Southport Airshow 2012

[silver fox]

Also had a brilliant time at the airshow today, great displays and great weather. Sadly we were then stuck in traffic in Southport for 3 hours, until finally getting home to Manchester 4 hours later, oh well, it was an experience!

Sadly getting out of Southport by road is always an experience after a big show, I'm lucky in that I live there, although I stayed right to the end, I was home in about 20 mins.

Good show, cloud rolling in earlier than expected or wanted, but didn't give any problems.

[Mooshie1956]

Flying was excellent and varied. Highlights for me were Steve Jones putting Ferocious Frankie through her paces, Dan Griffiths in the Meteor, and Peter Teichman in his spit. Commendation must go to the BBMF for their final curving topside formation pass and Kev Rumens for getting a beautiful howl out of the delta lady.
.mic

Couldn't agree more, best of the show for me was Frankie, Peter Teichman was excerlent again, and I jumped for joy with the final topside pass from the BBMF.

Regards the traffic I stayed until the end had no problems getting out and went down the coast road and out past Woodvale. I was back in Manchester for 7pm. I never touch the town centre or Ormskirk as I find you always get stuck in traffic.

[yannyfoxx]

Flying was excellent and varied. Highlights for me were Steve Jones putting Ferocious Frankie through her paces, Dan Griffiths in the Meteor, and Peter Teichman in his spit. Commendation must go to the BBMF for their final curving topside formation pass and Kev Rumens for getting a beautiful howl out of the delta lady.
.mic

Couldn't agree more, best of the show for me was Frankie, Peter Teichman was excerlent again, and I jumped for joy with the final topside pass from the BBMF.

Couldn't agree more. Frankie was just awesome. So many whistles and top-sides. We were so spoiled! Was a tad disappointed at Legends this year because there never seems enough airspace at times to really put a single P51 through it's paces, but we really saw FF at it's best.

[Ben]

We all had a brilliant day, my unexpected favorite was the Mustang, looked liked he was loving every moment of it. Same goes to the Sea Fury. BBMF was very moving, the Vulcan was exceptional - it seemed to me it went very quiet when she went over, everyone sharing a magnificent experience then all turning to keep watching until it was a spec in the sky. I'm going to have to go and do a hanger visit. Loved the Tornado's too though they were a bit much for the kids and loved the noise of the Huey. All in all, an absolute bargain for £7 (pre-booked tickets).

However, the traffic was horrendous. Left Stockport 09:20, arrived at the beach *just* in time for the Red Arrows - I was very worried about missing them so the journey was rather stressful. Stayed til the end and it took 3.5 hours to get home (though that included a quick food stop). We headed up to Preston to try that route back - big mistake. That kind of put a dampener on things and it felt unfair on the kids so will have to have a rethink for next year. Any suggestion on route in / out and best place to park?

The only let down (as it always is and really annoys me) was the fact that people just seem to think that viewing from the very front is acceptable and appropriate regardless of where they are parked

Hmm, I have to confess here that you'd be hating me then. We parked on Marine Drive then walked down to the beach and stood at the front near the pier. To be completely honest, it would not have occurred to me that you should not be there at the front if you'd not parked on the beach - I don't see how that follows, sorry.

[silver fox]

Ben

As far as "should stay were you're parked", a bit off to say the least, not everybody gets to park on the beach even within the show parking area, do some seem to think that spectators should stay out on the seawall parking area, don't think so, plus of course there are more than one or two (thousand) who walk onto the beach, from quite a fair distance at times.

As far as routes in and out of Southport, would love to tell you there are alternative routes, but sadly going North as you did, all traffic has to go through the one roundabout then onto the Preston Rd, personally as soon as you got out of Southport I would head for Parbold and the M6 junction at Standish, but you would leave main roads behind and take to the bye-roads and cut across rural areas to get there.

[Mictheslik]

The only let down (as it always is and really annoys me) was the fact that people just seem to think that viewing from the very front is acceptable and appropriate regardless of where they are parked...

I'll watch from the railway station next time then shall I? Or do you want me to just stay on the train going back and forth between Liverpool and Southport?

People can watch from wherever they like, regardless of where they parked or how they got to the show!

.mic

[DJSmurf2008]

The only let down (as it always is and really annoys me) was the fact that people just seem to think that viewing from the very front is acceptable and appropriate regardless of where they are parked...

I'll watch from the railway station next time then shall I? Or do you want me to just stay on the train going back and forth between Liverpool and Southport?

People can watch from wherever they like, regardless of where they parked or how they got to the show!

.mic

Well im pretty sure that years ago you got 2 different wristbands, one for pedestrians and one for the people who have paid to park to get the front row seats, and there was patrols who would go round checking these wristbands...

Im not saying to stand at the railway station, im simply saying that if you have parked at least a mile away on the exact same beach where the exact same airshow is, and decided " i know, lets take all of our stuff with us including at least 3 children and thier accessories a mile away and sit there instead " You need you head checking.....

Ben

As far as "should stay were you're parked", a bit off to say the least, not everybody gets to park on the beach even within the show parking area, do some seem to think that spectators should stay out on the seawall parking area, don't think so, plus of course there are more than one or two (thousand) who walk onto the beach, from quite a fair distance at times.

I just feel its a bit wrong that we (and im sure a few others did too) get a funny look whenever you ask someone to move out of the way of your own car so you can change a baby's nappy or get something to eat... If you dont like moving out of the way then move away from the car... simple as...

[Mooshie1956]

The only let down (as it always is and really annoys me) was the fact that people just seem to think that viewing from the very front is acceptable and appropriate regardless of where they are parked...

I'll watch from the railway station next time then shall I? Or do you want me to just stay on the train going back and forth between Liverpool and Southport?

People can watch from wherever they like, regardless of where they parked or how they got to the show!

.mic

Well im pretty sure that years ago you got 2 different wristbands, one for pedestrians and one for the people who have paid to park to get the front row seats, and there was patrols who would go round checking these wristbands...

Im not saying to stand at the railway station, im simply saying that if you have parked at least a mile away on the exact same beach where the exact same airshow is, and decided " i know, lets take all of our stuff with us including at least 3 children and thier accessories a mile away and sit there instead " You need you head checking.....

Ben

As far as "should stay were you're parked", a bit off to say the least, not everybody gets to park on the beach even within the show parking area, do some seem to think that spectators should stay out on the seawall parking area, don't think so, plus of course there are more than one or two (thousand) who walk onto the beach, from quite a fair distance at times.

I just feel its a bit wrong that we (and im sure a few others did too) get a funny look whenever you ask someone to move out of the way of your own car so you can change a baby's nappy or get something to eat... If you dont like moving out of the way then move away from the car... simple as...

I hope you wasn't the person that decided to set up camp in the parking space next to his car and in so doing denied someone else from getting a parking spot. I noticed a lot of those who parked on the beach thought that they had a god given right to an area of about 5 metre's around there car and no one was allowed to enter that space. So your £6 to park on the beech was worth more than my £6 that I had to pay to park on one of the car parks.
What really got up my nose and I shall be emailing Sefton Council was being told that beech parking was closed at around 10 am being directed to one of the normal cars parks only to see more cars coming onto the beech when I got there.
I'm sorry if you thought you was a special snowflake but your not, I paid £6 the same as you to park where I was told to, and £9 a person to get in. I and many other that went there will stand exactly where we want.

[DJSmurf2008]

The only let down (as it always is and really annoys me) was the fact that people just seem to think that viewing from the very front is acceptable and appropriate regardless of where they are parked...

I'll watch from the railway station next time then shall I? Or do you want me to just stay on the train going back and forth between Liverpool and Southport?

People can watch from wherever they like, regardless of where they parked or how they got to the show!

.mic

Well im pretty sure that years ago you got 2 different wristbands, one for pedestrians and one for the people who have paid to park to get the front row seats, and there was patrols who would go round checking these wristbands...

Im not saying to stand at the railway station, im simply saying that if you have parked at least a mile away on the exact same beach where the exact same airshow is, and decided " i know, lets take all of our stuff with us including at least 3 children and thier accessories a mile away and sit there instead " You need you head checking.....

Ben

As far as "should stay were you're parked", a bit off to say the least, not everybody gets to park on the beach even within the show parking area, do some seem to think that spectators should stay out on the seawall parking area, don't think so, plus of course there are more than one or two (thousand) who walk onto the beach, from quite a fair distance at times.

I just feel its a bit wrong that we (and im sure a few others did too) get a funny look whenever you ask someone to move out of the way of your own car so you can change a baby's nappy or get something to eat... If you dont like moving out of the way then move away from the car... simple as...

I hope you wasn't the person that decided to set up camp in the parking space next to his car and in so doing denied someone else from getting a parking spot. I noticed a lot of those who parked on the beach thought that they had a god given right to an area of about 5 metre's around there car and no one was allowed to enter that space. So your £6 to park on the beech was worth more than my £6 that I had to pay to park on one of the car parks.
What really got up my nose and I shall be emailing Sefton Council was being told that beech parking was closed at around 10 am being directed to one of the normal cars parks only to see more cars coming onto the beech when I got there.
I'm sorry if you thought you was a special snowflake but your not, I paid £6 the same as you to park where I was told to, and £9 a person to get in. I and many other that went there will stand exactly where we want.

Nope, we had 3 chairs in the front of our car and a table approximatley 1ft square for drinks etc... Yeah i exagerated my first statement a bit about people shouldnt be able to stand where they want to but i was just enraged about the 2 families who had set up camp a mile away from where they were parked... It just doesnt make sense... And your right, people shouldnt do that and in doing so denying another car parking there...

[silver fox]

Well im pretty sure that years ago you got 2 different wristbands, one for pedestrians and one for the people who have paid to park to get the front row seats, and there was patrols who would go round checking these wristbands...


I just feel its a bit wrong that we (and im sure a few others did too) get a funny look whenever you ask someone to move out of the way of your own car so you can change a baby's nappy or get something to eat... If you dont like moving out of the way then move away from the car... simple as...

Going right back to the very first airshows at Southport, when the airshow was free and you paid to take the car on the beach no matter how many occupants, paying for parking has never given you a right to the "front row seats"

I do understand your annoyance when people set up camp around your car and restrict your access to it, but sadly that can happen anywhere at any event, in truth there was a separate roped off area at the front where people could stand, without camping around someone else's vehicle, while they may be a nuisance stood up in front of you they should not restrict access to a vehicle.

[Skylinerworld]

Anyone know why the Wingwalkers Stearman displaying at Southport had a pretty bland design compared to the others? Is it no longer owned by Aerosuperbatics?

Cheers.

[Mictheslik]

Anyone know why the Wingwalkers Stearman displaying at Southport had a pretty bland design compared to the others? Is it no longer owned by Aerosuperbatics?

Cheers.

It's one of their back up ones that hasn't been painted (Still retains the Guinot scheme). The Breitling painted ones have been sent off to China for a display.

.mic

[Skylinerworld]

Makes sense! Cheers!

[cycler]

My photos from Sunday are on Flickr click here if interested

[Homer]

Great show, first time I've been (yes I only turned up to see the Vulcan because it missed Waddington) quite surprised how close the action was. The rest (food stalls, toilets, general viewing areas) seems a bit disorganised though I believe they were at full capacity on Sunday which probably didn't help.

Also had a brilliant time at the airshow today, great displays and great weather. Sadly we were then stuck in traffic in Southport for 3 hours, until finally getting home to Manchester 4 hours later, oh well, it was an experience!

I went Sunday and was back in Yorkshire 2 hours after the show finished. Google maps traffic overlay is brilliant. Also helped on the way in, left home after 9am and arrived in time to buy tickets, go to the loo, and get a good spot to watch the Reds.