Does the Griffon engine always rotate in the opposite direction to the Merlin?

It seems I’m in the minority in believing that as aviation enthusiasts we should a) support events by paying for admission and b) set a good example of safe practice by viewing from approved areas within the site. If this is at odds with the general opinion of the board then that’s really a shame.

I agree totally with the 2 statements above I personally prefer to pay to enter a display because for me there are significant benefits over watching from the outside. I enjoy the statics and the general atmosphere which you can only get from being there.

We enthusiasts are also members of our local communities and should also be able to enjoy a local charitable event like Nige did without being castigated.

However, this does not mean that spectator areas outside of major airshows should be encouraged or welcomed. Those within the site are subject to the safety planning of the display organisers and the approval of local authorities and emergency services. The airshow is only allowed to go ahead when these arrangements have been reviewed and approved. This is not done without reason or in the name of bureaucracy. It is done with genuine concern for public safety.

I was not advocating clogging up the roads and banks for miles around in what often can be very dangeruos locations. These people often add to the traffic problems because of where they leave their cars.

I was saying however that organised local events to coincide with an airshow should not be seen as a bad thing from the long-term point of view. The more local people can be engaged with their local airfield the better.

An organised local event makes the day memorable for locals for the right reasons and not because they couldn’t go anywhere due to the traffic. Such local events are also subject to safety considerations and would probably have planning limitations set on their sites.

At least if he has to supply the fuel!

nil carborundum – don’t let the buggers gring you down

In order to educate people do you not have to explain why their views are misguided?

This is a valuable forum because it allows those who are informed to speak directly to those who only see from the outside. I find this forum a fascinating way to increase my limited knowledge.

If those who have incorrect and inaccurate opinions are not engaged those opinions will grow outside the inner circle of experts. Unfortunately it is currently a fact of life that the sensational attracts publicity more than the normal so it is vital that the sensationalists are engaged to explain to them the error of their ways.

It is also important that free speech is maintained to avoid the aircraft community getting closed off from the world around.

At airshows what, to an expert appears to be a well executed and low manouevre, may, to an uninformed member of the public, appear to be dangerous. It is not the experts and informed that will regulate airshows out of existance but the apathy from the public if any such legislation is proposed.

I have seen many displays that have been thrilling to me but I also know that people with me have seen as dangerous and frightening – we all see things differently and we all have our own opinions however they may be formed.

Long may this forum allow people to express such opinions and have them discussed otherwise the forum becomes just another way of passing on agreed facts.

Bawdsey Manor?

no problem – I wasn’t being funny but I was thinking of the embarrasment of people asking for the Sussex museum in Essex. I lived in Suffolk for many years and Essex was ‘foreign’. I suspect many in Essex have not heard of Sussex!

They are in the process of restoring the Tempest to flight I believe.