I think no one can doubt the huge amount of effort that TFC and the other participating organisations put into Flying Legends. You only have had to have read that post from BeaufighterVI’s last year to see the kind of effort that goes into making sure as many aircraft are on the flightline at the weekend of the show as possible.
But I feel many true enthusiasts might not return if they have a bad experience with parking, traffic flow, rude staff, people using stepladders on the fence etc, all of which, in the case of Flying Legends, are out of the hands of TFC.
As we all remember, there were some big complaints about these kinds of things on this and other forums last year, and I think the sad thing was that the organisations who operate the aircraft took it as a knock at them, which clearly it wasn’t. 🙁
Whilst £30 pounds is nothing when it comes to say, one hours operating cost of a Spitfire, people don’t see it like that, and they of course have a right to complain if they feel that their enjoyment, of an otherwise excellent flying display, has been spoiled by some of the things I mentioned above. And this goes for any airshow, not just Flying Legends or the other Duxford shows!
As for getting more ‘non enthusiasts’ into Legends, I don’t know the answer, but from my experience, I always seem to bump into someone who doesn’t know too much about the aircraft on display, and it’s a pleasure to answer their questions. Oh, maybe it might help if the flightline walk was included in the price of the ticket. Then perhaps the non-enthusiasts, who might not have been inclined to go for the extra few quid, would. Maybe an airfield attack sequences with the mentioned pyro’s might bring more of the general public in (you have mentioned the practical reason why it’s not possible), but I must say this doesn’t really appeal to me, and I like the format of the show as it is now.
Cheers
Paul
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