Goodbye from the Team

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SilentFlight
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Goodbye from the Team

Post by SilentFlight »

Its with a bit of a heavy heart writing this post, but the inevitable day was bound to come, the team here at Waddington are disbanding. I have often spent hours looking at the threads to do with show, laughing, cringing, at times becoming enraged, but for the majority of the time, admiring the support for the show and your dedication. For the team at Waddington it has been a labor of love, with blood sweat and occasionally tears shed at the event. It wasnt RIAT and never professed to be, it was an RAF airshow, held by RAF to engage with the community, both those who were lovers of all things aviation and those who were not. Capturing the minds of the RAF of the future was a big part of the show, inspiring the next generation of engineers, technicians, police and the whole trade spectrum of our Armed Forces, whilst keeping them entertained. The airshow is now consigned to the history books, but I would like to say thank you for your support through the good and the bad times and making the last 15 years of my career great fun.

Airshows are going to face more scrutiny than ever before and whilst I might be preaching to the converted, please keep supporting them. Its not an easy industry to be in for anyone and things that might seem simple to do from the outside are often the most complicated to arrange, so your positivity is often a great comfort and boost to organisers, pilots and all those associated with this business.

Once again, my personal thanks for all your contributions over the years and I shall slap my hands for never coning across the the PAVE to say hello, maybe I will get that chance elsewhere, who knows!

SF

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MRTT
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by MRTT »

Thanks your your amazing airshows, your work will be missed! :sad:
2016 Shows
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iainpeden
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by iainpeden »

Thank you and your colleagues; like many I have very happy memories of the Waddington shows. Good luck in the future.
(Mark Twain: There are lies, there are damn lies and then there are statistics)

davidjones533

Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by davidjones533 »

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Last edited by davidjones533 on Mon 23 Jul 2018, 6:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

itfcscott
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by itfcscott »

Thanks for all your work and glimpses of 'The inside' posted on here over the years SF. Absolutely delighted to have had the pleasure to attend the Waddington show every year since 2008, always my favourite out of the big shows. A great shame to see it go, but the way things are going was inevitable.

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Wissam24
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by Wissam24 »

Well I only got to go to two, very sadly, and I enjoyed them both immensely. Thanks for those memories and your contact on here too. Best of luck for the future.
Twitter: @samwise24 | Flickr: samwise24 | Shamelessly copying LN Strike Eagle's avatar ideas since 2016

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Boghopper Mk 11a
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by Boghopper Mk 11a »

From someone that works with-in the airshow industry full-time, you have hit nail on head about the future of shows.

Well done on building the show to the success it was, had my own piece of Waddington participation involvment in 2010 when we brought our Mk V Spitfire up for the BoB salute.

But as this way my local show, 2 years will always stand out for me

1995 - F-117 & Russian AF Su-27's

And of course

2001- IDF F-15 'Raam'

:smile:

DeltaPapa
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Joined: Tue 02 Sep 2008, 8:57 am

Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by DeltaPapa »

Thanks to yourself, Touchdown, PS and the rest of the team for all the highlights.

Congratulations on the privileged of being the first air show to host 558 on her first public display in 2008 and the Black Eagles in 2012. Waddington will be greatly missed by many.

Good luck with whatever you do in the future.

FullCarrot
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by FullCarrot »

In my humble opinion, Waddington was the best bang-for-buck show on the calendar and will be sorely missed so a huge thanks to yourself and your team for putting on so many great shows.

All the best for the future

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boff180
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by boff180 »

Waddington was one of the annual highlights of the annual airshow calendar. It will be missed and is a massive blow to Lincolnshire, a County that is often overlooked by tourists.

Thank you to you and your team for all their hard work over the years, it may not have looked like it sometimes but I can guarantee that it was always appreciated by everyone. Also (talking as a Staffer now), thank you for engaging with our community over the years, I know sometimes that isn't easy! :clap:

Whilst I understand the reasons why Waddington has ended (and I partly blame the idiotic activists breaking in for that), I sincerely hope the RAF do choose to replace Waddington with another airshow, if they don't then they are completely out of touch with public engagement. As the US say at their military airshows, "today we show you how your tax dollars are being spent".

A sad end.

Andy

Flare Path
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by Flare Path »

Thank you. :up:

K213
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by K213 »

Sad to hear the show will no longer take place- perhaps it is a sad indication of the state of today's Royal Air Force.

Best of luck for the future.

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WG655
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by WG655 »

Such a shame - Waddington was always the show which, despite its strong family appeal, delivered consistently aircraft-wise year on year (particularly given the sensible ticket price). Swedish Historic Flight, Wedgetail, Hungarian MiG-29 display (last one flown in the UK?) to name a few. I personally first attended in 2002 (aged very young!) however still have a broad recollection particularly of the German Navy Tornado that year and its infamous hydraulic issue. I loved the show ever since, and its the event that many of my non-aviation friends attended and always loved.

Thank you for your dedication to making the event what it was - and be proud of yourselves that it finished on such a high in 2014 with a stellar lineup. :up:

Sundowner
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Joined: Tue 02 Sep 2008, 6:52 pm

Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by Sundowner »

The wife and myself have attended every show apart from the first and thoroughly enjoyed every one.
We can't thank you and the team enough for all your hard work
Good luck with whatever you do in the future.

BossMann
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Joined: Tue 30 Dec 2008, 6:21 pm

Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by BossMann »

SilentFlight wrote:Its with a bit of a heavy heart writing this post, but the inevitable day was bound to come, the team here at Waddington are disbanding. I have often spent hours looking at the threads to do with show, laughing, cringing, at times becoming enraged, but for the majority of the time, admiring the support for the show and your dedication. For the team at Waddington it has been a labor of love, with blood sweat and occasionally tears shed at the event. It wasnt RIAT and never professed to be, it was an RAF airshow, held by RAF to engage with the community, both those who were lovers of all things aviation and those who were not. Capturing the minds of the RAF of the future was a big part of the show, inspiring the next generation of engineers, technicians, police and the whole trade spectrum of our Armed Forces, whilst keeping them entertained. The airshow is now consigned to the history books, but I would like to say thank you for your support through the good and the bad times and making the last 15 years of my career great fun.

Airshows are going to face more scrutiny than ever before and whilst I might be preaching to the converted, please keep supporting them. Its not an easy industry to be in for anyone and things that might seem simple to do from the outside are often the most complicated to arrange, so your positivity is often a great comfort and boost to organisers, pilots and all those associated with this business.

Once again, my personal thanks for all your contributions over the years and I shall slap my hands for never coning across the the PAVE to say hello, maybe I will get that chance elsewhere, who knows!

SF



Dear SilentFlight/ Touchdown and all the team at RAF Waddington

Thank you for bringing us this fantastic airshow - I have attended every show since I first went in 2009 and immediately became a fan of the event! I will never forget the amazing line up you had in 2012 complete with the debut of the Korean Black Eagles

The loss of this major show is a blow to the UK airshow industry, not just Lincolnshire but thank you for the stunning work you and your predecessors have done since 1995 when you took over the responsibility of the show from RAF Finingley. Just a shame that the long legacy of the RAFs Airshow had to end here first with the closure of RAF Finingley and now this.....

We can but hope the RAF will see some sense and the RAF's largest airshow may rise again like a phoenix at its new potential home - RAF Scampton.

All is left to say is thank you all once again, the RAF Waddington Air Show will be missed - good luck to you all in your future endeavours.

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Pat Murphy
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by Pat Murphy »

Thank you Silent Flight and all the team at Waddington. Been going there for shows and exercises since 1987 (Danish Drakens late on a November afternoon :smile: , showing my age!!) Have to say I have enjoyed every Waddington show I have done, whether it be an arrivals day, a departures day or on more than the odd occasion, a show day. You don't know what you have lost until it's there no more. Gutted it won't be back and I'll just echo the comments, that I hope we see a replacement at another location not too far away.

Thanks for everything :clap: :clap:
Pat

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Wrexham Mackem
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

What a very unfortunate situation, both both air shows in general and for Silentflight and the team. To be doing your job so well, to have a very successful event, then to lose it like this is truly sad.

I for one don't understand the RAF's reasoning - I haven't seen the report. Maybe there are genuine insurmountable reasons why a show at Waddington is no longer feasible. Without that understanding though, this whole affair smacks of defeatism and can't-do attitude. :dunno: :dunno:

Thanks for all the hard work Silentflight, and I wish you the best of good luck in your next endeavour.

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st24
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by st24 »

Wrexham Mackem wrote:
I for one don't understand the RAF's reasoning - I haven't seen the report. Maybe there are genuine insurmountable reasons why a show at Waddington is no longer feasible. Without that understanding though, this whole affair smacks of defeatism and can't-do attitude. :dunno: :dunno: .


This. Even if there is a genuine reason :ninja: there is no plan B with regard to a new venue that should have been in place for the past year.
Let's face it, the RAF have given up on the airshow game particularly with regard to being involved with hosting and organising them.
All's the more pity that his new TV show is showing them in such a valuable, endearing and committed light.... :confused:
You caaan't trust the system... Maaan!

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Seahornet
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by Seahornet »

Out of all the things that could be said, just this:

Many, many thanks Folks! :clap:
And as the smart ship grew,
In stature, grace and hue,
In shadowy silent distance grew the iceberg too....

G-AMPY
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by G-AMPY »

Thanks for the memories! :king:

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MarkL
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by MarkL »

Silent Flight et al.

Thanks for delivering some super shows, be proud !!

Ultimately though, this is about people, so I wish you well in your future ventures whatever they may be.

Great job,

Mark
HTAFC

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motormouser
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by motormouser »

I've been at least two days every year! Thanks SF :clap:

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zigzag
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by zigzag »

Just want to say thanks for the memories to the Waddington Team, and good luck with whatever you do next, the decison to scrap the show isnt down to the organising team and I thank them for thier efforts over the years
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AndyXH558
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by AndyXH558 »

Thank you to all the guys in the airshow team. Its been a highlight of the past 17 years for me. being honest I just cant see an airshow season without Waddington. I felt the same about Finningley when they stopped the shows there. Waddo was a true successor to that show.

I have so many amazing memories from the Israeli Raams, ok i went on saturday.... The many vulcan displays. The B1 rolling. The debut of the Black eagles. There is so many great aircraft.

Alas as you say times are going to get difficult for the airshow scene post shoreham,
Life's a piece of S*** if you look at it!

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Russ
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Re: Goodbye from the Team

Post by Russ »

Thanks for all the hardwork that went into putting on a consistently excellent airshow. Lots of happy memories, thanks for often listening to the "enthusiasts voice" too. Best of luck to all the team members for the future.

The show will be greatly missed from the UK airshow calendar. :sad:

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