Posted on Duxford Web

Brian

I notice that on the photography forum, one brave soul from here went, along with the Vulcan. I considered going for as long as posible, but it was a bit grim down here, yes, you should support your local airshow, but I’m afraid that I didn’t fancy getting togged up in my waterproofs and shivering behind someones windbreak again, I’m getting too long in the tooth for that.
What concerns me is that we had exteremely heavy rain at leaving time last night and it’s been on and off all night, finishing with a truly massive downpour this morning, I don’t know what that may have done to the car parks. For all of you going today, I salute you.

Duxford’s runway was once 300 yards longer if I remember correctly.

The Vulcan, B52, B-29 and all the passenger aircraft landed and then the M11 was built which chopped the end off. I’m sure the M11 could have been routed differently or a tunnel put in. 🙁

Let’s hope when the time comes when XH558 stops flying it goes somewhere other than Duxford, it would be a shame to see B.2A XJ824 broken up.:confused:

For the weekend – A nice low pass to dry the runway off please, followed by a climb out.

There were alternative schemes to re-route the M11, it’s been published on here a while ago, but the the then equivalent of the Highways Agency wouldn’t do it, as I could never see what difference a slight deviation would have made, either to the village of Duxford or in terms of extra length, it was just bloody mindedness I reckon, why should we worry about some stupid air museum, whats the point of spending a few grand extra to accomodate that, keep the road straight and lets curtail their activities for ever.
To be fair, at the planning stage, many years ago, I doubt whether it was envisaged that DX would become the big museum and airshow venue that it has subsequently become, when the B-29 landed, there were’nt even any fences up, we were allowed to wander about on the hardstanding at will, we put our lives at risk to avoid those mighty props, no H & S regs in force in the good old days.
Moggy, I’m sure that the B52 landed when work on the M11 was well advanced and that the runway length had already been curtailed, I seem to recall the breaking chutes being deployed when it was still virtually airborne.
Oh, you may ask why I’m still here. Quite frankly the weather is absolutely naff, low black clouds, the odd spot of rain, very windy and bloody cold, hardly the stuff of airshows, could be a right crosswind on the runway too, he cracks a smile as he writes this and the sun comes out.
I’m still considering chucking the bike in the back of the car, parking up at Duxford village and cycling in, I could be surfing the stalls by 11:00, I’m not feeling very enthusiastic about it though, don’t know why, I’m only really interested in seeing the 2 Gladiators, but I wouldn’t attempt to fly such treasures in this travesty of airshow weather.

Question is, why did you get a parking ticket in the first place, you must have been illegally parked, in which case I have no sympathy, or was it something else.
I’ve had 3 parking tickets.
Number 1:- Great Dunmow, parked behind the Co-op in the council car park, had no change because I’d changed my jeans and forgotten to transfer my loose coins, spent 5 mins going to the co-op desk, buy a bar of chocolate, get some change, buy a 20p parking ticket, return to car to find some old scrote putting a ticket on my windscreen.
‘Errm, I’ve only been here 5 mins, I’ve just got some change and bought a ticket, you can’t do this’.
‘Snarf, snarf, they all say that, you’re a liar’.
Hold back the feeling of wanting to smash the arrogant piece of filths teeth in and march down the council offices, lovely girl on desk admits that the nasty piece of work is a little over enthusiastic and chucks ticket in bin, I suggest that he be sacked before his life well and truly becomes very difficult, never seen him since.
Number 2:- Went to the whatever concrete shopping centre in Cambridge to take my son and his mates to see Star Wars 1. Filled up the ticket machine, only to find the cinema full and had to go and see something else. I knew I was over running but you don’t tend to want to leave a film and little kids to top up your parking quota do you.
Returned to completely empty car park, 5 mins over, to find that some grinning little **** had just given you a ticket, unsympathetic piece of filth, his life was on the line, no point in taking time out to argue, fine quickly paid.
Number 3:- Went Christmas shopping in Cambridge, for those who don’t know, it’s a lovely place to do this, I digress.
I went to my usual parking spot and fed the meter, what wasn’t made apparent was that in this particular place, they had changed the time allowed, didn’t make it clear and were prepared to take as much of your dosh as they wanted without return, devious scumbags.
Despite having filled the meter with funds to provide Cambs DC with enough money to keep a punt going for a year, they didn’t want to know, you can’t argue with these gits, their heads are too far up their own backsides, local authorities on any level, they know best, don’t make me even think about these self opinionated, unhelpful over paid monsters, I hate them.

Just a little comment.
I’ve called in at Cottesmore on the way back home from Notty a few times, luckily, I’ve seen a bit of flying, if I hadn’t, fair enough, it’s an operational base, I don’t expect to see wall to wall Harriers on a whim.
A few years ago, when the Tonkas were in residence, I was driving down the A1 in the dark and saw the tell tale signs of re-heat take offs in the distance.
Great, it was a night exercise and I spent a happy half hour in the dark watching the most impressive take off’s. But then, I was lucky, it’s the same with any RAF or USAF base, you turn up and hopefully see something, no complaints if nowts about, the last time I was at Lakenheath, and I was with one of our Hungarian visitors, it was foggy, you couldn’t see across the airfield, too bad, it happened to me once at Lightning city at Binbrook, that was very dissapointing, but not requiring a winge at the gate guard.
Incidentally, I know that operational requirements prevent us seeing the always inspirational typical Harrier displays at UK airshows, but why was one performing at the Keszkemet Airshow in Hungary this year, no doubt with back up a/c, ground crew et al. A great expense carried out in a far flung European outpost, what was that all about, politics no doubt, perhaps they hope to offload the redundant airframes to the Hungarian Air Force when the F-35 comes on line, who knows.

Agreed Kev and Robbo, I know of a good phsychiatrist in Ipswich.

As he was an ‘honourary Essex boy’, serving at Debden for a period, we salute you.
Strange, I drove past there yesterday, parked nearby as I was early for a meeting, read my Flypast and had a moment of contemplation for what has happened at Debden, not knowing he had passed away, coincidence or what.
I may have to go up there again today, in which case I’ll put a flower and a note on the gate from us all, I’m sure that the Army gunslingers up there won’t mind.
There’s another fine colour picture of Don in Roger Freemans ‘Eighth Air Force In Colour’, taken at Debden I recall, my friends think it’s wierd as he looks like me in the picture, or rather vice versa, no comparison otherwise with such a brave, selfless hero, one of those rare people who put his own life at risk to fight for another country when he didn’t have to.

When the BBMF Spitfire 19 was belting over Skeg the other week, folks of all ages dashed out to look at it, apart from some brat who sneered “so what, its only a plane”. Reminds me at Legends a few years back, as the finale a/c taxied in, a brat stood with his arms folded, back to the flight line and announced “that was rubbish. I demand to be taken home”. Thankfully 10,000 others were somewhat ecstastic.

Sad isn’t it. My youth is a 14 year old Goth, most of the time he looks and acts as if he has just stepped off the stage from performing with a metal band. He has no interest in anything but reptiles, wierd insects, music and girls, as for a/c, shudder.
On the other hand, had he been about the other day, I know damn well he would have hung out his bedroom window, made the Metallica sign, grinned and said, ‘Now thats really cool’. Every little bit helps.

Better get listening to those Free and Bad Company CD’s as well.