10th Anniversary Abingdon Charity Air & Country Show

[AACS]

Abingdon Air & Country Show takes off



Final preparations are being made for this year’s Abingdon Air & Country Show at Abingdon Airfield / Dalton Barracks on Sunday May 3rd.



This volunteer-run show, held in aid of the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance, is now in its 10th successive year and following on from previous events will be presenting a great family day out combining a 3-hour air display alongside a range of ground attractions.



The Show will be opened by the Mayor of Abingdon,Mr Patrick Lonergan promptly at 10am with the show ending around 5.00pm



The Air Display program will feature for the first time a display by “The Tigers” – the Princess of Wales’s Regiment Parachute Display Team, which will be dropping into the show performing a spectacular freefall parachute display.



Other air displays by past and present aircraft will include the RAF Tutor and Hawk, aswell as the distinctive Chinook helicopter which will be defying the laws of physics with an astounding performance of agility.

Nostalgia will be provided by a C-47 Dakota transport that served on D-Day, a P-51 Mustang, P-40 Kittyhawk, Pembroke,T28 Fennec, Vampire jet and air racing by the Dukes of the Cassutt display team. These aircraft can also be viewed on the ground.



Weather depending, it is hoped for around 70 light aviation, Classic and Vintage types to Fly In during the day for static viewing, aswell as a modern day RAF Merlin helicopter from nearby RAF Benson, and an overseas guest with the return of a United States Army UH60 Blackhawk helicopter which will be arriving earlier in the weekend.

But possibly dominating the show as one of the star attractions will undoubtedly be the RAF’s largest transport aircraft, the Boeing C17 Globemaster III, based at nearby RAF Brize Norton. At the time of going to the press, it is very much hoped for, subject to operational commitments and other nessecary ground support, but if it does materialize it will be another major coup for the organiser Neil Porter and his team and a fitting salute in its tenth year from the RAF, of course the previous occupiers of the airfield.



Further nostalgia will be created on the ground with displays of ex-military vehicles, memorabilia from WW2, 1940s kitchen and live period music performed by Fiona Harrison. Author Richard Holdsworth will be signing copies of his book “Six Spoons of Sugar”, his moving account of being an evacuee during the Second World War. Richard previously worked for the Murdoch series of national newspapers.





A range of other attractions will include pleasure flights, family amusements, historic vehicles, trade stands, a craft marquee, farmers’ market stalls, mobile farm, Doctor Who Tardis and the popular Daleks which will be roaming around the showsite, a Williams Formula 1 show car, tank rides, arena displays comprising an Oxfordshire Fire Service demonstration of a simulated road traffic accident extraction procedures and a Heart Radio interactive studio.



Tickets are on sale from the show’s website www.abingdonfayre.com and from the following outlets:



Abingdon Information Office, Abingdon Town Council offices;

Old Abbey House (opposite Guildhall);

The Warehouse, Coxeters’ Yard, Abingdon

Clothes 4 Work, 138 The Broadway, Didcot

Wallingford Information Office

Nationwide Building Society branches in Abingdon, Bicester, Didcot, Oxford, Wallingford and Wantage.



Ends



regards

Colin Smith


10th Abingdon Air & Country Show...3rd May 2009
(an all-volunteer organised event supporting Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance CHARITY)..www.abingdonfayre