A TASTER of the excitements in store at Wings & Wheels 2015 was on offer at Dunsfold Park on Tuesday at a special preview event that featured ‘Red 18’, Northern Europe’s only flying MiG-15.

The classic Cold War jet fighter owned by the Norwegian Air Force Historical Squadron, will give its first full display in the UK since the late 1990s at this year’s Wings & Wheels show.

“It’s very fun to fly,” pilot Kenneth Aarkvisla told The Herald. “It’s very fast and manoeuvrable. But you need to pay it respect because you can only carry a little fuel so you always have to plan ahead.

“It’s called Red 18 after Russia’s first man in space Yuri Gagarin. He lived 18 miles away from the border with Norway and flew MiGs.”

Gearing up for the main event, The Blades and Aerobility’s Yak 52 put on thrilling mini-aerobatic displays, supercars from all eras raced around the Top Gear track, courtesy of Brooklands Museum and Auto Vivendi private members club, and Scrape ‘n’ Skid and Team 1340 and Mission Motorsport staged daredevil drifts and stunts.

The day was rounded off with the roar from Dunsfold Park’s resident VC10, which fired up and taxied down the runway.

The charities who will be beneficiaries from this year’s show on Saturday, August 29, and Sunday, August 30, are Help for Heroes and Brooklands Museum Trust, and nine of the military charity’s Band of Brothers were at the launch.

“We have fantastic support from Wings & Wheels,” Help for heroes regional co-ordinator James Burns said.

“For the first time this year we are bringing our Mission Motorsport rehabilitation cars to perform in the Stunt Zone.

“More than 50 of our brothers and sisters have been invited to the show.”