No Waddington show - what happens now?
It's probably a little too far north too.
Why don't they build a brand new airfield, especially for the purpose, right in the middle of the midlands and hold all the R.A.F's airshows there?!
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We could hold it in France, after all they held part of their cycle race in the UK 
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Why don't they build a brand new airfield, especially for the purpose, right in the middle of the midlands and hold all the R.A.F's airshows there?!
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In an effort to keep this thread open, mostly because the suggestions are keeping me entertained, I would like to add the views of many of those at Waddington.
At last, at least the runway rebuild will give us a year off. A year when we don't have to deal with the uneducated and the unwashed. A year when we don't sacrifice our airfield to traders desperate to recover their costs from the despicable rates the airshow charge them. A year we don't have to have the public assume we plan the show when in fact those of us on uniform have almost nothing to do with the running of the show. A year when we don't lose yet another weekend (in reality nearly 2 weeks) when I have better things to do like run a very busy and manpower critical deployment plot or spend one of just a limited number of weekends at home with the family.
A year off from pretending the whole thing is for charity when it raises so very little compared to the effort of staging it. A year off from all the unappreciative ppruners who don't understand that the rules have changed since their day in the sixties and that obeying the current ones means a boring fly through or months of work up, not a criticism of previous air displays just a fact of current life. A thorough work up is impossible when the only real flying is in theatre and the rest is the bare minimum for currency. Also, the rules have changed for a reason, no one likes to see dead spectators on the news.
I standby for the reactions of the current generation not understanding the need to promote the forces. Of single force thinking when it comes to airshows. If the navy want to run an airshow I am all for it and will turn up with an aircraft to support it. If the RAF wants a show the entire strength can do their bit. As it is it is the RAF Waddington show with a lot of generous civilian volunteers, an amazing number if RAF Waddington personnel who go above and beyond in helping out in every way they can and a whole host of display crews doing, in effect, what is their day job for 2 years.
If it is an RAF show then if/when the next one happens I assume I won't spend Monday morning picking up used nappies on the FOD plus because RAF Lossiemouth personnel will be on site for that joyful task. Unlike the last 6 years.
Or we could just pay for a civilian field that was sold long ago or open a closed airfield. Just man it for the weekend. Just setup appropriate radio aids and an ILS. We barely have the resources to run the fields we have, take a look for spare cash in the budget and if there is any let's spend it on sensible things like an extension to Waddington to make it suitable for the Rivet Joint, or an ILS for Waddington on 02 to make it suitable for ops rather than an airshow. Perhaps a perimeter track instead of having to drive across the active to get to a normal working environment on the opposite side of the airfiand. We could even go crazy and maybe have a maritime capability or a tanker with a boom so it can refuel the multiple types the RAF that are boom capable.
Or we could just delay the desperately needed runway rebuild and continue the status quo for another year.
Rant off.
At last, at least the runway rebuild will give us a year off. A year when we don't have to deal with the uneducated and the unwashed. A year when we don't sacrifice our airfield to traders desperate to recover their costs from the despicable rates the airshow charge them. A year we don't have to have the public assume we plan the show when in fact those of us on uniform have almost nothing to do with the running of the show. A year when we don't lose yet another weekend (in reality nearly 2 weeks) when I have better things to do like run a very busy and manpower critical deployment plot or spend one of just a limited number of weekends at home with the family.
A year off from pretending the whole thing is for charity when it raises so very little compared to the effort of staging it. A year off from all the unappreciative ppruners who don't understand that the rules have changed since their day in the sixties and that obeying the current ones means a boring fly through or months of work up, not a criticism of previous air displays just a fact of current life. A thorough work up is impossible when the only real flying is in theatre and the rest is the bare minimum for currency. Also, the rules have changed for a reason, no one likes to see dead spectators on the news.
I standby for the reactions of the current generation not understanding the need to promote the forces. Of single force thinking when it comes to airshows. If the navy want to run an airshow I am all for it and will turn up with an aircraft to support it. If the RAF wants a show the entire strength can do their bit. As it is it is the RAF Waddington show with a lot of generous civilian volunteers, an amazing number if RAF Waddington personnel who go above and beyond in helping out in every way they can and a whole host of display crews doing, in effect, what is their day job for 2 years.
If it is an RAF show then if/when the next one happens I assume I won't spend Monday morning picking up used nappies on the FOD plus because RAF Lossiemouth personnel will be on site for that joyful task. Unlike the last 6 years.
Or we could just pay for a civilian field that was sold long ago or open a closed airfield. Just man it for the weekend. Just setup appropriate radio aids and an ILS. We barely have the resources to run the fields we have, take a look for spare cash in the budget and if there is any let's spend it on sensible things like an extension to Waddington to make it suitable for the Rivet Joint, or an ILS for Waddington on 02 to make it suitable for ops rather than an airshow. Perhaps a perimeter track instead of having to drive across the active to get to a normal working environment on the opposite side of the airfiand. We could even go crazy and maybe have a maritime capability or a tanker with a boom so it can refuel the multiple types the RAF that are boom capable.
Or we could just delay the desperately needed runway rebuild and continue the status quo for another year.
Rant off.
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There seems go be a hell of a lot of valid reasons why air shows cannot readily take place these days or even perhaps ought not to take place at all on RAF stations none of which I wish to take issue with as I recognise I am a civvie interested in aviation matters. As a civvie I will variously be regarded as the unwashed uninterested public or a spotter, there seems to be little in between according to many ppruners !
My interest in aviation matters began whilst I was at school in Cornwall with many boys who hailed from RAF families and were based at St.Mawgan and St.Eval and I have sought to retain an interest in military aviation ever since. These days for the first time in my life I know no one in the armed services.
I am sure if I was based at Waddington I would regard air show tasks as a real pain but how are the public expected to know anything of our forces if they never seen them. I have attended many of the RIAT shows at Fairford and before that at Greenham Common but like many here I find it seems to have lost its way.
I hope there is a way forward.
Was the mindset totally different in the days when the RAF put on scores of Battle of Britain air shows or is it all down to current RAF manning levels ?
My interest in aviation matters began whilst I was at school in Cornwall with many boys who hailed from RAF families and were based at St.Mawgan and St.Eval and I have sought to retain an interest in military aviation ever since. These days for the first time in my life I know no one in the armed services.
I am sure if I was based at Waddington I would regard air show tasks as a real pain but how are the public expected to know anything of our forces if they never seen them. I have attended many of the RIAT shows at Fairford and before that at Greenham Common but like many here I find it seems to have lost its way.
I hope there is a way forward.
Was the mindset totally different in the days when the RAF put on scores of Battle of Britain air shows or is it all down to current RAF manning levels ?
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As someone who grew up in Lincolnshire in the 1970s and 80s with the local airshows, at Binbrook, Coningsby and Waddington. And the BoB airshow over the border at Finningley.
I will say that I do miss them all holding them even though two bases are now long gone.
But I would rather they rebuild it (Waddington) so its fit for purpose for another 40 odd years to operate its current and future roles and whatever comes after that. If there is a role left for it, I dread to think what the sadly depleted RAF will have left in 20 years time. (I suspect my grandfather will be turning in his grave at the state its been cut down to even now)
I had heard that the only good parking ramps at Scampton are those used by the Reds, even if they did do the runway last year.
I am all for the guys and girls having a well earned years break in 2015, and can see why its current role hinders holding it, so I just hope an alternative around this part of the world can be found. If not I will miss the show at Waddington, as much as I miss Binbrook, if as it seems its never likely going to happen again. .
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I will say that I do miss them all holding them even though two bases are now long gone.
But I would rather they rebuild it (Waddington) so its fit for purpose for another 40 odd years to operate its current and future roles and whatever comes after that. If there is a role left for it, I dread to think what the sadly depleted RAF will have left in 20 years time. (I suspect my grandfather will be turning in his grave at the state its been cut down to even now)
I had heard that the only good parking ramps at Scampton are those used by the Reds, even if they did do the runway last year.
I am all for the guys and girls having a well earned years break in 2015, and can see why its current role hinders holding it, so I just hope an alternative around this part of the world can be found. If not I will miss the show at Waddington, as much as I miss Binbrook, if as it seems its never likely going to happen again. .
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Burns wannabe, u seem to forget a lot of those posting here have done exactly the same... Enjoy your nappy..
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The Waddo show was 'supported' by the RAF. The Coningsby one was not. While I ran one it absorbed all our working time for a few weeks. As Burn said, it absorbed at least 4 days from everyone else.
At Waddo before it took over from Finningly I asked several airmen - air show, or £20 a head and a free weekend. To a man it was £20. Times that by 2,000 and you cleared £40,000 for charity, no sweat.
At Waddo before it took over from Finningly I asked several airmen - air show, or £20 a head and a free weekend. To a man it was £20. Times that by 2,000 and you cleared £40,000 for charity, no sweat.
What Burn is saying is unpalatable truth sadly. I would think 50% of posters on PP know very little about LEAN and the effect it had on the working week and manpower.................. let alone morale.
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I look at it as it is the one time of the year the public gets to see what their taxes are being spent on.
It also works wonders at getting the public behind the Services, I just wish they would televise it as they used to do Farnborough, Christ they even televise the Download Festival.
Slagging off the public and calling them names is simply self defeating, you are doing one show, postings in one year meant I got lumbered with two.
It also works wonders at getting the public behind the Services, I just wish they would televise it as they used to do Farnborough, Christ they even televise the Download Festival.
Slagging off the public and calling them names is simply self defeating, you are doing one show, postings in one year meant I got lumbered with two.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Having picked up loaded nappies and 'checked' suspect parcels in the toilets I am with Burns and Tyke.
My day job was suspended at both Waddo and Coningsby for the duration. I know we did and do a far better job than the professionals (remember Abingdon and East Fortune) but PR and recruiting is not the role of a front line unit.
The Army doesn't mount all-arms international open days. The Navy contents itself with ship open days. I was 'recruited' at the age of 10 simply by going to our local Aux AF, Hooton Park, on BofB day. They were not open to the public yet they let us in and got passing BofB aircraft to fly through.
Does Joe Public want and all singing fun fair with aircraft or to see the RAF?
A local open day, chatting to a few thousand will do more for local good will. We still have a lot of unit and they can attract visitors without a fun fare or circus.
On my last unit we opened for 4 hrs or so and got 20 times the number of visitors to unit strength - and that in the working week.
My day job was suspended at both Waddo and Coningsby for the duration. I know we did and do a far better job than the professionals (remember Abingdon and East Fortune) but PR and recruiting is not the role of a front line unit.
The Army doesn't mount all-arms international open days. The Navy contents itself with ship open days. I was 'recruited' at the age of 10 simply by going to our local Aux AF, Hooton Park, on BofB day. They were not open to the public yet they let us in and got passing BofB aircraft to fly through.
Does Joe Public want and all singing fun fair with aircraft or to see the RAF?
A local open day, chatting to a few thousand will do more for local good will. We still have a lot of unit and they can attract visitors without a fun fare or circus.
On my last unit we opened for 4 hrs or so and got 20 times the number of visitors to unit strength - and that in the working week.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
I might add that air shows in the 80s were, like Tacevals, part of a station commanders promotion exams.
At the annual COs meeting they each revealed their charity take. Our man, ex-101, felt seriously embarrassed with nothing to declared.
At the annual COs meeting they each revealed their charity take. Our man, ex-101, felt seriously embarrassed with nothing to declared.
If it is an RAF show then if/when the next one happens I assume I won't spend Monday morning picking up used nappies on the FOD plus because RAF Lossiemouth personnel will be on site for that joyful task. Unlike the last 6 years.
I was aware that not all those pressed into airshow service were entirely estatic about it, but to have to contend with this seems a tad unreasonable. Surely people should put all such things in a sealed plastic bag, they're easy enough to get hold of, then dispose of at an appropriate juncture. Maybe launch it out the window while driving home or something!?!
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"My day job was suspended at both Waddo and Coningsby for the duration".
You were lucky then....mine wasn't! I have done some voluntary work at the last few Airshows since I retired and found that the Airshow was great to run with when I had got the time to devote to it and could pick the task that I wanted to do. As a volunteer, I could (within reason) choose my "shifts" and decide how much I wanted to put in - this was completely different to being given a task (that perhaps you did not want to do) and then have to fit it in around your daily tasks. The ability to leave at 1500 before the roads got busy was great (although getting up at 0530 was still a pain).
At the end of the day, the airshow was OK when you did not have to produce a fistful of risk assessments, write lots of letters/e-mails to the airshow office to justify what your plans are, and spend hours chasing around the suppliers to find out why they have not given you the items that you ordered months before but have not been sent to you. (The sergeant supplier decided that you could not have them, sir). And then have to do the fod plod when you have to meet a deadline with an external contractor during you day job.
You were lucky then....mine wasn't! I have done some voluntary work at the last few Airshows since I retired and found that the Airshow was great to run with when I had got the time to devote to it and could pick the task that I wanted to do. As a volunteer, I could (within reason) choose my "shifts" and decide how much I wanted to put in - this was completely different to being given a task (that perhaps you did not want to do) and then have to fit it in around your daily tasks. The ability to leave at 1500 before the roads got busy was great (although getting up at 0530 was still a pain).
At the end of the day, the airshow was OK when you did not have to produce a fistful of risk assessments, write lots of letters/e-mails to the airshow office to justify what your plans are, and spend hours chasing around the suppliers to find out why they have not given you the items that you ordered months before but have not been sent to you. (The sergeant supplier decided that you could not have them, sir). And then have to do the fod plod when you have to meet a deadline with an external contractor during you day job.
RIAT make a lot of use of Air Cadets, and while I am sure Waddington and Cosford do as well, perhaps they could use more of them to help to alleviate the staffing levels?