Duxford - End of Flying Legends airshows
Flying Legends and Shoreham were the only airshows I attended in the last decade, plans to visit Shuttleworth kept being made but as the shows are regular it was harder to focus on one weekend and the group never quite gelled. This year we might have done... maybe next year.
Unless Legends can regroup somewhere within a reasonable travelling distance, very sadly that will be it for me.
Since Shoreham, and as I understood that the good people of the town were not in principal against an airshow in future, I had thought a Hove/Shoreham/Worthing seafront event would be worth considering - say a mile long display line at some point between two of those towns and perhaps the opportunity to see the aircraft on the ground at Shoreham and perhaps provide parking. Wonder if Brendan could work up a boat top landing act or crazy flying in a float plane Cub.
Unless Legends can regroup somewhere within a reasonable travelling distance, very sadly that will be it for me.
Since Shoreham, and as I understood that the good people of the town were not in principal against an airshow in future, I had thought a Hove/Shoreham/Worthing seafront event would be worth considering - say a mile long display line at some point between two of those towns and perhaps the opportunity to see the aircraft on the ground at Shoreham and perhaps provide parking. Wonder if Brendan could work up a boat top landing act or crazy flying in a float plane Cub.
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What's so sad about this thread is the absolute dearth of viable alternate venues. Unfortunately, with airfields being brownfield sites they are a dying breed, driven by our rush to urbanisation (with retarded slogans like buildbuildbuild) and a never ending population increase meaning minority activities like GA, airshows, motorsports are being squeezed at each end as there is simply no physical space left for those that enjoy them to do so.
Sad times, but it's been coming for a while....
Sad times, but it's been coming for a while....
More sad is there's nothing wrong with Duxford as a venue, but their management just pursue their own agendas instead of continuing what was one of the spectacles of the aviation world - which is surely what they were put there to provide in the first place.
You only have to look at the proposal to house Marshall's of Cambridge on the airfield in a new complex built in the sw corner that would have ended all airshows there anyway due to CAA overfly rules, as well as the new on site hotel proposal behind the Superhanger to help with the corporate income.
Yes, they may say they still want to hold their 6 airshow days per year, but I also think they will be just as happy if there was no airshows if there is another way to gain income without the need for them at all.
They are pursuing the money......probably under instruction from Lambeth.
You only have to look at the proposal to house Marshall's of Cambridge on the airfield in a new complex built in the sw corner that would have ended all airshows there anyway due to CAA overfly rules, as well as the new on site hotel proposal behind the Superhanger to help with the corporate income.
Yes, they may say they still want to hold their 6 airshow days per year, but I also think they will be just as happy if there was no airshows if there is another way to gain income without the need for them at all.
You only have to look at the proposal to house Marshall's of Cambridge on the airfield in a new complex built in the sw corner that would have ended all airshows there anyway due to CAA overfly rules, as well as the new on site hotel proposal behind the Superhanger to help with the corporate income.
Yes, they may say they still want to hold their 6 airshow days per year, but I also think they will be just as happy if there was no airshows if there is another way to gain income without the need for them at all.
Of course, the substantial government grant to the museum administrators and their 6-figure salaries would continue. We can't do away with that.
Having them hanging from wires etc. in the hangars and halls is one thing, flying them is another matter, and I bet most of the IWM staff would be more than happy to see Duxford stop being an active airfield...and become just a static museum site.
Here's a "left field" thought. How about Silverstone? They've got the access problem sorted, good infrastructure and Turweston nearby for landing/take-offs. They could probably do with the revenue despite the two grand prix.
Silverstone is about as numb and souless venue as you could get, even for motorsport its about as dull as dishwater, let alone vintage warbirds.
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Yes, very left field and not gonna happen, it's not an airfield for one thing. The only sensible potential options appear to be either North Weald or Kemble. Scampton would be perfect, if only those clowns that purport to be a Government had an ounce of respect for our heritage, which they dont of course.
I bet the Stansted controllers would really enjoy an airshow right under their departures from 22.. Isn't this what killed the Fighter Meet or whatever it was called? The seaside airshows at Eastbourne etc seem to get good crowds without a walkabout and as for Silverstone being dull, have you been there at the Classics race weekend?
I bet the Stansted controllers would really enjoy an airshow right under their departures from 22.. Isn't this what killed the Fighter Meet or whatever it was called? The seaside airshows at Eastbourne etc seem to get good crowds without a walkabout and as for Silverstone being dull, have you been there at the Classics race weekend?
Eastborne airshow crowd is not Legends airshow crowd. Legends will not work as a seaside airshow.
And yes I have been to Silverstone Classic, once (never again).....and its awful.......not a patch on Goodwood Revival for atmosphere (or Spa) or the old historic events that used to be at Brands back in the 80's.
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Gee Ram, you seem very certain Legends wouldn't work as a seaside show to which I would say why not? It might appeal to a completely demographic with a larger audience than Duxford which may be what TFC are after. As for the Silverstone Classic I would beg to disagree as I find the Goodwood crowd pretentious and of the "Right crowd and no crowding" mentality..
Too far from home base, with issue around pilot changes, maintainance, aircraft turn arounds, visiting aircraft from Europe and USA)
Too far from crowd, small aircraft like the Gladiator would be utterly lost in the expanse of a seafront display line, plus some like the Gladiator probably couldn't fly a display over water.
Typical seaside audience (often holiday craowd) not in the least interested in vintage warbirds with the 'geeky' Legends style commentary team, and a Legends style display (have you ever been to Legends?)
No ground displays, no-living history displays, not vintage dealer stalls (many don't do other IWM shows at Duxford and are hacked of with IWM decision)
And no its not the crowd TFC are wanting to attract. They had a crowd and an event to be proud of, this isn't TFC's fault, its IWM demanding a bigger slice of the money pie.
We'll have to just disagree then, as I find Silverstone an utter souless place now, not to mention a once great circuit now utterly ruined by modern F1 demands, and totally the wrong place to race vintage racing cars. You couldn't pay me enough money to watch any event there, let alone historics.
Coventry would seem suitable to me unless it's too close to BHX. There's already a museum on site and it's a reasonable day trip for enthusiasts from almost anywhere in England.
Yes, very left field and not gonna happen, it's not an airfield for one thing. The only sensible potential options appear to be either North Weald or Kemble. Scampton would be perfect, if only those clowns that purport to be a Government had an ounce of respect for our heritage, which they dont of course.
That apart, what nobody seems to be able to get into their heads, with the notable exception of GeeRam, is that Flying Legends is TFC's event. If it doesn't make financial sense to them, it doesn't matter how many brilliant, off-the-wall, out-of-the-box, left-field, or another current cobblers ideas anybody suggests, it's not going to happen. And again in current terminology - full stop. Anything more than 15 minutes or so flying time isn't worth even considering.
A seaside event, I am reliably informed by elderly relations in Bournemouth, is a great event. One of these days I might even get there but however good it is, it wouldn't and couldn't be Legends as it could never work that way.
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I certainly wasn't suggesting a Sussex seaside show for Legends, just in general it would potentially be a good site. Too many events have disappeared from the calendar for whatever reason - the demise of Legends in its present form is without doubt one of the daftest and IWM should bloody well think again.
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Flying Legends was surely THE show at Duxford; before the advance booking silliness it must have given them the biggest attendance of the year.