII SM845 G-BUOS, and MK.XIV RN201 G-BSKP flown by Rod Dean, in company with Spitfire Ltd’s MK.XVIe TD248 flown by Pete Kynsey.

The Royal Naval Historic Flight also put on an impressive display with their Hawker stable of Sea Hawk and Sea Fury while Peter Teichmann’s P-51D Mustang ‘Jumpin Jacques’ and Spitfire PR.XI from the Hanger 11 collection at North Weald also starred.

Highlight of the static show was the Shoreham Airport Historical Association’s 1910 Piffard Humming Bird Replica, which was on public display for the first time with the structure completely assembled.  Member Tim Hogben has been building the replica for four years and the next major step is to add the fabric covering and make a reproduction of the machine’s 40hp ENV 8 cylinder engine, no small task!  The original Humming Bird was built by Harold Piffard in 1910 and made the first powered flight from Shoreham in September of that year.  Once the replica is complete it is planned to go on display in the Shoreham Airport Archive and Visitor Centre acting as an educational resource and an attraction in its own right.

back to airshow photographs from 2005