Biggin Hill International Air Fair
Biggin Hill International Air Fair | |
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![]() 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 |
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.
History
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.[1]
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 held in June 2016.
From 2017 (the 100th anniversary of the RFC starting to use the airfield), the event took place over 2 days in August.[2]
In 2020, instead of a Festival of Flight (which could not have been held owing to significant infrastructure projects taking place at the airport), it was planned that a public event would be held on 10 August entitled "The Hardest Day", to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.[3] However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, this event was cancelled.[4]
Airfair Radio
Airfair Radio was a Restricted Service Broadcaster
Running a radio station from the middle of an airfield posed some unusual challenges. Electrical power came from a
Airfair Radio first began broadcasting in 1989 on FM. For many years it broadcast on
The station was operated by volunteers, many of whom worked in the broadcasting and communications industries; this allowed it to draw on a variety of experience from associated fields.
Its commentators were pilots, with many years of experience under their belts; the station's senior commentator, Ian Marshall, was a
Although AirFair Radio first started broadcasting in 1989, its volunteer team had been involved in local broadcasting for many years previously. Under the banner of SouthEast Radio, the group organised local RSL stations for a number of organisations, including: RoundTable Radio for Farnborough Round Table and Petts Wood Round Table, and Bromley Carnival Radio for The Bromley Carnival Association. Their first venture into local broadcasting was for coverage of the Orpington Town Carnival in 1984.
The establishment of the Special Events Group was born of a need to raise money in support of Orpington Hospital Radio Service, which had been providing programmes for Orpington Hospital since 1980, and later also for Farnborough hospital. It also provided opportunities for many keen volunteers to acquire skills useful for pursuing careers as producers, presenters, voice-over artists and engineers which, as mentioned above, served many of them well in helping them establish careers in broadcasting.
References
- ^ a b Nelson, Kate (7 October 2010). "End of an era as Biggin Hill Air Fair cancelled after nearly five decades". Bromley Times. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2017, FLYER magazine, retrieved 3 November 2020
- ^ "AIRSHOW NEWS: Biggin Hill to host major event to mark 80th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain". Flightline UK. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "Biggin Hill Airshow 2020". military-airshows.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2020.