In the times before the Classic Fighters Air Show took place I made contact with Allan Udy, one of organizers of the air show, via the Jasta Boelcke website. Like I'm a fan of vintage aircraft and good air shows, I supported the Classic Fighters Air Show by posting a link to its website. Allan kept me informed about progresses with the organization and after the show had been held he told me that a DVD will be released about it. Now, that I hold that DVD in my hands, I am writing this review for all of you who missed the Classic Fighters Air Show too.

To say it right from the beginning: This is no amateur work! One might believe that a DVD about an air show features mostly some poor amateur video footage edited and cut together, but on the Classic Fighters Air Show DVD this is definitely not the case. As I put the DVD in the drive I was happy to see how well it's navigation is organized through the different menu points. You may just click at "PLAY ALL" and sit and watch the whole DVD as a single report, or choose from single menu points to access the different sections directly. A nicely done introduction gives you a brief overview to tell you where exactly New Zealand is located from the locations where World War I occured in Europe, followed by an overview of the show that is awaiting you and the location where it had been held. This show is worth watching right until the final scenes! Or to be rewatched again and again in detail if you like. Modelers will certainly appreciate the option to quickly access single sections.

You may choose from the following options in the main menu:

PLAY ALL

GENERAL SCENES

FIRST WORLD WAR

BETWEEN THE WARS

SECOND WORLD WAR

POST WWII

OTHER DISPLAYS

BONUS MATERIAL

I will concentrate on the topics related to WWI because Jasta Boelcke is a WWI website, but I can assure you the other topics aren't less interesting. One of the most exiting reports and certainly the highlight of the show goes about the WWI reenactment scenes that you can find under the menu of FIRST WORLD WAR -> WWI THEATRE. It features an attack of British infantry on German artillery positions, supported by a replica of an Mark IV tank. This replica is in itself an eye catcher. It is so well done that one might believe an original Mark IV is rumbling across the battlefield, providing shelter to the soldiers seeking cover behind it while it fires to all sides to keep the Huns low. Yes you got it right - it fires! That's what makes it so credible. But not less realistic are the German artillery guns that fire onto the approaching Tommies. Their barking is accompanied by the tack-tack-tack sound of the machine guns from both sides, the rifle fire and the rattling and shrieking of the approaching tank. Despite this reenactment being so damn far from the true horror of WWI (nobody wanted to hurt each other indeed), the scene covered in smoke from the gun barrels and the simulated explosions of artillery shells gives the spectator a glance on what such war scenes really looked like in WWI. Especially the reenactors on the British side were very enthusiastic and credible in their show, some leaving the impression to me of having forgotten for a short time that they not just reenacted a war scene but believed they fought against the real Huns from WWI instead. On the German side, the spectator can see a mix of different German uniforms and equipment used throughout the conflict, from the "Pickelhaube" (spike helmet) to the camouflaged steel helmet.

Not less exciting than the war on the ground scenes was the reenactment of the aerial combat. On the Allied side, a Bristol Fighter F2B (also called Brisfit), escorted by a French Nieuport 24 fighter, started for a reconnaissance mission over the front. The Germans had called for aerial support so a flight of five Fokker Dr.1 Triplanes started to help them fighting back the attacking Tommies. Suddenly the French pilot of the N24 spots something in the far distance, leaving the Brisfit alone. As the Germans approach they find it an easy prey, but the pilot of the Brisfit fights bravely against the overmight of five enemy Aces such as Fritz Kempf, Manfred von Richthofen, Robert Greim, Hans Kirschstein and Hans Müller. Flying evasive maneuvers, he does his best to evade the Germans and bring his rear gunner in a good shooting position... The whole action looks very dramatic because some of it has been filmed by small pencil cameras attached between the machine guns of the Fokker Dr.1s, providing a view from the pilots seat. From the Brisfit, one can see well how difficult it must have been for a rear gunner to spot the tiny enemy aircraft in the sky and to aim at them as they approach while his pilot throws their kite around to avoid the enemy bullets. All in all it has been an exciting show that kept me fascinated from the first picture until the last. However, deadly flying mistakes of the "attacking" Fokkers would probably have been fatal if the rear gunner's machine guns would have been fitted with real ammunition. I noticed some of them pulling up right behind the Brisfit, exposing their well visible undersides to the rear gunner who would certainly have taken his profit out of the situation in case of a real fight. As a result, one of the Fokkers has to go down in the show as being "shot down" by the Brisfit.

Along with the reenactment scenes, The FIRST WORLD WAR section of the DVD features the following aircraft:

Bristol Fighter F2B from 1917 - certainly the star of the show! A beautiful vintage aircraft!

Fokker Dr.1 - five more or less authentic replicas flying in the colors of the above mentioned German Aces.

Nieuport 24 - another beautiful replica aircraft that flies in the colors of French Ace Charles Nungesser

Halberstadt D.IV - the only replica of its kind in the world! It flies in the standard German camouflage scheme and national markings used early in the war.

Avro 504k - a beautifully done replica of one of the most famous aircraft designs from WWI. The 504k entered history as being the first aircraft to be used for strafing ground targets as well as being the first aircraft to be shot down in air war.

Sopwith Camel - a replica Camel, with some original arts, including an original Gnome rotary rotary engine! You can see it in an exciting mockup dogfight against the Red Baron's Fokker Dr.1. The sound of the rotary engine is just incredible and I wish that all of the replica Dr.1s would be fitted with rotaries too! But unfortunately original rotaries are expensive and hard to find.

As already mentioned, this DVD isn't just about the WW1 aircraft and ground. It also features famous WWII aircraft, aircraft from between the World Wars as well as post WWII aircraft and other displays. But see for yourself! I highly recommend this DVD to everybody interested into vintage aircraft and history. One might say that New Zealand is unfortunately far away to visit the Classic Fighters Air Show but if you'll be there for the next show on Easter 2005 you shouldn't miss it. Fortunately for all of us who cannot be there, Golden Micro Solutions releases great DVDs such as this one to bring us the Classic Fighters Air Show near, no matter how far away it is from where we live.