Episode 2 Britain's Ultimate Pilots: Inside the RAF

Can there be anything more British than the love of adrenaline...

Rolling...now.

..determination in the face of adversity...

That is not show standard.

..which epitomises the RAF?

Brilliant to watch, never gets tiring.

Over the course of their action-packed summer season,

we'll be flying with Britain's ultimate pilots...

..The Red Arrows.

With their fellow display teams - the Typhoon jets...

..the Chinook helicopter...

..and the Hurricanes and Spitfires.

We're going inside the bubble

to chart the courage it takes

to pull off the most famous flying experience in the world.

This week, the Red Arrows are heading

to the world's biggest military air show,

held at RAF Fairford.

But will they be knocked off the top spot by another stellar act,

because the true legends of British aviation,

the Spitfires and Hurricanes of World War II,

are planning to steal the show.

They even have the Red Arrows nervous.

No-one will want to talk to us at that point.

With exclusive inside access,

we're in the skies with the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

The first thing to really notice

when you get in these old aeroplanes is the smell. It's beautiful.

They are planning an unparalleled flying formation.

Put the two aircraft together, it's brilliant.

Can they muster an unprecedented gathering of World War II planes

from across the globe?

Someone said the Dutch aircraft's coming.

A Dutch aircraft? I didn't even know it was coming.

Adds to the drama of it all.

But will they fall short?

Our main star is gone.

And does everyone get to play a part?

I know on the outside I'm looking quite calm and happy,

deep inside, a little sad that I didn't manage to go up.

As they pay their respects to the 544 aircrew

who died in the Battle of Britain.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is based at RAF Coningsby

in Lincolnshire.

They don't fly fast jets.

They fly a priceless collection of World War II planes.

And Squadron Leader Duncan Mason, Dunc, is the boss.

Three, two, one, 7 o'clock local.

Right, welcome, everyone, to PDA dress rehearsal 2015.

The BBMF perform fly-pasts at ceremonial events

and air shows all over the country.

This is Dunc's last year in charge,

and he is planning an aerial extravaganza to eclipse

all other display teams heading to the Royal International Air Tattoo.

We're coming together with the rest of the Warburg community,

the civilian Warburg community,

and we are hoping up to about 25 aircraft, World War II aircraft,

that represent the Battle, so Spitfires...

..Hurricanes...

Messerschmitt 109s.

We mustn't forget the bravery of both sides.

These guys, they weren't politically driven,

they were young men that were fighting for their country.

As the countdown to the air tattoo gets underway,

Dunc's briefing Flight Lieutenant Anthony Parkinson.

Parky is the only other full-time pilot in the Squadron.

If we've got the prevailing westerly wind,

it's going to mean that all of these aeroplanes,

A, they'll need to be pointing the other way for a start,

and it's how we then get them down and out.

Dunc's planning a mass formation of planes,

known in the RAF as a Balbo.

He's desperate to bring together one of the biggest gatherings

of Battle of Britain fighters seen in decades.

What he's trying to achieve is supremely ambitious.

His most pressing issue is just exactly which planes will turn up.

I'm still trying to find out about, I think it's Volker Bau,

is the Me 109 pilot, and I still can't get any information on him,

so I'm going to make some phone calls today.

Other than that, that's the front section.

-And that's the one coming from Munich?

-Yes.

The next section, I'm still waiting to find out about these guys.

There's a Mk 9 with John Sessions who's coming over from the States,

and I don't know anything about him yet, so I need to find out.

If his plans come to fruition, this is the kind of flying

more than 150,000 spectators will see at RAF Fairford.

Dunc needs the support of the civilian pilots now more than ever.

Because back in May, just days into the new display season,

disaster struck.

His superstar Lancaster bomber,

one of only two flying in the world today, burst into flames mid-air.

This exclusive RAF footage was captured

from the air traffic control tower at RAF Coningsby.

I'm in the tower, it's on fire, and it's properly on fire.

Flight lieutenant Tim Dunlop is a full-time RAF transport pilot

and volunteers with the BBMF to fly the Lancaster.

He was in the cockpit training a new member of the team.

At this point, it's a full-on aviation emergency.

We then see a couple of flames coming out of it.

Clearly, that's very unusual for this type of scenario.

He positioned the aircraft into a nice downwind position,

so it's just before we turn in to land the aircraft,

and then myself and the rest of the crew went through the process

of physically shutting down the engine.

Not only are the pilots' lives at stake,

the precious Lancaster itself is now in danger.

OK, guys, when he's on the runway

and he slowed right down, let him know he's still on fire, OK?

Don't put that out until he's down safely.

Nice landing.

Very nice.

We then needed to get out of the aeroplane, so the quickest exit

for us in the flight deck is out of the parachute escape hatch here.

It's a little bit of a drop.

That guy that's just got out had a hell of a fall.

If I hang from it or something like that,

I've probably only got about three or four feet I need to drop.

I think we just about landed on our feet.

A couple of us fell a bit onto our bottoms.

That's the second one.

Oof!

The other two who were further back in the aircraft

came out of the back.

Tim's dramatic escape gave him an insight into

what it would have been like for the bomber crews of World War II.

They had all the under fire, doing it at night.

An engine fire to them

was probably something they'd deal with on several occasions.

Amazing stories about guys going out onto the wing

to put the aircraft fire out and bits and pieces.

It's just fantastic, amazingly brave guys back then.

Firefighters managed to save the bulk of the Lancaster.

But not before the engine was badly damaged.

Junior Engineering Officer Dean McAllister and his team

have an enormous challenge on their hands.

Since the fire itself, the team have split the aircraft down,

removed all the damaged parts.

Hopefully, we are still aiming

to have her flight tested by the end of August.

But that means the star of the show will miss most of the display season.

And the spectacle of the Lancaster will be absent from their

critical display at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford.

Having the Lancaster, you know, with its fire,

so early in the season, essentially, take the Lanc out,

you know, that's... Our main star is gone.

However, to take its place at the air tattoo,

Parky has a very special aircraft,

in the wings, ready to take centre stage.

She's called P7,

thanks to the registration number painted on her side.

She still carries the scars of her wartime service.

So, this is the Mk II Spitfire.

The oldest airworthy Spitfire that flew in the Battle of Britain.

An amazing piece of history in itself.

It's bad to have favourites, I guess,

but this would be my favourite.

This irreplaceable Spitfire rolled off the production line in 1940

and is believed to be the 14th

of nearly 12,000 built in just one Birmingham factory.

She can fly at almost 400mph in a dive,

powered by an original Merlin engine.

She's the only airworthy Spitfire that flew in the Battle of Britain

and you're definitely aware

that you're flying an utterly priceless aircraft when you fly her.

She's incredibly light, even compared to the other Spitfires.

She weighs physically less, she is just lighter

and even more balanced on the controls to fly.

And even just the fact that she's brown and green,

when you look at the camouflaged wing with the RAF roundels on it,

the hairs go up on the back of your neck.

There's just something so special about this aircraft.

With the Lancaster grounded,

the stakes couldn't be higher for Parky.

His precious Spitfire, P7, now moves into the spotlight

with only five days to go until the famous air tattoo.

Today, the BBMF are kicking off the week with an emotionally charged

fly-past at Capel-le-Ferne's Battle of Britain Memorial.

Often when the BBMF pilots take off, they face uncertainty

because of the changeable weather.

Flying a priceless collection of vintage aircraft means

they are under the strictest of regulations.

Anything which might cause damage to the planes

must be avoided at all cost.

And that includes the weather.

At Capel-le-Ferne,

some of the men who flew in the Battle of Britain

are taking their seats in expectation.

But the grey skies don't bode well for the fly-past.

During the battle itself, the pilots had no choice

and were forced to fly in all weathers.

But for the BBMF, poor visibility and heavy rain

can bring any sortie to an abrupt end.

Veterans from every generation of the military are waiting

to hear the first roar of the Merlin engines.

Even people that weren't in the war, when they see the Lancasters,

Spitfires and all that sort of going,

there's something about them that is really important.

19, 20 year old, it's amazing, really.

With so little training as well.

And they were up there in the thick of it, so this is a very important

place of pilgrimage, really, to remember what they did for us.

Without them doing the battle up there, we'd have been lost.

You know.

Flying vintage planes without hi-tech navigation instruments

means extreme weather conditions

can make it impossible to complete a sortie.

At Capel-le-Ferne, overlooking the white cliffs of Dover,

the weather is getting worse.

And then, the heart-rending news,

the BBMF are not coming.

After two attempts to fly into Capel, the severe bad weather

has made it too dangerous for the pilots to risk the fly-past.

I'd like to have seen it, but it's one of those things.

We all kind of landed slightly deflated

because we didn't get Capel-le-Ferne in for the veterans.

And it was so frustrating with the weather, the band of rain just

positioned itself in the English Channel and it was just bizarre.

We took off from Southend to go down

and we got literally three miles to the north of Capel.

I imagine the veterans could almost hear us, and we had to turn back.

We'll put that behind us and start looking ahead.

The entire BBMF team feel

they've disappointed the veterans at Capel-le-Ferne.

Now they've got just five days until the Royal International Air Tattoo

at RAF Fairford where they won't want a repeat of today's no-show.

The Air Tattoo at Fairford is coming down the tracks fast

for all the display teams taking part.

The Red Arrows are rehearsing to make the sure

they are show ready for the world's biggest military air tattoo.

But Parky's got a bit of dazzling display flying of his own

up his sleeve to give the Reds a run for their money.

He's planning to wow the crowds by merging his vintage Spitfire

with a brand-new, state-of-the-art, all-singing,

all-dancing monster of the sky.

The £60 million Typhoon fighter jet.

It's really to show the cutting-edge technology of the Spitfire

and obviously the modern-day Typhoon.

And show just how proud we are of our past

and put the two aircraft together, it's brilliant.

But Parky needs a partner in crime.

Back in January, he teamed up with 32-year-old

Flight Lieutenant Ben Westoby-Brooks

who's an elite Typhoon instructor.

Ben was selected to fly alongside Parky

in a unique Spitfire-Typhoon synchronised display.

But will the pair make the grade?

Ben is used to travelling in a plane

which can fly faster than the speed of sound.

Today, his biggest challenge

is to replace speed with agility in a simulator.

Flying at just over 200mph requires minute control inputs.

If they don't get the display perfect, neither of the pilots

will progress to flying the real aircraft in formation.

Using the simulator's technology,

their superiors scrutinise every move the pilots make.

After the session, Parky and Ben review their performance.

-Brake.

-Now.

Going high, but it's too late to go high, should have gone earlier.

There's a little bit, I don't know if you see, but on your hull,

it looks like you're absolutely on my line,

and on mine it looks like you're a bit over as well.

I don't know if there's a tiny bit.

It looks like you're almost to the south of it.

It looks like you really bussed it to me, but actually you've

just gone to the north side of the runway, haven't you?

Yeah.

I actually want to be more displaced off the south side of the runway.

They have precious little time, with the display season round the corner.

It's a great privilege to do this display this summer.

Parky and I need to work as a team,

especially using our radio calls to make sure that it's spot-on.

Now, their bosses think they're ready to rehearse for real...

in a £60 million Typhoon and a priceless Spitfire.

We've spent weeks doing a lot of training in the simulator,

but also airborne as singletons, Typhoon and the Spitfire,

working down from 5,000 feet all the way down to 100.

And tomorrow is going to be the first time that I'll fly

alongside the Spitfire and we'll practise our routine in full.

The pilots aren't the only ones preparing for the air show.

The BBMF has 30 full-time engineers,

specially selected from the wider RAF.

They're working round the clock

to get their vintage planes ready on time.

Coming down. Go on, then.

While a car needs an oil change, on average, every 10,000 miles,

the Merlin and Griffin engines need one

after only 28 hours of flying time.

The BBMF engineers have six aircraft to get ready

for the busy three-day event.

At RAF bases around the country, it's a similar story.

The Red Arrows fly Hawk jets. Some of them are nearly 30 years old,

and they need just as much love and attention.

Not many people have a 35, 40-year-old car,

so it's basically the same sort of procedure really,

so they do take a lot of maintenance and hours to keep in the sky.

For the Reds' engineers,

the International Air Tattoo is THE showcase event.

Their pilots have the added pressure of knowing this year

the BBMF are threatening to steal their thunder

with Dunc's Balbo and Parky's synchro.

It's the morning of Parky and Ben's

first Spitfire-Typhoon synchro practice flight.

And after weeks of rehearsing in the simulator,

they're ready to take it to the skies.

So, fingers crossed, a first look

at an airborne synchro Spit-Typhoon.

It's the day of reckoning for the whole of the BBMF...

if the weather cooperates.

There was a fog prob, but that's now gone.

It's then a becoming, and this is the thing to worry about,

the becoming, then, is form 8 to 10Z,

so 9 to 11 local, 7K in Hayes.

If they don't come up to scratch,

the synchro won't display at RAF Fairford.

The canopy will be closed, I'll give you a thumbs-up,

you give me a thumbs-up, then I'll roll at that stage.

That's all I have.

Have fun.

It's now down to Ben and Parky to show they have what it takes

to become a first-rate display team.

The pressure is on,

and Dunc and the team in the control tower are also feeling it.

-Is she all good?

-Yeah.

-Do it.

As Parky taxies out, the Typhoon takes to the sky.

It's important they minimise the time in the air for the older plane.

It's a tense time for both pilots.

Will they make the grade?

Ben is slowing the Typhoon down to the Spitfire's speed.

He raises the nose to maintain lift.

This makes the plane more challenging to fly.

Ben's boss from the Typhoon Squadron is Wing Commander James Heald

and he is watching his every move.

At this point, Parky will be verbalising the wind

so that they're both working exactly the same wind corrections.

Ben will acknowledge that.

Then he's going to basically run in straight at us

and if the weather is fit, they'll split and to the synchro bit.

In his Typhoon, Ben follows Parky's Spitfire

and the display is looking good.

As they split, they go into a manoeuvre where

they fly head-to-head.

When they spot each other, they call "tally"

and know it is safe to proceed.

Unfortunately, the visibility is just not good enough

and they are forced to terminate the display.

Thanks, everyone.

For his very first go at it,

when the viz is right on the mist, it is not sensible to carry on.

So maybe later today or maybe next week. We'll see.

They may not have been performing in front of the public,

but Ben and Parky's first attempt at a synchro flight will be

scrutinised by the boss, Dunc.

They quickly get down to business.

He wants to talk through the decision that ended the display.

The fact that I was sat in the tower,

"Come on, boys, call tally," and of course there were no tally calls

and then you called blind and then you were climbing as well,

which was exactly the right thing to do.

It is weird how a Spit is difficult to see in its camouflage.

Because I said, "I'm over the woods,

"I'm in your ten o'clock at about a mile," you know, and I think you

just get better practised almost at seeing a Spit, the more you

get used to where it is and, you know, that's the sort of position

I'll be on that one there but again I'll just call your eyes on to me.

We look at that viz today, it's just a real mark in the sand as to

what we should go and try at Hatton.

We know the fact is that if it's at RIAT,

the pressure will be to go and do it.

Ben and Parky now need to get in the air as often as possible

if they are to be ready for the Air Tattoo.

There is another new pilot in the BBMF.

Jez Attridge, station commander of RAF Coningsby

is in charge of three Typhoon Squadrons and over 2,000 personnel.

His privilege as station commander is being able to fly with the BBMF.

But as a new boy, he's only allowed

in Britain's first eight-gun fighter plane with retractable undercarriage,

the mighty Hurricane.

First thing to really notice

when you get into these older aeroplanes is the smell.

It's just... It's beautiful.

You can smell the oil, the petrol, you can smell the age of it.

This has got things you can catch your knees on.

It is actually an ergonomic nightmare.

When you take off, you are of course flying with your right hand

and your hand is on the throttle with the left.

The actual undercarriage lever is on the right-hand side

so just after you've taken off, you swap hands

and you have to pull the undercarriage up.

When you fly this, it takes you

a while to get over the fact that you're in a Hurricane.

My first long flight,

when I was flying with Parky and he was in a Spitfire, I just

remember looking at him and thinking, "That's a Spitfire,"

and then suddenly realising I was in a Hurricane

and it's the greatest pleasure there is, I think.

Don't tell my wife that.

As RAF Fairford prepares to host the Royal International Air Tattoo,

the planes taking part are checking in.

It's the biggest show of its kind on earth and aircraft of all shapes

and sizes from across the globe are landing thick and fast.

The Red Arrows are one of the first to arrive

and for Mike Ling, Red 10, it is familiar territory.

My eighth RIAT with the Red Arrows so...looking forward to it.

It's not Groundhog Day.

For Junior Engineering Officer Marcus Ramsden,

it's his first time at the Tattoo.

There's a little bit of nerves

because it is the main premium event for us.

So the pilots, they want to display the best they can do

so a little bit of pressure on them,

a little bit of pressure on the engineers to make sure they

have the correct aircraft at the right time for the big air show.

Back at BBMF HQ, the excitement is palpable.

They're pinning their hopes on not one but two

of the most jaw-dropping displays of the entire event -

Ben and Parky's synchro and Dunc's Balbo.

But they're still stuck at base

and Dunc's plans are getting hijacked by the weather.

The wind speed is rising.

Just touching base again.

We know the wind's right on the cusp of our crosswind.

What are you showing on your clock there at the moment?

-'131 at 11.'

-And what is the max gust you've had?

'13 about 20 minutes ago but they haven't seen anything since then.'

It's a very tricky decision. It's right on the cusp of crosswinds.

-'Yeah.'

-Cheers, Ian.

-'Cheers. Bye.'

-So it has.

-It has been out.

-I think it's probably...

-We don't need to push it, do we?

-Yeah.

As the wind is now blowing across the runway at RAF Fairford,

it means Dunc has four planes which cannot land until the wind drops.

The Spitfire was designed to take off and land into the wind.

During the war, they used mowed fields with landing strips running

in varying directions to allow the pilots to land into the wind.

Today's fixed direction tarmac runways make it more challenging

if the wind is blowing across their path.

At RAF Fairford, their competition is already practising.

But even the Red Arrows can be railroaded by the weather.

Low cloud means they can't fly at the heights

they need to rehearse their more show-stopping moves.

Unlike the BBMF, which is made up of mostly volunteers selected from

the wider RAF, the Red Arrows are the only full-time aerobatic team.

The nine pilots have the backup of over 100 full-time engineers

and support staff.

Back at RAF Coningsby, the weather is crossing swords with Dunc's dream

of flying in one formation and landing at Fairford in style.

His challenge now is just getting there.

There's a couple of variables,

all down to the weather,

so pin your ears back.

What we're looking at is the 15-knotters

going down as a three ship.

That is me, Milli and Smithy walking out of here at quarter to four.

-Station commander, does that work for you?

-Yes.

-Sure?

-Yes, I'll make it work.

-Good.

Then the wheezy boys in the ten-knotters, Parky in P7,

Hells in AB, Disco LF and Jez in PZ.

We're all immensely looking forward to it so, yeah, I think

everyone's all fired up, ready for a good one.

The engineers have done their job.

The planes are made ready for the pilots,

who are limbering up before the off.

-Everybody fit to fly?

-Yeah.

Mobis to fly mode. Have a good one. I shall see you on the ground.

And I'll wave you off.

For Dunc, the International Air Tattoo has been a long time

in the planning and this will be his last year at the helm of the BBMF.

His replacement, Milli,

will take over at the end of the display season.

Not looking forward to this in the slightest.

But just as it looks like Dunc's plan is coming together,

the radio in Milli's plane has stopped working.

It's all hands to the pump to fix it,

but it's an old hand who comes up with a solution.

I fixed it!

If he'd shut down, you'd know straightaway, that's bad,

but cos he kept it going, it's just one of those annoying, little

radio snags, which we fixed, so there you go.

Adds to the drama of it all.

At this year's Royal International Air Tattoo

they'll have stiff competition with worldwide aerobatic teams on show

as well as a plethora of fast jets.

Dunc's hoping it's his Balbo which steals the show.

It's nice to be here.

This civilian pilots are landing bang on time and Dunc couldn't be happier.

Here we are again.

I've been here for a number of years now. It's nice to be back.

It'll be great to see these aeroplanes

arrive for tomorrow's display. So it's exciting, it's good.

Wait and see how many turn up

and then do whatever we can with what we've got.

With each new arrival, Dunc's Balbo takes a step closer to

becoming a reality, while he rapidly becomes a parking attendant.

-Mate, are we going to get a Hurricane in there?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

I think we will, won't we? Just.

Nothing's a problem for fighter pilots.

We just take it all in our stride.

The thing is, certain aeroplanes have dropped out

and certain aeroplanes we've never seen before.

That's the guy, John Sessions has brought that from America.

So someone said the Dutch aircraft is coming, we're like,

"There's a Dutch aircraft? I didn't even know it was coming."

So we've worked out he's actually going to fly with me

so that's where that needs to go. So it's just getting everything

in the right order for tomorrow, really.

It's a bit of exercise as well, isn't it?

And when Ben's Typhoon arrives,

only Parky in P7 and the rest of the BBMF planes are missing.

Hopefully my boys will arrive fairly soon.

Over the next hour, aircraft of all shapes and sizes arrive,

and there's time for a bit of ribbing from the Navy.

Look, that's what you want to be seeing. OK?

He's senile. He doesn't know what's going on. He's not a pilot.

He just turns up every now and again.

And Parky finally arrives.

All Dunc needs now is for the weather to play ball.

We'll get the forecast tonight and see what they say.

But until we get to tomorrow and see what it actually does,

we'll see what happens and then, again, plan from there.

More than 150,000 spectators

are due at the event over the next three days.

The BBMF are expected to fly two show-stopping displays

but, with the wind speed still changing, it's uncertain

any of the BBMF planes will be allowed to fly.

It's the opening day of the Royal International Air Tattoo

at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire

and the crowds are already piling into the airfield.

It's the moment of truth.

After months of rehearsing,

Parky and Ben's Spitfire/Typhoon synchro display

is about to open the entire show.

But there's a crushing blow for Parky.

The dreaded crosswinds are too high for him

to fly the star of the BBMF's planes,

the beloved P7 Spitfire.

He's forced to fly another, more robust plane.

I was looking forward to flying. It's definitely not the summer's day

we all hoped for but as long as

we can get airborne, I think that the key.

It looks like a little bit of a shower coming through

so I'll speak to the guys and then jump in in just a second.

Parky's taking the Mk XVI Spitfire.

It can handle higher crosswinds.

Contact call.

At stake is all the months of rehearsing.

It's the countdown to takeoff,

as Ben and his Typhoon and Parky in his Spitfire taxi down the runway.

-TANNOY:

-'Here we have aircraft that span the generations.

'This display has been dubbed Synchro 75 by the Royal Air Force.

'We have a Supermarine Spitfire

'from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

'at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire,

'and we have the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4, also from RAF Coningsby.

'The aircraft taking part in this synchro display

'has a very special colour scheme -

'markings of a Hurricane flown in the Battle of Britain

'by James Brindley Nicolson VC.'

Red One synchro pair to takeoff display.

The wind is 26. 13, gusting 18.

They go into their well-rehearsed takeoff routine.

In front of an expectant, crowd-lined runway,

Parky takes to the air first.

With the Spitfire safely off the ground,

Ben now hits fast forward.

As soon as Ben levels out, he's on the hunt for Parky.

Once he spots him, he's quickly on his tail.

200.

Coming left now.

Coming left...now.

Now they manoeuvre into their line astern formation,

with Ben tracking Parky's every move.

They're flying just 20 feet apart.

Parky's pushing the 70-year-old Merlin engine

towards the top of its limits.

At just 250mph, Ben is operating

the Typhoon towards the bottom end of its speed capability.

Synchro. Break, break, go.

Following this, they make their split.

Now for the precision head-to-head.

As he banks round,

Ben's trying to spot Parky through the canopy of his Typhoon.

He's two miles away.

Ben knows where Parky should be

but will he locate him in time?

Unless both pilots confirm visual contact with the call "tally",

they'll have to abort the display.

It's a high-pressure moment.

They're flying towards each other at a closing speed of 500mph.

Tally.

Tally.

Ben spots Parky. They have tally and it's all systems go.

Two planes, 75 years apart - perfectly synchronised.

Reaching across the decades to commemorate the Battle of Britain.

A symbolic moment for both young and old.

The next manoeuvre is a joint victory roll.

Roll.

To understand this iconic piece of flying,

we go inside the bubble with Parky.

The victory roll is synonymous with the Battle of Britain.

The pilot would roll the plane 360 degrees to announce

the shooting down of an enemy aircraft.

The pilot is pulling the nose upwards

and then rolling the Spitfire with the ailerons.

The Spitfire nose naturally comes down as the aircraft rolls.

That is just sensational.

That was absolutely superb.

You have got two different aircraft there spanning a 75-year period

and yet absolutely every time the synchro went off the display data,

it was absolutely on the numbers.

That was very impressive, given the wind conditions as well.

Superb display. And what a great start.

That was a very, very safe display, very professional

and absolutely in the right place all the way through.

Superb stuff.

They've done it.

Ben and Parky's Spitfire-Typhoon synchro

has opened the Royal International Air Tattoo 2015.

It was a lovely summer's day, wasn't it?

I was just clocking the showers coming in.

Actually north, we were out of it, but I could sense you boys

were getting a little bit wetter than I was. It felt fine.

The winds actually behaved. We've opened Fairford. It's good.

The BBMF still have Dunc's Balbo to pull off.

But the boss is happy with Parky's display.

-Was it all right?

-Yeah, well done. That was really good. Honestly.

-It pains me to say it.

-Really?

It was in the middle, in that wind,

it was awesome. You were doing a great job. Brilliant.

-What are you going to do now?

-I'm trying to see Geoffrey.

Geoffrey Wellum is a former World War II pilot

and a VIP guest at the Tattoo.

Well, you can try if you want to.

I have passed on your regards and I said that you were flying

and doing all the bits there, so, you know...

-He said he didn't want to meet you!

-"Who?"

He said, I've had enough of that bloke!

Parky rushes off to find his star pilot of yesteryear.

The Red Arrows have arrived.

And they are being mobbed by fans of their own.

-Excuse me sir, what red are you, please?

-I'm number one.

-Would you mind posing with a bear, please?

-Yes, no problem at all!

-Thank you very much.

-That's all right. No problem at all.

I've posed with a lot worse things!

Take the suit off and nobody knows who you are.

So, that is a very good thing, I think.

Parky has tracked down his own hero.

This way, first. Give them a quick smile, because you on camera.

94-year-old Geoffrey was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross

for his bravery in action.

After the Capel-le-Ferne disappointment,

Parky is keen to see him.

How you, how was your visit?

-You know Geoffrey Wellum, don't you?

-I know of him.

-The legend.

-That is him in person.

-Justin Hughes.

An ex-Red Arrow mate of mine.

-Parky and I used to fly together on the Red.

-Oh, dear.

-In the old days.

-A million years ago.

-It gets worse, doesn't it?

-Nice to meet you.

-Lovely to meet you.

I had better do as I'm told, they get very touchy.

Geoffrey, I have got to leg it. See you whenever I see you.

-Safe recovery, chum.

-And you. Take care.

-Nice to see you, Parky.

Even though the Reds are heroes to their fans,

the pilots have their own idols.

We know the guys of the BBMF.

We always pouring around aircraft, climbing all over it,

dreaming that we could one day maybe fly them.

And so, people always say that we have got a dream job,

but those guys in the BBMF, getting a chance to fly Spits

and Hurricanes, incredible.

I don't think there is a guy here

that wouldn't pass up that chance at a shot.

Display teams from around the world are strutting their stuff in the sky.

The countdown has begun to Dunc's planned Balbo.

It's less than an hour until takeoff and the weather has forced his hand.

It's time for the pre-flight briefing.

In true Dunkirk spirit,

they are meeting in a hut in the middle of a field.

15 seconds...

But not everybody is going to be happy.

Three, two, one, hack. It's 12:30 local, Jez.

It's RIAT 2015 and the aim of this

is to get everyone up safely, back down safely,

and do a good show both for the veterans and for the crowd.

We are, overall, known as Viceroy formation.

We are going to stick with the plan for the outside of 15-knot plan

at the moment, it is too late to change it.

So we we'll go through that.

Jez is putting a brave face on things.

Dunc's plan, to only take up the planes

with a 15-knot crosswind limit,

means he can't fly.

Parky has to leave his beloved P7 Spitfire on the ground once more

and jump into Jez's Hurricane.

-Look at him, he is pleased about it. Can't believe it.

-Skipping off.

Unbelievable.

This is a definition of FOMO - the fear of missing out,

right now.

There will be some retribution for this, you can be sure of that.

75 years after the Battle of Britain,

14 World War II planes are once again on stand by for takeoff.

At stake for Dunc is the reputation of the entire BBMF.

Will his dream become an airborne reality?

It's Viceroy formation, the way we are looking to start presently...

Can you confirm we're on time?

We are running seven minutes late, display is seven minutes late.

Copy, thank you.

The wind at the moment is 25014 knots.

With a crosswind of 14 knots,

Dunc has made the right decision to ground two of their planes.

As the previous display ends, Dunc gets the all clear.

The Merlin and Griffon engines fire into life.

Wheels roll and finally,

Dunc gets to lead his band of brothers out to the runway.

In a VIP area, some of the veterans

who flew in the Battle of Britain are led to their front row seats.

Ken Wilkinson, Tony Pickering and Geoffrey Wellum were young airmen

who all saw action in the battle.

It's in their name that the BBMF fly today.

AIRCRAFT ENGINES HUM

The crowds grow quiet as the soundtrack of World War II

rings out across the airfield.

Just as Dunc planned it.

Jez might be standing on the sidelines,

but he diverts his disappointment about not flying into pride

at being part of such a momentous event.

And I think, if we could just have the commentators quiet a second,

we will get to hear the Merlins which just makes

the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Dunc leads the front section in a Hurricane,

flanked on either side by another Hurricane and a Spitfire.

Blue section follows,

and Parky is at the helm with a Hurricane on each wing.

Next, the yellow section, led by Milli,

leading another legendary Spitfire.

He is followed by three more.

I know on the outside I'm looking quite calm and happy,

deep inside, I feel sad that I didn't manage to go up.

The main thing is we had the fly-past.

Bringing up the rear in a symbolic gesture of remembrance

is a German plane, the 109 Messerschmitt,

re-enacting a tail chase with a Spitfire.

It's all about actually the aeroplanes,

it's not about us flying the aeroplanes.

It's about this, about having those aeroplanes in the air

for people to see them.

And is just tremendous to see that.

To actually have, 75 years after the battle, these aeroplanes

which were only built to last for a couple of months, that's it.

And we are able to put them up now.

To show to everybody the history and the heritage that we have got.

The planes are battling the crosswinds to land,

but for the veterans, this is what they faced,

day in, day out, throughout the war.

They're generally quite tight-lipped about their experiences.

When we manage to sit down and talk to them, they are interested

in the modern air force and we want to know about the Second World War.

Going up on a sortie and flying one of these aeroplanes

is an amazing thing

and we feel it when we jump in these aeroplanes.

But for them, it was five, six, seven, eight sorties a day,

day after day after day.

So they were working at the limit of endurance for the aeroplanes

and themselves.

They experienced so much in what was a fight for life or death.

It's mission accomplished for Dunc

and he has got no regrets about grounding his boss.

When you back came in to land,

actually the wind had gone round to a 240 direction.

Gusting up to 25, so it was over ten knots across when we landed.

So actually, it was good we stuck with that decision

and we didn't try and launch those extra aeroplanes.

For the entire BBMF team, it has been a day they will never forget.

But they can't rest on their laurels.

Dunc is hoping that his last Balbo will be even bigger.

For Parky, there was just one thing missing.

The Spitfire which actually flew in the Battle of Britain, P7.

She's the star. She was here 75 years ago.

To bring her all this way for her to sit on the ground

with everything else flying, it seems wrong.

We need the fortunes to smile on us a bit and get her airborne.

The International Air Tattoo is the showcase event

for all of the RAF display teams.

And for others from around the world.

But the Red Arrows are probably the most instantly recognised

in their distinctive red jets.

Obviously, the highlight will be the Red Arrows.

Brilliant to watch and never gets tiring,

no matter how many times you see the display. It's brilliant.

They have been so anxious to see them

so we managed to get all their signatures on the back

of their jumpsuits so we can keep them for ever.

They have a fanbase which crosses generations and geography.

And within the BBMF, they have some of their biggest admirers.

Dunc and Parky once wore

the world-famous red flying suit themselves.

Most people are so proud of the Red Arrows and they tend to go,

"They're the best in the world," and it's such a lovely support

from the country and you are definitely aware that,

you know, you've got this reputation to live up to.

I think they are the best. You know, you watch all the other teams and...

Massively proud of the Red Arrows, you know, they are...

such a special thing that this country has got

and we should be very proud of them

and, you know, to have been a part of the team...

Yeah, fabulous.

It's not like you just strap in and go and do your job.

You've got to be up for it when you're on the Reds,

an event like here, you've got to get fired up for the display

and the boys will be revved up for it.

The enemy of the Red Arrows is not the wind, but low cloud.

Today, the gods are on their side.

It's been three weeks since the Reds have performed

their most dynamic show, the full display.

Commentating on the ground is Red Ten.

Another shape change now as the jets now reach 6,000 feet,

slowing down to around 150mph

as they come through that small amount of cumulus cloud.

At 150mph, the controls are slightly less responsive,

so working hard now,

they're going to shape change into the form of the Feathered Arrow.

The pilots are experiencing 4G, four times the force of gravity.

Their blood is being pushed downwards,

away from the heart, towards the feet.

It could mean the pilot blacks out,

but wearing a G-suit which inflates,

putting pressure on their stomach and legs, stops this from happening.

It's weird.

You know, you can still remember the colours and, you know, the smoke

and weird stuff comes back to you, watching it,

and it's hearing the comm on the radio,

it brings back happy memories, actually.

It's something you'll never forget.

It was so ingrained, the show that you did,

you could always remember the shapes you did in different years

and there are some lovely shapes in that show.

11 years ago. Where has it gone?

7,000 feet!

Because this is the full display,

the Reds can perform on of their signature moves.

They haven't been able to perform this for three weeks...

..but you wouldn't know it

because the heart and spear is pitch perfect.

APPLAUSE

As well as the crowd-pleasing high moves,

there's the usual selection of low-level precision flying.

Now going to fly over the trees and the perform the Goose.

Smoke is on for the Vixen Break.

You've been watching the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team,

the Red Arrows!

APPLAUSE

That was a very pleasurable 25 minutes, watching the boys, then,

and I thought that was a really tidy show.

Dunc and me are very lucky to have done BBMF and the Reds.

It's degrees of perfection, really.

I couldn't choose which was better,

it would be like picking your favourite child,

you know, it would be so difficult, but...

Brilliant.

We're so lucky.

Parky is not the only one feeling lucky.

Going for a full display was a late decision by Red One.

It was pretty low cloud base

until about half an hour before we got airborne,

so as we sat and briefed here,

we thought, "We may be able to roll the show."

It was about 1,700 feet, we thought it would climb to 2,500 and...

One of the benefits the British summertime

is sometimes it can be bad

and then it can get pretty good pretty quickly,

so airborne, said to the boys to be ready for the full show

and we were, so it was really good to fly.

Yeah, a real bonus to go and do that.

The Reds are a hard act to follow for any display team

and now it's Dunc's turn to impress the crowds.

Over the course of the weekend,

more civilian pilots have arrived to join his final Balbo.

If he can get the original Battle of Britain Spitfire, that is P7,

into the air, he will fulfil his dream.

One year in the planning, one weekend in the making,

Dunc is about to lead the most poignant Balbo of his career.

Great. Let's have another good one, boys.

Thanks ever so much for all your engagement and endeavour on this,

it's been... well, frankly, astounding.

I'm absolutely delighted with how everyone has conducted themselves,

and how we have conducted ourselves as a formation.

-Thanks again, everyone and...

-Thank you.

-APPLAUSE

-Yeah, well led.

-It's not over yet!

-It's not over yet, exactly! Be careful!

If he pulls it off, he'll end his tenure as the boss of the BBMF

laying claim to his own piece of flying history.

I'm hoping that this final one is the best of all that we've done.

We've finished the briefing and it's just a case now of going

and putting on a great show for the public.

The final count now stands at 18 World War II planes

ready to make a powerful salute,

commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The crosswinds have dropped.

All of the BBMF planes can finally get in the air

and Station Commander Jez eventually gets to fly.

Stand by, one minute.

The engineers have played their part and, once again,

the planes are on stand by for takeoff.

-ON RADIO:

-Viceroy formation, cleared.

Yellow One and Green Section, ready.

-Black Section, ready.

-Yellow Two is ready.

I love watching the Spitfires.

My grandad used to build them back in Southampton during the war,

so I like to watch them whenever I can, really.

It's nice to come here and see so many today.

RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

Parky and the other pilots line up for their Balbo fly-past.

You feel the crowd has gone very quiet.

Once again, Dunc leads from the front, this time finally flying P7,

the Spitfire which saw action in the actual Battle of Britain.

Parky is in the Mark V Spitfire.

75 years ago, a band of young airmen, many of them inexperienced,

fought to the death in cockpits like these.

Today, flanked by the civilian warbird community,

Dunc and the entire BBMF team are paying their respects

to all the aircrew who took part in the battle.

With 18 World War II planes flying in one formation,

it's the biggest Balbo seen at the air show in decades,

just as Dunc hoped it would be.

To see that many all together... Magic. Magic, absolutely magic.

As Dunc lands, Parky is the first to congratulate him.

We've been coming to these things for quite some years

and that's the most aircraft for a memorial flight we've seen.

Fantastic.

It was great and it was just fabulous to get all of the aircraft,

all 18 aircraft, airborne on the final day here,

as our final salute to the boys. So I couldn't be happier.

I couldn't be happier and I hope the veterans and RIAT

and the nation are proud of what the boys did all those years ago.

It was bloody brilliant, mate.

The shadows... Did you see them on the ground?

Spits, Hurries, 109s everywhere.

-Celebratory mint?

-Thanks, mate!

I could do with a beer, but there you are.

-We'll have to have one later.

-Yeah, probably should.

-Yeah.

-It was pretty special.

-Yeah, it was.

-Yeah.

What an event the Royal International Air Tattoo has been,

for all of the RAF display teams.

The BBMF opened the Air Tattoo

with a dynamic Spitfire Typhoon Synchro Flight

and won the Steedman Sword for Best UK display.

The Reds got to fly a full display, which was one of their

most spectacular shows of the whole season.

And Dunc's Balbo had the veterans on their feet

and was awarded the best display of the entire air show,

winning the King Hussein Memorial Sword.

Next time, the Red Arrows perform with a total legend of aviation.

Great day! Just had a sortie

with one of the most iconic British bombers of British aviation.

The Chinook helicopter team battle the Irish Sea

to display at the UK's oldest air show.

Seeing them doing that, it was just amazing.

And they have to reckon with a broken Chinook.

-Knock it off.

-I'm knocking it off.

-The aircraft does not like that.