Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Events
  • /
  • IWM Duxford celebrates 50 years of flying displays

Events

IWM Duxford celebrates 50 years of flying displays

The iconic Battle of Britain Air Show returns to IWM Duxford this year for two-days of aerial displays on 16th and 17th September, with a mass flypast of Spitfires and Hurricanes and the first formation of an Avro Lancaster flying with a B-17 in over 20 years.



Above: Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 124485 DF-A Memphis Belle Sally B (G-BEDF) displays alongside North American P-51D Mustang at Duxford during Flying Legends (11.07.15).
Image by Kev Gregory / copyright Shutterstock

The standout event is the second major air show of Duxford’s 50th anniversary Flying Season and to mark this special occasion, children aged 15 years and under can attend for free. Visitors will be treated to unmissable displays from over 60 vintage and contemporary aircraft, including a mass flypast of 12 Spitfires and four Hurricanes, to commemorate the brave service men and women who risked their lives to defend Britain in the summer of 1940.      

Advertisement
DSEI 2025

In a must-see moment for aviation fans, the last airworthy B-17 Flying Fortress in Europe – ‘Sally B’ - will be brought together with the RAF’s Avro Lancaster for a rare formation of the two most recognisable allied heavy bombers of the Second World War.

The formation will be the first time the two bombers have flown together for over two decades and the first time ever at Duxford.

The packed aerial line-up includes the only airworthy two-seater Hawker Hurricane in the world, a Hispano HA-112 MIL (Buchon) aircraft replicating a Luftwaffe Messerschmitt fighter, the legendary North American P51-D Mustang and the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which will feature the Avro Lancaster, flanked by the Spitfire and Hurricane in a moving tribute to those who served.  

The world-famous Red Arrows will take to the skies of Duxford on both days of the weekend event with a thrilling display of daring aerobatics.

On the ground, crowds will be transported back in time to the sights and sounds that kept spirits up in the summer of 1940 and meet a cast of wartime characters recreating the daily life of RAF Duxford as a Battle of Britain Fighter Station. Visitors can dress up in vintage attire, swing dance to wartime music, get their hair done in the style of the era and hear stories of those who lived and served at the historic base.  

Tickets include access to IWM Duxford’s exhibitions and hangars throughout the day, packed full of aircraft, vehicles, collection items and personal stories of war and conflict.

Phil Hood, Air Show Event Manager, said: “The Battle of Britain Air Show is a highlight of IWM Duxford’s annual Flying Season as visitors get to experience what life would have been like for those who lived and served at RAF Duxford during the war.

“This is a very special year for IWM as we celebrate fifty years of entertaining crowds through aerial displays. This year’s air show is no exception, with appearances from an array of fan favourites, including the return of Duxford’s famous Spitfire flypast, and an historic formation when the Sally B and Avro Lancaster fly together for the first time in decades. We’re looking forward to greeting visitors, both old and new, to the show this year and hope to be entertaining crowds at Duxford for another 50 years to come.”  

 

Advertisement
DSEI 2025

 

 

 

 

Advertisement
PTC PTC
Pipistrel Velis Electro race tested by James May and Richard Hammond

Aerospace Events

Pipistrel Velis Electro race tested by James May and Richard Hammond

8 May 2025

Aerovolt's Pipistrel Velis Electro - the world’s only commercially available electric aircraft - has been put through its paces by TV presenter James May in an epic race for DriveTribe against his former Top Gear colleague Richard Hammond driving an electric Taycan Turbo GT model Porsche.

Semiconductor facility launches in Southampton

Aerospace Defence Security Space Events

Semiconductor facility launches in Southampton

1 May 2025

A new facility using cutting edge electron beam technology to build the next generation of semiconductor chips - and the first of its kind in Europe - was opened yesterday at the University of Southampton by Science Minister Lord Vallance.

Cranfield partners with ADI

Defence Events

Cranfield partners with ADI

23 April 2025

The Academy of Defense Industries (ADI) and Cranfield University have signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Human Capability Initiative event to advance collaborative research and teaching and to build skills in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

XTI Aerospace subscale model of latest TriFan 600 unveiled at Avalon Airshow

Aerospace Security Events

XTI Aerospace subscale model of latest TriFan 600 unveiled at Avalon Airshow

14 April 2025

XTI Aerospace unveiled its tradeshow model of the TriFan 600 aircraft at last month's Avalon Airshow, the southern hemisphere's largest airshow, in Melbourne, Australia.

Advertisement
DSEI 2025
HRH Princess Royal officially opens Glasgow Shipbuilding Academy

Defence Events

HRH Princess Royal officially opens Glasgow Shipbuilding Academy

14 April 2025

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has officially opened BAE Systems’ Applied Shipbuilding Academy in Glasgow at a ceremony at the Company’s Scotstoun site.

Polar Technology receives BAE Systems

Defence Events

Polar Technology receives BAE Systems' ‘Partner 2 Win’ Gold Tier Award

10 April 2025

Polar Technology today announced it received a Gold Tier Award from BAE Systems’ Partner 2 Win programme.

Advertisement
ODU RT