Who actualy wants a Waddington Airshow to return?
 

A recent post by a local MP in a local newspaper ranted on about the 'Wonderful Waddington Airshow' and how he was hoping for it's return. I wrote to him on behalf of all those who actually 'work' the Airshow in these times of austerity - no money for vital equipment, overstretched and over committed.


So let's start a debate...who actually wants the Waddo Airshow to return? But before you offer an opinion, consider yourself eligible for a week out of your own life (leave ban included) to act as a glorified Butlins Redcoat to the great unwashed.


Discuss..........(incoming!!)

Were I still in, I would 'vote' no for the very reasons you mention. It wouldn't have been so bad at another time of year, but it always occurred around the time of 3 family birthdays, not to mention the height of the British motorsport calendar (Goodwood or British GP).

Did you get a reply, 4T?

Given that it was one of the few opportunities left in the UK, for the 'great unwashed' and enthusiasts alike, to actually see what's left of the RAF, FAA and the Army (plus our allies of course), apart from when they appear in the news during the latest defence cuts announcement, then yes, I would love to see it return...

-RP

And when I asked in the MSW coffee bar - Air show or £20 in the charity bucket - no contest.

The worst thing about modern air shows is charity, all the tat stalls, beer tents, kiddies fun fair. It isn't about aircraft at all.

I remember Hooton Park, my first BoB and less than 1000 there with the RAuxAF guys cobbling a show together on the fly.

Finningley with the officers' enclosure full of officers from the other stations enjoying the "privacy".

Cottesmore, 66, torrential rain and a gale, green marquees on the display line and no side shows.

Colt, 68 or 69, again grotty weather, everyone did a flat display and I reckon less than 1500 crowd.

Four Types,

I recently visited the HoP and spent a few hours over a few beers with the local MP for Waddo. I had to admire his enthusiasm for the return of the airshow. He also showed a good level of understanding of how busy the station is (despite many assumptions at other units!) and how much of a burden the show places on serving personnel. As a result, I think he has one eye on Scampton as a potential, although I can't see how that unit could cope with the same level of airshow. It ain't big enough!! Waddo personnel would end up augmenting it too.

A bigger concern must be the risk management of having over 100000 people wondering around an ISTAR unit that is home to RJ and other very sensitive assets; a security nightmare.

Sadly, I think the airshow is long gone and I don't think the majority of folk working at Waddo will miss it!

These are the ingredients required for a major disaster:

Take one UK Drone (strike) HQ.
Insert just one ISS geezer thinly disguised as a Middle eastern refugee.
Add 50,000+ innocent bystanders.
Add a sprinkle of revenge doctrine.

Thereafter it is just a matter of timing.

Yozzer
 

I appreciate that the food is crap these days however, let's not label ISS as terrorists! ;-)

Did attending air shows as kids not inspire you to join up? I mean, before you grew up and became all jaded and all.

Surely that's the point of them - to inspire the next generation, no? If that doesn't inspire you, then perhaps it's time to hang up your chocks if you haven't already.

Melmothtw, indeed, but my route was uncles in RAF, visited Hooton Park, CCF(RAF), air experience flights in a Dakota and the Met Hastings with lunch in the Officers' Mess at Siloth, camps at Topcliffe, Manby, and Upwood.

Air shows played no part in my indoctrination and with one show at Waddo just how much effect will that hav

The Service that let Air Cadets parade in its stead in London today is surely too busy to run an airshow.

Guys, you are forgetting the two main reasons UK Armed Forces exist.

1. Provide jobs for UK industry.
2. Provide Open Days/Airshows for spotters.

Who actualy wants a Waddington Airshow to return?
 

You mean the Air Cadets aren't part of the Reserves plan for FF2020???

One of the Fb pages for Waddington Spotters is full of moaning about the lack of an air show and constant questions of when the runway will re-open again (plus about 50 shots per day of the damn Vulcan). I once put my view over (similar to 4 Types) that air shows didn't just happen and most of Waddington would be happy to see the back of it for a while. A few weeks later and I am still in lock down with radiation levels rising . These guys are RABID! Cancel at your peril!!!!

Having worked the Waddington Air Show every year from 1996 to 2008, I can confirm that it was a complete pain in the a$$ for the station personnel: It was more than a weekend of work (with set-up and break-down) that was executed by a community who were regularly deployed away from home for extended periods. A leave ban was always in place to maximise the pain and inconvenience at a time when people were looking to go on leave.

I completely get the "good" that such shows do in terms of PR and fundraising, but the level of effort required to stage such an event outweighed the benefits (IMHO). The traffic burden on the surrounding area, where the road infrastructure is lacking at the best of times, was also intolerable.

Given the sensitivity of the base, and particularly with the controversy surrounding RPAS, Waddington is probably not the best place to have several hundred thousand people wondering around.

My vote would be to bin it at Waddington and use RIAT to inspire/impress.

I'm with Avtur.

Melmothw #9,

Curiously, my annual attendance at our nearest B of B display (RAF Gaydon, home of No2 Air Navigation School) had no attraction to me to join the Royal Air Force. Neither did my membership of the local Air Training Corps Squadron. Perhaps because of my enthusiasm for music. My disappointment at having to wait 12 months to enter training with the Royal Marines Band was interrupted by the next door RAF recruiting office. I walked in hoping they needed a trombonist, I became their latest Halton airframe fitter apprentice. Waddington, in its day was a great display day, I well remember being part of the static display crew (only the AGE) with XV210 many years ago. Our Air Force is a beast of a different time now. No spare money for such fripperies, and perhaps as already stated, Waddington is not a sensible location for public access. Perhaps the future is Fairford as the primary (or only) military display in Britain, and Waddington, Abingdon et al become a distant memory.

Smudge :ok:

It looks like the Armed Forces charities might want it (apologies for the loop diagram in the middle of the article):

Armed Forces charities face funding shortfall as Shoreham disaster puts air shows under threat - Telegraph

61 years ago, even a small flying training station managed a flying display programme which included:

- Formation aerobatics by 2 different RAF teams, one with Meteors, one with Vampires.
- Solo aerobatics by 5 different RAF aircraft types.
- A sonic boom from an RAF Sabre.
- A mock airfield attack by Vampires against RAF Regiment Bofors guns.
Plus the usual speed / height judging, demo flights of manufacturers' aircraft, pleasure flights and a helicopter air sea rescue demo.

The static display included a Vampire FB5, Vampire T11, Venom NF3, Prentice, Meteor T7, Meteor NF11, Lincoln, Canberra, Varsity, Provost, Harvard, Balliol, Chipmunk, Anson, Tempest, Sabre, Wyvern and Dragonfly.

It even included a performance by the RAF Boscombe Down station band!

There was a children's playground - and a disclaimer on the programme stating that visitors entering the station did so at their own risk. No liability would be accepted by the Air Ministry for any injury, damage or loss. Paranoia of the day also asked people not to take photographs!

Quite what could one expect to see at Waddington these days? Fat spotters with camouflaged waistcoats covered in tat clutching little aluminium stepladders and expensive cameras all vying for yet another photograph of the one or two RAF aircraft participating?

The decision was made two years ago that 'RAF 100' pron "RAFF one hundred!!" would be held by RIAT. I don't know if it a contractual obligation or a memorandum of understanding, but either way, that is the official way ahead. As is a show of farce at village fetes.

I suspect that after recent tragic events and the draconian legislation by the CAA; air displays as was will never be the same again. Presumption based upon 'temporary restrictions' to reduce risk not being superseded by anything that could be seen to increase risk. ie a relaxation of recent regulations. If I was fortunate enough to own one of the 14 airworthy Hunters in the UK; I would be mightily Peed off.

I suspect that the MAA are poised with pen ready to amend RA2335.

With Leuchars gone, Cosford is the only RAF Airshow left, I am not a plane spotter but it would be nice if the RAF could put one airshow on that includes a runway for static. Only problem is where would it be.

A glance at Britishairshows.com shows 18 planned events between now and the end of the year.

Surely that's plenty for the UK Spotter population to enjoy, without taking the risk of opening up a major operational military base to all and sundry.

On security grounds alone, I would vote for binning Cosford and Yeovilton next year too.

Grumpy old bunch of loafers.

Waddington is hardly the hardest working station.

In fact, it is the least operationally focused airbase I have ever had the misfortune to operate from.

It is, however, a good airshow.

Lol.

Apart from the fact that all 5 flying squadrons are deployed on ops right now, I could agree with that last post.

Reply!
 

Yes Courtney Mil I did get a reply. A polite 'I hear what you say...' plus a note that he is not my actual MP! I knew that, I was just trying to let him have my opinion.

Inspired?
 

No I was not inspired by an airshow. No family connection with the RAF apart from an uncle who did National Service in the 50s. I actually joined having read an advert in the newspaper!!!


If you want to inspire someone then let a civvy field take it on and invite any passing RAF Aircraft (I am sure one of the three remaining may make it!)

Tourist,

Perhaps you mistook Scampton for Waddington and landed there in error...?

Waddington is at absolute max chat at the moment and has been for quite a few years.

It just goes to show how out of touch some people are, even serving and ex military.

Lyme Regis Lifeboat week has for years enjoyed shows by the Red Arrows and the RAF Falcons. These have been free as a thank you for the contribution of the RNLI to the RAF's Air Sea Rescue efforts.

Now the ASR is being contracted out, the RAF apparently has no more need to say thank you in this way.

The press release says (if I understand it right) that the fees being waived this year are £ 12,184 for the Arrows and £ 2,939 for the Falcons. The fees would be payable next year and are set to rise.

The charity week net takings seem to have settled at £ 25,000 give or take. So the organisers have said for next year Thanks but No Thanks.

By another little step the service's image, like that of the Cheshire Cat, is diminishing.

rlsbutler, that's a great shame.

Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s when I lived in Somerset, family trips to West Dorset were weekend highlights. I well recall the RAF Air Sea Rescue launches which belonged to the MCU back then....

Now we read the following:

The creeping cancer of contractorisation strikes again....:mad:

Thank God the RNLI don't charge for their services to the RAF.

Irony caption lit.

Hmm, quick off the mark with the invoice - thought contractorisation not yet complete

To come back to the original question, YES,Please! It's an important part of what the RAF does. It's probably going to get more difficult each year though; fewer jets, likely more post-Shoreham restrictions. Good luck!

Unfortunately, another example of the 'system' knowing the cost of everything, but the value of nothing - how sad!

The way the runway rebuild is going there won't be one next year. I'm betting the next hold up is finding a buried ME109.

It'll never be as good as Air Fete used to be at Mildenhall, and for me nothing comes close.

A general lack of anything exciting these days makes matters worse.

Short answer to the question, "No"

Longer answer (being subjected to the absolute nause for 6 continious years),
The place is at 100%, morale is low, staff are dispersed, many others are covering roles in absence, there is no internal appetite for it, local roads are gridlocked, security for both known and little understood assets would be a nightmare, etc etc

Let's throw a few items into RIAT and call it a deal, a weekend away for air and groundcrews and a show for the aviation enthusiasts...

Of course we could cancel all airshows at military airfields for security reasons, as suggested. While we're at it let's cancel all other events where the public comes onto the site as well; the regular Northolt photo-shoots, Antiques Roadshow recordings, etc, and close down attractions such as the FAA Museum and the Museum of Army Flying as they're on military establishments. In fact, put up HESCO barriers all the way round with watchtowers at regular intervals. Just like Bastion but not as warm and with nobody actually trying to kill you.

Now that my tongue has been removed from my cheek, let's be a bit more sensible.

Let's be honest, the RAF needs publicity and PR, and there are rapidly diminishing opportunities for it. No SAR helicopters, the virtual disappearance of the Town Show, etc, even the widespread adoption of DPM uniform rather than blue for everyday use. There is a big proportion of the public who rarely, if ever, see a military aircraft from one end of the year to the next, and probably have no concept of what the RAF actually does and that it is even a separate organisation from the Army.

Perhaps an answer is to move the event around each year as they do in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, or use personnel from other airfields around the UK to ease the load on Waddington's people. Alternatively, why not do what the Israelis do every year throughout their anniversary week, and open three or four bases to the public -one a day- with a good representative static line-up of aircraft, exhibitions and a couple of flying demos. The idea is to show what the air force does, and what it uses taxpayers' money for, much like the traditional 'At Home' events. And they're happy to let the public onto their airfields, even with their security situation being much worse than ours is :E.

Can we also please get away from the idea that only spotters go to airshows? RIAT estimate that only about 10% of their visitors are enthusiasts, so there is a big interest out there, and at the very least I think that, just as in Israel, taxpayers should be able to see just what some of the government buys on their behalf.

By the way, Flightline UK, which is a much more more reliable source of airshow news, lists nine events between now and the end of next month, only three or four of them traditional airshows as opposed to events with a couple of flying displays added in. RAF participation is limited to BBMF and the Reds at one of those shows, and BBMF at two others. Chances to meet 'your RAF' are getting fewer and fewer.

But it isn't.

A few years ago now (well to be true, many but the memories are still clear) I lead an exchange of recently graduated Cranditz cadets (including JB and LK) to the Norwegian Air Force Academy. There were cadets from their Army and Navy academies as well. They offered us flying in their SAAB grading trainer, and the girl friends of the visiting cadets too "as they were taxpayers and should have the opportunity to see what we do". Seemed a good idea