That’s the enthusiast community which counts amongst its ranks an individual who’s first thought on seeing someone die in a Hawk crash was to sell their images to the press. On forums other spotters jumped to his defence on the basis that ‘you see worse on the net’ and ‘he probably needed the money’.
Common human decency doesn’t extend toward those they ‘support’ it appears and the irony of the same individual attending this event was not lost on those serving at Marham I suspect.
And what does the support of the enthusiast community actually mean? Disclosing aircraft movements, trampling on farmers crops by airfields, resentful that they don’t get allowed into Families Days because ‘personnel sign up for the job and their families don’t deserve special treatment’?
Have also read some spotters arguing that the RAF is a busted flush because they don’t paint up their aircraft in pretty colour schemes as the Germans and Greeks do. RAF100 is a disgrace as a result for the same reason.
Now the event at Marham was very poor and those who paid are justified in their complaints that they didn’t get value for money. But if it has lost the RAF the support of the enthusiasts then I’m not sure anybody will lose any sleep.