Duxford Bonus Days -- Great fly-in
 

Duxford is a great airfield and a brilliant destination for people with an
interest in aviation, especially the old-timers -- aircraft, I mean, not
people. I thought forumites might be interested to see what's being done
this year to encourage visitors by air to the airfield and the museum. This
is an extract from some information they have produced:

"DUXFORD BONUS DAYS. Every month in season, Duxford will run one or two
Bonus Days. On these days, certain types of aircraft (or pilots) will enjoy
half-price landing fees and much reduced museum admission. A single can land
for £7; museum entry is £7 for most adults and children come in free.

FLY-INs. Any group of pilots planning to visit Duxford can arrange special
prices in advance, subject to a minimum of about 6 aircraft (for discounted
landing fees) and/or 20 people (for discounted museum admission as well).
This does not apply to event days, and it must be pre-arranged in writing
with the airfield manager, Frank Marson.

Ten Bonus Days are planned for the 2006 flying season, including:

15th April Bonus Day for local Schools and Clubs.
6th May Bonus Day for any Cessna aircraft, pilot and passengers
3rd June Bonus Day for any Piper aircraft, pilot and passengers
15th July Bonus Day for any taildragger aircraft, pilot and pax

In addition, the airfield would like to welcome a Student Fly-In, so 15th
August has been nominated as a Student Bonus Day.

More Bonus Days are planned for the rest of the season.

There are no guarantees, but you are almost certain to see warbirds flying -
Spitfire, Hurricane, T-bird, B17, Catalina and other rare types are based at
Duxford.

Please call 01223 833376 for more information (by fax or email), PPR and a
briefing. Come along and fly-in to Europe's premier aviation museum - on a
bonus day or any day."

I'd better declare my interest. I'm a Duxford fan and a casual FISO. Hope to
see you at EGSU some time in 2006.

Alan ('AA')

Alan - great news. I have not had time or reason to visit Duxford for some time but 6th May perhaps will change that. More please!

I wouldn't call you a casual FISO ... you are always so professional! :ok: I'm back up there again on Monday & Tuesday next week, hope to be working with you again soon.

Aerbabe: :O :O Look forward to seeing you too.

Alan.

A note for info............... I've landed at Duxford several times and on each occasion have been asked to pay landing fees on top of Museum entry charges. However, as visiting pilots we're apparently entitled to 2 hours free entry to the museum (a little known fact) and as there's no policing of how much time you do actually spend in the museum the landing fee is the only cost.

Best days to fly in are the Fridays before an air show as there's lots on the ground and lots in the air practicing before the big day so plently going on for free without the hassle of crowds etc.

RufusRob,
Where did you get that information ? As according to the information here.
It states:
Landing Fees on non-event days
Single engine aircraft £14.00, twin engine aircraft £17.50 (charges are inclusive of VAT). Normal admission charges to view the Museum are payable in addition to landing fees.

Flew into Duxford last month on a non-event day. We had an hour in the museum at no extra charge. A friendly atmosphere and the FISO on the day was very pleasant and helpful. Well worth a visit. :ok:

mdc - We were told by the guys taking the cash for the landing fees. When asked if we were planning to enter the museum during our visit, we said no (a blatant lie)! They then told us that we could enter the museum as visiting pilots for up to 2 hrs FOC anyway - a bit oif a throw away comment. Whether this is official policy or not I couldn't say, but worth a try on your next trip as I can't see how they can police your entry to the museum despite non payment of the entry costs.

I know that the combined cost of landing fee and museum entry is expensive for some (even though you've probably just paid several times that amount for avgas) ... but that money goes to keeping this world class museum running, so you can keep enjoying it. We can't expect it to have such high quality exhibits for long if everyone tries to get in for nothing.

BTW, I'd heard about the free entry with a landing fee, but I'd heard one hour. Perhaps alphaalpha can tell us.

Rufus
 

Sorry Rufus, I can't go along with that.

You are deliberately enjoying the beneift of one of the best museums in the country, and with a great heritage that needs preserving, and you are happy to lie to save yourself a few quid?

If you can afford to fly, you can afford the museum fee. Part of the joy of Duxford is contributing to the restoration and upkeep of incredibly rare aircraft, and they need all the money they can get. If you plan on making a few trips there, join as a "Friend of Duxford" it's far cheaper.

You don't deserve to be allowed to land there.

Spookily enough, and as an aviation enthusiast, I couldn't agree more re the need to keep the museum exhibits going etc. and I'm normally happy to contribute to such a worth cause. However, I think it's just a little bit much of Duxford to expect us to pay entry costs on top of landing fees (whether I can afford them or not) - especially as I've been told that we get 2 hrs entry FOC anyway.

Do they charge for car parking at Duxford as well as the entry fee:confused:

The runway is owned by the council, the museum isn't. You're paying for two completely different things. I see you're from Coventry - would you complain about having to pay a landing fee as well as an entry fee to the museum there?

If you do get 1 hour or two hours free, then take it and enjoy it. But that's not what you put in your post.

Everywhere charges landing fees (oftern higher than Duxford) but I don't expect Coventry or Lydd to put on a fantastic museum for me, perhaps a fly past from a Spitfire, or just give me the special feeling of lining up on the same piece of grass that was used so well 60 years ago.

Having flow in for the Flying Legends last year with my wife and friends, being stung for a bill of over £120 was eye-watering - I would ask Duxford to think about that for this year. Also think through the logisitcs as we were all kept waiting for ages to be bussed back to the aircraft, followed by a lenghty departure queue. But the point is, without funding, Duxford wouldn't be what it is.

Your point about car parking is irrelevant - cars parks don't need fire cover, FISO's, runway inspections, or any number of other things that make a landing fee.

Ok rufus, let's say landing fees are £24.00 for a single and entry to the museum is free are you ok with that?

AerBabe - That's a fair point although I'm not sure about the Coventry question given the relatively high landing fees versus a relatively low quality of museum (compared to Duxford that is).

My argument is still valid - it's an aiport which happens to have a museum on site.

Lanudryman - although it's six of one and hald a dozen of the other I'd probably be happy to pay a slightly higher landing fee knowing that a portion of it was part of the museum upkeep costs. I think my original gripe was more to do with being told that we were entiltled to a period of free entry once we'd stated that we wern't intending to visit the museum. Maybe I'm being synical but would they have metioned this if we'd just handed across the cash for the entrance fee?

If they were upfront in the first place I might have been willing to make a separate donation to the museum as I have done in the past. Eitherway, a great place to fly into and as stated previously - the Friday before a show is a great time to be there.

For those who think everywhere charges both landing fees and entry fees for a visit to their museum have a look at http://www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk/ I organised a small Museum Bash there last year and it was great fun. They do not charge an entry fee for the pilot of any aircraft which flies in and the landing fee is reduced from its usual £12 if you purchase fuel there see here:http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...ht=museum+bash Those details were correct for last year and also the previous year but I have not yet been able to check them for this year, however, I can't see that it will have changed much.

Providing the weather is good, this lovely C152 (well I think it's lovely and that's all that matters to me) will be there:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...t/P1011172.jpg
Isn't anyone else going? I'm only asking as it is only twelve days away and we are the first to book in :(

Well, I for one would be delighted to go on the Piper day (as I have a Piper PA28) which is moving from EGLM to EGTB at the end of the month.

Duxford is a great destination and - vis-a-vis the morality question associated with visiting the museum without paying when landing there - if you become a friend of Duxford, you get a reduced landing fee AND free entry to the museum.

Beware the noise abatement procedures though, as they get pretty stroppy if you fly over Duxford village or the local nature reserve; apparently, the birdies don't like it....