Do we still have an Air Force?
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Do we still have an Air Force?
Have just enjoyed a splendid day at RAF Cosford; superbly organised, excellent traffic management, all personnel good humoured and professional, reds were fab.....but where were the planes? Only two proper noisy jetsall day and one of them (vulcan) didn't even belong to the RAF. Have the cuts really gone that deep?
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excellent traffic management
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excellent traffic management
We hit the queue at 0900 and didn't get parked till 1230 which is a joke
To answer the question as posed: Yes, we do. It's a good deal smaller than the one I joined in 1964, which was a good deal smaller than its predecessor in 1945. Want to change that? Get in touch with your MP, you'll do no worse than by complaining here.
And, notwithstanding all of that, it seems a good many people turned out to see what could be seen.
And, notwithstanding all of that, it seems a good many people turned out to see what could be seen.
I couldn't get to Cosford today but we saw the Reds transit "pig on't hill" around 1145. Around 1430 this afternoon a real treat from a Spitfire, he did around 3 low passes over North "pig on't hill", near Asda I think, then departed to the North. Possibly a civvy owned aircraft ? Pity some had trouble getting in to Cosford, I always enjoy the place. Nice day for some spotting though.
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"We found out about an hour later, having moved nearly half a mile in that time, that without a ticket we wouldn't get in."
Incorrect I'm afraid
Most people were paying on the gate. I certainly did on arrival at around 12:00
The "tickets only" sign on the roundabout on the motorway exit was misplaced - it seems it was intended for one specific car park.
Agree the traffic was horrendous - but it was made worse by poor lane discipline on the motorway, and people trying to break into the hard shoulder queue early, unsafely rather than going to the end and filtering in turn.
Using the hard shoulder as a ten mile slip road was just downright insanely dangerous
Incorrect I'm afraid
Most people were paying on the gate. I certainly did on arrival at around 12:00
The "tickets only" sign on the roundabout on the motorway exit was misplaced - it seems it was intended for one specific car park.
Agree the traffic was horrendous - but it was made worse by poor lane discipline on the motorway, and people trying to break into the hard shoulder queue early, unsafely rather than going to the end and filtering in turn.
Using the hard shoulder as a ten mile slip road was just downright insanely dangerous
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So what they appeared to have done is told people they wouldn't get in without a ticket then let folks pay on the gate anyway. Sounds like a major cock-up by someone.
Anyway, it wasn't a sign on the motorway. It was on the Cosford website in big friendly letters and on the RAF museums' T-w-i-t-t-e-r feed.
I hope the traffic management is improved for next year; not that it will affect me anyway. I won't be back.
Anyway, it wasn't a sign on the motorway. It was on the Cosford website in big friendly letters and on the RAF museums' T-w-i-t-t-e-r feed.
I hope the traffic management is improved for next year; not that it will affect me anyway. I won't be back.
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I am amused by the description of the location of Cosford on the official RAF Website:
RAF Cosford is set in the quiet and beautiful countryside of Shropshire, 150
miles (250 km) north-west of London.
Obviously it has to be referenced from the South East with typical Home Counties snobbery as no-one knows where the local major cities are!
RAF Cosford is set in the quiet and beautiful countryside of Shropshire, 150
miles (250 km) north-west of London.
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I guess everyone's opinion of traffic will be based on their own personal experience on the day. Even after everything we still have several hundred jets...I suppose there was only one spare on the day!
I have been to a few air shows on French military airfields - organisation has been superb - park on nearby disused airfield or out of town shopping car parks (shops closed Sundays), military busses run free shuttle, entry either €5 or €10, food fairly cheap so a family day out does not cost a fortune, and the shuttle back to the car park is efficient and quick. Leaving the car park a doddle.
Duxford a fortnight ago was good too (at least I have Friends of Duxford Seniors pass so £16 entry was not too bad), but free shuttle from Cambridge station was quick in both directions even without bus lanes near Duxford itself.
Duxford a fortnight ago was good too (at least I have Friends of Duxford Seniors pass so £16 entry was not too bad), but free shuttle from Cambridge station was quick in both directions even without bus lanes near Duxford itself.
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Incorrect I'm afraid
Most people were paying on the gate. I certainly did on arrival at around 12:00
The "tickets only" sign on the roundabout on the motorway exit was misplaced - it seems it was intended for one specific car park.
Most people were paying on the gate. I certainly did on arrival at around 12:00
The "tickets only" sign on the roundabout on the motorway exit was misplaced - it seems it was intended for one specific car park.
RAF Cosford Air Show - Home
S-D
I was very disappointed with the airshow. None of the aircraft flew very low or fast. I thought the Vulcan display was pathetic compared to what I remember from the 70's. He didn't use the burners once and to display a Vulcan without actually making any noise was quite the feat, IMHO.
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Of course we still have an Airforce, I was drinking a fizzy beverage the other day out of part of one of them, suitably recycled of course.
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I was very disappointed with the airshow. None of the aircraft flew very low or fast. I thought the Vulcan display was pathetic compared to what I remember from the 70's. He didn't use the burners once and to display a Vulcan without actually making any noise was quite the feat, IMHO.
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Problem with the Vulcan is it will now be all about managing the hours / cycles etc on the engines after the decision to set of with the gravy train to the next station... I would think the Engine lives are the critical factor after the incident at Doncas....Finningley..
And as said, bar the Concorde testbed ( I think it had one, but stand to be corrected), none have had burners.
..
And as said, bar the Concorde testbed ( I think it had one, but stand to be corrected), none have had burners.
..
Last edited by NutLoose; 10th Jun 2013 at 11:37.
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I'm trying to remember a major airshow when there weren't traffic problems - Farnborough is always a disaster, Fairford is probably the best (but still not brilliant
I guess when you have maybe 10,000 cars turning up on country lanes and all funneling into a small parking area there isn't much that can be done
I guess when you have maybe 10,000 cars turning up on country lanes and all funneling into a small parking area there isn't much that can be done