Bicester Heritage’s Flywheel Festival Returns With The Last Bristol Blenheim L6739 Flying In
The Bicester Heritage Flywheel Festival returns for the first time since 2018 with the sole surviving Bristol Blenheim L6739 flying in for the event.
Bicester Heritage is a former WW2 RAF bomber base and is celebrating the tenth anniversary since it became the heritage site and home now to over 50 specialist businesses. The two day showcase will celebrate all elements of this, from the Second World War with wings to wheels and motion.
Held over the weekend of the 18th and 19th of June 2023 there are only a total of 20,000 tickets available to buy, the 10,000 visitor limit each day surely to sell out for the flagship event.
Flywheel will have a collection of motoring marques in display along the tree lined avenues of the site. Vintage flight will have its own feature showcase with many historic aircraft landing at the site’s grass airfield, celebrating the site’s heritage as an RAF Blenheim Bomber training station.
The demonstration rack will host live displays and over 50 of Bicester Heritage will be available to demonstrate the range of skills and crafts that the site now host. From vintage upholstery, classic oils, classic motor dealers and even electric single seat racing cars.
The Bicester Heritage Scramblers membership club will host a display on the Scramblers lawn which this year is powered by Collecting Cars.
Daniel Geoghegan, CEO, Bicester Motion comments: “This year is a particularly special one for us here at Bicester Heritage, and the return of Flywheel is a fitting tribute to celebrate the story of our unique site. We hope to welcome attendees of all ages to join us for what will be a spectacular event, a tribute to the hard work of our specialist community and all those who have supported our drive here at Bicester since day one.”
Founded in 2013, Bicester Heritage has become a home for classic vehicles and a wealth of specialists in the historic vehicle industry. The turnover on the site is now in excess of £50m, which makes it the largest player in the whole industry, and it keeps growing.
Spread over 444 acres the somewhat beautiful old WW2 base makes the perfect home for all the new skills and crafts that have moved in. The new trade it has brought to the area too hasn’t gone unnoticed and, it’s only an hour or so from London.
The RAF Bicester site itself is of national historical importance and is something of an exhibit in its own right. Even though it was neglected for a good 40 years it was finally added to England’s At Risk Register in 2008 and was the most at risk of all the Defence Estates in the UK.
After the takeover by Bicester Heritage, over 95% of the buildings have been sympathetically restored and re-dedicated for modern use. The site is an example of constructive conservation by Historic England and feels like it is in a time warp. The active airfield and test track adding to that feel.
One of the big draws of the weekend has to be the return of the only surviving airworthy Bristol Blenheim Bomber from World War 2. The historically significant aircraft will be leading the aviation display on both days.
The aircraft is the last Mk1 Blenheim known to exist and it is the only airworthy Blenheim out of all the different Mks produced.
It is quite fitting for the aircraft to be here again since the final 13 Blenheim’s flew out of the RAF base for good on the 13th of February 1944.
Blenheim L6739 was finished on the 11th of July 1939 and entered service on the 2nd of September 1939, the day after the war commenced. The aircraft served as a night fighter with RAF 23 Squadron during the Battle of Britain.
The Aircraft Restoration Company, ARCo, at Duxford, restored the plane over 11 years and some 25,000 man hours. It is owned and maintained by the company.
If you want to take a step back in time and see something unique too, then you probably should move quickly.
Adult tickets are £27 each, with children up to 15 £7.50 and are available here.
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