Biggin Hill International Air Fair
| Biggin Hill International Air Fair | |
|---|---|
Folland Gnat at 2009 show
|
|
| Status | Active (in new format) |
| Genre | Air show |
| Dates |
May 1963 - June 2010 June 2014 - present |
| Venue | London Biggin Hill Airport |
| Location(s) | London Borough of Bromley |
| Country | United Kingdom |
May 1963 - June 2010
The Biggin Hill International Air Show, or Biggin Hill Air Fair, was one of the largest civilian airshows in the world and the largest privately organised air show in Europe. It ran once a year, usually near the end of June, at London Biggin Hill Airport, a former World War II RAF fighter station, from 1963 to 2010. It has been succeeded by a smaller-scale air show event titled The Festival of Flight which was launched in June 2014.
Squadron Leader Jock Maitland purchased a lease to run Biggin Hill Airport from Bromley Council in 1958, and commenced the first show in 1963. Jock Maitland had flown Sabres in conflict in Korea before retiring from RAF service. He started a small charter company, Maitland Air Charter which operated pleasure flights from Ramsgate Airport during 1959 and 1960, eventually using former RAF Percival Prentice aircraft refurbished and civilianised by Aviation Traders of Southend, a company started by Freddie Laker. Subsequently, Jock set up in business with a local builder to form Maitland Drewery Aviation and operated Vickers Viscount aircraft. Drewery conceived the infamous steel Wendy House which once graced the Apron on Biggin Hill Airport. The council privatised the airport in 1988 and it was bought by Biggin Hill Airport Ltd in 1994, who agreed a 25-year contract for the air fair.
In 2010 Biggin Hill Airport Ltd, the airfield leaseholders, cancelled the licence to run the air fair after 47 years, three years before it was due to end.
On Saturday 14 June 2014, the air fair was revived with a new smaller-scale format entitled The Festival of Flight. The proposed annual one-day event was limited to 15,000 spectators and was meant to portray Biggin Hill as both a site of historical value and as a modern thriving business airport. The main attraction of the show was a display from the Red Arrows who were celebrating their 50th Display year - Biggin Hill was notable for being the site of the first public display for the aerobatic display team in the UK back in 1965. A second Festival of Flight took place in June 2015, with a third in June 2016.
Airfair Radio was a Restricted Service Broadcaster radio station which covered the Air Fair from 1989 until 2006. It broadcast locally for between three and seven days each year on the FM band and worldwide via the internet. Airfair Radio broadcast live from the airfield 24 hours of the day, with programmes of commentary, music, interviews, phone-in competitions, local current affairs and dedications. Some of the calls received were relayed over the airwaves via phone–in equipment. Calls to the studio often numbered in excess of 200 a day.
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Wikipedia