Duxford - Battle of Britain Air Show 2025
After Sywell last year, this year saw a return to Duxford for what appears to be an annual air show trip. Again, I was grateful for the company of Guy over the weekend. The routine is becoming familiar now; the flightline in the morning and flying displays in the afternoon. Between the two there is the opportunity to have a wander around the re-enactors village to capture some of the colour and character on display.
Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina - ‘Miss Pick Up’
Sony A9ii | 600mm f/5.6 1/250s ISO100
The Flightline / Display
Westland Lysander
Sony A7R V | 35mm f/7.1 1/1600s ISO 320
The Saturday morning was the better of the two morning in terms of weather, but there were shots available both mornings. Unlike Sywell, access to the flightline is restricted to one side only. While this limits the access, from a photography standpoint it makes for cleaner backgrounds. It’s an opportunity to get close to these machines and see up close the care and attention that has gone into the restoration and maintenance.
de Havilland Vampire
Sony A7R V | 160mm f/2.8 1/3200s ISO 100
The Re-enactors / People
One of the highlights is the re-enactors village; it’s a must see for the weekend. The costumes obviously have been carefully curated and prepared and the passion that goes into the event is very evident. It’s not just the ‘official’ re-enactors; many of the ground crew and pilots enter into the spirit of the weekend.
The Mechanic.
Sony A7R V | 85mm f/8.0 1/640s ISO 250
The Flyings Displays
Hawker Fury
Sony A9ii | 600mm f/5.6 1/320s ISO100
Saturday saw a pretty full flying schedule with more or less everything running to time. The weather closed in a little on the Sunday, meaning that there were more restrictions on the second day. However, despite that I though the conditions on the Sunday were, at times, slightly better. We weren’t fighting against the sun quite as much.
The flying list was really quite varied. In addition to the Lancaster fly-past, on my part the highlights included the largest formation of Hurricanes seen for many years, the Douglas A-26C Invader, the Avro Anson Mk 1 as well as the ever-pretty Catalina.
Avro Anson Mk 1
Sony A9ii | 600mm f/9.0 1/320s ISO100
Conclusions
This was another great weekend; well worth the journey down and a hugely entertaining way to spend a couple of days. The show is incredibly well done with plenty of variety both on the ground and in the sky.
The photography was decent; the combination of the 300mm lens, 70-200mm and Sony bodies worked well. I definitely don’t feel I overpacked, but if I do another show next year I may swap the bodies around. I don’t need the frame rate the A9ii offers, whereas the extra resolution of the A7RV may prove to be a little more versatile. I’m not sure about Duxford next year and I am hankering after something with some serious jets.
