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Crowds thrilled by aerial displays at Duxford Summer Air Show

The hot weather and strong wind speeds proved too much for one plane.

Cameron Henderson
Sunday 25 June 2023 20:04 BST
A Supermarine Spitfire during the annual Duxford Summer Air Show (Joe Giddens/PA)
A Supermarine Spitfire during the annual Duxford Summer Air Show (Joe Giddens/PA) (PA Wire)

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Thousands of people gathered in the sunshine to watch the Red Arrows and vintage aircraft at the Duxford Summer Air Show in Cambridge.

Joining the Red Arrows in the sky over the weekend were various Spitfires and the AeroSuperBatics Wingwalkers – the world’s only formation wing walking team.

Other highlights included a Great War Display Team, which replicated how aircraft were flown during the Great War over the trenches of Northern France and Belgium, as well as performances from Hawker Hurricane Mk XIIs – which were based at RAF Duxford during the Battle of Britain.

With temperatures reaching in excess of 30C, crowds gathered under parasols and queued up for ice creams to keep cool.

However, the hot weather and strong wind speeds proved too much for one plane.

The last remaining airworthy B-17 in Europe was forced to pull out of the show on Sunday and remained on the tarmac.

The plane’s crew could be seen sheltering under its wing to escape the sun.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first air show at IWM Duxford and 120 years since the invention of the aeroplane by the Wright brothers.

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