South Devon
6th July TBC
as part of an airshow weekend 5th - 7th July
The Starlings
The inaugural Teignmouth airshow in 2019 was part of a family weekend of entertainment, including flying displays on the Saturday, a major music event featuring local bands on the Friday and a Family Fun Day on the Sunday.
The Royal Air Force had been very supportive, allocating the Eurofighter Typhoon, RAF Falcons and a Spitfire from the BBMF. Unfortunately, the Falcons were unable to participate after all, because the available landing area was not sufficient.
The other flying displays in 2019 were The Blades, Will Greenwood's Yak 3 and Corinne Dennis in a Pitts Special, flying as 'Twirlybatics Aerobatic Flying Displays'.
It is always good to see a new airshow and the displays were creditable enough, although the schedule might have been shorter than many had expected. It is also possible that visitors were not prepared to travel as far to this show as they would to some other seaside airshows with a more plentiful flying list.
The local authority decided not to support the event financially in 2020 but the organisers worked hard to find replacement funding until the show had to be cancelled because of Covid-19. There was also no show in 2021 because of Covid-19 but the organisers' flight directors (R5 Air Displays Ltd) submitted bids for displays in the hope and expectation that there would be a show in 2022.
Funding problems meant that the 2022 show became uncertain for a while but after a huge publicity effort and successful public funding appeal, the organisers were able to confirm in mid May that the airshow would go ahead.
The 2023 flying line-up is in the table. Although still relatively small, there is no doubting the quality of this airshow: compact but perfectly formed.
The team of volunteers worked extremely hard to give the area an airshow and their efforts were rewarded with an enthusiastic and plentiful crowd.
The situation in 2024 is much as it was in 2023. There is enthusiasm for the show but not secure funding. The dates have been set aside provisionally but whether the show actually happens will depend on sufficient donations and subsidies to match the cost of hosting such events.
The possible format for the weekend in 2024 might be:
Friday evening: Live music in the evening.
Saturday daytime: Air Display.
Saturday evening: Live music in the evening.
Sunday daytime: Family Funday.
| 2023 flying List. This 2023 list is provided to give an idea of the kind of show to expect. It will be replaced by the 2024 schedule if the show is confirmed and when displays have been announced. | |
|---|---|
 | Red Arrows |
 | Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 (RAF) |
 | The Starlings Aerobatic Team (Extra 330 and CAP 232) |
 | Aerosuperbatics Wingwalkers |
 | Richard Goodwin, Jet Pitts S2S or 'Muscle Biplane' G-EWIZ |
 | BBMF Lancaster 'PA474 Leader' |
In case there are mistakes or changes, please check the show's site and social media for the latest list. Appearances are always subject to technical, weather and other constraints. | |
In the winter of 2018 a possible Teignmouth and Dawlish airshow was suggested, but by the spring it was clear that any such show would be deferred until 2019. The organisers of the Teignmouth airshow remained willing to discuss options with anyone wishing to promote a Dawlish element but in the absence of such a pairing the organisers at Teignmouth went ahead with a Teignmouth-only airshow.
Use postcode TQ14 8BB in the Sat Nav until you get close, but ignore sat nav in favour of local airshow signs as soon as you see them
There are links to other route planners in the Travel Advice section.
There are direct trains to Teignmouth from relatively local towns, such as Paignton, and main hubs, such as Exeter, with onwards trains to all main lines including London, which is about 4 hours away.
It is best to book as far as possible in advance. This is not only because nearby hotels and guest houses tend get booked up well before the date of an airshow but also because prices can be better when you book early online.
There are plenty of booking agencies. We find that many of the well known ones are better at finding hotels from international or larger UK chains and may suggest hotels in main towns or cities quite a distance from the show site.
There are Premier Inn hotels in Newton Abbot (about 5 miles away) Torquay (9 miles away) and Exeter, about 13 miles from the show.
Travelodge have hotels in Torquay and Paignton, both within eight miles of the show.
Click any of the blue names to go to the corresponding web site. The links already have the location built in, but please check, and change as necessary, the dates, number of rooms and number of guests.
The Met Office 7-day forecast includes actual and "feels like" temperatures, the likelihood of rain, wind speed, wind direction, wind gusts and visibility: the latter can have an impact on the viability of displays.
The BBC's 14-day forecast has overall conditions including and hourly estimate of temperature, wind direction, wind speed and UV range.
Click the blue-text link to go to the forecast. The location is already built into the links.