Halfway through the show/flying season, hows it going?

Old Warden…simply sublime. They’re using imaginative programming, and that pull of the Vulcan during it’s last flying season has hopefully encouraged a new generation of attendees. The mix of the setting ,House, Garden, bus rides, pace of life, and old aircraft is all I could ask for. If anyone has been meaning for years to join the SVAS, I encourage you to take the plunge.

Surprised no one has mentioned Goodwood yet? Be interesting to see what the displays are like there.

My comment was more based no their datum being offset and towards the tank end, which is understandable being further from the motorway, so it was like watching a display when you can’t get anywhere near crowd centre, so the opposition passes and fan outs just didn’t look right.
If you think a normal display has an A axis running side to side and a B axis running perpendicular, then the display view appeared almost half way between A and B axis, so watching from 45 degrees to the side.

Trumper is correct, someone had not read their NOTAMs!

^^^^^ I think a light aircraft type encroached into their airspace.

Wes,

Can you expand on the Reds issue on Legends Sunday please? I was unable to hear the commentary so didn’t know why they ceased the display halfway through?

TIA,

Anyone remember the ‘Orset Air Days’ Essex Im guessing in the late 90s from memory , I think it was run by Brendan Walsh? who ran Intrepid Aviation at North Weald. I attended maybe 2 or 3 and they were a slow but enjoyable experience but very low on public attendance

I visited Lashenden Battle of Britain airshow this year. In terms of the quantity of aircraft it rated quite low but for enjoyment, excellent weather, variety and some fabulous formation flying I thoroughly enjoyed it. You also had the museum and a ‘buzz’ I’ve not felt since biggin hill. Would definitely consider going again.
The problem with some of the bigger shows is they are a victim of their own success. Variety is the spice of airshow life.

Remembering the old days of The Great Warbirds, Fighter Meet etc they had an excitement a feel obviously long before the interweb and the instant gratification of knowing what is going on back then it was a poster and that gave you the heads up to what may be there.
We will never return to those days and as Denis has pointed out its that corporate feel that has maybe taken away some of today’s atmosphere times change and we have moved on and it looks like OW may just be the one that makes us slightly older ones feel a bit more comfortable.

I remember my excitement of seeing a Mustang, blimey that was something, spitfire aplenty at most airshows way back when ( well at least 1) but a Mustang!
The Jets in the 60s En masse 5, 10, 20 of them I am no jet fan but what I see then cannot be repeated now for many reasons.

Have I rose tinted on? Maybe

I attended my first Old Warden display recently, I have long since given up on Duxford and its corporate feel (and the Frenchman!) I did like Sywell, but now that has gone OW will be the only show I shall attend in future. A wonderful atmosphere, ans something for the wife with the house and gardens too.

I haven’t attended an airshow away from Old Warden since before Shoreham – Headcorn 2015 was the last one. Even then, I’d basically given up on everywhere besides Old Warden.

Good season for Shuttleworth so far – the Fly Navy show was decent, but the cloud rather limited my enjoyment. The June evening display was just about one of the best airshows I think I’ve ever been to – sublime in every way. The Military Pageant that followed was a mixed bag, but got stronger as the day wore on I felt.

Probably September or October for my next Shuttleworth event – the August list doesn’t do much for me with stuff like the Red Arrows and aerobatic types down to attend.

I do also have an eye on Cosby’s Victory Show though – I was due to attend in 2015 until the Vulcan cancelled. Big mistake.

*goes and touches nearest bit of wood*

No as I was asking how the airshows feel this year not about accidents, I am finding it hard to get motivated to go to a show I dipped out of North Weald last weekend just because.

I can’t help thinking that this thread has now ‘tempted the fates’. All we need now is a case of ‘Commentators curse’ and we’re all doomed.

I’ve been to two OW shows plus Legends and enjoyed them all. I agree that Shuttleworth leads the field for me in terms of varied bookings and a pleasant atmosphere – long may it continue! There are still many aircraft they could and should book that I’d give my left arm to see there – the HAC Fury, DH9, Vega Gull and Biggin Hill BF109e spring to mind, or looking further ahead, the Percival Q6 or one of the various Proctor rebuilds.

Legends suffered a bit from not having a really top-draw foreign visitor this year – obviously Berlin Express and Frenesi looked superb, and I’d hardly wish to denigrate the staggering achievement of flying the former all the way from Texas – but they didn’t have the star draw for me that, say, the Breitling Constellation or Chino P-26 had, to quote some recent examples. Then there was the unfortunate canopy accident to BE which reduced us Saturday attendees to one pass and the Sunday lot to a static only – although that’s nobody’s fault, and the show didn’t seem to suffer much. In fact, five Hurricanes, three baby Spits plus Blenheim will stick in the mind for years to come!

I think we’ve been staggeringly lucky with the accidents. Sea Vixen is probably out for good barring some do-gooder with fistfuls of cash, but with a couple of engine failure incidents that could have easily been write-offs and fatalities, (Shuttleworth Gladiator and Miss Velma) no lives have been lost and relatively minimal damage sustained.

I’m intending to give Scampton a go – very intrigued to see how this will turn out in the wake of the sad loss of Waddington.
At £50 a head I simply can’t justify RIAT – although I’d cough up if they booked someone with a MiG-21 for the flying display, just one last time…

The Reds had an offset datum at Flying Legends and looked the poorer show for it.

Thoroughly enjoyed a week at RIAT with some noteable planes in static and flying.
The Reds were back to being on top form, and the visiting Thunderbirds had some tight formations.
Good to see the Flanker back in action and a suprise visit of a B2 stealth bomber

Propstrike, I think Old Warden will be come the one as you get such a wide variety of flying all of course historic, I must get to OW this year, last time was around 2005/06 I think.

Did not hear about the fibreglass!!!

Yes there does seem to of been lots of tummy scratching , like all things it is like you get clusters of events fingers crossed thats it now

Going alright, I would say, though a bit more unplanned drama than we would choose. Too many aeroplanes sitting on their tummies!
Thankfully though, just bent metal , or in the case of Abingdon, scuffed fibreglass !

The weather has been pretty kind, which helps the feel-good factor. The season has not really got a mass appeal headline act this year, like the V bomber, or the Lancaster Duo, and the Red Arrows are struggling with the airspace/orientation limitations placed upon them, which has rendered them rather less than spectacular at certain venues.

For historic fans, probably Old Warden has been the best provider so far this year, with great , intimate displays and a creative line-up.