July 2, 2011 -Waddington is one of the British certainties of the display season. This was no exception in 2011. A nice variety of aircraft was displayed there and for once the weahter was kind of friendly. After Mitch's display a little worries arose for the Belgian Demo Team since a bird strike was detected upon inspection. With the help of the "good friends" of the USAF T-birds this problem was quickly solved and Vortex was ready to fly again at Koksijde AB the next day.

Just after noon on July 2nd, 2011 Mitch and Stiffler found a spot to put their jets on the ground despite the busy schedule of the ongoing airshow. Despite a 2 hour ferry flight from Zeltweg to Waddington and having performed a demo flight at Zeltweg during Airpower 2011 already, Mitch started briefing immediately for the afternoon demo at Waddington. At 15:45 local the engine of Vortex was fired up and 20 minutes later - after having done the necessary checks - the first figures were flown. Mitch did another flawless display and won the trophy for best overall performance.

Some excitement came over the team when - after inspecting the air intake and engine after the flight - a bird strike was detected! Heavy concerns for the team since Vortex already had to perform on Monday during the Koksijde airshow. After the necessary actions of the local photographer and the Bird Control Unit only a boroscope inspection was needed. With typical Belgian modesty the help of the T-birds team was called upon on Sunday morning knowing these guys have two C-17 Globemaster III's at their disposal fully loaded with all kinds of equipment and gear. Without any hesitation a three-man team was formed that helped the Belgian crew with the task at hand. "Many thanks guys". Four hours later, Mitch could show why he had the best display the day before. Another Sky High Success!

A huge variety of aircraft filled the skies above RAF Waddington over the 2 days, from the roaring Thunderbirds to the might of the Vulcan there was something for all of the 145,000 visitors. The 16th air show held at RAF Waddington , opened with a flypast by a home-based Sentry from 8 Squadron. The show included over 7 hours of flying displays and 55 static display aircraft. Other flying display items performing this year included the Red Arrows, the Blades, the Royal Jordanian Falcons, the Belgian F-16 and on the ground Carol Vorderman presenting the ‘RAF on Air’ experience.

The Team