Duxford Air Festival 2018

[Thoughtful_Flyer]

Does anyone know the timings / running order for tomorrow?

Thanks.

[Airshowhammer]

Anyone know what time PDF and Rafale are on Sunday?

[Airshowhammer]

Why won’t Spitfire PL983 be displaying even though its already at Duxford?

[jules48]

Red Arrows only received their PDF yesterday in Greece and are returning today with 3 stops en route so hardly likely they would have displayed anyway

[Blackbird]

And now the weather's looking pants for Sunday

Andy

[Thoughtful_Flyer]

And now the weather's looking pants for Sunday

Andy

Depends which forecast you look at. XCWeather (currently) suggests it will be fine but cloudy with the cloud thinning slightly as the day goes on.....

http://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/Duxford

Miserable in Cambridge at the moment (9am local Sat) . XC say it will clear by lunchtime today but then they said that yesterday!

[Thoughtful_Flyer]

Rafael seems to have had a couple of early morning test flights from Marshall's, based on the noise from a couple of miles away!

Hope it is serviceable......

[Airshowhammer]

Flying times anyone?

[jules48]

Probably not published as deciding what can fly in this wind.

[CJS]

Rafael seems to have had a couple of early morning test flights from Marshall's

Really, what was he flying?

[st24]

Rafael seems to have had a couple of early morning test flights from Marshall's

Really, what was he flying?

Nice.

[st24]

I see the Chinook wasn't even the rubbish RAF100 one. Very poor.

[Airshowhammer]

No smokewinders from the Rafale? Used them at Ferte Alais last week though?

[Ryan.]

No smokewinders from the Rafale? Used them at Ferte Alais last week though?

There were used at Duxford. Just not throughout the whole display.

[Agg]

No smokewinders from the Rafale? Used them at Ferte Alais last week though?

Probably banned in the UK

[Ryan.]

A mixed bag overall. Some displays able to perfectly to give a close display, Spitfire Mk1 and Swordfish were good examples of that, some feel like they are displaying elsewhere, like the Catalina display today.

Found it a little baffling that you wouldn't fly the three Sea Furys/Fury together, can't remember the last time I saw three at an airshow and to display them seperatly was a odd decision.

Some displays were filler with too much focus on aerobatics personally. It was close to being a good show, add a P-51, the Blenhiem and a Hurricane to go with the Spitfire, the Norwegian Vampiers, remove some of the aerobatics and you would have had a much more rounded and better display. It wasn't bad by any means and there were a number of highlights it just wasnt memorable.

[rockfordstone]

was it the best lineup ever. no. but if you loaded it with stuff like the Blenheim, spitfires, typhoon etc it would take away the shine for the BoB display which i believe is their official RAF100 show.

i agree that there was a lot of emphasis on display teams, i had to laugh that the global stars didn't even have all their planes for it, but ho hum.

i'm still back again tomorrow

[BMrider]

Just one out of a thousand over last 2 days....


Rafale Duxford Saturday 26 May by Mark Handley, on Flickr

[rockfordstone]

nice catch, im still filtering through mine

[197cup]

I thought it was a pretty good day, definitely lacking a few warbirds (only one Spit and no Mustangs) other than that it was a nice varied line up. The French aerobatic pilot was spectacular as was the immense Rafale which proved it’s still the daddy regarding fast jet displays. It was great to see that Swiss thing of which I’ve forgotten what it was called although it’s nicknam was “tug”, rare these days to go to a show and see something I’ve never seen before. It was great to see a P-47 again just a shame it displayed in the harshest light of the day. As has been said it was a missed opportunity to get the three Fury’s up together.
Weather was lovely and the traffic flowed nicely in and out of the show. Anyone going tomorrow if the wind is the same direction I highly recommend sitting by the tank museum as most displays seem to favour that end.

I thought today was great and my dad loved it.

[ShutterPlane]

I like Duxford, it's a lovely place. I enjoy going there, it's got some fantastic history behind it and long may it continue.

On arrival to the car park, I'd left my parking permit in the back of the car with my bags, so one of the guys checking people in said I should get it now before going in, fair enough of course so I did, so fine, was done. When getting back into the car, another car park attendant (older one with longish grey hair) became very aggressive towards me, shouting at me with pure bitter venom and shouted a narcissistic comment at me of 'well it does say to place it on the dash board'.

Frstly, I know that, it's quite obvious, I had simply forgotten to pre place it, that's all. Secondly, the car park attendant who was seeing me in had already delt with it, it was done. So why this other person felt to need to get involved and launch a bitter, venomous, scathing, narcissistic and intimidating attack is beyond all comprehension. It was done, there was just no need for it.

Anyway, the show.

Meak, soft, tame and quite frankly, I was getting bored.

Chinook, gentle, occasionally too far into the distance too. Have seen better displays.

Props, were closer, they were as usual and nice to see.

The Rafale, oh it was there was it? I heard it, occasionally saw it when it remembered to fly actually over the airfield. There were a few photo opportunities when he remembered it was Duxford that the show was and actually came maybe within a mile of the field to turn, then I got some shots similar to the ones some have already rushed to show us. But other than that, little opportunity to even see it, let alone get the type of photographs I used to be able to get of fast jets at Duxford in the past.

The Rafale didn't impress me like it has elsewhere. A bit slow, a bit gentle. I think I pulled higher G's when I made my turn around the roundabout onto the M11. It was worse than last years Typhoon display at Duxford which itself was meak, slow and distant. Last years Typhoon display was blown away by an impressive Rafale display which followed. Did someone tell the Rafale pilot that for this year, to not impress us like it did last year?

I hope this trend doesn't get worse of dampened shows with aircraft displaying in the far distance, which has been the case for a few years now.

The line up was poor enough without what was there putting on a lacklusture show. I know of two other people who would usually come to the show with me who looked at the line up, then the price and said no.

I like Duxford, I really do, so I don't want to feel negative about it, but it was hardly a hair raising show.

Last years May airshow had a lot more to it, a lot more clout and kit to impress us.

This is just not how I rememeber air shows, this is just not how I remember Duxford at all.

[neilos]

First thing I’ve noticed, lack of traders!!

The row alongside the hangers is completly empty of traders.

No issues getting in, although i do have a wonderful view of tree’s directly in front of me

[CJS]

I see the Chinook wasn't even the rubbish RAF100 one. Very poor.

Had it gone tech do you know, or did they actually send an unmarked one?

[jules48]

If you like Duxford so much like you keep repeating why criticise everything about the show and I am sure the car park attendant was not as rude as you said and I am sure you can stand up for yourself.
Limitations affect Duxford so I am sure the Rafaele made the best of the situation as he could.
I have just arrived and no problem with any car park attendants.Perhaps due to impending weather forecast of storms seems relatively quiet.

[eddywinch82]

I agree with you ShutterPlane, compared with last years May Airshow. Yesterdays Airshow, was definately not as good. I did really enjoy my self. The weather did help. I would have liked to see a classic jet or two, and more Merlin powered Warbirds, I.e. a P51 Mustang, Hurricane etc. Although I do like Seafuries/Fury's and there were 3

It may have been the first Duxford Airshow I have been to, with only 1 Merlin powered Warbird in the lineup. I.e. the closing item Spitfire 1a which was a delight to watch with John Romain, at the helm. And I also agree the Rafale display was very distant at times, Catalina seemed to be aswell.

Although as mentioned allready, this is not Duxfords fault, or the pilots either, but due to Post Shoreham accident regulations.

I am going again today, I am especially looking forwards to the PDF display. I enjoyed yesterdays Airshow, but it certainly wasn't as good as previous May Airshows, I have been to at Duxford.