No aerobatics by Red Arrows at Farnborough!
 

Post-Shoreham safety clampdown on flying displays not not just affecting private vintage jets and the smaller air shows, it seems....:(

Royal Aeronautical Society | Insight Blog | Farnborough Air Show 2016 Preview

May as well disband them. The end of airshows in this Country.

Some details of viewing restrictions at this year's FI are here:
http://www.pprune.org/spectators-bal...srictions.html

Well safety comes first, though it will not exactly be an inspiring show without aircraft showing off to their capability to both the public and trade visitors.
As trade days are a way to show off your wares to potential customers and get them on the first rung of becoming a client, it must be an uphill struggle if you cannot show them what your combat aicraft can do in real life when shown against its competitors.

The last Airshow I can think of when straight and level runs wowed the crowds must have been Kittyhawk 1903. :O




.

Well, let's just hold on there. To your second point, I disagree. This isn't the "end of airshows in this country." Perhaps it's an end to fully aerobatic, high-energy air displays at airfields in close proximity to built-up areas (i.e. Farnborough airshow) but there are other venues that are less risky to display at. It just needs some creative thought as to where or how these events could possibly be hosted to ameliorate the CAA's new regulations.

As for your first point, forgive me if I sense a tone of, "well that's it then, may as well just give up" in your post. The Reds give a heck of a lot more than just Farnborough every two years.

I remember a straight and level run that left me, and the crowd, quite wowed...


SR-71 in full burner....:E

I think the last airshow NutLoose went to, actually was Kitty Hawk, in 1903! ;)

I remember the straight run-in B2A display that left the farnborough crowd speechless...

...because it had been performed at blackbushe rather than farnborough...

:)

PDR

That was a B-52. :)

Was it? Hard to tell from that distance...

:)

PDR

Well played. :D

I could claim it was deliberate, but I'd be lying. But in those days I had an office in Hertford House, 2nd floor, overlooking the airfield...

PDR

Similar to the Cambridgeshire F-111 that did a full reheat pass down the runway, except didn't go down well with the crowd that never saw it, nor the gliding fraternity that were up and about above their little airfield soaring.

In which case, none of those events were flying displays at airshows ... they were just aircraft flying around somewhere else, which thereby absolves them from the Display restrictions. No?

Perhaps, but they did of course infringe airfield circuits unannounced, and violate the VVSP rule...

PDR

So should we post the pre-emptive "boring, can't maneuver, unimpressive" F-35B debut at Farnborough posts here, or in the "other" thread ;)

Perhaps they should just do their routine on mountain bikes. Oh hang on, think the Synchro Pair might be a bit too close for that....

The F111 force had a bit of reputation for that sort of thing. I remember being in the crowd at a RAFA Woodford airshow in the 70s desperately looking for the F111 that had called 'field in sight'. We were of course all looking in the wrong direction, if we'd turned around we would have seen the interesting manoeuvres being conducted by the airliners on approach to Manchester airport whilst avoiding the F111 carrying out his display at Ringway rather than Woodford.

May we take it that the restrictions will apply to ALL aircraft at Farnboro, not only RAF?

VX 257
I remember that, that pilot was supposed to be one of the USAFs top reccy pilots ???. Further to that a friend of mine was sitting in an a/c going to Abu Dhabi and this so called TOP PILOT delayed all traffic at Manchester Airport. :ok::ok:

The restrictions are on the airfield. It's up to each pilot/organisation to decide how they adhere to the restrictions.

I can think of a couple of airfields that have the space and have a decent runway length, Prestwick and Manston. I think Farnborough has changed for a long time to come.

I too waited at Woodford and saw distant F1-11 attacking Ringway :E
I also saw an F15 Eagle land at Wyton and ask Alconbury which way they wanted him to turn off the runway.

A bit of thread drift I know; but Farnborough is designed to showcase the UK Aviation Industry. ....and as we do not have a UK Aviation industry anymore I suggest that Dubai and Paris have it and Farnborough should retire with grace.

With Duxford under the CAA spotlight because of an adjacent motorway, I foresee a time when Fairford - Shuttleworth and Scampton are the only airshows of any significance.

I think you're spot on there KPax. Farnborough's atmosphere will change forever, should these requirements remain.

I can only see pressure mounting to host elsewhere; somewhere more open/rural compared to Camberley and its surrounds.

Perhaps Fairford could become a single, 2-week event with a week and a half devoted to Business/Commercial, then the usual long weekend for RIAT.

Farnborough hasn't been the same since the RAF left....

Back in the '80s, you could turn up at RAF Farnborough and park at the Officers' Mess. Then have a coffee in the ante room before wandering down through the private RAF access to the showground. A quick gander around various stands in the trade area, then back up to the OM enclosure to watch the flying. Tea and stickies in the marquee, then back to the car and away whilst the genpub was battling it out to escape.

Last time I went it, it was so wet that I was advised not to drive as the car parks were like swamps. So a train to Reading, thence another to North Camp and finally a bus to the show. Treated like a potential terrorist by some arse-fondling failed wheelclamper to get in, but then some excellent hosting thanks to the company who'd invited me.

The weather was so awful that there wasn't much flying, so after taking my leave, I went for a quick look around the almost totally deserted trade area, then down to see a chum at the A400M. Very interesting look around the aircraft, but I had to leave to catch my train....

At the bus stop there was NO shelter AT ALL. It poured, so I got totally drenched. As I also did at North Camp. Reading station was chaotic as it was being rebuilt, the train from London was late and overcrowded. I was VERY glad to escape at Didcot to drive home.

Attending Farnborough even on a trade day as I did, is not for the faint-hearted these days. The flying displays are pretty so-so, you end up walking MILES and queuing for ages - as you do if you've come by car.

Unless you're being hosted, there are better ways to spend the day - such as watching DVDs of the 'old' SBAC days....:bored:

My recollections of SBAC were entirely focussed on being hosted in Trade Tents and horrendous hangovers.

On our Staff College visit, one of our number was delivered back to the Officers Mess in some sort of wheelbarrow after excessive hospitality.

This year, if you turn up on the day and buy your ticket at the gate, I believe it will cost you £48 on the Saturday or Sunday. Advance tickets are currently on sale for £40 per day. Since 2014 the trade halls are closed down at the weekend so the public now do not get access to the various exhibits on the stands. Admittedly, a lot of companies did abandon their posts at the weekend before 2014 but there was still sufficient to consume a couple of hours especially if there was inclement weather. Now with the probability of a reduced number of aircraft displaying and displays featuring restricted aerobatic manoeuvres within a smaller display area, I fear this will have a large impact on the income stream for the ADS Group. Farnborough International represents the majority of ADS Group's revenue that keeps the wheels turning until the next show in 2 years time. There has been significant investment in the trade halls and permanent chalets recently so there must be some very worried people at ADS. With Paris, Dubai, Singapore and Avalon there is plenty of competition for exhibitors' investment dollars to display their new products and develop current and new business relationships. Worrying times for Farnborough and it's continuation as the prime global aerospace show every 2 years. I don't think it's too dramatic to suggest that ADS need to decide to move it or risk losing it.

There never was an "RAF Farnborough" unless you're refering to the Royal Aircraft Factory (pre 1918). Farnborough was a Royal Aircraft Establishment airfield and was called "RAE Farnborough", because the RAE was an MoD (not RAF) organisation.

PDR

Why the surprise?

There is, after all, a ban on aerobatics by "vintage jets". Time for the Reds to get some new ones?

Perhaps the organisers could rescue our sorry nation's reputation from ignominy by putting on a display by a formation Spitfires, ie very much older and far less reliable aircraft with dodgy old piston engines that are apparently so much safer than jets that they can fly aerobatics at airshows willy-nilly entirely immune to third party damage.

Or perhaps someone could sack the witless imbeciles in the CAA who came up with this irrational "vintage jets" idiocy and also the spineless, brain-dead crustacea in the fuggen RAF that have followed the Campaign Against Aviation's craven lead.

Or, as suggested earlier, just cancel Farnborough and all other airshows and retreat into a cocoon of cotton wool and stay there until we all suffocate on the flatulence of the NIMBYS and the health and safety Nazis. It makes me want to puke.

Rant over...

FOR SHAME!:ugh::ugh::ugh:

Tiger Mate,

You spout drivel. Far from not having an aerospace industry in the UK any more we in fact have the largest in the world after the USA.

Watch the Airbus A380 at Farnborough, 60% of it UK built.

Watch an Airbus A320 at any airport you care to with it's UK designed and built wings, engines, undercarriage, hydraulic system, fuel system, cockpit transparencies and seats. And Airbus build more of them each and every month than the entire VC10 production run.

No uk industry my arse!

Despite the M11 outside, the Show at Duxford last month didn't seem overly restricted, other than by cloudbase for a while.

CFM56 engines British designed and built are they? Not many people know that...The US Govt might be interested though.
Messier Bugatti Dowty (undercarriage) British, are they? OK, they're big in Gloucester but by no means all British or anywhere close to it.

UK has a larger aerospace industry than France/Germany Airbus? Does it?

Really?
No Arrows aeros at Farnborough?
Surely this is a wind-up.
Yes - it's probably a response to safety concerns/Shoreham etc but how dreadfully sad.
What have we come to?
Memories of seeing the Reds there - also watching the Harrier bow to the crowd - and then being in the Eurofighter chalet with a few VSOs when the news of Concorde crashing in Paris came through.
Is the risk to the public posed by a team of highly trained professionals really that significant? :confused:

I know. Sad isn't it?
Don't worry too much, though - entertainment is still on the programme.
Y'see, Tracey Wotsaname is turning up.
Once the helicopters are well out of the way, you could see some spectacular acrobatics on the in-field grass.

Nice one wageslave. Just what most people are thinking, but aren't too inclined to put in writing.

Hang on a minute, people driving to Farnborough will endanger the lives of other people who are not going. Obviously it's just too risky and immoral to have them driving there and endangering people who have no interest in the airshow.

Cancel the whole thing, just to be on the safe side.

Now this may seem like a flippant post, but it is true that those driving there will be putting far more families and children at risk on the way than a Red Arrows display would. How many people died on the roads today through no fault of their own, killed by someone else making a journey to something that they had no interest in.

<edit>

I googled it, 5 a day, 5 people die every day on the roads in the UK. Why the **** are we not shutting the roads, 5 yesterday, 5 today, 5 tomorrow.. 35 in 1 week. Dead. Yet the roads stay open.

"...I'm sorry Chuck, you can't climb in that thing; you've got two broken ribs..."

"...Neil, it looks like a lash-up between a chemical processing plant and a light plane. We've decided not to launch, especially after that trick you pulled with the LLTV..."

"...10 knots above the stall Kelly? For most of the mission?!! No way!"

Great aviation health and safety conversations from the past that thankfully did not happen.

Sheesh...

Just a correction. The aircraft that dusted up Cambridge instead of Duxford was NOT an F.111, but an F.4 Phantom. I know, 'cos I was there, as Max Boyce used to say. The report in the safety section of 'Pilot' magazine a couple of months later made interesting reading!.
I was also at Duxford one morning when a BAE 146 arrived on short finals for 240. then, at two miles, suddenly diverted to Cambridge, where he was supposed to be going in the first place!!!.

I'm told that R.A.F. and F.A.A. pilots were not immune to landing at each other's airfields at Ford and Tangmere.

"Wilbur, remember! Two feet and not an inch more! You haven't done Working at Heights part 2 yet!"

"Willy, those A Stoff and T Stoff pipes, did you check the fitters' Corgi certificates?"
"Ach! So!, I'll sign it off as safe then".

"No Leonardo, you cannotta testa you whaddyacallit? Parrachutta! You needa design something to stoppa you fall if ee notta worka!"

"Igor, it is not going to run until you comply with the rotating discs regulations Eu 2014 245/4.6-7. Oh! Get yourself a proper bonedome too"

"But Baron, red is such an inflammatory colour, it might bring out aggressive tendencies in some of them. Wouldn't a nice magnolia be more appropriate?"

"Ray, if its designed to drop things people are going to get hurt. You'll just have to fit some kind of catchment system to stop them reaching the ground and I don't care what bloody Harris says!"

"Oi! You the skipper of that funny looking thing? Oo-ooh! "The Sunderland", is it? I don't care wot it's bloody name is sonny, it don't move in my 'arbour 'til its fitted wiv proper lifeboats on proper davits"

"Monsieur Montgolfier, Non! Impossible! You cannot make a fire of straw under eet, thees ees a smoke free zone"

"Winkle, you don't have a type rating! You are not flying it!!"

"Airshow? Airshow! Are you mad??? That might involve some of those things actually flying, one might even pass over a nursery school or a market or a convent or - God! - a road!!! Out of the question. Send them all to Hendon. By barge, roads are too dangerous"

Supersonic transport was not a success as the bang sometimes made nervous people jump.
Oh...Oops! That actually happened, didn't it?



But that was the past. This could well be the future;



"I thought three months was a bit ambitious for your holiday in Ibiza. It takes six weeks just to reach Marseilles by ox cart."
"Nah, couldn't do that. Wife's afraid of ox carts. Had to go by foot."