The Victory Show 2018

[Adam]

Airshow briefing #6

I thought I'd take a punt today and try something totally different. 'The Victory Show' in Leicestershire, UK, is a huge WWII-themed event with re-enactors, land battles and warbirds. It used to be known as one of the best - perhaps the best - small airshow venues in Europe. But that was until the Shoreham crash three years ago, since when the flying display was initially moved much further from the crowd, and then scrapped altogether.

This year, the flying display was back. The weather was lovely, it was rumoured the display line may be back to normal and I was staying only ten miles away, so despite my misgivings and the very real threat of being disappointed, I thought I'd give it a go. What a brilliant idea that turned out to be!

The flying display is certainly not back to normal - nothing could be further from the truth. This year they've gone for something totally different to appease the safety regulators: a semi-circular display line that bends round the crowd rather than a straight one. It's not very friendly to traditional aerobatic displays (only two aircraft even attempted any aerobatics) but it means glorious, fast, banked topside passes, all with the sun behind the crowd. And seeing some pretty heavy metal operating from a grass strip at close quarters was great too.

There was 90 minutes of flying in all, with some memorable formations, nice tailchases and superbly-flown solo displays. We had an HA1112 Buchon, P-47D Thunderbolt and two P-51D Mustangs sharing the skies, as well as a Buchon, Hurricane and two Spitfires and a Beech 18 with a T-6 Texan. There was also a Hurricane/Bestmann/Spitfire/Buchon tailchase, solo display from B-17G "Sally B" and parachute drop from a C-47 Dakota. It did get rather repetative as there was no variety at all in the manoeuvres - virtually every pass followed the exact same line, so it wasn't great for the general public, but as a photographic opportunity, it was second-to-none.

All that is not the event's primary focus, though. There were also model aircraft displays, a spectacular land battle featuring 50 vehicles and countless ground exhibitions. I didn't get to see many of the ground exhibits, I was holding a good spot for the flying and didn't want to lose it. Go right to the northern end of the display line to watch the flying displays. With the curved display line, you'd need at least a 500mm lens to get close to the aircraft if you're standing towards the middle of the showground, while at the northern end the aircraft come almost overhead.

The Victory Show is a truly unique event with some unmatched photography opportunities. It's well, well worth a visit if you've ever passing through this area and looking for something a bit different to a traditional airshow.

Video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBhCLv9nv6E

[Airplanefreak2000]

I’d take that! Looked like a lot of fun!

[RyanS]

A photo pass airshow would be amazing