Like many others I drove to North Weald but I couldn't help comparing it with AERO 2003 3 weeks previously. Obviously the weather helped but the German event was vibrant in a way that Aerofair didn't quite manage. Part of the success of the AERO event is that it covers all forms of GA including gliders, microlights and even model flying. The more relaxed Continental approach to VLAs must help to encourage potential flyers in to the sport and I wonder if the PFA/BMAA/CAA should start to get off their high horse and get some flexibility into the UK approach to these aircraft. Anthony Hutton and his team deserve credit for their show but perhaps it should become a biennial in association with AERO in Friedrichshafen in the way Paris and Farnborough alternate.