Blue Eagles Out Of Cash?

[KPax]

Is it true that the 'Blue Eagles@ have flown their last display this year as they have run out of money. If true I can't see the same happening to the 'Sons of Fun' sorry the Red Arrows.

[glider insider]

If so, it was yesterday at Shawbury families day. They did not seem despondant (sp?) in the bar afterwards either.

[DamienB]

They were at Blenheim yesterday too.

[The Swinging Monkey]

I don't believe it,

I know many of the Blue Eagles personally, and quite frankly, in many respects the Dead Sparrows could learn a lot from them!

Which other UK display team do you know that GLADLY talks to the public for as long as they want?? Yes (The Army one!)

If the rumour is true, Which I very much doubt, then shame on the Army board.

To Colin and all the boys (and girls) thank you for yet another great (if somewhat short) season. See you all soon

Kind regards
The Swinging Monkey
'Caruthers, send a case of Grouse up to Colin and the team'

[Grob Driver]

TSM,

I agree with your post about Colin and the team, but think you’re a bit harsh on the Arrows. They put on a very good public face chatting to Jo Blogs etc. If you take Waddington Airshow for example… When they weren’t flying, they were out there mixing with the public, talking to cadets, RAF careers etc… Hats off to them, I think they do a great job… No better, or no worse than the Eagles. The only thing I’d say is that it’s about time the Arrows got rid of that poky little trailer, and got themselves a nice new one like the Eagles!

[Taff Missed]

KPax,

To answer the question, "Yes", although I'm not sure if it's because they've run out of money and,

"No", it wouldn't happen to the Red Arrows.

Taff

[The Swinging Monkey]

Grob Driver,

OK, it's a fair cop, if you say so.
I've never actually seen the Arrows wandering around mixing with the public, but if they do, well done to them.

Agree entirly with your comments about that trailer - come on Spike, surely you, or maybe the TRUST!! could do justice to your groundcrew and cough-up for a decent trailer? Whats the point in having a fantastic vehicle, pulling something that should be in the local scrap yard??

Funny though how the trust seems to have have plenty of money to purchase all these nice new trailers eh? Seems to me some of the money 'supposedly' going to the charity may be finding it's way into buying toys for the 'Not The Red Arrows!!'

Regards to all
The Swinging Monkey
'Caruthers, send Spike a bottle of Grouse with my compliments!'

[Megaton]

TSM,

I'm no expert on the Dead Sparrows but you obviously aint either. Reasoon you don't see them wandering around airshows is that they frequently operate from airfields away from the display site. Also, if you compare the Blue Eagles program with the Reds you'll notice a slight disparity in the number of shows.

And you'll have to clarify your point regarding the Trust having plenty of money to purchase all these nice new trailers.

And what toys are they supposed to have bought? All you're doing is slinging wild accusations around. If you have got some decent dirt then dish it!

[Wycombe]

...remember very distinctly seeing the red-suited and rayban decked chaps pressing the flesh on the Southside at RIAT a few years back....oh, and at Silverstone after the F1 GP a few more years ago (must have parked the jets at BZN and transitted by road/heli)....

[Mowgli]

At a BBQ with some friends last night who were able to go to Music in the Air at Middle Wallop on Saturdat night. I couldn't go because of work, but it was a great event according to the others. However, there was a major omission in the form of helicopters - is this true? My friend said it was due to budgets. How can you hold a public event at the school of Army Aviation and not feature helos?

Shame on the brass if true.

[BlueEagle]

Had saved a lot of pence, (well, cents), to come back for this years Open Days at Middle Wallop only to discover that they have been, 'discontinued', the excuse being money, the shortage thereof. Was probably one of the best recruitment programmes going and a chance to raise public awareness after a major conflict.

Oh how the mighty have fallen, (the prats that cancelled the show!).

[BEagle]

Yes, but to many they're just people who fly helicopters. Which aren't seen as sexy.....

Sorry - but c'est la vie. Joe Public goes all moist when even a Bore-nado appears, but helicopters? "Let's go and have an ice cream"....

A pity - the Blues weren't half good.

[Muff Coupling]

There may be some truth in the cash squeeze...not just on the Blue Eagles either. MOD is effectively bankrupt..so looks like another round of cost saving measures inbound.

Pure Military Airshows (remember all those At Home Days & Displays) are a effectively a thing of the past and therefore mil display teams that go with them have less and less of a large audience circuit than say 10 years back. Insurance and participation fees have crippled the middle market Civil circuit. Only the big players can get the crowd pulled in and that is effectively industry based. Even then, I hear from a dispaly mate that the RIAT / Defence 03 management asked some participants to pay for their own hotel bills!? (RIAT was the most politically and industry motivated show I have ever seen in 30 years around the circuit. Celebrating 100 years of flight was totally missed by the flying display organisers).

Look at the range of team offerings the mil has now compared to the 70-80's. Red Freds for the RAF, pair of Lynx for the Navy and a clutch of "past sell by date helis" for the Army. But never the less, all proffessional and extremely good at what they do.

Investment is the key word....or more to the point..lack of it. If you want corporate image and the fall out recruiting potential...it comes at a price. It seems the RAF is about the only org that can or is prepared to go some of the distance.

I too travelled long distances to MITA....home of the AAC..helicopters? 2 AH parked in the car park? Cheessy car drop by probably the only servicable Lynx - come on chaps, that went out in the seventies! 100 years of flight - where were the AAC HAF? They did a storming display at Waddo, especially for some classic airframes. Beagles had been to Blenhiem in the PM....clearly their display meter had run out
:confused:

Mind you..rumour is that the Beagles have trashed a couple of Lynx during rehersals this year..so the purse strings may have been drawn
:E

[Megaton]

Bit harsh on the Boys in Blue, Muff Coupling.

Look at the range of team offerings the mil has now compared to the 70-80's. Red Freds for the RAF, pair of Lynx for the Navy and a clutch of "past sell by date helis" for the Army.

In addition to the Deads, there are the GR7, F3, GR4, Jag display aircraft Oh, and a load of multi-engine stuff which, unfortunately, all look the same to me.

[peterperfect]

Ref the Blues:

Its not a lack of cash; its a deterioration of the willingness of some Senior Officers to convince and produce hard evidence of the benefits of the team. You probably cant sufficiently quantify esprit de corps, recruiting gain and the proof of a real class act to present it on a Whitehall powerpoint slide !

We all know that there are some good aviators up in the Staff who havnt lost touch with the cockpit, yet they are always swimming upstream on issues like this and eventually loose the will to support something like the Eagles, in favour of something more tangible, like a missile that works.

I 'joined up' because of the impact of a Naval Air Day (Brawdy's last pussers one in 1969), problem is perhaps no-one puts the effort into quantifying the benefits of Display Teams like wot the RAF do ?. Actually the memorable impact at Brawdy was from the boiled sweets thrown from the SAR Cab hovering over the crowd....

On the subject of cash......could have saved about 250 million by leaving Saddam alone, then we could of all been given our own aircraft............or bought two and a half more Merlins !!

[Scud-U-Like]

http://www.emhc.uk.com/album/emhcpics2/08090273.jpg

Undaunted, the Blue Eagles began training for the 2004 Season