Famous character that I know goes over there is the Debden Green ‘Bag Man’, anyone know him?
He lives in a derelict farmhouse near Thaxted and walks to Bishops Stortford everyday in repentance to his mothers death, he takes all his possesions with him in 4 carrier bags.
Every year he walks from Thaxted to Legends and back, sitting in the field opposite, God knows how long it takes him to walk out and back, it’s a long way, but he does it.

That’s funny, but years ago there used to be an old man that lived in his own personal ‘campsite’ that was located within the trees & bushes that was next to a lay-by on the southbound side in Quendon near Rickling Green.
I would see him virtually every day walking either to or from Stortford pushing a pram with a little doggy in it!

There was also an very old lady in Stortford who was always dressed in black with white lace and used to go around the town in what looked like an old long Victorian ‘style’ three wheeled tricycle/chair. it was very strange!
perhaps they all used to meet up in Stortford.

Legends was very good with some outstanding aircraft and outstanding displays.
Fortunately being too busy, I didn’t have time to notice anything about either the commentary or the windbreak villages.

Bomberboy

Steve,
Whatever you say will always be used as the justification for not doing something.
The costs are not as you are implying, for the kind of thing we were discussing here.

Why can we not simply be grateful for what we have?

That is the sort of statement that an employee would hear from his boss, or where we as mere mortals here from our government, or in earlier times what slaves and lower classes would hear from the people above them.

Whilst I appreciate what we have, I have never said to the contrary, but one should always have greater expectations, or we’d all come to a grinding halt!

Bomberboy

It seems the poor old IWM cannot win.

If they ignore the pleas for a line-up, people moan.

If they go to great efforts to get it arranged and publicised at short notice, people moan.

As for the Shackleton… to move it would require a huge amount of work and probably take several days – all time which the IWM does not have with the Airspace project running to a tight schedule and a major airshow on next weekend. Bear in mind the Shack is hemmed in by a BAC 1-11 on one side, and a line of no less than six aircraft on the other side with grass behind and a fence in front. Moving it would require a huge amount of airframe shuffling, taking down the fence, moving the Shack, putting fence back up, more airframe shuffling, then repeating this whole lot to get it back in place before Legends. All that for a few photos?

Damien, Thanks for your reply but I would say;

1/ The IWM are not poor!

2/ It was not put as a case of ‘your damned if you do and your damned if you don’t’, It was put as I was informed, a case that certain upper echelons of the IWM had to be repeatedly made very aware of a particular opportunity that was unfolding right before them and not actually grasping the full extent of the occasion.
The reason for that could be through a lack of awareness, effort, or even ignorance of the occasion.
Unfortunately there can also be an element of bloody-mindedness and yes it does happen at Duxford.

3/ I could not disagree more with your explanation of why the ‘Shack’ could not be moved, more.
What has a piece of grass to the rear of the aeroplane got to do with anything?
Even though there is a netting cable tied to the fencing it can be removed in minutes, it was designed that way!
It would only require a certain amount of the fence to be removed.
With the fact that she is a tricycle aeroplane and with the different wing heights between her and her neighbours, I don’t see where all the plane shuffling you intimate is required.
Like I said, if the museum wanted it moved, they would move it!

Lastly you comment; “all that for a few photos”
I cannot believe you actually wrote that!
How many photos have you on your website, how much effort was put into giving you the opportunity to take air to air piccys?
Look at them again and then tell yourself – all that for a few photos!
How many on hear would make that special effort to just go and take a few photos of a line up like that, regardless of what the special line up is.
How many photos can anyone on hear readily lay their hands on to show where this particular line up has ever happened, ever?

This line up is not particularly to my full taste, but that didn’t matter I made the most of the occasion and if somebody had said that If I would remove the fence etc so as to get the Shack out there, i’d do it.

Bomberboy

B M W

Bloody Motor Wobbles?

Big Mobile W***y (phallus)

Bomberboy

..as per the the ppl who “complain” about seeing always the same planes.. when they’ll be definitely grounded (cuz u dont think they’ll fly forever, do u?) u’ll regret it, enjoy ’em as long as u can. Eventually it’s not just about seeing the airshow, it’s about spending some time with good friends, havin fun ravaging thru piles of aviation related junk to buy some leetle gadget, havin a good walk, smellin some avgas… I really dont understand this snobbish attitude about Legends..

Alex

This was my point entirely, very well put.
I do not understand why people have to ‘knock’ something so good, when all most people want to discuss is the good about it.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion but why do people have to voice an opinion that is negative on a subject, when it was not being sought in the first place.
If someone doesn’t like the show, fine don’t go, but don’t slag off something that the majority do like, just because one can!
If I don’t necessarily like something, I don’t post my ‘negativity’ just for the sake of it.
I am not a big poster here and I never will be, for exactly the reasons that we are seeing here.
As I am now officially ‘a D*ckhead’ such was the individual personally aimed ‘label’ not a ‘generic label’, justifies to myself as the reason I have always refrained from posting much on this forum so far.
The downside is something I have always thought of and as such, I will never ever share any of my aviation experiences on the forum……………………. and I have a ‘few’.

Bomberboy

Also the term panzerschiffe was used by the kriegsmarine to describe most of their larger warships and i wanted to avoid this term to avoid confusion, for example when the scharnhorsts were authorised they were sometimes referred to as ‘armoured ships of 10,000 tons’ which was the maximum size of armoured ship’s germany were allowed to build under the treaty of versailles but in fact had a designed 30,000 ton displacement.

curlyboy

I have seen the terms ‘Panzerschiffe’ and ‘Battleship’ being applied to the ships of the Sharnhorst class in many many Books and publications.
For their size, weight and speed, I believe that they are as applicable as Battle Cruisers, their only letdown being the size of their main armament.
With that in mind one could even call them a very very Heavy Cruiser, but there wouldn’t be any point!

Bomberboy

nice and quick! Thanks indeed, Eddie!

Lotus 72, is your name significant at all or should I call myself Lotus 104 as well?

Bomberboy

The Hucknall air day is this saturday, the information and aircraft participation from an email I recieved from them is below, looks a good day out, weather looks kind as well;

There is also a classic car show and Military vehicles.

I’ll be there with some of my car club and I’m hoping to take my
‘Mega-Meega’ shed along as my days ride.

Bomberboy