Airbase Gets Airborne for 2015

It's time to take our Coventry Airbase off the back burner. It's time we brought the magic back to the Midlands.

And we're not messing about; our re-opening on May 2nd is likely to be one of our biggest events ever. To celebrate the welcome return to flight of some of our most-loved treasures we've put together a great day's entertainment.

Gates open at 10:00 am and the pleasure flight fleet will be busy straight away. The air displays proper are set to begin between 12:30 and 1:00pm

Admission Prices

Please note that advance ticket sales are now closed, but there's still plenty of room to buy at the gate!

Please note that all aircraft and activities are subject to change.

Whistle of the Night Hunter

Our Meteor T7 has had plenty of exercise recently, so we thought it a good time to give her sister an outing. The Meteor NF.11, with her characteristic long nose and aggressive wing cannon mountings, hasn't shown her colours in Coventry for a few years now. Like our much-loved silver "Queenie", who'll be there on the ground for visitors to adimre, the NF.11 produces a delightful whistle from her venerable Rolls-Royce Derwents. And, as you'll see, she's a fast old lady.

Fierce, Feisty and Fast

We couldn't resist giving this diminutive demon an airing. Lovers of the de Havilland Mosquito will instantly recognise the DNA in the nose section of the Vampire and, in keeping with her historic sibling, this pugnacious little fighter's fuselage is almost entirely made of wood. The cannon mountings are also shared with the "Mossie", so those dangerous-looking blast tubes under the nose aren't just there for show.

The Meteor NF.11 and Vampire make up the famous Heritage Pair, so it's great to see them once again sharing top billing.

And the Winner Is...

We blush to admit that, despite our Percival Proctor having scooped a hatful of awards for the magnificent restoration by Dave and Trish Fenton at Hornet Aviation, we've actually never displayed her at either of our venues.

So let's put that right. The Proctor traces its heritage back to the Vega Gull and Mew Gull made famous by the great Alex Henshaw. Ours first flew in 1948, but her lines are pure 1930s. Rolls-Royce snapped her up as a company transport (despite her de Havilland engine), where she served with the sort of dependability expected from any of Derby's own products. We acquired her in 1999, and her pristine presentation that you see today is the result of a decade of dedicated restoration.

Back in the Air at Last

She's been in intensive care for a long, long time, but at last she's back and fighting fit. At first sight she may not appear to have much in common with the American U2 spy plane, but to be successful spy, it's important you don't look like one. As you see our Pembroke fly by, take a close look at her underside. Those dark squares you'll see are optically perfect camera ports, and they played an important in her undercover role in the Cold War. She patrolled the borders of the Iron Curtain, returning immensely valuable information.

In fact, as it turned out, the secret wasn't as well-kept as the West believed, as evidenced by the "Merry Christmas Pembroke" message carved in the snow by the Russians!

Irresistible Annie

Anyone who dares to deny that aeroplanes have a soul needs to meet Faithful Annie. Clinically speaking, there's nothing outstanding about the Anson; she's pleasant enough to fly, but hardly an adrenaline-fuelled thrill machine. Yet almost no aircraft causes so many moist eyes among veteran pilots.

If you've seen our beautiful Anson T21 perform then you already know what we're talking about. If not, come along on the 2nd and be converted.

Hot Rod in Training

This is another aircraft we don't get to display as often as it deserves - largely because the fuel burn is somewhat aggressive! The Jet Provost T5 is the big brother of our pair of JPs. It boasts a pressurised cabin, upgraded avionics and a lot more power.

The JP5 pushes the limit of the performance that can be delivered by a straight-winged airframe, to the extent that the control surfaces are deliberately roughened to break up airflow.

This was the mark that saw armed service as the Strikemaster. It's also the aircraft that the legendary Bob Thompson, famous for his Top Gun cockpit-to-cockpit stunts displayed as part of the Gemini Pair.

It's a fiery performer - for as long as the fuel lasts!

As usual we'll be airing our collection of pleasure flight machines, including the long-awaited return of the beautiful Dove/Devon. You'll be able to see the Warwickshire countryside, as well as get an exclusive airborne view of the day's activities through the windows of a rare classic.

And on the ground, of course, that means even more comings-and-goings of vintage aviation to enjoy.

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If you're the kind of person who thrills to the sound of a Spitfire engine (and, believe us, we're right with you on that!) then you're going to love the sound of four Rolls-Royce Griffons in chorus. The world's only taxiable Mark 2 Shackleton (soon to become the world's only flyable Shackleton) will be creating her own weather system when she spins up all eight of her propellers. Then the mighty Nimrod, the aircraft that inherited the Shackleton's crown of protector of Britain's shores, will light up her strobes and nav lights for some great photo opportunities.

When things quieten down you'll be able to explore inside both of these classics and see for yourself how it felt to fly long missions over the freezing grey of the North Sea.

You'll also be able to see and hear the Coventry-built power behind the Percival Pembroke and our soon-to-fly Twin Pioneer. John Hoole will be running his ever-popular Alvis Leonides engine, with more vintage engines likely to be announced soon.