LVG @ Piston & Props
The annual Piston & Props show at Sywell Aerodrome in Northamptonshire mixes cars running up the runway with aircraft giving displays (not at the same time obviously). A nice feature is that those who exhibit their cars, get preferential pricing, so the organisers are bucking the trend of some shows who think owners who make the show by bringing their cars, should pay the same as the public who come to view them.
The 2024 weekend show coincided with a period of heavy showers and this made the Saturday the day to attend. That said, the afternoon embraced one meaning to Piston!!!
We needed to be on site by 9am, so it was an early start for the 8 cars who met up for a drive to Sywell. We would have had 9 cars, but one suffered a horrible crunching noise from its gearbox, with urgent maintenance needed. It was a lovely morning drive, with some tops down and even some sunshine boding well for the day……..little did we know.
Once there, we settled down, with some getting a bacon roll and coffee for breakfast. As you can see below, the sun was out and by lunchtime, the sun cream was being applied.
Some quite exotic and specialist cars blast down the runway, with associated noise from their race prepared engines.
There were a good variety of traders selling their wares and after a morning wander, we sat around having lunch and watching the Wing Walkers perform. Everything was very civilised, until just after 2pm, when we put up our hoods, thinking the darkening skies would result in a few afternoon showers.
The next hour didn’t the see rain ease. Instead it just got darker and darker with heavier and heavier precipitation. Two cars only had tonneau covers on and to put up the full hoods was not an option, unless you wanted a soaked cockpit. So the members braved it out and sat in their chairs with brollies up.
What they didn’t know, was worse was to come!!,
To their credit they stayed for the whole hour and duration of the shower, or should that be Monsoon? Towards the end, a Squall came through which was so severe the traders stands started to tip over. Thankfully it started to subside after that, but by then it was clear our show was over.
The drive home started for the group around 3.30pm and after a short delay getting off the site we all dispersed to find our own ways home. The surrounding roads had very large puddles and floods everywhere, but thankfully no more rain fell and most of us arrived home by 5pm in lovely sunshine.
All in all the day was most enjoyable and everyone will need to dry out some rather wet TR’s
see more images on our Gallery.