When is an Airshow not an Airshow?

This past weekend we had a stall at the wonderful Shoreham Airshow which is normally resplendent with magnificent, awe-inspiring flying displays but this year the Gods had other ideas - low cloud, rainy, misty days and high winds put paid to all but a few flights which was a real shame.  Last year we were blessed with blue, Californian skies and a full program of flying including the incredible Avro Vulcan (the only airworthy XH558 Vulcan remaining which has a sound beyond belief!)

The incredible Avro XH558 Vulcan at Shoreham Airshow 2009

The south of England really suffered this weekend from horrible weather and the safety element was brought home on Sunday when the first flight of the day by a glider display pilot ended badly with a crash during the landing attempt.  Our hearts were in our mouths as the paramedics attended at the scene for almost an hour.  Fortunately, the pilot managed to scramble away from the badly damaged craft upon impact and is, according to an official statement from the display team, currently doing well in hospital and in good spirits which will come as a huge relief to all who were there.

Needless to say, there were very few displays on Sunday (the worst day for weather) which must have been a huge disappointment to those who had paid to come along.   Fortunately, there was still plenty to enjoy at the show including, in no small part, the craft marquee with some wonderful work on display.  Despite it all, we had a pretty good weekend!   I know that many visitors were appreciative of the huge amount of work which the organisers of the show put in to the weekend and the fact that they managed to have any flying at all (including a Catalina Seaplane, an amazing display of skills by the Harrier team and mock dogfight involving the Spitfires and Hurricanes, plus at the close of play on Sunday when an impromptu display by a Chinook helicopter pilot who was working with the Air Cadets and not there to do anything but standard ferrying to and fro of workers around the site during the breakdown of the show).   Hopefully as the show raises money for the RAFA, people will be thankful of the small amount of displays they did see and the great stalls available at the show.  

So may I add my congratulations to RAFA and the team at Shoreham - in such dire circumstances, you did an excellent job and kept smiling throughout (even when you had to stand in the rain for much of the time!)

Lancaster Bomber

Last year I made some peelable designs of a Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane which were popular and got lots of attention.

Hawker Hurricane

Spitfire

Mustang

This year I added the Curtiss Tomahawk (AKA Kittyhawk) and North American Mustang to the collection of WWII planes. 

I will be adding these to my online shop soon.

Tomahawk

There was still one more plane I really wanted to pay homage to and after a quick call to check I was OK to use the image, here it is:

Avro Vulcan

The Vulcan to the Sky Trust keeps this amazing plane in the air by constant fundraising (I am giving a donation to the trust for every sale of this design sold).  If you have ever had the honour of seeing this plane in the flesh (so to speak) you would want to help too - even if you are not that interested in planes!   If you would like to know more about the XH558 and the Trust, go to Vulcan to The Sky  If you can help the cause, please do - believe me it is worth it!

Next weekend is a three-dayer at Rudgwick Steam and Country Show so please join me by praying for better weather!  Three days in a muddy field is fine at music festivals but the prospect of wading through mud to get to and from a smelly port-a-loo doesn't fill me with joy!  Oh the life of a crafter is so salubrious, you have no idea!

Fingers crossed everyone...