Originally Posted by Mr Blake
it seems Duxford has suffered a few accidents in the recent past. Bad luck or something more sinister?
For the number of movements, it's probably a lower accident rate than a GA airport. It can't be 'sinister' as FULL DETAILS are available to anyone who cares to look.
Originally Posted by
matt_hooks
I think Duxford shows a high number of accidents purely due to the nature of aircraft flown from there.
You are dealing with aircraft types that do not benefit from all the bells and whistles of modern aircraft, and generally pretty long in the tooth. I would imagine that rixk of an accident increases with age of aircraft.
It would be interesting to see statistics for this.
Age? Rubbish. Bells and whistles? To a degree. For people in AH&N to make such statements is a bit poor.
Duxford is one of the WORLD'S most important active vintage aviation sites, with a greater amount of activity than anywhere else I can think of. If there's an airshow on
anywhere in the UK it's almost inevitable that there will be departures and arrives, plus practices at DX.
Yes, the accidents at DX shouldn't have happened; however
each and every one of them has been analysed in depth, and conclusions drawn, and the lessons learned and applied. Most (all?) of the reports are available to anyone who cares to investigate the AAIB website. In that sense Duxford's still safer than crossing the road, and not only more interesting, but the errors and problems better investigated and resolved than a road accident, and on occasion better than an air transport accident.
ALL the active aircraft at Duxford are better and more rigourously maintained than the airliner you'll fly on holidays in. They are in better condition than a Cessna 172 at your local flying club, and though older have less hours, cycles and bad landings etc. than that Cessna. The flying is far more tightly regulated and monitored, both self-policing and externally than and private flying and some airline flying. The public's REAL safety is on the highest priority at all times at the site.
We are bloody lucky to have such a global attraction and active historic site. Don't act like an anti-aviation illiterate tabloid journalist. Aircraft aren't dangerous; ignorance and thoughtlessness is.
Rant over.