Opening the 2026 flying display season at IWM Duxford was the VE Day Flying Day on Saturday, May 9. With a variety of warbirds of all shapes and sizes on the flight line, the event was headlined by a sub-theme celebrating the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
“Chippie” owners from across the continent answered the call, resulting in a mass gathering of 42 examples of the type on the ground at Duxford. Among them, a special mention goes to the three Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa) Mk.20 Chipmunks from Esquadra 802 Águias, based at Sintra, just outside Lisbon. The Portuguese fleet of six is one of the longest-serving military trainer fleets in the world, having kept the type flying since 1951. In fact, one of the three aircraft — tail number 1306 — was delivered on October 26, 1951, and is reportedly the oldest operational aircraft in the Portuguese Air Force.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
The flying display itself began at 1:30 p.m. with a pair of warbirds from The Fighter Collection. What was hoped to be the flying display debut of FM-2 Wildcat G-KINL alongside TFC’s Wildcat G-RUMW was unfortunately curtailed due to a technical snag with the former. Instead, TFC’s Wildcat was joined by their rare Merlin-powered P-40F Warhawk, flown by Brian Smith and Stu Goldspink, respectively. A series of formation passes prior to their solo displays set the show — and indeed the season — off to a dynamic start.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
Then, in a significant change of pace, Anna Walker took to the skies in the CASA 1.131 for a very impressive aerobatic performance in the Spanish license-built version of the Bücker Jungmann.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
Next came displays from the Lockheed 12A Electra Junior; a pair of Dunkirk veterans in the form of IWM’s Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia, N3200, and Fighter Aviation Engineering’s Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, P2902; and the LeVier Cosmic Wind, before an eagerly awaited trio of European-theater warbirds once again filled the Cambridgeshire skies with Merlin music. P-51D Mustang Tall in the Saddle, recently acquired by Robert Tyrell, led the Old Flying Machine Company’s Spitfire Mk.IXb, MH434, and the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Hispano HA-1112 Buchon in a sequence of fantastic formation flypasts by John Gowdy, Lee Proudfoot, and Paul Bonhomme. With the Mustang breaking off into its own solo routine, the Spitfire and Buchon soon followed with a classic tail-chase sequence, culminating in the inevitable employment of the Buchon’s smoke system to depict a damaged Messerschmitt Bf 109.
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
(Image credit: Aviation Highlights)
Finally, the flying display concluded with a celebration of the first flight of the de Havilland Canada Chipmunk, which took place on May 22, 1946. In a scene reminiscent of the traditional Spitfire and Hurricane “Balbo” at Duxford’s annual Battle of Britain Air Show, 21 Chipmunks started simultaneously on the flight line before taking to the skies to celebrate their anniversary. While 18 of the 21 formed up for the mass flypast, the examples from the Portuguese Air Force kept the crowd entertained with a delicate three-ship routine showcasing the upgraded Lycoming-powered Chipmunks alongside the conventional Gipsy Major-powered “Chippies.”
(Image credit: Nigel Hitchman)
The VE Day Flying Day is the first of eight flying events in the Imperial War Museum’s calendar, with the Duxford Flying Finale concluding the season on Saturday, October 3, 2026. New for Duxford Flying Days in 2026 is the addition of the flight line walk. Having proved hugely popular during the full-scale air show weekends, the flight line walk has now become part of the morning program on flying days, allowing all ticket holders the chance to enter live-side and experience the flying display aircraft up close on the ground before the flying begins.
In addition to the flying days, Duxford also offers larger-scale full air show weekend events, which this year will take place on July 4–5 and September 12–13. Both shows are already shaping up nicely, with the Summer Air Show attracting multiple warbirds from the Austrian-based Flying Bulls, including their P-38 Lightning, B-25 Mitchell, and newly acquired Blue Angels-liveried F8F Bearcat, as well as several classic jets soon to be announced. Meanwhile, the September Air Show is expected to gather a large number of Supermarine Spitfires to celebrate the aircraft’s 90th anniversary. For more information about Duxford Flying Season 2026, click HERE.
