The Red Arrows – and a Spitfire – will be in the Lake District this week as a unique seaplane takes to the skies.
The annual flights of Waterbird take place from Windermere today, Friday, September 5, and Saturday September 6.
The nominated spectator area is at Brockhole and entry is free.
The event, Wings over Windermere, will also feature flypasts by the Red Arrows and a Spitfire, today, Friday September 5, only.
The estimated time for the Red Arrows flypast today at Windermere is 2.37pm – they will be north of Crosthwaite at 2.36pm. However, all timings are subject to change due to circumstances and weather.
The Spitfire flypast at Windermere is scheduled for 6.49pm.
The Waterbird flights will begin immediately afterwards.
People at the demonstration flights of a unique replica of the UK’s first successful seaplane this week will also get a chance to meet the team behind the project.
Thanks to the English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, there is a special opportunity to meet the team at Low Wood Bay, today after the flights, from 8pm to 9pm.
Members of the team making themselves available for the informal question-and-answer sessions at Low Wood Bay Conference centre include pilot Lieutenant Commander Chris Gotke, chief engineer Dr Bill Brooks, and Chairman of the Lakes Flying Company Ltd Ian Gee.
They will be talking about their involvement in the Waterbird project and their wider flying experience.
On Saturday, the Waterbird flights will begin at 6.45pm. There will also be flights by a modern Husky seaplane.
Lt Cdr Chris Gotke, Air Force Cross, is presently the Fixed Wing Commander at the Empire Test Pilots’ School, of which he is a graduate.
He flew Waterbird for the demonstrations last year, saying the plane, an exact replica of the 1911 original, was delightful to fly.
He said: “It was a great privilege, especially when you think of where she sits in history and all the aircraft that developed from her.
“I’m incredibly proud to fly this delightful aircraft and be a part of the wonderful team who are showing the public a key part of UK naval aviation heritage and history.”
Lt Cdr Gotke is no stranger to Windermere, having displayed a Sea Fury for the Lakes Flying Company in 2012. In his career, he has also displayed Seafire, Sea Hawk, Sea Harrier and Swordfish.
Dr Brooks is Chief Technical Officer and test pilot for Skyfly Technologies, which this summer successfully completed Europe’s first airfield-to-airfield flight of a fully electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Mr Gee, a retired solicitor from Kendal, has been the driving force behind the 10-year project to get the replica Waterbird built and off the water, and its subsequent flights.
English Lakes Hotels and the Low Wood Bay Resort & Spa also have historical links with seaplanes. Michael Berry OBE, father of the hotel group’s current chairman Simon, and grandfather of managing director Ben, campaigned to have commercial seaplane operations at Windermere.
A Tiger Moth seaplane famously landed at the hotel back in 1979, with the event featuring in Michael Berry’s book on the history of Low Wood.
The talks will be held in the conference centre at Low Wood Bay between 8pm and 9pm, allowing for time for spectators to arrive from the main spectator viewing area at Brockhole.
Spectators are also welcome to view from lawns at Low Wood Bay, where pay and display parking will be available at the resort’s Water Sports Centre.
Mr Gee said: “The pilot will taxi Waterbird as close as permitted to the shore at Brockhole so as to give spectators the chance to get see this unique plane close up.
“We are very grateful to English Lakes Hotels, who are also sponsoring the accommodation of key personnel, for giving us the opportunity to let the public meet and question the key players.”
The original Waterbird first flew from Windermere in 1911.
Hundreds of people are expected to gather at Brockhole to witness this year’s event, weather permitting.
A modern Husky seaplane is also involved in the display, with flying carried out against the stunning backdrop of the Langdale Pikes.
The Windermere event follows months of planning with detailed licences and permissions from the Lake District National Park Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority.
Planning is further complicated by Waterbird being stored at Liverpool Airport, having to be reassembled and transported by trucks each time it is flown.
A permanent home by the Lake is being sought, which could mean more frequent flights and chances to see the replica plane up close.
Ian Gee, chair of the Lakes Flying Company, said: “Organisers are delighted to remind people of the vital role that Windermere played in the development of seaplanes.
“Every such plane built since Waterbird has used a stepped float that made it possible to break the surface tension and lift from the water.
“For example, the Spitfire, designed by R J Mitchell, developed from the work which he carried out on seaplanes in order to compete for the Schneider Trophy races in the 1920s and 1930s.
“There is no other event like this anywhere in the world.”
Mr Gee added: “The Waterbird demonstrations will be brief but breath-taking. Please remember that this is a delicate, historic aeroplane, and that this is a demonstration of its remarkable capabilities, not an aerobatic flying display.
“During each sequence, Waterbird will take off from the water, fly at up to 100ft in a straight line along the lake, then land on the water, showing the remarkable capabilities of this early seaplane.”
The flights are subject to weather and other safety issues. Details of their status can be checked at https://www.waterbird.org.uk
Full details of the Public Flying Displays for spectators and lake users are at https://www.waterbird.org.uk/wings-over-windermere-2025/
The replica Waterbird project has won seven awards from various organisations in the aeronautical community.
A permanent exhibition recording the vital role played by Windermere in the history of the development of aeroplanes is now open at Windermere Library on the first floor.
It explains how the first successful flights taking off from water in the UK happened on the lake and how this later led to the establishment of a Naval seaplane school and the building of a flying boat factory on its shores during the Second World War.
The exhibition highlights the exploits of Captain Edward Wakefield, who initiated the development in the UK of aeroplanes able to take off from water and patented the stepped float.
Did you take any photos from the first day of Wings over Windermere?
Here’s a selection of Red Arrows photos – and a video – from our readers.
We’d love to see yours! Email [email protected]
What’s it like to fly with the Red Arrows?
Earlier this year, Cumbria Crack spoke to Circus 1 Flight Lieutenant Greg Harley, who has flown over the Lake District multiple times, to find out what it’s really like.
