[updated:LAST EDITED ON 11-01-03 AT 10:42 PM (GMT)]Looking back at one of the postings and regarding parachute drops i was sitting here thinking last time a wittnessed such an event after looking through old programmes an such! the last time i saw such a sight was back in 1983 at West Malling at the Gary Numans Great Warbirds Air display.
Also posted the flying programme for that great day and the assortment of aircraft that took part..
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By: sparky - 13th January 2003 at 21:29
RE: Airshows Past
Heres an idea why not have a show in mid August!
Why are the majority of shows around the same period in the year? I remember back in 1994 a lot of shows were organised to try to cash in on the D-day anniversary, Duxford(IWM) I believe gave up the July slot which used to be the Classic Fighter display to concentrate on a show in June.(Not that I’m complaining about that because TFC stepped in to give us LEGENDS)you also had Biggin Hill plus others around the same time(same catchment area)
Don’t organisers realise that even ardent airshow goers only have limited funds to go to shows and if they all fall within the May/June/July period most people have to be more selective as to the shows they attend, and yet August rolls up and nothing until bank holiday, when again you get maybe 2,3 or 4 shows competing for a limited audience.
On the whole the weather in August is fine so why not?
By: DOUGHNUT - 13th January 2003 at 10:46
RE: Airshows Past
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 13-01-03 AT 10:46 AM (GMT)]The Ventura at West Malling in 1983 was the N-reg Howard 500 conversion. Is this aircraft still active in the UK ? I last saw it at the Coventry airshow 2001.
DOUGHNUT
By: Willow - 13th January 2003 at 09:04
RE: Airshows Past
The reason all these other shows, like Great Warbirds at West Malling and Fighter Meet at North Weald, died out is because they became too expensive to organise. This put up the entrance fee, and not enough people went. Biggin Hill only survives by the skin of it’s teeth because it is ‘Londons Airshow’.
Legends survives because it gets all the TFC warbirds for free (well, I think it does), and I assume the airfield itself is well practised in applying for display licenses, or has a permanent one.
Kemble also has a number of based aircraft which form the basis of a show. This must cut down on overall cost.
Mind you, I live within 45mins of Duxford so I’m biased anyway!!!
Thinking of North Weald, I remember seeing the BBMF formate with two genuine (or at least Daimler engined) Bf109’s back in 1995. Wow. Did this happen anywhere else?
By: alexis_lambert - 12th January 2003 at 23:02
RE: Airshows Past
Why every other year?
All classic jets should be based at Kemble and all piston power at Duxford.
Then it’s Flying Legends and Classic Jet shows once a month.
By: Glen - 12th January 2003 at 16:56
RE: Airshows Past
Do you think the general public would turn out for a Warbird based show in the South / South West?
By: dezz - 12th January 2003 at 12:48
RE: Airshows Past
Ahhh the warbirds at west milling those were the days…I was lucky enough to see the Sunderland fly there… fantastic..It was based at Chatham at the time, shame its not still there, I went down there once with my mate and we got to clean it, we had a look in the cockpit, and my one and only claim to fame, I stood on the tail plane and cleaned the fin.!!, it would be a great tourist draw now, and seeing as the old shorts factory was only just down the road, that now has expensive flats that no one in this area can afford to buy, built on it, what better place to keep it!! I also recall seeing it take off from the Medway, sadly I doubt I will ever see anything like that again. The reason that the displays stopped is the council sold the airfield to developers and it is now a “lovely” (said in the most sarcastic way I can) housing estate, short sited money grabbing a$$heads !!
Dezz
By: sparky - 12th January 2003 at 11:23
RE: Airshows Past
Its a shame that Wroughton is not used for a ‘Flying Legends’ style show, Last time they held a show there was the Great Warbirds (I think correct me if I’m wrong) the weather was terrible which probably didn’t help the gate takings, I don’t know if this was one of the reasons they stopped putting on the show. Excellent place for photos too! got some good shots of Sally B and P-51s there.
By: Snapper - 12th January 2003 at 10:17
RE: Airshows Past
No No No Lancman. You have it all wrong. The West Country is full of cider drinking bumpkins (its ale drinking carrot-munchers where I live, but i have traveled out that way). Duxford is the only place in the world, you know that. Its central (well, not too far from me, anyway) and has loads of planes. I reckon they should move Hendon and Cosford there, and all the other airframes in the country. Be superb. Then they could have Legends every two months as well – except when its cold.
Why not sell up, quit your job, and move? After all, you know it makes sense.
And they’d have to take the Lanc off its perch then, wouldn’t they? (actually, they already have one at Duxford, so they could scrap the Hendon one to save space.)
Yes, I knew the Mossie crashed. A great shame – 2 good chaps in there if I recall correctly. The Fw190 scale replica – I had an inkling it was that. Bee Beamont test flew it, and said it was remarkably like the real thing. The Sunderland – a friend saw it in the states, perhaps we should have a forum get together at Oshkosh and Miami one day?
By: Yak 11 Fan - 11th January 2003 at 23:53
RE: Airshows Past
That would be Kemble then.
By: Bluebird Mike - 11th January 2003 at 23:51
RE: Airshows Past
“…A Sunderland at Legends, Imagine…”
Or, imagine, an airshow outside of Cambridgeshire and over to the West of the country which ISN’T bloody Leg-ends!!!
By: Snapper - 11th January 2003 at 23:01
RE: Airshows Past
Fw190, Sunderland, Mosquito, Ventura…..
Where are they all now? A Sunderland at Legends, Imagine…
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January 11, 2003 at 10:33 pm