Kemble Air Day 2006 News Release
SPITFIRE FOR KEMBLE AIR DAY
The very first Spitfire took to the skies seventy years ago this month. To mark this momentous occasion, a Spitfire will take to the skies at the Kemble Air Day on Fathers' Day, Sunday, 18th June. The WW2 fighter, owned by Rolls-Royce, will perform a full aerobatic routine, showing off the grace and agility of this beautiful aircraft to full advantage.
In a first for Kemble Air Day, the Royal Navy's Black Cats helicopter display team will be performing their stunning demonstration with two Lynx helicopters - the type flown by HRH The Duke of York in the Falklands War. The Royal Navy will also bring its brand new state-of-the art Merlin anti-submarine helicopter for static display. On the historic side, the Navy will be displaying a Seahawk - one of its first jet fighters, dating from 1947.
Other display items are now being confirmed, promising an exciting line-up for the day. The RAF has just announced that its Chinook twin-rotor and Merlin assault helicopters will be flying in the display. Both are surprisingly agile and impressive performers. The RAF has also confirmed that the Red Arrows, a Tornado, Hercules and Harrier will take part in the flying display.
Invitations have been extended to the Belgian and United States Air Forces. Replies are eagerly awaited! Other British military participants are expected to confirm shortly, alongside a range of veteran aircraft, vintage jets and helicopters. The display will also feature the ever-popular Hunter, Gnat and Jet Provost aircraft based at Kemble and a regular sight at the airfield since they first arrived with the RAF in the fifties and sixties.
The Red Arrows, the RAF's premier aerobatic team, arrived at Kemble in 1966 and left in 1983, when the airfield became a USAF maintenance base. The USAF has been invited to bring some of the actual aircraft serviced at Kemble in the 1980s and early 1990s.
As well as an excellent Father's Day out, organisers have promised that Kemble Air Day, now in its tenth year, will again be a great day out for the whole family. Last year's Kemble Air Day was the best yet, attracting a crowd of over 20,000.
Tickets for this year's Kemble Air Day are now on sale at local Tourist Information Centres in Bourton-on-the-Water, Cheltenham, Chippenham, Cirencester, Corsham, Gloucester, Malmesbury, Melksham, Stow-on-the-Wold, Stroud, Swindon, Tetbury and Trowbridge. They can also be purchased at Swindon Travel Shop. The Kemble Air Day Information Line is on 09063 023320 (calls cost 50p per minute).
Kemble Air Day website: www.kembleairday.com