Bidding Farewell To Wings & Wheels Air And Motor Show

Published on: 26 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 2 Jul, 2019

The final Wings & Wheels spectacular of historic aviation and motoring has taken place at Dunsfold airfield. Our correspondent Bob McShee once again enjoyed the show and reports on it here.

The first Wings & Wheels event in 2005 attracted 10,000 visitors and at its peak in 2015 40,000 people attended. However, following the air crash at the Shoreham air show in 2015 numbers at the Dunsfold show fell.

This year’s show, on June 15 and 16, was delayed by rain, so the motoring attractions had to suffer adverse conditions and once the vehicles had cleared the runways the flying display commenced.

I have selected my highlights from the aircraft display, which featured displays and aircraft that had flown from or had a historical connection with the aerodrome.

B17 and DC3, Dunsfold’s tribute to D-Day.

Just back from the 75th anniversary of the D –Day commemorations was a Dakota flying with the B17 Flying Fortress ‘Sally B’, this display being Dunsfold’s tribute to D-Day. The Sally B was flown as a memorial to the 79,000 Allied airmen who lost their lives during the Second World War.

The Tigers landing on target.

The Tigers Army parachute display team was due to carry out their jump in the morning, but due to the rain it was postponed until the afternoon. When the Tigers, after checking the wind conditions, jumped from the aircraft and landed spot on their target.

Bernard Cribbins salutes the Tigers and their mascot.

After landing they lined up to be congratulated by a former para, the well-known actor Bernard Cribbins.

The Lysander.

A notable plane flying was the Westland Lysander, as it was the first aircraft to land at Dunsfold Aerodrome in the 1940s, and this was the first time that a Lysander had flown at the show.

During the Second World War the Lysander flew many clandestine missions over enemy territory ferrying Allied agents in and out of occupied Europe.

The Chinook.

A Chinook helicopter from 18 Squadron based at Odiham did a display sequence that demonstrated the manoeuvrability of the helicopter, which is now 37 years old.

The Aerobatic Extras.

A unique double act was an Extra 300 aircraft flying with a 40% scale radio-controlled model being controlled from the airfield by its owner. The display by these aircraft flying in formation was stunning as it requires trust, planning and plenty of practice.

The Turbulent team limbo-flying.

Another unusual display was the Turbulent Team with its mix of low-level limbo-flying and balloon bursting.

The team consisted of four aircraft, each one being powered by a 1600cc car engine and having different colours. The most impressive manoeuvre was when the aircraft flew under a 15 foot high line of bunting being held by two men, affecting the ‘limbo’ flying display.

A Hawker Hunter.

In the Wings Zone of the aerodrome were aircraft connected with Dunsfold, one being a Hawker Hunter, a type in which the world speed record had been broken in 1953 by Neville Duke flying from Dunsfold.

A Hawker Sea Hawk.

Another legendary aircraft built at Dunsfold was the Hawker Sea Hawk, which was used by the Fleet Air Arm.

Brooklands Museum’s VC10.

The special Jumbo 747.

Finally in this Zone were two large aircraft, a Vickers VC10 which belongs to Brooklands Museum and a Boeing 747 which had been modified by fitting twin engines to be used as a prop in the James Bond film Casino Royale.

The Red Arrows.

No air show would be complete without the Red Arrows who arrived late in the afternoon and put on an aerobatic display of the highest order.

The show closed with the departure of a Hawker Hurricane which had been built in 1940.

Dunsfold airfield’s Jamie McAllister has been reported as saying difficulties in staging such an airshow in current economic conditions is the reason why Wings & Wheels has ended, and not due to the proposed development of the site.

So farewell to Wings and Wheels, a show that I and my family have been to many times and have many memories of the classic aircraft we have seen at Dunsfold over the years.