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Old 1st Jul 2012, 21:00
  #33 (permalink)  
Pontius Navigator
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lincolnshire
Age: 81
Posts: 16,777
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CBLT, as long as the punters keep paying.

Long gone are the days when air shows were about, well air shows. Now they about days out and are priced accordingly. The 'company' now employes professional organisers, professional marquee and events organisers, refuse and toilets etc, barriers etc as the military staffs are thinner on the ground and less 'mis-employable'.

The price goes up, the tat stalls pay more and 'every one' had a 'great' day out. For the purist, such as yourself, it is overpriced, full of tat, and not about aircraft. Unfortunately for you you are in the minority.

Now as few years ago (I was still in shorts) my friend arrived on his bike, said it's Battle of Britain Day, so off we biked about 10 miles to RAF Hooton Park, a reservist airfield. A few RAFVR were there and wholly unprepared for the 'air show' crowd that turned up. I guess there were several hundred of us. They then dragged a couple of jets, don't recall the type, out as static and proceeded to call up on RAF Common any aircraft that had time in hand.

The one display I remember was a Shackleton en route north, having done a display at Sealand, that detoured on gave us a display. Ten years later I joined the RAF; that was the sort of organisation I wanted to join.

Things have changed.

PS, but this afternoon we had a Spitfire, a Dakota, a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane, then two Spitfires. The Lancaster especially seemed to be the wrong side of 300 feet, and not an airfield in sight Now that is the sort of organisation I would want to join.

Last edited by Pontius Navigator; 1st Jul 2012 at 21:03.
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