80th Anniversary of D-Day Landings

[Sirrus]

Between May 25th and June 6th, Europe will celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings.

 

Already aircraft are making their way to North Weald to kick off the celebrations with practice parachute drops on the 25th and 26th of May.

They will the go to Duxford for the 1st and 2nd of June, culminating in the crossing of the English Channel on the 2nd of June to land at Cherbourg.

 

The fleet will then attend various events in Normandy from Cherbourg, between the 3rd and the 9th of June.

 

An early arrival at Duxford from Berlin, to where it will return for Berlin 75 celebrations, is the ex Aigle Azur Dakota, F-GEFX.

Claude Marx is Captain with Crassus Terrani as co-pilot.

 

The Ailes Veterans C-47, with Lottie Vincent and Erasmus Fuller at the controls, is stuck at Saint Yan with electrical problems.

However, a campus of the Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile is located in Saint Yan, so they should be on their way shortly.

 

The ex Pan World Airways DC-3, with Joseph King as PIC and Wally Cassell in the right hand seat, is in at Coventry with an engine problem.

Coventry was the base for the Air Atlantique Dakota fleet, so again they should be back in the air soon.

 

The Sirrus Aviation Dakota, KG836, is at Amiens having delivered some Veterans on their way to the World War One Memorial at Thiepval.

With Sean Beckett as PIC, and myself in the right hand seat, we should be back in the UK in lots of time for the celebrations.

[Rupert]

What a wonderful concept!!  I'll join up ASAP in my Spitfire!  I just hope I can cure the bug that kept me from posting flights recently!!

 

Michael

 

[Sirrus]

Having rectified a fault in the electrical system, Lottie Vincent takes KG496 back into the air heading North to Calais.

 

Climbing to 4000 feet, Lottie lets Erasmus Fuller take the controls and in beautiful weather, skillfully avoids overflying Paris!

 

However, on approach to Calais, they run into a rainstorm.

 

Crosswinds and torrential rain make Lottie's landing not her best...

 

...but they are here only to clear customs, thanks to a piece of dogmatism called Brexit.

No doubt French Customs will be their usual efficient selves.

 

[Sirrus]

At Duxford, Claude Marx and Crassus Terrani move their Dakota into the line of exhibits for a Duxford Flying Day, and are soon gathering a crowd after offering tours of the aircraft for £5 a head.

 

After the crowds have gone, Claude and Crassus ease the Dakota into the air, on their way to Old Warden for one of their Open Days.

 

Old Warden isn't that far from Duxford by air, so Claude keeps FX low over the English countryside.

 

Soon, they touch down on the comparatively short runway at Old Warden...

 

...and are parked in front of the Museum's cafe ready to meet the visitors.

 

 

[Sirrus]

Meanwhile, Joseph King and Wally Cassell are testing their troublesome port engine at Coventry

 

After some attention by Air Antique, they are happy and conduct a high speed test down Coventry's runway.

 

Having satisfied themselves that the fault has been resolved, Joseph King (he hates being called Joe) lifts N118PW back into her element and heads for Booker.

 

Officially belonging to the liquidator of Pan World, Joseph and Wally want to display N118PW at the upcoming event and, maybe, get a sale!
For a DC-3, this runway looks short...

 

...but Joseph and Wally get down without incident, and park the Dakota at the end of the, still empty, display area.

[Sirrus]

Meanwhile, our group of Veterans are back having "done" Thiepval, Beaumont-Hamel and the Ulster Tower.(The Ulster Tower make the best tea in Continental Europe, really recommended)
So we too can return to "Blighty". Charlotte Allen, 5 feet nothing, with the look of Marilyn Monroe but with a fringe, guides our passengers gently back to their seats and we can get airborne again.

 

As we climb into what was a clear blue sky, the weather starts to change

 

We try to climb over the cloud aware that there is a cold front somewhere out there...

 

Then as we start to think about alternatives, there is Le Touquet, sighs of relief all round.

 

Being as Sean Beckett did the take off, I get to do the landing
Not quite on the centre line but close. Mind you there is always someone (critical) watching!

 

Everybody off. Again, we are here to clear customs. 
The Veterans moan about Brexit, with some very old Anglo-Saxon words being used. Charlotte (Charlie to her friends) doesn't turn a hair.
And again, the French Customs are their usual efficient selves.

[Sirrus]

At Calais, the downpour has turned to a murky drizzle. ATC are saying non to VFR, and  shrugging their shoulders and waving hands about IMC.
Lottie and Erasmus say they are going and walk back to the aircraft.  Finally, ATC say yes and 496 leaves France for Southend. Again, thanks to Brexit, they have to clear UK Customs.

 

As they level off and and head North-West, a small friend appears off the starboard wing and sits there until they are close to Southend.

 

Southend appears out of the murk. Once a very busy hub for both Easyjet and Ryanair, since Covid it is a lot quieter.
This time, it's Erasmus doing the landing and he gets parked in front of the terminal.

Customs are quick, aided by a drug detection dog, 496 is cleared and Lottie eases her into the air to get to North Weald first.

The low level trip is quick and 496 is parked close to where the resident warbirds are.

 

Lottie casually mentions the Spitfire that escorted them across the Channel. The atc look puzzled. "No Spitfires due here today...I'll check"
Ten minutes later the Controller is back. "No Spifires were up over the Channel today". 
Lottie and Erasmus look at each other, their eyes wide with astonishment.

[alanmerry]

Great story and pictures.  I await the next episode!

[Sirrus]

At Booker, the crowds have gone and Joseph King and Wally Cassell take N118PW back into the air.

 

Their route is North-East to join Claude and Crassus at Old Warden for their D-Day celebration.

 

Again the Old Warden runway looks short but Wally puts 118 on the grass, almost on the edge of a stall, he admits later.

This time they are parked close to the hedge.

The Shuttleworth Trust will hold their D-Day Anniversary celebrations on 25th and 26th May, not wanting to clash with the celebrations at Duxford.

[Sirrus]

At Le Touquet,  French Customs pass us as good to go in an hour. All three of us get our walking freight back on board and make good our escape from France.

 

Our Destination is Southampton so we ask for and get a transit at low level. Charlie brews coffee for all, including the pilots, and then sits in my chair whilst I go back and do the "mine host" thing with the Veterans.
Some say they will take the train back to London, whilst others will end their journey in Southampton. One says "The weather looks like the day we landed." Others murmur their agreement, but out of one of the windows I can see the shores of England.

Southampton is quiet. Once a hub for FlyBe, they are welcoming and we get to park right in front of the very modern terminal building.

Having said goodbye to our guests, we get airborne, with me doing the driving.
We fly up the coast avoiding, Farnborough, Heathrow, and Gatwick and turn North to bypass Southend. 

 

Sean gestures at me and out of his window, we see that we have company. We wave, they wave back. The Mitchell holds position for a while and then climbs away and heads North.

 

Meanwhile we drop into N Weald and are parked near a hangar we've "borrowed" so we take out the passenger seats, and reconfigure the aircraft into a paradropper.
Charlie will stay with us, organizing the parachutists and acting as loadmaster from now onwards.

[Sirrus]

Having had a wonderful time at Old Warden, N118PW and F-GEFX need to get to North Weald so that the organizers can decide who will carry parachutists and who won't.

Claude Marx starts the ball rolling taking F-GEFX away first, demonstrating the method used by Dakota pilots for short runways

"OK, full throttle, hold till the revs are nearly on the red line, brakes off, and when you get almost to the end of the runway, 25% flap and climb..."

 

followed shortly after by Joseph King easing N118PW into the air, using the same method.

"...just remember to retract the flaps as soon as possible. Did you notice a balloon out there?"

 

They fly in a loose formation until they get overhead N Weald

 

Crassus Terrani takes F-GEFX down into N Weald and is parked on the large apron...

and is parked on the large apron...

 

...whilst Joseph puts N118PW down gently and is parked near the control tower.

 

Suddenly there is a very loud noise and everyone rushes outside to see...

... our camera ship arriving at the regulation 600 feet. 

Howard Martin from Kelowna,Canada, has brought his B-25J to act as the camera ship for the channel crossing...

... and parks up on the main apron

[Sirrus]

The celebrations call for parachute drops at 8000 feet ASL. F-GEFX still has her passenger seats installed so it is agreed that they will carry the Press Corps, but no alcohol will be allowed!

It has been decided that we drop our parachutists over the Beccles drop zone, so we do this singly at first.
KG496 has been restored as a C-47 so they go first...

 

KJ836 has had her passenger seats removed and been reconfigured as a wartime paradropper, although the galley at the back has been retained!

N118PW had been a freighter so the parachutists have to sit on the floor getting to the drop zone!

 

I could never understand the urge to leave a perfectly safe aeroplane

 

Then as a fleet...
 

 

Back at N. Weald, we all think we've had a successful time.
All the jumpers land in the drop zone, except one who landed near the cafe at the industrial estate, (There's always one!) 
and  they all get on the bus to take them home.

[Sirrus]

 

And so to Duxford. 

         
We take off in line astern.
N118PW to start with...

then KG486... with N118PW in close attendance

and whilst we circle round, KJ836 gets airborne.

 

We assemble in an echelon, with the two warbirds either side of the civilian freighter...

...and then F-GEFX, the fastest of our four, is up and heading for Duxford...

 

...along with the B-25J camera ship.

soon we are down at Duxford, all lined up on the grass, although '496 has a puncture in the port tyre!

[Firefalcon]

cool neat

[Sirrus]

Cross-channel Day. 

 

We take off singly but the formation comes together as aircraft leave the ground

 

With the port side tyre repaired, '496 takes to the skies, as '836 comes alongside.

 

F-GEFX, the faster of the four, will be at the back of the formation, hopefully.

 

N118PW, who has found a buyer who will put her on the warbird circuit, climbs to join the group...

 

...and we do a slow flypast.

 

Crossing the channel we try to keep in formation, although 'FX should be at the back...

 

...with the B-25 filming and taking pictures.

 

Some say we had an escort, whilst others didn't see anything...

...but as we approached Normandy, those that saw him say he just "dissapeared".

 

Soon Cherbourg appears and we drop  in on Normandy and parked in proper dispersal fashion.
F-GEFX, with the "Fourth Estate", is first in, and they even send a bus for the reporters.

 

Then, KJ836

 

followed by N118PW

 

and KG496

 

and finally C-IBZS

 

If you have read down to here, thank you for sticking with the story, someday we may meet some of these characters again.

 

I would like to thank all those who look after, and fly these aircaft in real life, and giving inspiration for this saga.

 

Also, Manfred Jahn, Hanjoeng Naegele, Squirrel, A.F. Scrub, Roy Chaffin, Brian Withers, Bluebear and Turbodak whose efforts have appeared in this story.

 

The above is just a story, apart from the first four lines, but a far better story is that of those who actually took part in D-Day, the history that followed, and the heroes who never went home. 
 

[Bwoinbeerr]

Awesome!