Who read Kens editorial applauding the smaller air show – and suggesting that this could be the way ahead for future displays?
I suppose to us enthusiasts it depends on your age, aircraft prerefences, display type preferences, baggage (e.g family – very welcome too), location, etc.
Here’s something a little bit away from the norm – I think that the air show community could respond to a need for individuals to feel that they sort of ‘belong’ to an event/their community, the sort of cosy, familiar feeling that you get at Old Warden – the sort of feeling that in todays world seems to be disappearing. There are many village fete type displays that occur up and down the country which help promote a positive image for aviation (usually featuring as only a part, or a highlight, of a days acitivites). With my own boy now at primary school, I feel I understand a little more than I did about the implicaitons of ‘community’ – shows how much I’ve been wrapped up in myself in the past I guess! 🙂
I think that Ken has a good point – air-mindedness can be encouraged just as much by the smaller type air display as it can through the larger ones. Don’t get me wrong – there is a place of course for Duxford, RIAT, etc. But remember the impression that a lone aircraft made on many of us as kids doing a one off solo number….
Just a thought, a little influenced, perhaps, by a fine bottle of Rioja 🙂
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd May 2003 at 23:45
Waddington
I attended Waddington in 2001 for the first time, and I have to say that of the larger, more modern orientated displays, it was probably the best of its kind that I’ve been to. I say this having been to Farnborough, RIAT (Fairford), and Mildenhall a number of times over the last decade or so.
To answer the point about a long flying display starting while people were still in their cars, I’d have to say many of the big shows are no different. Most of the general public won’t have a problem with it, if anything it’ll help while away the time they spend in the traffic jams. But if enthusiasts have an issue with it, well get up earlier or travel the night before and stay somewhere nearby so that you can get in and get parked in time to watch at your leisure. How often do we hear people moaning about a display not being long enough? And now we’re honking on about Waddington being TOO long. Strewth, are we never satisfied…? :rolleyes:
Personally, I prefer the smaller shows; the likes of Rougham and Little Gransden are what an airshow should be. A wide variety of aircraft and pilots displaying to a small but appreciative audience.
But regardless of what size or type of airshow we all prefer, I think Moondance has hit the nail on the head; “enjoy and never take them for granted”.
By: f4 - 23rd May 2003 at 19:35
On this subject, see Damien’s Abingdon report this week at Air-Scene UK
By: DOUGHNUT - 22nd May 2003 at 11:19
Moondance
I agree with your point about Waddingtons (and RIAT) long flying displays, and the poor coordination and long unexplained gaps. But remember for every enthustiast which passes thought the gates there are five or six members of the public who are happy to take their deck chairs to the front of the crowd line at 10.00am and watch the flying. I have seen many people (women) quite happily knitting or reading a book whilst the best flying display ever seen takes place in front of them. An airshow is not just a static display, I know that it can be frustrating that your favorate display item takes to the sky whilst you are either still in the car park or in the static area but that is life. However with suitable planning this need not happen unfortunatly the show coordinators seem to have no idea of what we enthustiast consider to be good planning.
DOUGHNUT
By: Moondance - 22nd May 2003 at 10:55
Point taken – but even an average IWM organised Duxford show has a range of historic aircraft that would have been unimaginable 25 years ago – enjoy and never take them for granted.
As for Waddington, what is the point of having a flying display commencing when most of the audience are still in their cars? I thought last years flying display was typically badly organised – “magnificent 7 hour air display” or something similar the website said. Well, actually about a 5 hour show padded out, with lots of gaps in the programme and empty sky between acts. It should be compulsory for display organisers to attend Flying Legends to see how well run a display can be.
By: Seafuryfan - 20th May 2003 at 20:43
Moggy – yes, those aerial demonstrations really get the audience involved don’t they, are good fun to watch, and perhaps appeal to the less air-minded because it’s stuff they can relate to a bit more (balloon bursting, man who can’t fly an aeroplane etc). Interesting comments about a Shuttleworth roadshow, but I fear that the lack of specialist support infrastructure would make it a non-starter. Could not the same thing be tried during the Summer with more flexible aeroplanes which require less specialist support? Or is such a notion not financially viable?
Damien – shows such as Abingdon are nuggets and the Merlin walkround is indeed very good for PR – smaller numbers of people are a big plus, no doubt. Do you find you get more scope for interesting photos?
Doughnut – interesting about those 20 museum airframes for RIAT. Seems like a new approach for enthusiasts. I think there are plenty of them who like to photograph indoor static airframes in the outdoor so maybe it will appeal to some people. I’m afraid for me RIAT is just to big for a days event.
tfcep20 – I agree, especially as I originally come from Shoreham, that this is an ideal venue. You can even get onto the South Downs and watch it from there, or some prefer to go to the red Lion across from the River Adur. (I’m a fan of coughing up myself). The Chinook and Herc open up their doors for a walk through, although I’m sorry to say that one year some theiving b*****d took the collection bucket from the Herc 😡 A nice mixture here, I think.
Neal – sorry, didn’t attend the shows of which you speak, thanks for the contri anyway.
By: Moondance - 20th May 2003 at 19:59
To call Duxford displays repetetive is slightly uncharitable. When I started attending airshows, the typical vintage participation was the (correctly) conservatively flown BBMF, RN Swordfish if you were in the south and, well, that was about it. I can vividly remember being gobsmacked the first time I saw a fully aerobatic Hurricane display flown by Stephen Grey.
Flying Legends is easily the best run flying display in the UK, perfect length at about 3 hours, with a sense of timing and panache that most shows totally lack. Be grateful that the likes of Mr. Grey have enriched our skies with a superb collection of historic aircraft.
Yes, small is beautiful, but please don’t moan about Duxford.
By: neal h - 20th May 2003 at 19:42
Yep, I agree too. I love the smaller shows. The children in need day at Little Gransden being a good example.
While we’re here, Does anyone remember a series of small airshows that were held at Weston Park in Staffordshire during the eighties. The show was mainly Barnstorming and so on but I also remember Sally B appearing, Spitfies and Hurricanes, Red Arrows, Harrier and the Marlboro aerobatic team.
Does anyone else remember these.;)
Neal
By: Bluebird Mike - 20th May 2003 at 18:48
“A lot of the big shows are so much hassle (RIAT) or have become so repetitive (Duxford) or so expensive (both) I don’t want to bother any more”
Couldn’t agree more.
By: tfcep120 - 20th May 2003 at 17:54
On the subject of smaller shows, I certainly recommend Shoreham on the last weekend in August. I’ve been going since 1999. Good value for money, and always an interesting line-up.
It gets bigger and better each year, but still retains that ‘Garden Party’ atmosphere.
More info on www.shorehamairshow.com
A press release can be found here too:
http://www.shorehamairshow.com/Shoreham%20Airshow%20Media%20Release.doc
By: DOUGHNUT - 20th May 2003 at 12:57
I have to agree with Damien about the value for money of the smaller events, Kemble’s Vintage flyin last week being a fine example. However the smalled event does also have its problems one of them being the distance travelled to attend several smaller events especially if only one or two aircraft are of interest.
As has already been said this years RIAT will feature approx twenty static airframes being displayed at Fairford, these are being taken from varoius museams and collections from around the UK, with this in mind I would consider a £30+ admission price to be well over the top and I for one will not be going to an IAT for the first time in over twenty five years.
DOUGHNUT
By: Moggy C - 20th May 2003 at 07:57
You need another bottle.
You are still making perfect sense. 🙂
Old Warden does give you that wonderful comfortable feeling of being amongst friends (Bit like the FlyPast forum really).
Saturday’s show probably featured just a dozen or so of the based aircraft. The ‘barnstorming section’ with flour bombing and spot landing was so much fun to watch that I didn’t take a single picture, too busy watching. Started at 6:30 and over by 9:00. Bliss.
But that’s fine for me. I can get to OW in an hour or so. I’m not sure I’d travel from Scotland for that short a day.
Maybe the Shuttleworth ought to put a package together and go on tour? Problem with this being that it would have to be at a fixed price to cover overheads and yield a return which puts all the financial risk on the organisers.
But at least that way the outposts of Empire could put together a ‘relatively’ low cost show with minimum hassle.
Problem highlighted elsewhere is of date clashes. Put on your pocket show near Bristol and then find Duxford have scheduled an all-singing show for the same day and you are in deep trouble as the enthusiast base all head east.
More tonight, early mornings aren’t conducive to creative thought.
Moggy
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May 19, 2003 at 11:40 pm