I don't know where to start really with yesterday's show.
OK I'll start positive - the two Spitfire PRXIs were excellent, John Romain in particular really knows how to show an aircraft off to its best, and his close photo passes were beautifully done. It would have been a more fitting way to close the show in my opinion, but they probably wanted to land back on and enjoy.
With no internet on Saturday I had gone hoping to see the Anson, only to find that had been pulled, but also no shows from the Mew Gull, Demon, Dove - the home team seemed to be struggling at their home show. With no Lysander, Hind, Tomtit either and the SE5 going sick, it ended up a bit lightweight compared to usual heritage days.
The Hurricanes - OK I appreciate the Sea Hurricane doing low level passes while the MkI performs some aeros, but then doesn't come back down anywhere near us for a good look, just into the circuit and land. Similarly with the Sopwiths, the Triplane performed some great passes, but once the Camel was up, they just tried and failed miserably to get in formation going round in race day like circuits and then landed, no close passes from the Camel. As for the Global Stars, I can see why they got their name as they took almost the whole Earth to reposition, much better when two had landed.
After the WWII fighters landed, it really just seemed to drift yesterday with no impetus, although the Russian engined Pitts made a great noise.
And then the commentary, not the best, miles behind telling people what was going on, the BBMF Dak was halfway down the line before they even mentioned its arrival, no idea who was in which Spitfire when John Romain landed and Peter Teichmann was running in to display, they had John heading back to Duxford at that point. And as for the "We'll stop talking now, we'll let you listen to the Merlins, we'll shut up now, etc etc" - Just stop. It was like having Dom n Dick on the mics.
Maybe I'm just becoming a miserable old git.

Anyway I enjoyed the day out in lovely clear blue skies, but I've been to far more memorable Shuttleworth shows.
