We will remember them

Today we flew to Old Buckenham Airfield in Norfolk to take part in their Remembrance Service. During WW2 it was an USAAF base and the American presence was felt there today with the memorial (see extra photo) and the opening of the new museum. Cloud base was a bit low on the way up and I flew in formation with Nigel in ‘ED’ as we were dropping poppies from the Yak.
It’s always a bit hit & miss with the poppy drop due to the winds and today was no exception with the strong wind (and the vast change of direction at 200ft!!).It’s an interesting experiencing leaning out into the airflow with a barrel full of 20 000 poppy heads waiting to be released … especially when I discovered that my bone dome needs tightening a bit! Thankfully they all flew out and floated over the site onto the runway … quite poignant really.

On landing back on we discovered them on the runway & taxiway … and also in the cockpit of the Yak and even wedged into external joins in the metal! The people on the ground enjoyed the sight and we were amazed at how different the wind was aloft and how if we had released a couple of seconds earlier then they would have gone over the heads of the people. But still it was a time to reflect and remember … even at 200ft hanging over the side of a Yak!