Duxford Air Festival 2018

[Ryan.]

The Rafale, oh it was there was it? I heard it, occasionally saw it when it remembered to fly actually over the airfield.

Utter nonsense!

No it's not.

I've never ever at any air show seen aircraft displayed in the far distance like this.

Even at RIAT last year, they managed to display to people who were on the airfield.

RIAT and Duxford are subject to very different rules and regulations with Duxford being under the CAA.

[tuska2]

Now the Schlepp, fist time I've seen one display, which i really enjoyed, amazingly it reminded me of an A-10, anyone else thought that? or was it just wishfull thinking?

[Big_Gareth]

In my opinion a mediocre show at best with a handful of excellent displays that just about made it worthwhile. The Rafale, Schlepp, Spitfire, Swordfish and Navy Wings Sea Fury were great, everything else was very underwhelming. From the M11 end displays felt further out and much higher than last September's show in my opinion but the acts above were generally the exception to this. I still personally think that you can get better photos from that end, if/when acts arc around Airspace (the civvie stuff didn't yesterday which reduced the number of topside photo opportunities). But if I was to leave the camera at home I would choose a more central/western location to see more of the displays. On a positive note I found it more relaxed by the fence line and along the flightline walk and getting in/out was very easy, probably helped by what seemed like a much more sparsely populated show compared to last year.

[Airshowhammer]

Didn’t help that i had an upset stomach bug aswell. Spending an hour all together in toilets!

[Tom105]

N3200 whistles sue to its mirror on top. Agree feel a bit tam today with display enjoyed all the French aircraft and the Swiss tug was a good display. Also really enjoyed the Harvard display something a bit different. Paf were the highlight of the day!

[ShutterPlane]

The Rafale, oh it was there was it? I heard it, occasionally saw it when it remembered to fly actually over the airfield.

Utter nonsense!

No it's not.

I've never ever at any air show seen aircraft displayed in the far distance like this.

Even at RIAT last year, they managed to display to people who were on the airfield.

Well, clearly you and I were at different shows yesterday. Strange that both are called Duxford!

Or perhaps you just chose the wrong spot to sit?

Perhaps it takes a lot more to impress me than it does you.

So far, there are more here agreeing with me than there are those agreeing with you.

[DeHav]

Briefly saw the Rafale from the Cambridge beer festival yesterday - presumably it was just holding, but it was rolling around a lot!

I felt the Rafale wasn't as good as last year, but it was certainly still a good display. PdF were excellent as always, otherwise the show felt a bit dull. Admittedly I've seen most of the aircraft before and I'm more into fast jets so I'm difficult to impress these days.

At least we got lucky with the weather...

[jalfrezi]

It was mentioned in the commentary that there's a new pilot for the Rafale display this year, and that he's being mentored by last year's display pilot.

I'm sure he'll improve as he gains more experience and gets used to the crowd display distance.

[DeHav]

Ah, that makes sense. Looking forward to seeing him again at RIAT.

[MiG_Eater]

Well, I was pretty scathing about this show in the run up to it (not to the extent that I did something so drastic as to not buy tickets of course), but I really enjoyed both days. I can't quite put my finger on why - display distances were not as bad as I had feared (I was up by the land warfare hall both days). I feel terribly sorry for anyone much further left as the display centre seemed to be dead in front of us much of the time.

Some real highlights - Rafale, that Swiss thing that's name I keep forgetting, Tiger 9, P-47 (Sunday was better), the 3 Furies and of course PdF. It was a decent show and for the first time ever at Duxford I drove straight out without any traffic problems - largely because I was ready to leave about a minute after the Spitfire touched down - so i'd be interested to hear if traffic management has improved in general.

Anyway, I enjoyed myself. Now to sort through the hazy, backlit photographs!

[Airshowhammer]

The haze on the Rafale today was quite ridiculous. Just looked like a black silhouette at times, couldn’t even see the new scheme!

[Blackbird]

The haze on the Rafale today was quite ridiculous. Just looked like a black silhouette at times, couldn’t even see the new scheme!

Agreed.

Andy

[BrawlerO]

Duxford first-timer here...

Duxford as an airshow venue seems to split the audience on here like marmite so I thought I would go along and see for myself.

The good:
World class museum
Plenty of proper toilets
Plenty of space
Traffic management seemed pretty slick
Plenty of content in the show itself
Loved being able to see the aircraft taxi right past the fence line!

The bad:
Closing museums at 6.30 main gates at 7pm despite being asked to help traffic and not to rush off by the PA
Extra costs eg. Going inside aircraft, parking, flightline walk etc. (Not a biggie as I didn’t bother, just feels a bit cheap).
Single seat warbird displays- didn’t work for me (controversial!) Whether this is down to CAA regs or the venue, I think the teams and multi aircraft displays were much, much better. I’ll go to Old Warden for single Spitfires.
Bigger aircraft like the B17 and Catalina are OK.

All in all a very good show for the family audience (as opposed to enthusiast) which probably made up 90% of the audience. I enjoyed it too as something a bit different but probably won’t rush back.

[Dan O'Hagan]

Duxford first-timer here...

Duxford as an airshow venue seems to split the audience on here like marmite so I thought I would go along and see for myself.

The good:
World class museum
Plenty of proper toilets
Plenty of space
Traffic management seemed pretty slick
Plenty of content in the show itself
Loved being able to see the aircraft taxi right past the fence line!

The bad:
Closing museums at 6.30 main gates at 7pm despite being asked to help traffic and not to rush off by the PA
Extra costs eg. Going inside aircraft, parking, flightline walk etc. (Not a biggie as I didn’t bother, just feels a bit cheap).
Single seat warbird displays- didn’t work for me (controversial!) Whether this is down to CAA regs or the venue, I think the teams and multi aircraft displays were much, much better. I’ll go to Old Warden for single Spitfires.
Bigger aircraft like the B17 and Catalina are OK.

All in all a very good show for the family audience (as opposed to enthusiast) which probably made up 90% of the audience. I enjoyed it too as something a bit different but probably won’t rush back.

And that is Duxford in a nutshell. One visit is all it takes to see it for what it is. A brilliant museum - arguably the best aviation museum in Europe. Fine for families, as long as you don't mind being milked for every penny, with displays miles away totally disconnected from the audience.

They'll never take my money for an airshow again.

[Witchcraft24]

An air show which is "fine for families" or " a very good show for the family audience".... the vast majority of display organisers would take that.

[The Baron]

An air show which is "fine for families" or " a very good show for the family audience".... the vast majority of display organisers would take that.

But if that's what they want then so be it. Good luck to them. If the general public are happy to ripped off at Duxford then those of us that know better will go elsewhere. Win, win.

[speedbird2639]

as long as you don't mind being milked for every penny...
They'll never take my money for an airshow again.

Reports on FB that if you had a weekend ticket and went both days they insisted you buy another programme on Sunday if you wanted to know the (slightly) different flying schedule which seems excessive in the extreme. Also previously the schedule has been displayed in the IWM members marque but reportedly the museum has insisted this practice ceased.

[rockfordstone]

as long as you don't mind being milked for every penny...
They'll never take my money for an airshow again.

Reports on FB that if you had a weekend ticket and went both days they insisted you buy another programme on Sunday if you wanted to know the (slightly) different flying schedule which seems excessive in the extreme. Also previously the schedule has been displayed in the IWM members marque but reportedly the museum has insisted this practice ceased.

this is the case, the flying list only came with the programme. i was in the members enclosure and there was nothing there which i thought was a bit off. there was a very obvious "we need to milk as much money" vibe there this year. i don't know if it's related, but when i spoke to one of the staff earlier in the year he implied the museum was just breaking even. perhaps that's why things are more expensive this year.

on the whole i thought it was a good weekend. it did feel a bit display team heavy, and the tiger 9 as nice as it is, it's pretty bland for me. The Rafale was good, i can see why some people might see it as a distant display, but from where i was it was alright. the PdF was one of my highlights, as was the schlepp.

i've seen a lot of people on facebook complaining about the parking and traffic. i got there about 10 both days and got parked up by the USAF museum, then left about 15 minutes after the display ended both days and drove straight out. seemed like a massive improvement on when i've been in the past.

i'll stick some of my photos up this week.

by no means a classic, but it doesn't make me want to stop supporting the place

[Thoughtful_Flyer]

this is the case, the flying list only came with the programme. i was in the members enclosure and there was nothing there which i thought was a bit off. there was a very obvious "we need to milk as much money" vibe there this year. i don't know if it's related, but when i spoke to one of the staff earlier in the year he implied the museum was just breaking even. perhaps that's why things are more expensive this year.

on the whole i thought it was a good weekend. it did feel a bit display team heavy, and the tiger 9 as nice as it is, it's pretty bland for me. The Rafale was good, i can see why some people might see it as a distant display, but from where i was it was alright. the PdF was one of my highlights, as was the schlepp.

i've seen a lot of people on facebook complaining about the parking and traffic. i got there about 10 both days and got parked up by the USAF museum, then left about 15 minutes after the display ended both days and drove straight out. seemed like a massive improvement on when i've been in the past.

i'll stick some of my photos up this week.

by no means a classic, but it doesn't make me want to stop supporting the place

I have certainly detected those vibes! Also, has this IWM membership scheme caused some friction with the Friends of Duxford?

I am not a member of either as I have access via another route and an entitlement to a free ticket for each show day. However, for the first time I now have to pay a fiver and buy my own parking ticket online if I want to attend! OK, I probably shouldn't complain but that ties in with extracting money by any method possible!

[Blackbird]

I'd pretty much agree with rockfordstone's summary, although I did get a flying programme (the one sheet thing) when I asked for it a the IWM members enclosure. The previously free tea/coffee and biscuits has bitten the dust and there was a fair queue to pay for coffee/cake. Yet another manifestation of their money-grabbing mentality.

Although I took up the offer to former FoD members of Premium membership for the price of standard IWM membership, but can't see myself renewing next year for £55. The price increase has been exacerbated for the as IWM do not offer a seniors' rate. When I asked why not, it was because they were simplifying their pricing structure. Total bo**ocks!! the discounts on food etc have also reduced.

I only went on Sunday, arriving about 9.00 and left mid PdF. I got in and out without any problem. I'd like to think that was a benefit of having to pay £5 to park the car - but I really don't think so!

Andy

[Harvo266]

I didn’t Duxford Air Fest in both 2016 and 2017, and straightaway saw that it is daylight robbery, to put it broadly. I felt slightly robbed anyway to spend in the region of £30, as well as £5 to park, and then another however much for a fairly thick brochure. If that wasn’t enough you then have to pay to get a flightline walk and pay to go on some static exhibits. If you wanted to have a full day, with all the trimmings, you’d be easily losing £50 pp. The lineup is usually sufficient for my taste, but it isn’t worth all that dollar, especially with the fairly distant line for non warbirds. I’m not saying I won’t visit again, but it would take more than what was on this weekend.

Nuff said

[tuska2]

In the Friends enclosure it always used to be free Tea and Bikkies, sadly no longer. This added to the "every penny " vibe considerably for me!
If the "just breaking even" report is accurate, one wonders where the money is going? Airshows, events, corporate hires, plus what always looks like a healthy attendance on any given normal day, shop and restaurant sales, hangarage, rentals, seems like quite a bit going in, not a lot of new additions/restorations though. I suspect Duxford is the Jewel in the Crown of the IWM,s assets and maybe subsidises the rest? Much of the frontline on site work is done by volunteers or not overly generously paid staff, in common with most modern British commercial activities, I suspect its a very different story for Higher management! The IWM is a wonderful national resource, I would hate to see it fail, particularly through greed and mismanagement.

[davidjones533]

.

[Blackbird]

My favourite part of the day - seeing the face of some guy drop after asking me when the Reds were displaying. I thought he was going to pack up and go home there and then - and it was only 10.30!

Classic!!

Andy

[rockfordstone]

My favourite part of the day - seeing the face of some guy drop after asking me when the Reds were displaying. I thought he was going to pack up and go home there and then - and it was only 10.30!

Mine was the guy who had come on the sunday to see the chinook... i did chuckle to myself knowing it wasn't coming