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Duxford - End of Flying Legends airshows

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Duxford - End of Flying Legends airshows

Old 26th Aug 2020, 05:14
  #21 (permalink)  
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Originally Posted by Fareastdriver
Travelling from London to Aberdeen I dropped in at Cosford to have a look around. I paid the entrance fee and went in. Trying to get to the Battle of Britain exhibition I was stopped. The hangar, and all its contents, had been rented out for a corporate lunch!. When I went back to the ticket desk I found there was no chance of getting my money back.

I am not going again.
I have to say that's an unwarranted criticism regarding Cosford. True, you have to pay £5 for 7 hrs car parking, which is actually more than perfectly reasonable and very good value, but as another poster has stated, admission is free. As for the "corporate event ", it seems highly likely your chosen day to visit simply coincided with this event. Plus, museums do host private group visits / events as I'm sure you are aware, certainly the one I'm associated with does, but given the range of exhibits available elsewhere at Cosford, being unable to access one area isn't really deprivation.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 07:30
  #22 (permalink)  

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Thanks KnC. Yes, Fareastdriver is getting upset for nothing. There are four hangars at Cosford, and only one of those is used for events, and none since the pandemic took hold. That leaves three hangars, containing, among other things, the world's oldest Spitfire (a Dunkirk veteran) and the only remaining Valiant. As regards the Spitfire exhibition, there hasn't been one for at least two years, the one to commemorate the 80th opening on 12th Sep.

Free entry, and only a £ 5 car-park charge, to be able to view some 40 or 50 rare and iconic aeroplanes, seems good value to me.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 08:53
  #23 (permalink)  
 
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Kemble could be a good venue.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 09:24
  #24 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Martin the Martian
Kemble could be a good venue.
Biscester would be good, given the heritage aspect of the airfield site and what the team there are trying to achieve. Pretty much central point of the UK, and not far from M40, but crap local road access though especially with traffic issue from the big posh retail shopping centre on the other side of town, although good rail access, with the station only a 20 min walk away.

But ATC, Fire and all airfield ground support stuff already in place at Duxford would need to be setup and I think for it to stay in UK, as you say, Kemble, Scampton, Biggin Hill, Sywell maybe, will be the sort of options they will need to look at. UK is fast running out of suitable locations though.
Personally, I think there's more likelyhood of TFC taking the show to mainland Europe than it staying in the UK.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 10:03
  #25 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by GeeRam
Personally, I think there's more likelyhood of TFC taking the show to mainland Europe than it staying in the UK.
The more I look at it the more I can see that possibility. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the organisation relocates to Europe. With the number of airshows declining in the UK there will be many more opportunities to show their aircraft on the mainland.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 10:13
  #26 (permalink)  
 
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Be nice if Wroughton actually opened to the public. From old visitor posts the hangars there look interesting. I gather a new building is being created which might open occassionally in 2023.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 10:33
  #27 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by Martin the Martian
The more I look at it the more I can see that possibility. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the organisation relocates to Europe. With the number of airshows declining in the UK there will be many more opportunities to show their aircraft on the mainland.
Don't forget that it started off in Europe 40 years ago, as Stephen Gray has lived in Switzerland for decades, and his first P-51 was originally based there before he brought it to the UK on the suggestion of Ray Hanna IIRC.
So, yes, I agree, in that eventually, if IWM become less accommodating for the warbird operators at Duxford, TFC ARCo etc may decide that relocating to other places maybe the wise move, and TFC could indeed choose to move to mainland Europe, especially with the increasing amount of French and German based warbird owners and workshops.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 10:59
  #28 (permalink)  
 
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Flying Legends moving to Europe?

What an idea!
If for whatever dastardly reason its over with Duxford and its world famous and fantastic airshow why not somewhere in Europe.
Make the show a bit smaller perhaps.
Not easy for the amount of ground support needed for all the WW2 aircraft. Transportation, housing, etc.At Duxford its all there.

I suggest three airfields. Not as good as Duxford but perhaps?
Way down southeast near the Alps...
1. Salzburg Airport...Red Bulls hangar 7 is there. One problem is the airliner traffic on the other side of the paved runway. Grass runway? Weekend traffic?
Way up north on the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
2. Nordholz Airport...A military airfield and home to the German Navy P-3's. Is large enough, just need approval of course. Also has a small grass runway.
Lots of history in the airfield. During WW2 they built a dummy airfield to its SE, and the RAF came and dropped wooden bombs on it!
3. Zirchow / Usedom...Hanger 10. Smaller airfield and great collection of similar types of aircraft. Lots of history in the area.

Whatever the Flying Legends at Duxford was, as said before, a complete package.
My family, friends & I traveled from Europe many times over to see and experience it.
What a shame!

Last edited by Good Vibs; 26th Aug 2020 at 11:13.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 11:28
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I can't see any of the UK suggestions happening. Apart from what I gather from previous posts on here can only be deliberate awkwardness - for want of a better description - by the powers-that-be at Wroughton, I don't believe any of them could be financially viable.
Visiting aircraft would probably be fine, just arrive at a different venue, but TFC's are a different matter. I can't see the logistics of enough pilots and fuel costs adding up.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 12:01
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Alternative

What about Paris, Le Bourget? Good transport links, museum on site with 2 Concordes and already hosts airshows.
Never thought I'd be agreeing with TFC relocating o outside UK but the airshow scene was dealt a terminal blow at Shoreham IMO
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 12:17
  #31 (permalink)  
 
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The IWM press release states in part "We will be making some exciting changes to our own Air Show programme and look forward to sharing more details in the coming months".

Being suggested on another forum that IWM may be wanting to run an airshow on the FL weekend in their own name, and keep all the gross revenue (20,000 people/day x 2 days x £35/ticket = £1.5M, plus income from car parks, trade stands etc). Seems to make sense to me.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 12:24
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Paris, Le Bourget

Very good idea.
Lots to see
Paris, always lots of traffic. Just like London.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 12:38
  #33 (permalink)  
 
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Sad news, but perhaps not surprising in today's world .... and although posters have referred (with good reason) to the finances involved, it would be hard to maintain social distancing if enough visitors were to fill the coffers.

Very many happy memories of visits to Duxford, both to see the static exhibition and the flying displays. At least I have had the chance to walk through Concorde, never having been in the position to fly in her, and to enjoy wonderful moments of aviation history and acrobatics. Those can never be taken away from me.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 13:05
  #34 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by roger4
The IWM press release states in part "We will be making some exciting changes to our own Air Show programme and look forward to sharing more details in the coming months".

Being suggested on another forum that IWM may be wanting to run an airshow on the FL weekend in their own name, and keep all the gross revenue (20,000 people/day x 2 days x £35/ticket = £1.5M, plus income from car parks, trade stands etc). Seems to make sense to me.
If that is the plan, I suspect an overpaid bureaucrat's thought of it. AFAIK, the IWM owns a total of one airworthy aircraft. Are they expecting another 20 or 30 to materialise for free?
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 13:27
  #35 (permalink)  
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Blimey NAROBS, throw every airfield from a to z to the wind and see what sticks!
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 13:44
  #36 (permalink)  
 
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Salisbury Hall's not got and never has had an airfield. A couple of early prototype Mosquitoes were flown out of a farmer's field after they removed a bit of hedge but that's it.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 14:12
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Originally Posted by DHfan
I can't see any of the UK suggestions happening. Apart from what I gather from previous posts on here can only be deliberate awkwardness - for want of a better description - by the powers-that-be at Wroughton,
Err.........Wroughton isn't even a viable airfield anymore so its not even on any list of airfields!
The Science Museum has built a massive archive building right across half the airfield right up to the edge of old runway, and the other half of the airfield is a solar panel farm!
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 14:15
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With respect the amount of viable airfields isn't huge, Duxford is well connected for transport and has ample parking and associated infrastructure which are hard to find elsewhere.

I'd suggest either Alconbury or Thurleigh, former has has good links A1/A14/M11, runway is intact although used as a V. large car park, Thurleigh has a lot of space but access would need some thought.
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Old 26th Aug 2020, 14:17
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Originally Posted by NAROBS
Not forgetting Northolt, Leavesden, Elstree, Denham, White Waltham and Salisbury Hall.

Northolt seems to have stuff-all traffic at the moment, apart from visiting State Department "Dignatories" in Gulf Streams, hosting the funny brigade and a BD detachment a couple of Services Mail flights and (Up until recently) 32 Squadron . . . great access, on the A40 and they do have a static airday and, more importantly, being on the approach path, I'd "Get-in" for free.

Traffic issues from Heathrow - what's that . . given the current usuage ?

N
Haha.......in your dreams!
As an ex-local resident Northolt will always have a special place in my heart. Fond memories of the BBMF display there when attending families day in Sept 1980, when I got a chance to have a quick clamber into the Lanc, but a full airshow display will never get the go-ahead at Northolt, not in a million years.

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Old 26th Aug 2020, 14:18
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If a well known place like Duxford is unable to generate a profit with an event like this who else is? Or is this about something else? Noise complaints, airspace use, crash risk or similar?
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