A nostalgic look at airshows.

As an older folk those days were indeed memorable, not least because at Farnborough you saw ONLY British aircraft, either in production or in development and several times prototypes very early in the development programme. And at the Battle of Britain shows of course large numbers of British aircraft as the RAF still had a large inventory.

It’s interesting to watch older folks harking back to the “good old days”-invariably the airshows that they went to as a child.
For me in my early twenties, the days of the 1950s and 1960s are as distant as the age of dinosaurs, the first airshow I went to was RIAT 1997.
However, even in my 15 years of airshow attendance, it’s noticeable that shows featuring modern military aircraft (RIAT in particular) aren’t what they were when I started going. I remember walking with my dad along what seemed like miles of static displays, with multicoloured C-130s of every concievable nationality, walk-through C-5s aplenty, and apparently endless Phantoms, KC-135s, F-16s, Mig-29s and Tornados.
Nowadays participation by air forces generally seems to have shrunk to a shadow of its former self, and airshows like RIAT have relentlessly diversified to attract punters of different ages
and shorter attention spans: fairground rides, pop singers and simulators seem to me to be taking the place of wierd and wonderful static displays.

Contrary to that, Hampden 98 is right, the historic scene is ever-growing, and I feel priviledged to have witnessed a veritable explosion of new restorations take to the display circuit. When I was a child there was no Vulcan, Meteor T.7, Demon, etc even if I had been able to go and see them. So it’s also been a real joy growing up, gaining independence and being able to travel farther afield, and immerse myself in shows that I could only dream of getting to as a child, like Classic Jets at Kemble, Flying Legends and of course Shuttleworth on a fine summer evening.

Not all has changed for the worse, but I do think it’ll be interesting to see what airshows look like 50 years down the line, when I can muse on threads like this about how great things were in the ’90s and ’00s!

I think we have better displays today but, we don’t have the number or variety of aircraft any more.
If I think back to Biggin Hill and North Weald they weren’t great displays by Duxford or Old Wardens standards but they
did have the luxury of many varied types. For example not uncommon at Weald to find a Hunter, Vulcan, Nimrod, F16, Gazelle, C130, Chinook in the display.
Today just the Vulcan and that’s really lucky.
Ironically there are more vintage aircraft at a modern display than modern aircraft!

Talking to my father a couple of days ago, he remembers seeing Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus visit the West Common at Lincoln when ‘e were but a lad…..the autogyro made a particular impression on him. Pleasure flights cost 25p (5/-).

Great memories and I had forgotten that cameras were not allowed at those early shows. Or perhaps never reaslised as my father was no photographer – and I think I had a basic box Brownie. In fact all my early memories are of Farnborough in the fifties and the Battle of Britain shows at Biggin.

I have boxes full old programmes in the loft ,just need to dig them out.

I had a clear out a year or two ago. Unfortunately a couple had got damp at some time, and I had to throw them away.
From Bentwaters in the 70s, with Thunderbirds and Blue Angels on the covers. 🙁

I remember one of the first open days I went to, which I think may have been Bentwaters.
Entrance was 2/- (two shillings), including a flying display programme.

I have boxes full old programmes in the loft ,just need to dig them out.

That site is a bit before my time but i guess the shows you see as a kid leave a mark. My parents kindly dropped off a box of books the other day. On digging through it included the programmes of the first airshows I went to as a kid. I’d forgotten some of them but not some of the performances. First up was Duxford 77 & 78 featuring the B17 before she was Sally B, a Vickers Varsity and a number of Moths. Also, Duxford before the M11! I really remember the pre safety displays where the jets came in from behind and over the crowd, usually on a fast run so you didn’t hear them coming. F111, F4 and the Vulcan.
Next were the Mildenhall programmes – air fete 78, then 80, 81, 83, 84 & 85. Nearly all works coach trips from my dad’s company. Got to remember walking in one end of a C5 and out of the other end. Cockpit visits on C130s. The sound of lightning and Dutch F104 displays, not to mention seeing a Blackbird fly.
Have most of the display lists to look through as well. Should keep me busy reading through.