The Freddie March Spirit of Aviation Exhibition (FMSoA), presented by Avtrade, at the Goodwood Revival (September 8th-10th) will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. The renowned concours d'elegance for pre-1966 aircraft will once again bring together some of the most elegant and rarely-seen aeroplanes from around the globe.
To mark its 10th anniversary, many of the podium finishing exhibits from the past ten years will return to Goodwood to form what will be an awe-inspiring collection of aircraft.
Visitors to the world famous three-day vintage Revival will see the worlds’ only, lovingly restored Bristol Blenheim, a Miles Whitney Straight and Foster Wickner Wicko, two Beechcraft Staggerwings, and many other superbly presented classic aircraft. The majority are from Europe but aircraft from as far as New Zealand and Australia will also be in attendance.
The concours celebrates aircraft thought to embody the ‘Spirit of Aviation’ and the Bristol Blenheim will be a highlight as the first aircraft to cross the German coast to perform a high-altitude reconnaissance mission upon the German Navy in the vicinity of Wilhelmshaven. 15 Blenheims from three squadrons set off on one of the first bombing missions to attack the ships spotted on the previous day. Although obsolete early in the war, Blenheims were used as light bombers throughout and provided cover during the Dunkirk evacuation.
Another hugely popular exhibit will be Bill Charney ‘Captain Biff Windsock’ and the Red Rockette NC16S, Staggering Staggerwing. Biff Windsock fell in love with flying as a young boy, and saw his first Staggerwing at an airshow in 1940, making him determined to one day own one himself. Following a high-flying career in the US Air Force, including a tour in Vietnam, and many years working as a commercial pilot, in 1994 Biff was finally able to buy his Staggerwing. Now fully repaired and visiting Goodwood for the second time, Biff and his Staggerwing truly demonstrate the ‘Spirit of Aviation’.
For the first time, this year the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation will be presented by Avtrade, an independent and privately owned global component service provider of Boeing and Airbus aircraft spare parts to the aviation industry. Based in West Sussex and operating on a global scale, Avtrade has the largest available inventory for parts trading worldwide and there are clear synergies to be drawn in the pioneering nature of the Avtrade business alongside Freddie March:
Jamie Brooks, General Manager at Avtrade said: ‘I am delighted to be working with Goodwood as the presenting partner of the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation at such a prestigious and world-renowned event as Goodwood Revival. Since our inception in 1985, Avtrade has built a reputation for innovation in Aviation Component Support. It is for this reason that we are particularly proud to be aligned with aviation pioneer Freddie March and look forward to carving Avtrade’s name into the illustrious history of aviation at Goodwood.’
Visitors are encouraged to come and meet the Avtrade team in their dedicated Airstream meet and greet area which will be staffed by airhosts and hostesses in period dress. Ticket-holders will have the opportunity to take snaps of themselves in front of Avtrade 3D posters throughout the FMSoA exhibition area too.
