Fly! at Earls Court

[AerBabe]

In previous years, we've had a meeting point arranged and some of us have had dinner & drinks after the show. As no-one else has posted anything yet, I'll take matters into my own hands. AerBloke and I will be there on the Saturday. He doesn't know it yet, but we'll be at the Breitling Bar around 1200. Dinner TBA.

[Captainkarl]

I will be there!;)

[Leezyjet]

I'll be there in a few hours time. Will be wearing an Algoa Flying Club baseball cap if anyone sees me around.

:ok:

[Whirlybird]

I'm leaving in half an hour to go there! If you see a shortish woman with shoulder length blonde hair, leather jacket, and helicopter earrings, please introduce yourself.

[stiknruda]

AerBloke and I will be there on the Saturday. He doesn't know it yet

:confused: :confused:

I wonder how long it will take him to figure out that he has had to take your name (Aerbxxxx) and that you are in charge?

Stik;)

[Leezyjet]

Anyone else as :mad: off with paying to get into that "show" as I am.

What a waste of money.

:*

[Laundryman]

I went to Earls Court Today, I wont be going next year unless someone persuades me there will be lots lots lots more to see and do. If you don't want to buy a helicopter, a new Diamond Star, join the RAF or buy something at Flightstore then just maybe you should make sure friends are going so the trip won't be a total waste.

Thumbs down.

[Phoenix09]

I am due to go to the show tomorrow.

A fuller review may be more help leezyjet. What didn't you like about it? If you have been in previous years how does it compare?

I mainly use it as an excuse to meet up with people but I have always enjoyed the show as well in the past.

Am I going to be bitterly disappointed tomorrow?

[IO540]

Anybody who is expecting interesting new products to suddenly appear in the GA market is going to be disappointed. This isn't the USA. I started flying in 2000 and the stuff in the shops is 99% the same now as then - the same old junk, among the useless Brietling watches and leather jackets.

But... it's only once a year :O

That's why the Earls Court show has killed off North Weald.

[AerBabe]

As someone with a little inside knowledge, it's not just Fly! that 'killed off' North Weald.

[Leezyjet]

A fuller review may be more help leezyjet. What didn't you like about it? If you have been in previous years how does it compare?


I'd never been before, and will never be going again. It was far too expensive for what it was, even getting 2 tickets for the price of 1.

There were a handful of flight schools there, but not as many as at the Flyer shows at LHR, and as I'm 99% sure of the one I'm using, didn't bother speaking to any of the others.

The usual g/a shops were there selling the stuff that you can buy from the comfort of your armchair off the internet albeit at a small discount (but that didn't make up for the money it costs to get in), and a couple of manufactuers of the equipment that you can buy from the g/a shops.

Most of the show was aimed at spotty teenagers who spend hours playing FS2004, as seen by the huge MS FS2004 arena and all the shops bringing their whole FS2004 add on's to flog. The rest of it was aimed at people with a thousands of £ to spend on a new a/c, and even then the choice was limited to a couple of manufacturers and a few helicopters from a general sales agent.

Breitling also had a big presence if you have a spare £2-3K to spend on something that does the same as a £9.99 Elizabeth Duke special - oh and they had a flight sim too where you could try and shoot each other down - much like playing combat flight sim online - but with bigger TV screens.

BA were charging £25 to use their version of FS2004 in a little trailer for 15 mins.

There was also a lecture area with a few seminars going on throughout the day, but didn't goto any of them as Miss L/J was bored enough.


Oh and the RN and RAF were trying to recruit said spotty teenagers.

Only good thing I got out of it was the Pooleys CRP-5 instructional CD from Oxford Aviation for £16 (which the Pooley's stall themselves were knocking out for £30 :eek: )

:bored:

[IO540]

I agree Aerbabe; I just think there isn't room in the future for two shows showing the same old junk.

The usual g/a shops were there selling the stuff that you can buy from the comfort of your armchair off the internet

That's been the case for years

The rest of it was aimed at people with a thousands of £ to spend on a new a/c, and even then the choice was limited to a couple of manufacturers

Likewise

That's the piston GA scene in Europe!

[Flying_Anorak]

Well I'm there 'working' on the British Gliding Association stand this year (we've a Ventus CT on show, a simulator and lots of nice leaflets!) so if any Ppruners do pop in, please say Hi.

I might look out for Aerbabe & bloke at the bar at noon but I'm guessing that since I've not met any of you, I've no idea who you are!

[J.A.F.O.]

Couldn't agree more with Leezyjet.

I went in the first year and there is not much that could tempt me back. Some friends went last year and said it was the same and from your comments it doesn't seem to have changed this year.

[mckrll]

You could always go to the Gunther von Hagen Bodies exhibition which is also on at Earl's Court.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to do both, but I found John Thorpe's (GASCo) Seminar on Preventing GA Accidents really informative.

Andrew

[niknak]

As an aviation professional, although I've never been before, I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.

I took NN junior, largely cos he wants to be a commercial pilot once Uni' is out of the way.

He's only 17 and by the time 3pm came around he was stuffed full of so much information and had so many leaflets, he was on another planet and positively buzzing.
Everyone was very helpful, giving informative, practical and positive advice with no sales pitch or pressure to buy or commit to anything.
Special thanks in that department to Cabair, GAPAN, the RAeS, Diamond Aircraft (who very patiently let him sit and dream in the DA42 whilst obvious "prospective customers" waited) and to thet top geezers at Breitling who sneaked him in ahead on the waiting list cos we had to leave at 3pm.

Although we had a three hour drive to get there, (the train would have been similar, more expensive and less flexible), I am glad we went, he got a lot out of it and we enjoyed the day immensely.

I'm not sure that I would go again within the next 2 - 3 years, it was nice to catch up with new and old faces, from a purely personal veiwpoint it was a very expensive day out, but on this occassion, it was worth it for my son's experience.

[tangovictor]

I visited for the first time on Friday, I thought, some sort of plague had occured as it wasn't very full, The Loop stand was ok as were the bmaa, were very informative. the raf 2000 gyroplane, chiltern airsports, the parajet stand and wycombe airpark. I have zero interest in computer games and have an omega watch.
I cant ever afford a diamond or liberty aircraft, the heli's were roped off
to to mere mortals, the breezer airplane isn't yet available in the UK.
I doubt i'd be revisiting, at £18, the only good thing was parking my motorbike was free, can you believe it ! FREE parking in London.

[sucksqueezeBANGstop]

I quite enjoyed the seminar given about Mode S and ABD-S (or abr-s or another mix of similar letters!) by Kinetics.

But otherwise the show was a bit dull. However my mate who's doing her ATPL had a useful time of it.

Just wish I'd remembered to look on here! Could have said Hi instead of wandering about in a daze.

Did like the Javelin though :E

[AerBabe]

If it's possible, I think Fly! this year had even less going for it (apart from the magazine stands and the Ultimate High lads, of course). Simulators had taken over much of the show and even the model flying area had disappeared. It's just too dry and remote. We want more hands on activities - how about an area similar to that at the museum at Cosford?

There's nothing to bring in the 'man on the street'. If they did get through the door, they'd soon be bored to death.

Still, I always treat it more as an excuse to catch up with old friends, and I certainly did that. I also met a couple of new people and reinforced a useful contact ...

Will I go next year? Probably, if I can get free tickets again and I can get together with friends for a catch up.

[Boing_737]

Why was all the sport aviation stuff shoved to the back? If the idea is to promote GA, and flying in general then surely the grass roots stuff should be promoted more. Jabiru was also missing completely even though they had a stand (at the back). In my view it was fine if you were looking to start a career in commercial aviation, but not so good if you were a PPL, or didn't fancy playing around on all the flightsim stuff.
I messed around a bit with the Garmin stuff, took a look in the Cirrus and Diamond Stars - hoping that my lottery numbers came in (they did but only to the tune of £10:{ ). I was left distinctly unimpressed with the Jepp flight planning software (the demo that the geezer gave me wasn't very slick), liked the LOOP! stand, especially the interesting GA Book software. Reminded myself to download LASORS rather than pay (rather alot) for it.
All in all, for £30 including travel costs, it was a bit of a waste of time and money in my opinion. It would have been much better if more of the VLA/microlight manufacturers had been present (someone on here said that the piston GA scene in Europe is static - but the VLA/microlight market seems to have a reasonable amount of innovation). Basically like everything else in GA - expensive for not a lot of return.

[niknak]

Why was all the sport aviation stuff shoved to the back? If the idea is to promote GA, and flying in general then surely the grass roots stuff should be promoted more.

Basically like everything else in GA - expensive for not a lot of return.

I don't know how the organisers charged individual companies who exhibit, but
Earls Court charge a flat fee for the venue, and it's usual for charges to be higher for more prominent stands, ie directly in front of the entrance or in the centre of the building.

Like I said previously, we got a lot out of the day, but given the attendance, I do wonder if anyone aside from the rip off food outlets, covered their costs.

Was anything there more expensive on the day than if you'd bought it from the same retailer next week? Or are you like me and let your wallet loose on days like this when normally it would be secured with barbed wire?

[tangovictor]

I agree with Boing 737, the show should have been about promoting GA, ok let the big boy's have the fancy entrance spot,
Very little else promoted GA other than what I have already stated, in my opinion, being new'ish to aviation, Someone needs to reshape the whole thing, its all far far to confusing, for an ordinary person, who thinks Oh I think I'd like to learn to fly, and maybe buy an airplane.
Then, the confusion starts, CAA / PFA / BMAA / PPL split into so many areas
you can build this, but not that, you can fly here, but not there !
Jesus, SOMEONE IN AUTHORITY PLEASE LISTEN . Your scaring normal people away, with over regulation / complication. Nothing is clear.
Airplanes are advertised and reports written about, that can't be flown in the UK.

[ultimatepro63]

Yeah saw the Javelin it was at the entrance it rather looked like a mock up.

I went last year but this year was dissapointing not as many aircraft as last time and like triple number of flight sims which are boring and microlights hidden away in a corner blocked of view by the cabairs warrior

the schools where all over the place and the layout wasnt really good. might not go next year. Plus was looking at the diamond 20 and had the capony shut right in my face maybe to do with the fact i dont look like i would have the money to buy one

[tangovictor]

Very GA, who on earth would be able to afford one, and if you could, would you bother to gawp at it, at Earls Court ?

[IO540]

Lots of people, in all walks of business, over many years, have wondered whether exhibitions result in sales which would not have been obtained for the same expenditure otherwise.

Many years ago I knew someone in the recording studio business. They went to some recording industry show and sold a few mixing desks for a few million, every time they went, at the show.

But not knowing where customers saw the product is the cornerstone of the advertising business. If everybody asked every customer where he saw the thing, most printed media and most exhibitions would disappear instantly, advertising budgets would dry up, lots of people would be out of work. Luckily, most companies have no way of finding this out (they sell through resellers who don't give a xxxx for what the manufacturer wants to know).

The internet is changing everything anyway.

[Boingy]

The shows okay if you don't pay to get in..... (not that this post really matters now...)