Saturday 27th June 2026

A few months back, a call was made for volunteers to man the Royal Air Force Association stall at the Headcorn Air Show.-

I had volunteered for such things a few times, but for various reasons the air shows were cancelled.

But this year, it was still on.

Despite a bit of confusion of timings and how to get in, the day rolled around and all was set.

Also rolling around on Saturday morning was thunder, as another summer storm drifted up the Channel, waking me at four, so I lay awake until it was time to get up at five.

The storm rumbled on, and once I was ready leave after a coffee, it was still drizzling, which would make it humid.

There was no clear time to be there, other than the gates opened at ten, but that the leader for the day, a lady named Makenzie said she and another guy would be there from half six to get the stall ready.

I drive up the motorway to Ashford, then out along the A28, traffic was at least light before seven in the morning, so I made good time before turning off the main road and drove through several picturesque villages before arriving at the aerodrome, parking in the field opposite.

I was waved through the gates, and directed down a line of stalls, where I could see the RAFA tents.

Once introduced, I was given a picture of the table display, pointed to two vans filled with boxes and told all stock was in there. Somewhere.

So for two hours we filled up the four tables at the front of the stall, filled with RAF-themed goods from cheap and cheerful, to things more expensive, the most pricy item being a signed and framed print of a Red Arrow signed by all nine pilots.

Yours for forty quid.

The clouds cleared, and the sun came out, so the humidity rose quickly. I took a bottle of water, but had drunk that by half ten, so went to another stall to buy more ice cold water to keep hydrated.

Under the roof of the tent, the heat was kept in, so that we were all soon suffering from the temperatures.

But we did a roaring trade, and we were shown how to use the card reader thing, and were soon collecting money for the good cause.

Either side of midday, the humidity crept towards something like 90%. I spent over a tenner on cold bottles of water, and during lunch, another tenner on a pint of lager and a pint of alcohol free Kronenbourg. The latter had a horrible chemical taste. And if that's the best they can do, then I'll give it a miss.

We were busy all through the day, but it did east off after eleven when the flying displays started, though some were better than others, and then we had to explain to customers that despite half the stall being Red Arrow related stuff, the Arrows themselves were not going to appear.

Then smiles turned to frowns.

People who attend such things are a mixed bunch, but a significant percentage are middle-aged men dressed in combats, or combat-themed stuff, hats featuring Spitfires of Lancasters. I said to Richard, if they loved planes and the military so much, why didn't they join up? They can't all have had shin splints.

Spitfires, Hurricanes, P45s (I think) among others took to the skies.

But as families suffered with the heat and humidity, numbers began to drop as people went home early, and manning the stall became a bit boring.

Last event was a fly by and refuelling stop for a Chinook, and by then it was half four, and my legs and back were grumbling, just from standing so much.

I walked back to the car, then took five minutes to edge out of the car park, only to be stuck in a line of cars behind a driver who did not go above 30mph, even when back on the A28. They braked whenever a car came the other way, as the train of vehicles behind got longer and longer.

I got past them just as I drew near to Ashford, so could cruise round the roundabouts, past Waitrose and onto the motorway for a blast back to the coast and home.

I got back at quarter to six, Jools telling me I had missed the ice cream van, but shad had one without me.

I took off my top, and my t shirt underneath had dried out, leaving behind lots of salt stains.

A brew, then supper of garlic chick and stir fry followed before I went for a shower and a change of clothes.

Kicking of at ten, was England v Panama. I was shattered and snoozed through most of the first hour, the excited radio commentary woke me when anything near a change occurred.

England score twice late on, but was a poor game and performance.

I went to bed at midnight, and it was still hot.