I haven’t made that much from sales but I have had a few published, some for money, some not. I upload to airliners.net to share pictures – to get an e-mail from a crew chief after he has seen a a picture you’ve taken of HIS aircraft is quite satisfying. I’ve had comments from pilots and cabin staff who ask for prints as they were on board that day. I like that better than money (mostly:))

The standards are a pain sometimes but nobody forces anyone to upload there anyway.

It’s funny how some are stating that the fee is OK as long they know the money is going to the right places. How many charities, museums etc that you pay for, break down the costs for you? Not many I can think of. Why is Cosford different? Is it because it has been free for a longtime?

Recent large cash demands for the continuing flight status of a large cold war bomber were met and honoured(with a bit of cajoling) with enthusiasm (albeit not everywhere) but a few pounds to park at one the best museums on the country is treated with cynicism and contempt. Hmmmm…..

I know what I would rather pay for…

It won’t be used in that way, it will be used to balance some “bean counters” budget.

Balancing budgets is the way things works these days though.

The income generated will be used to assist in meeting the costs of maintaining the Museum’s national collection and of operating its sites.

I can only go by what the museum itself says.

A couple of quid for three hours doesn’t seem unreasonable to me as the museum is still free. Certainly won’t stop me going.

On UKAR there is a decent discussion on the good points and bad points of RIAT 2009 along with useful suggestions to improve the event. Nobody is saying it was a perfect airshow but it was certainly a lot better than some would let you believe. Some of us can only attend a very few airshows in a year and have to be very selective about which ones we attend due to cost and distance. By choosing to go to RIAT I have got a fair idea what I’m going to get and this year I wasn’t disappointed.
There were many excellent displays in the air and to call some of them “dull” is a particular insult to many skilled aviators.

there’s an awful lot of people who just don’t bother going to RIAT any more.

There are an awful lot who still do though, those like myself who have been attending air shows since the early 1970s (and Air Tattoos since 1983). The best was probably 1997 or maybe 1991 but this one was up there as being pretty good as well.

Basically, you have to step-back and seriously ask yourself :- best part of £40 to get in, a long and expensive drive for many, and for what? A gaggle of dull static exhibits (save for a few interesting ones) shoved between tents, flags and traffic cones. A flying display comprising of the same old performers (mostly aerobatic teams) we’ve seen time and time again, three repetitive Hornet displays, two Gripen displays and a Vulcan which probably was the highlight of the show – rather absurd when it can be seen at other events across the country. Come on, you’ve got to be a really keen enthusiast to imagine that this is worth turning-up for. RIAT just isn’t hacking-it any more and I don’t think we do ourselves any favours by pretending that they are.

Yes it was an expensive weekend what with accomodation and entry prices but the rest of your paragraph comes across as a mean spirited moan from someone who decided not to go and is jealous of those who did. There were in fact for those that did go, lots of diverse static items and decent flying displays.
I seem to recall the same old moans in the 1980s and 1990s about F16 displays now the same moan is about F-18s and Gripens. Unless you were there you would know that each of the displays was different and deserved to be seen in its own right. They were certainly not “repetitive”.

You keep saying how poor airshows are; Waddington and now RIAT, but never quite get around to saying exactly how.

We are all ears and we are waiting to learn what we can do to improve RIAT and Waddington for that matter as well. I’m sure the organizers will keen to listen.

Chox,

Can you tell us YOUR ideas for the PERFECT airshow please? Oh and the criteria is aircraft that are airworthy and capable of making it to the UK.:)

Kurt

I think he just cut and pasted his moan from the Waddington thread. 🙂

Wasn’t the moan there that there were not enough fast jets, now there are too many.

As somebody once said, there is no pleasing some people.