Skyflash wrote:Abingdonman wrote:If Zeltweg was free entry,plus it was probably the only major airshow in the country......no WONDER they had such large crowds!
I watched some of this show on the web and I liked the half dozen displays I saw for sure ,but it could be decieving to judge a show that way,9 hrs is a long time to fill with enough good stuff and variety and I couldnt tell if there were any big gaps etc,only someone being there could know that,and even then people have such different ideas whats a good show ...
They put the MiG-29 and the Frecce on last - two of their biggest and best attractions - and the time leading up to those displays most certainly did not drag. It was pretty much full-on for the whole nine hours, the only exception being on the Friday when the two young paratroopers collided when jumping out of the Herk during the role-demo and had to be airlifted to hospital, which obviously necessitated a bit of a hiatus in the show.
Zeltweg Airpower 11 was the best airshow I have been to since RIAT 2006, without a shadow of a doubt. But like I say, trying to draw comparisons between Airpower and RIAT is very difficult, since you're not really comparing like-with-like. Not least, as you hint in your post, because of the free entry to Airpower.
So, if we are not comparing like with like, why do so many people try to do so? Do we want a 9 hour display at RIAT stuffed with gliders, light aircraft, parachutists & air force trainers? RIAT has been criticised for doing so. FAB location, but was the content of the display that different?
It must be easy to put together set pieces by your own air force if you are not doing anything else with them overseas. It must be easy to put loads of Red Bull vintage bits into the display when the bankroll the display. Obtaining classic jets from nearby neighbours must be simpler... nobody seems to moan that the Vulcan or Meteor has not appeared at Zeltweg, but they do that the MIG15 or Me262 has not appeared at RIAT.
Its been done to death, but it is easier to get Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Hungary & Czech to send their Air Force aircraft when its a hop over the border (especially when budgets are tight). If you want to see these aircraft, then maybe you will have to travel to Zeltweg or Kescemet in the future... the world changes.
Zeltweg doen't have to compete for aircraft with a Waddington, Yeovilton & Duxford all in the same fortnight.
Much has been made of the Poles going to Yeovilton over RIAT, well, they went to Leuchars last year... perhaps its RIAT's turn in 2012?
Should RIAT get all of the good participation? Or should the love be spread around a bit?
Given the hysteria by some forum members at an Estonian AN2 at Koksijde, but the begruding acceptance of a SU27 & IL76 at Fairford, I sometimes wonder what these people want.
Does ST24 really think that RIAT doesn't ask for as many aircraft as they can from everybody? What is his suggestion to the answer "no, not this year" (apart from moan, carp, moan, or "but you sent one to Belgium, Austria, etc).