Duxford- 'The Naughty Field'

And they would have a lone patrol car that would cruise round during the airshow to move people along.
Maybe that will happen again next weekend.

Not ever stopped as far as I’m aware……for years now Plod have used a couple of motorbike riders (not cars) on roving patrol to move on anyone stopping in those areas.

…Also, years ago, the Police would come along and put No Parking cones down each side of Hunts Road/Flowerpot Lane from the A505 down to Duxford village. And they would have a lone patrol car that would cruise round during the airshow to move people along.
Maybe that will happen again next weekend. The way things are going, nobody will be allowed to look up at an aeroplane as it flies over soon!

Still happens today. Hunts road, our side road and Grange road have ‘No Parking’ cones out. Grange road also had privately run security staff manning a checkpoint on Grange road. But as is generally the case in the past it was a few who parked without due care and attention that made these necessary.

As for the fencing, again it’s a few who insist on taking the **** that make these measures necessary. The gates and fences are sending a clear message I believe, but short of installing barbed wire fencing and laying mines I don’t see that they can do much else to deter people from trying to take photos from the fields of the pilots eyebrows on take-off 🙂

Rob

I can’t remember ever hearing of crowd violence at an airshow!

Back in the late 70’s I went to a show at Alconbury and when I tried to leave the traffic just stopped moving.
I parked up and walked towards the gate to find out what the problem was to find a mass of airshow spectators being held back from leaving by a line of Policemen struggling to keep the mass of spectators away from a small number of protestors (about what I neither remember or care) sitting in the exit road. There was one policeman talking to them along the lines of “come on now, you’ve made your point, move now as we don’t think we can stop the people who want to leave from hurting you.”
I saw a similar protest at an Larkhill Artillery day when a lone protestor ran towards the guns (live firing) only to be rugby tackled and dragged away past a crowd muttering “kill, kill, kill,”

Many years ago, the man who farmed the land between Hunts Road/Flowerpot Lane and the M11 used to put up fencing to stop people parking in the gateways and bits where the field was easily entered. Seeing photos of fencing there now is not new. Also, years ago, the Police would come along and put No Parking cones down each side of Hunts Road/Flowerpot Lane from the A505 down to Duxford village. And they would have a lone patrol car that would cruise round during the airshow to move people along.
Maybe that will happen again next weekend. The way things are going, nobody will be allowed to look up at an aeroplane as it flies over soon!

With the new restrictions coming into play, if people place themselves in areas which are deemed to be ‘unsafe’ (in order to get yet more photos of aircraft they probably already have hundreds of) then the display could be halted. It happened last year at Legends when the M11 ground to a halt due to the accident.
If people insist on ignoring the obvious barriers against them entering land and have to be cleared from ‘unsafe’ areas before any display can continue then it could disrupt the whole flying display programme.
The person/s responsible for installing the gates and fencing haven’t done it because it looks pretty or they found several thousand quid down the back of the sofa, they have done it for a good reason….
In 2011, if Big Beautiful Doll had banked to the left prior to or after Rob Davies had bailed out, then the point of impact could have been anywhere along the field line to the south of the runway…

I think a point is being missed ref the fields and occupants. Fields offer a chance of a forced landing subject only to crop damage if clear of people. The motorway,bridge,roads ,built up areas are of course off limits for forced landings regardless of airshow activity. This has been mentioned by aircrew on several occasions.

I don’t think those fences will keep out the hardcore photographers. Probably just a token gesture by the land owner ?
So if the worst should happen, they can say they did their best.

I don’t think you will stop them, if they cant go into the field it will be alongside the fence or as close as they can get. What will happen on the motorway side, the bridge and at the school?

this post may contain grammatical errors…

Well as of this week, it looks like those in authority are making a statement to all who have previously used the Grange Road fields to view air shows at Duxford.
All entrances are gated – gaps in hedges fenced off!

I don’t think those fences will keep out the hardcore photographers. Probably just a token gesture by the land owner ?
So if the worst should happen, they can say they did their best.

:applause:
Don’t get us started on stepladders…

Now when I was a lad …..

I can’t remember ever hearing of crowd violence at an airshow!

I seem to recollect, many moons ago, there being a spotters’ ‘difference of opinion’, at the Biggin Hill Air Fair, between those who preferred seeing the Spitfire display and those who thought that the Hurricane put up a better show. After verbal taunts, it turned nasty and the papers reported the Spitfire fans setting about the Hurricane fans with their copies of Ian Allan Civil Aircraft Markings and the Hurricane fans starting to lob their spam sandwiches at Spitfire fans. Ordinary folk in the public enclosure were put in fear of their picnics. And when the Lancaster supporters joined the melée with their binoculars whirling by their straps over their heads, the authorities stepped in. I’m told that’s why the the public enclosure ticket prices increased and ultimately the Air Fair ceased to take place. So watch out, you folk. It only takes one man with his step ladder and metre long telephoto lens to provide the spark which starts the fire which inflames the Battle of Duxford!

Whilst airshows have to pay for all their policing, football doesn’t. This should be changed as football can afford to pay more…

Interesting…..and exactly my point. Why is that the case?

I don’t want this thread to drift into a discussion about Hillsborough (if you want to discuss Hillsborough go read the threads on the General Discussion forum, if you dare) but to go back to the originally quoted post…

The policing cost for the aftermath of the Shoreham accident, not to mention their subsequent investigation, is enormous. The perceived risk for airshows has gone up as a result. I understand that the expectation amongst airshow organisers is that the cost that they are quoted for policing future airshows will rise, as a direct result of this.

…I dread to think what the various Hillsborough investigations and inquiries have cost over the years but this does not seem to have had an equivalent impact on the commercial organisations involved in the same way that it has on the airshow scene. (And again I don’t mean to discuss Hillsborough here!)

I’ll be off to see my premiership team play later today and I’m neither rich, irrational or foolish.

Policing of football changed 20 years ago so wouldn’t expect big changes due to the Hillsborough inquest. It tends to be very visual but stood back, with plenty in reserve. It is noticeably stronger for certain visiting teams!

Whilst airshows have to pay for all their policing, football doesn’t. This should be changed as football can afford to pay more.

Closing the naughty field is long over due. There can be 30 people standing on the mound by the fire trucks. If God forbid something came down on them it would be the end of airshows at Duxford.

Football today will be good but really looking forward to Duxford in 2 weeks time.

One of the reasons that policing of fotball is expensive is that the behaviour of fans is generally percieved as being tribal and violent. One possible reading of the Hillsborough report is that the police overplayed this point – clearly they didn’t make it all up. You could see that leading to a more hands-off approach; or alternatively to an even more daft set of box-ticking, back-protecting overreaction. The former might have little effect on airshows; the latter could be read across all too easily, even though I can’t remember ever hearing of crowd violence at an airshow!

There are many parallels but I don’t see football being priced out of existence any time soon.

When I hear the price of season tickets for the ‘top’ Premier League football clubs, and the fact that without a season ticket often it will be impossible to purchase your entry to one of their matches, I find myself wondering why such football is not ‘priced out of existence’. I can only assume that the supporters of such clubs are (a) very rich or (b) irrationally passionate or (c) foolishly spendthrift – or maybe all three! It will be interesting to see if the approach to policing football matches changes post Hillsborough Inquest and, as a result, become more expensive and, if so, whether this increae is charged to the football clubs and, if so, whether ultimately this is passed on to the ‘fans’ by way of increased ticket prices. But this is thread drift. Will someone kindly take it back to where it should be.

The policing cost for the aftermath of the Shoreham accident, not to mention their subsequent investigation, is enormous. The perceived risk for airshows has gone up as a result. I understand that the expectation amongst airshow organisers is that the cost that they are quoted for policing future airshows will rise, as a direct result of this.

I wonder what effect the Hillsborough disaster and subsequent investigation has had on the cost of policing football matches? There are many parallels but I don’t see football being priced out of existence any time soon.

Makes you wonder if they’re planning to close the road completely; after all, if the road isn’t closed why bother to fence-off or gate the fields? And you can’t stop people standing on a public road or footpath.

Or maybe this is action taken by the land-owner because of a potential liability if he ‘allows’ (that is, doesn’t attempt to prevent) people to trespass on his land to watch the airshow?

Well as of this week, it looks like those in authority are making a statement to all who have previously used the Grange Road fields to view air shows at Duxford. All entrances are gated – gaps in hedges fenced off!

Rob [ATTACH=CONFIG]245893[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]245894[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]245895[/ATTACH]

Bomberboy I hope you are not suggesting that the Waddington airshow will not return next year with a shiny new runway, it is still on my bucket list.:D

I’m afraid that the Waddington International Air Show will not be returning, as explained in here http://www.waddingtonairshow.co.uk/ 🙁

Mike J I don’t think I said you suggested that, I was looking for where these “extra” costs would be and repeat I am sure you are right but without any real justification on the police’s part. Where do you think the extra police cost lie?

The policing cost for the aftermath of the Shoreham accident, not to mention their subsequent investigation, is enormous. The perceived risk for airshows has gone up as a result. I understand that the expectation amongst airshow organisers is that the cost that they are quoted for policing future airshows will rise, as a direct result of this.

Bomberboy I hope you are not suggesting that the Waddington airshow will not return next year with a shiny new runway, it is still on my bucket list.

The RAF have already announced that there will be no more airshows at Waddington.

Mike J I don’t think I said you suggested that, I was looking for where these “extra” costs would be and repeat I am sure you are right but without any real justification on the police’s part. Where do you think the extra police cost lie?

Bomberboy I hope you are not suggesting that the Waddington airshow will not return next year with a shiny new runway, it is still on my bucket list.:D

Plenty of police and private stewards outside RIAT but I suppose they could have been RAF Police.

Certainly no expert on airshows but I thought Biggin Hill was the present owners shutting it down and all the RAF shows presumably because they had no aircraft to display with.:D