Biggin Hill Festival of Flight Saturday 14th June 2014.

A quickly as that ? I only went there once (many, many years ago) It took a lot longer than that to get out.

Around 25 odd years ago it was torture getting out but nowhere near as bad as last night.
In more recent years despite the size of the crowd, Air Displays International had the traffic control off to a fine art.

The organisers to their credit have acknowledged the problem and are reviewing plans for any future event.
I have been amusing myself reading the comments on their Facebook page, the majority of suggestions for future traffic control arrangements make sense but some peoples suggestions for future flying display participants were frankly hilarious.
One buffoon suggested US F-15s and F-16s and declared himself bored with ‘propellor jobs’ another found the closing Spitfire display boring.
The top prize went to the brain donor demanding Harriers!
Even non aviation minded workmates of mine were aware that the Harrier was unceremoniously scrapped.
The organisers went to great pains to explain that the event would be deliberately lower key compared to past events and aimed more at the local community.
As a Biggin Hill Air Fair veteran of many years I lowered my expectations and therefore wasn’t disappointed on the day, I thoroughly enjoyed it……….and got to sit in a Spitfire !!

There was a an advertising banner on the fence but I’ve seen little else locally

Lots of posters in shop windows around South East London.

Heard some of the traders at Duxford today complaining about the time it took to get out after the event – two hours was mentioned…………………

We sat in a field and had a wonderful view of the Spits and the Red Arrows. At one point the Hurricane flew over only a few hundred feet above. I’m lucky in that I can walk to BH, so no problems with traffic.

………… over 2 hrs just to get out the airfield, don’t think the security company had the vaguest idea about traffic management!!!

A quickly as that ? I only went there once (many, many years ago) It took a lot longer than that to get out.

Aside from the Reds other highlights were Peter Teichman in the P-51 and Dan Griffith in the Spitfire .
It was especially nice to see MH434 with the Red Arrows but I think Nigel Lamb does a more Ray Hanna style closing show at Biggin than Paul Bonhomme.

I went for the Reds, best display by them I can remember!!!
Catering was a joke, 1 hr 20mins queuing, then the 1hr queuing for the loo.
No offering of a grandstand & over 2 hrs just to get out the airfield, don’t think the security company had the vaguest idea about traffic management!!!

A great little event and a privilege to witness the Red Arrows 50th anniversary display.
The traffic control was an absolute debacle however, some very very angry people at the end.:mad:

There was a an advertising banner on the fence but I’ve seen little else locally

I popped up there last night and only the two Tucano’s were on view. Looks like the main runway will continue to be the display line, there is no grandstand at the North end of the display line, as in the past, and it looks like aircraft will be parked around the second runway as per 2010.

There was a glossy advertising booklet that was delivered with the local paper last week, which is just like in the past, but I agree that publicity has been very low-key. Presumably this is to help keep numbers low.

I hope the event is a success and that it encourages the airport owners to allow it to be repeated. Red Arrows are on at 18:45 and are last display act, so there will be a mad rush for the exits once they’ve landed.

Regards,

Dan

Ah Green Line another nostalgic name.
I have been in Bromley/Biggin Hill area for several weeks and have not seen or heard anything of this. There was a large car show on the 8th of June and saw plenty of advertising for that about. It does appear on participants’ appearance lists. Does anybody know anywhere this was advertised other than on the bhfof site and Global? The Sevenoaks Chronicle had a piece on the 6th. I could have easily gone had I known about it. Used to go to what I think was the RAF Battle of Britain Days back in the late 50’s early sixties. Then nearly went in 2010 but didn’t make it and that, of course, was the last show.
Interesting flying display slots arrangement going through to 19:20. Gates open 12:00.
Maybe it is better to retain the memories of those air shows when things were a bit more, er, memorable!

Agree with you there hampden98, I used to come in on the Green Line bus from West London.

Once an airshow about the few now reduced to an airshow for a select few.
Shame. As an ex South Londoner this was `Londons` air show and the only opportunity I had as a child to see an airplane up close.
Happy days boarding the Green Line at New Cross for the show. Watching Raymond Baxter and Noel Edmunds on TV for those years I was unable.

15,000 tickets, all sold out

First mention I spotted was on this site in Febraury…http://www.globalaviationresource.com/v2/
You can get free email alerts as new content is added and it is an excellent magazine. Biggin numbers limited due car parking.

With all this internet splurge, I had seen none of it so was a massive surprise to see a Biggin Hill event of this size slip through.

I’m guessing they want to limit the number of spectators (I seem to recall that the huge crowds the final few Air Fairs drew didn’t exactly go down well with the locals…), so heavy pre-sales internet promotion makes perfect sense. I’m sure it was promoted locally too.

Yet another example of the onward march of the internet, where it is exploited to the convenience of event organisers and results in inconvenience to visitors. I can’t see it happening with museum entrance fees though (where it would be under the guise of “advance booking”), or am I being too optimistic?