Bit offended about "winging" the flying display!!!!! Months of negotiation and weeks of planning were involved. However, I recognise that many people who comment on this forum have zero knowledge or credibility. Four days of strong easterlies didn't help.
Friday night was a disappointment to us - we lost four acts, all flying pyros, due to the strong easterly crosswind. Everyone did their best to get airborne, even tried the aerochutes off 09, but to no avail.
The main problem was learning to integrate up to 12 RPT movements into the program. The CASA requirement that the airline maintain IFR, with consequent buffers, was the cause of most if not all the pauses that happened. Once an aircraft was inside Ripley the airfield and adjacent airspace had to be cleared. With a linear program it is very hard to move acts forward or back at short notice to accommodate slack estimates, and unfortunately an RPT operation doesn't (and can't) work to the minute.
From my point of view, the public did indeed vote with their feet - and they keep coming back in bigger and bigger numbers.
Because the current regimes of safety law, OHS, insurance and litigation are causing most organisers to abandon the genre, leaving ASDU as one of the few event managers even able to get the approvals, Avalon is almost the only opportunity Victorians have to see a show locally.
Have a nice coupla years, and see you in 07.
Gru