I’m not sure about specific events elsewhere but I have met cockpit collectors from the USA and across Europe!

In terms of an event start, I believe that honour goes to Bill O’Sullivan and Newark Air Museum.

Out of curiosity, why was there doubt cast on future cockpit fests?

When the event lost the major support from FlyPast in early 2011 the museum trustees (don’t forget that the museum is a registered charity) decided to continue with their commitment to 2011 event – but decided to review the success of the event and monitor the financial implications to the museum.

This process was helped in part by the support that the 2011 event received from FlyPast, Farlam Airframes, Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire, Great British Air Spares and museum member Cliff Allison. However the trustees still did not make a firm commitment to 2012 – preferring to wait and see how the event went.

On Saturday, the atmosphere at Cockpit-Fest was brilliant and as a result on the Sunday morning those trustees present at the event took the decision to commit to 2012!

We still need to maintain and attract further supporters to improve on what support we can give to next year’s event … hint, hint! 😉

As a footnote: this year is the first time that I’ve been able to email off results and an event report immediately after the event – and late yesterday emails went out to just under 40 national and international aviation publications and websites. This will hopefully help to raise the profile of the event even further – one really encouraging response came through this morning that could see Cockpit-Fest at Newark Air Museum featured in a major North American publication! 😀

😮 This year’s voting forms are 100% down to me – so apologies for any confusion; suggestions as to future formats would be gratefully received!

We have had engine runs in the past and I believe that I may have inadvertently offended one of the operators, which was never mine or the museum’s intention. I have tried to rectify the situation but sadly several attempts at communication have failed – so sorry about that one as well! 😮

Just to add a bit of clarity the Raptor Foundation won the public vote for Other exhibits (including some instrument panel displays) – not the best Cockpit vote.

To be totally honest only a fifth of the visitors bothered to vote at all even though they were offered an incentive to do so!

Perhaps they shouldn’t get a say at all and then we go back to a ‘judging panel’ and all the ‘issues’ that have been raised in the past.

🙂 As well as the friendships and banter what really makes it all worthwhile are comments like the following email that was received via the museum website yesterday (name withheld – remaining text unaltered):

“Hi to all,just wish to say well done for a fantastic cockpitfest 2011,I attended with my wife and we had a great time ( it was my first cockpitfest),great friendly atmosphere,reasonable weather and a superb museum( in my opinion,one of the top five in the uk,and very possibly no1 in the volunteer museum category) great to see a live Vulcan too,a credit to all your hard work,if I did not live 170 miles away I would certainly be a volunteer,best wishes for the future,”

That’s an interesting point but as has been debated on several other threads around here; what the ‘enthusiasts’ think that the ‘public’ likes and wants to see; and what the ‘public’ actually wants are in reality poles apart – something that the recent market research activities at the museum has shown.

That said there is an immediate paradox because most recent NAM research has shown the public wants a greater reference to World War II rather than Cold War – if anyone can figure that out in the context of Cockpit-Fest voting then please let me know!! :confused:

Having helped draw up the voting forms and actually counted all of the votes this year I do feel that the categories still need tweaking before 16th & 17th June 2012.

I’m afraid that I’m still playing catch up and so far I haven’t managed to get my act together regarding prize notifications to Bruce; the voter prize draw results etc.

I have managed to get a picture of the ‘current’ two main Cockpit-Fest trophies added to the thank you item here!

A few off the cuff observations – the Lancaster flypast was our booking and I took all of the arrangement calls etc; the scope of the flypast was partially weather related but my youngest son who was on site tells me he also saw someone waving from the bomb aimers position! The Spitfire flypast was the Kit Car Show arrangement – but what an entry over Hangar 1!! 🙂

I am still waiting for a decision on the date for 2012 but I will provide details when known. I will also give a personal commitment to work towards drawing in more event supporters for prizes / trophies etc for 2012.

We are planning to have a de-brief meeting at the museum in the next few weeks to pass on some of the feedback / ideas that we received over the weekend.

In the light of some of the emerging views should we look to try and re-introduce new categories for the voting e.g. time periods of aviation? Any other thoughts?

Sorry for being off-line tonight everyone – ‘preps for a busy work session tomorrow!’

A quick thank you from me, which echoes what’s been added to the NAM website – I really got a greater appreciation of ‘background work’ put in by Ken Ellis and Key Publishing over all the recent years – so a big thank you to him and them.

More from me later in the week – hopefully with a date confirmed for 2012!! 😀

Thanks to everyone for making it such a great gathering; plus special thanks to Brian and his ‘team’ at Farlam Airframes; to Bruce at GB Air Spares; the team at Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire and to NAM member Cliff Allison. 🙂

I’ve just been advised that the museum website and telephone have both gone crazy today with traffic and calls – if you’re travelling to Newark tomorrow or Sunday have a safe journey; and we’ll see you there!! 😀