You are really close to the action here, pilots will give you a waive as they go by. When they have the time, they will chat to you about their aircraft, you try stopping them sometimes. They

The star of the VE-Day show for many was the Duxford first timer, Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 (R4118). This rare aircraft is thought to be the only surviving Hurricane from the Battle of Britain. It flew for the first time in 60 years in December last year, following a three-year restoration. R4118 flew 49 combat sorties during the Battle of Britain and shot down a number of enemy aircraft. One of the pilots who flew this actual aircraft during the Battle was Wing Commander Bob Foster DFC, seen here standing next to his old aircraft (top left). He damaged two JU-88 and shared a kill of another JU-88 in this very aircraft. R4118 was transferred to Bombay, India in 1943 and was stored in poor conditions until its 'discovery' by Peter Vacher in 1982 and its eventual recovery to England in 2002. Hawker Restorations Ltd. in Suffolk undertook the restoration work which included installing all the equipment that was installed during the Battle, such as the first VHF radios, the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF). Bob Foster was available to sign the new book 'Hurricane R4118' by Peter Vacher during the event.

The Hurricane as a fighter was very popular with pilots; it could take a considerable amount of punishment and was a very steady gun platform. 14,500 were built from 1936 and 1944. 
Everyone was delighted to see R4118 flying for the first time, it was joined by the The Fighter Collection's (TFC) own Hurricane IV (KZ321coded JV-N).

Grumman FM-2 Wildcat JV579/F (G-RUMW/N4845V). The Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm employed Wildcats from 1940 in the fighter escort role. This particular aircraft flew for the first time in 30 years in 1993, following restoration by the Yanks Air Museum and Fighter Rebuilders of Chino, California. It was later transported by sea to the UK and onto Duxford. It is currently the only Wildcat flying in Europe. It has a maximum speed of 332 mph and range of 900 miles.

Grumman F6F-5K Hellcat 40467/19 (G-BTCC/80141). This Hellcat is the only example flying outside the States. It was built in 1943 and flew with VF-6 (as depicted) and VF-18 before being retired with only 318 flying hours on the clock in 1944. Restoration started in 1990 at 'Planes of Fame' of Chino, California before being completed by TFC. She has a maximum speed of 380 mph and range of 945 miles.

P-47D Thunderbolt (42-26671/G-THUN) inscribed 'No Guts No Glory!' This 'Jug' as P-47's are affectionately called, was built in 1945 with the serial 45-49192. Following a period of storage, it was restored in 1952 and transferred to the Peruvian Air Force in 1953. It was eventually retired from military service in 1967. By 1971 it had been bought by enthusiast Ed Jurist and returned to the States. Following a succession of private owners it made its way to TFC at Duxford towards the end of 1984. TFC chose to apply serial 42-26671 and code MX-X to depict the aircraft flown by Lt Col Ben Mayo, CO of the 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group when based at Duxford for the last two years of the war.

Angie Soper flying Yak-11/C-11 'White 1' in it's Russian Air Force Grey/green camouflage, one of two similar examples present at the show and imported from Eastern Europe in recent years. The Yak's were joined by the similar AT-6 Texan/Harvard resplendent in its former Portuguese Air Force markings (1747).

Adding a bit of speed and grace was the two-seat jet trainer CT-133 Silver Star (21261/G-TBRD) in it's former Canadian Armed Forces scheme. More commonly known as the T-33 it is based on the single seat P/F-80 Shooting Star. Between 1949 and 1959 Lockheed built 5,691 T-33s supplying almost 30 countries.

This Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina was bought by Catalina Aircraft Ltd. in 2002 and is Duxford based. It was originally struck off charge from the military in Canada in 1961 after nearly 20 years with the RCAF. It was later converted to a water bomber and was registered as CF-NJF (later C-FNJF). It also operated with the Protection Civile (as F-ZBAY and F-ZBBD) in France, fighting fires during the French summers. By 1974, it had moved on Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with Norcanair for more water bombing duties. By the 1990's the water tanks had been removed and it was carrying passengers. It is now registered in the UK as G-PBYA and should soon be painted in a WW2 colour scheme. 

Perhaps out of context with VE-Day events, but never-the-less no less entertaining, were several items of modern military hardware. These included the latest RAF helicopter the Merlin HC.3 of 28 squadron (ZJ127/L) and a 15 squadron GR.4 Tornado (ZA469 coded TM) operating from nearby Cambridge airport for the weekend, flying fast and low in poor conditions.