Cosford Anyone Try To Get There?

Sure. I’m not an expert on RIAT; however they at least learned that they needed better PR about the problems!

The traffic difficulties faced and accepted for UK airshows would not pe accepted by the public in the USA, Canada or Australia to the same degree. Different issues, different problems, less people, but overall a hight expectation of keeping the punter happy.

Sure. But the main point is the football crowd would not accept the remarkably poor trafic control provided (occasionally) at airshows.

As someone seid earlier, football seems to cope quite well considering…

Big difference here is that the match ends and everybody wants to leave immediately – few would be happy to wander around and look at the stands for a couple of hours to let the car parks empty a bit…;)

Flood.™

Lot of noise here. Seems to me a critical point is if you put a show on, you have an obligation to get the punters in as efficiently as poss. Cosford has some difficulties to overcome; but if you can’t do it properly, don’t do it. And don’t blame the user!

There’s ‘the usual difficulty’ and there’s ‘not-good-enough’. Both the recent DX and this Cosford show’s trafic management fall into the ‘not-good-enough’ bracket. As RIAT has shown, public feedback DOES have an effect.

As someone seid earlier, football seems to cope quite well considering (OK it’s different – one difference is that football crowds would soon show their displeasure if served up Cosford style queues).

For those, like Albert, who are giving off a slight air of smugness, the last thing we ALL need is joe public’s experience of airshows being an endless queue and crap toilets. Aviation has a bad enough press for the general public without us allowing those we support making it worse.

Cheers

I attended the previous show and had no problems getting in. Only this year have there been problems to my knowledge.

Isn’t 5am early enough to travel 225 miles (travelling at 70 mph, as it is mostly all motorway from door to door it should take less than 4 hours – which it did) that is plenty early enough – even from Plymouth.

As I said earlier, when I arrived at J3 of the M4 it was before 9am – the show didnt start until 11am – that gives plenty of time.

I’m sorry Albert – but this year there were changes which made it an absolute fiasco, and there is no excuse no matter how you try and justify it or place the blame back on me, or others stuck in the ridiculous queues.

I have heard so many bad reports about Cosford in the past that I never bother to go. Every year, the participation content is poor and about half of Birmingham and Wolverhampton try to get there, so why don’t those that complain read the reports from last year’s show and the one before that, before attempting to get there and then complain afterwards. A little research would save a lot of stress ! If you really must go, then leave earlier! 🙁

It is one thing to expect a little inconvenience – it is another to expect to queue for 3 hours without the chance of a p*ss. Like I said, I’m a diabetic. I had to stop twice on the way up as it was.

Am I now required to wear incontinence pants if I want to go to an airshow??

Traffic management going in was an absolute disgrace. There was no need and there is no excuse for what happened.

Can you imagine the uproar if this had been a football match?

Football manages this kind of problem very well, in comparison. Many matches are attended by almost as many, in the middle of large cities, without much of the attendant problems seem on Sunday.

The traffic management off the A41 onto the road down to cosford is normally controlled by the police and the traffic lights switched off. This year however there seemed to be civillian (if thats the right word) traffic control personnel and temp traffic lights. Don’t know if this has anything to do with the problems, especially the hassle on the M54.

Neal

….. you should know the score by now. It never fails to amaze me that folks expect to be able to arrive halfway through the day & then breeze in with no holdups! Cheers…………………….

Cosford has always had its access problems, but the traffic problems seem to have been particularly bad this year. The traffic management seems to have been particularly inept with a lack of any planning or assistance.

Read some of the latest comments here…

Unfortunately a lot of these are not from ‘enthusiasts’ but from Joe Public…

Nige

Hardly fair. Rob had nearly arrived at 5 to 9, having driven from Plymouth. At that time for a major airshow, I wouldn’t expect to sail straight in but it should be plenty early enough for a minimal queue, not 3 hours.

Sounds like some of you need to step back & look at Airshows As a whole, Facts are that popular Airshows are going to have many people attending, you only have to look at a large scale map to see what the access to the show is going to be like, get there early! leave late, have a picnic after the show & chill out after a good display, that way there is little to no stress! Most folks on this forum have been to large shows, you should know the score by now. It never fails to amaze me that folks expect to be able to arrive halfway through the day & then breeze in with no holdups! Cheers…………………….

Absolutely correct, my view exactly.

Sounds like some of you need to step back & look at Airshows As a whole, Facts are that popular Airshows are going to have many people attending, you only have to look at a large scale map to see what the access to the show is going to be like, get there early! leave late, have a picnic after the show & chill out after a good display, that way there is little to no stress! Most folks on this forum have been to large shows, you should know the score by now. It never fails to amaze me that folks expect to be able to arrive halfway through the day & then breeze in with no holdups! Cheers…………………….

As someonewho left approx 6:00 and was home in warrington in time to watch the excuse for a footie match would have been better to be stuck in traffic. No probs getting out traffic moving slowly but moving. May be you shouldn’t have left in time for the football. The traffic mentality of some drivers left alot to be desired. drive over anyone who was in their way. I witnessed some diabolical examples of people driving over people just to get out. It was along day with no prospect of getting away early so why try if you wnated to watch the match why come to an airshow. Stop whinging and get on with it.

Shorts

I suggest getting up earlier and you will arrive earlier!
Cosford – sunny morning, huge catchment area, tiny base, no show last year for the midlands conurbation, rush to leave early for crap footie = a massive crowd and inevitable traffic problems!

Thats ok saying that but I had never been before and any other airshow I go to say Waddo,RIAT,Leuchers I never have much problems with traffic not like yesterday where I stopped dead.

For anybody that has ever visited an airshow at Cosford before, there has always been limited access, not just onto the airfield but the approach roads to the gates as well. All the roads into the base had been made one way in (no dropping off point) so how the organisers could possibly speed traffic flow up I cant imagine.

I think Cosford simply had greater numbers than ever fueled by a combination of missing a year in 2003, good weather, and joe public wanting to take a look at what the armed forces had been using in conflicts and hot spots around the world. Pre event press was also probably more effective than any previous year and there seemed more of it (I live in the West Mids area). Pre event tickets sales were also 30% up with tickets selling last October !!

I was sat on the crowd line towards the entrance gates and people were still trying to get in after 2.30 although the airfield was now physically full. And guess what, after nearly 7 hours of cars streaming constantly onto the airfield everybody wanted to leave as soon as the display finished and couldnt understand why they couldnt.

This was an event that attracted a big crowd, no different to a grand prix etc etc, I think the organisers did the best they could.

Maybe ‘Runway’ would like to hop in an aircraft and just let us compare their aerobatic skills to those of Will Curtis, then…

I got in fairly early and had NO TROUBLE but I noticed that some poor sod’s were still trying to get in at 1430 and the display(flying) started much earlier. Somebodys head should roll. I found that the trouble was in getting out. TWO HOURS to get off the airfield. There were plenty of RAF personel to get the money and get you in but there seemed to be a distinct LACK of people to help you away. Beside that once again the EUROFARCE need not have turned up for all the hype given about it (AGAIN), I expected more that a 2min 30sec display from it.

Runway, perhaps you’d like to consider removing your comments about Will Curtis. They’re a little more vitriolic and personal than we’re used to around here.

Yes, i agree with Robbo. General discussions is all we really want to here.

Indeed, I should have known better, I was born and “brung up” in Wolverhampton & Wednesfield!

Neal,
Elsewhere you say you got there at 9:30 and only had to wait 5 mins, as you live in Leics can I ask which route you took.

Niall

I didn’t have to travel from Leicester. I grew up in the next village to Cosford, Albrighton, and my family still live there. I was there fotr the weekend so only had to travel a couple of miles and I walked back from Cosford to Albrighton.

Neal