No More Waddington Air Show
 

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Duncs:ok:

Sorts the Air Show thread out. I would guess the RAF will go for RIAT as on one and only.

Scampton is being assessed to replace Waddington.

I always thought that inviting Jo Public et al to 'freely roam' a site where squirrel activity is conducted was fraught with self-inflicted injury potential.

Has commonsense triumphed? One wonders . . .

Do you not think the Scampton mention is possibly to calm down the howls of protest from Lincoln?

It would still be a security nightmare, and even more trouble to staff.

The civvy house owners on site may not be keen either?

RIAT is fairly full up and it is doubtful it could take a significant increase in visitors. This year was a sell out including the new "extra" day.

Good decision :ok:

Why not use the large showground just to the south of RAF Scampton, designed to take large numbers of visitors, fewer security issues, etc. Would display flying be possible there with suitable separation from the crowd?

Well I'm somewhat reassured and call me a pain in the but spotter, but I would like to trust the official public statement, and do. They do say that there are 'significant commercial, infrastructure and legal issues' to address first of all, which hopefully won't prove to be insurmountable, although it's not the most reassuring thing to say. However, one imagines that they have already investigated the matter sufficiently to conclude its worth making such an announcement, the same applies, I imagine to other factors such as; local housing and the ability to staff the event.

Then again Camelspyyder, I don't imagine you'd be keen for it to go ahead.:(

Aren't you likely to be posted somewhere else by 2017 anyway?:ok:

FB:)

If I'm not on terminal leave by the time of the 2017 show, exceedingly long term plans will have gone very awry:ok:

Barkston Heath - no big security issues, good road access, and used to host the UK Model Aircraft Championships ISTR.................

Not unless the 70,000 plus visitors are all 1:72 scale :E

BH is too far away from any decent infrastructure, being near Lincoln make a lot of the logistics much easier. There is no reason why some of the participants couldn't still fly from Waddington if Scampton is full.....

providing the runway gets completed :}

Read that as 'Investment and restoration with taxpayers money from the defence budget'

Every single serviceman/woman recently made redundant ahead of his/her time will be delighted to read this. If Scampton has decayed as comments on this forum have suggested; then I put to you that Scampton is a Red Herring sown to lesten the immediate impact and give two years grace before the anoraks notice they have been duped.

Scampton was staffed as a sticking plaster to cover the 2015/6 air shows and rejected. Enough said. ...... and in the unlikely event that it goes ahead in 2017, it will still be a detraction from the opeational effectiveness of Waddington as the demand for 'rent a crowd' servicemen to work at such an event is massive.

Well good luck and enjoy your 'active' retirment sir, who knows, you may have change of heart and start banging the drum for the pro-airshow crowd by then!:8:ok:

FB:)

If the SDSR turns out to be particularly painful, we could always look at holding it at Trimingham or Staxton Wold :hmm:

What about RAF Syerston - s0d all flying going on there at the moment!

Syerston is still an intact airfield?! Crikey. Ominous past there regarding air displays mind...

Well Melchet old satsuma, we did hold one at Boulmer in 1978! Not quite the same as holding one on a proper airfield though!

FB:)

Pontius,

You forget that Cosford is still ongoing. 55,000 in one day is not bad - no real reason why it couldn't expand to 2 days and fill the whole weekend.

Would you really want the Cosford air show to be any bigger? I can't imagine the local area coping and casting back in to the memory banks it's a single road access.

I seem to recall from a year or so ago that plans were in place to build a Bomber Command museum at Scampton to supplement the new memorial at Lincoln. Plans had been drawn up for a new building linking a couple of hangars. Perhaps if you improved the airfield and moved BBMF into Scampton to join the new museum/heritage centre, together with the firefighting museum and Reds already there then you have the basis of a good venue for an airshow. Just a thought?

Apart from the heavies, BBMF doesn't have its own aircrew.