I’ve been completely tied up with our Hungarian visitor and work since saturday and haven’t been able to comment on the various posts that have been published. I’ll start off by reiterating everyones comments that it was pretty awesome and those that missed it will still be kicking themselves, especially after seeing Damien B’s and others fantastic pictures, my video, using a new camera was pretty naff, I’m not happy, however I’ve just done a copy to go back to Hungary.
It wasn’t until the last minute that I learnt that the gates would open at 9:00, the main gate that is, having 2 old boys of 68 and 70, one with a really serious back problem meant that I preferred to go in the west gate so that everything in the car was at hand for them.
We arrived at 9:05, the west gate had it’s signs facing the hedge, there were cars on the verge, but the gate was locked, so we went to the main gate. Cars were still being parked outside the fence and there was a qeue of people outside the entrance about 200 yards long. I took a chance and went back, I walked up to the gate where a poor girl who confessed to have only been working there a day was being harangued by an old boy desperate to get in. Suddenly, a woman appeared with the keys and we were let in, trouble is, the booths weren’t ready and we were held up, they should have stuck up a sign saying ticket holders this way, I swapped lanes, showed the tickets and we ended up parked next to the AAM, 2 rows back, perfect for the old boys, they were like cats with cream, nearby toilets, 50ft from the front, perfick, to cap it all, my brother from Derby ended up 2 cars behind us.
Well done DX, it was a bit erratic at first, but you couldn’t have made the day for two old boys more perfect.
We set off for a wander, and found it difficult for uncle George to get past the SR-71 let alone anything else, I think we could be having coachloads from Hungary coming over, he was so overcome with the museum, let alone anything else. He was most impressed with seeing the BoB veterans doing book signings.
In the end, after walking round most of the museum, father in law was knackered and we stuck him in a chair next to the taxiway just outside the AAM where the kink is. At this point non English speaking uncle George bogged off to the Tank Hall on his own and I followed Tibi’s request to buy a bottle of water from the AAM, probably something to do with the amount of Vodka and wine consumed the night before.
Now I have to say that the service was dire, there was a qeue, not that big, but the youth serving was so slow that we were getting nowhere, in the end I took some bottles off the shelf and put the money on the till, otherwise I probably would still be there now.
They were quite overcome with the first part of the display, particularly with the Typhoon, and the sight of the spitfires taxying past almost within touching distance.
After that, Tibi got so cold he had to retire to the car, Uncle George went walkabout on his own, my brother took his grandson on a tank ride and I went on the flightline walk.
The second part of the display was fantastic, we learnt that Uncle George had been a member of the elite Hungarian Army parachute regiment, did 12 jumps but was humiliated in front of his regiment when they discovered that his brother had escaped to the West and he ended up cleaning toilets for the rest of his army career.
All in all it was a fantastic day, much enjoyed by everyone, we even got out quickly and efficiently. Top marks to BBMF and Duxford, your names will be those of legend around Budapest.
Incidentally, I bought Uncle George an RAF flag to take home with him, he was really impressed, could this be the only one flying in Budapest?
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May 8, 2007 at 6:47 pm