Cleethorpes 2013

[paulmblythe]

A park and ride would have been good. There was one last year but I didn't know about it until I spoke to somebody at the show. I don't think I was alone that one either.

I can't get to the show until 12:30 so the chances of getting parked anywhere close are very slim. Last year if you where early you could park in the normal spots on the sea front but they fill up very quickly on most weekends let alone when there is an air show on. I am not sure if they are open or being used for the ground attractions.

[MRTT]

Parachute drop was canned.

[Roco]

Unusual, there is normally plenty of beach.

[caharris]

the tide was too far in

[Handler]

Sea mist rolled in and the visibility was reduced to Zero, unfortunate and a blow to the organisers.

[paulmblythe]

Sunday was a great day. The layout of the trade stalls was much better than last year especially with the closure to traffic of the lower promenade. This meants that it didnt feel as crowded as last year. I think it was a great idea that the cafe could extend out onto the road with tables outside. I just hope the council can continue to support the event. Traffic wasnt bad either which was a great bonus. And i havent even mentioned the flying

[BossMann]

Dear Melvyn & the Cleethorpes team

Just returned from a very busy day at Cleethorpes.

Firstly, a massive congratulations on managing to get an Airshow to Cleethorpes. Cleethorpes seafront is an excellent venue and a lovely beach for an air display especially in the sun (which was plentiful today!) , but the following things let the show down:

1. Car parking – was a nightmare with all traffic on the A16 being directed to the ‘official’ authority car parks at the boating lake & at Meridian park which were full and the attendants saying that ‘there were too many cars for the number of places’ and they couldn’t direct us to any other parking instead telling us to find a road somewhere with no yellow lines and park! An event of this size really needs some decent car parking arrangements such as a park and ride like at Bournemouth and Eastbourne, or the electronic traffic boards on the A16 should at least say that the local authority car parks are full and should direct us to alternatives, if any, which today there were not. Where did the council expect everyone to go? This traffic and parking chaos meant that whilst we were at Cleethorpes by 1030, it took us 1.5 hours to find a place to park and this meant that we ( and everyone else on the roads hunting for car parking ) missed the Red Arrows, the Nimrod/ Hurricane duo and saw the Gnats and the Gyrocopter from the car park and Sally B on the way to the beach. We eventually parked at Pleasure Island for £3 for the whole day. Had I known that they were providing event day special parking we would have gone there directly rather than being turned away from all the authority car parks. I was told that the Boating lake car park was full by 945am!

2. Once on the beach, it was packed and the atmosphere was great. We were amongst the huge crowds by the leisure centre end of the beach, but unfortunately there was no PA system around the leisure centre area so we could not hear the commentary, which I am sure was great. Having a PA system round the leisure centre end of the beach would be a good idea next year because then the vast amount of public in this area can at least know what is coming next and hear Melvyn’s commentary. More speakers on the beachfront itself (rather than the road behind) would be good too.

3. The flying displays were good especially the Vulcan ( which consisted of a couple of flybys/ power wing overs and the power climb spiral) and the RAF Typhoon but the gaps between the displays meant that the show felt a bit disjointed and spaced out, especially with no commentary! The longest gap was about 45mins between the BBMF Hurricane and the RAF Typhoon which is a bit too long. This is in direct comparison to Eastbourne/ Clacton/ Bournemouth/ Sunderland where the air displays are very slick and as soon as one display has finished the next is starting. Perhaps this is an area that could be worked on for next year? Especially with the ‘loss’ of some items like the Belgian A109 for whatever reasons. Would be nice to have more team displays at Cleethorpes like the AeroStars / Matadors/ SWIP team. Would be nice to have some foreign stuff next year too please.

4. Toilets – not enough and especially for the Ladies


All in all, I think that the Cleethorpes Airshow has a lot of scope ( especially as it is an excellent venue ), but needs to sort out the car parking/ PA system/ Toilet issue and have a more slick flying display and you are on to a winner.

The huge crowds today show that the event is certainly popular but also show how the council really mis-judged things in terms of parking and traffic management.

Best of luck with the show in 2014.

[Ledhead27]

Went today with my girlfriend and family and thought itbwas quite a promisig show. The bad weather managed to hold off until after thr show amd I think the layout of the stalls was a vast improvement on last year. Melvyn and the team did a great commentary job, certainly appealing to "joe public" by providing concise and clear info. The display was also very good, with the B17 and Typhoon being highlights for me, and was also nice to see Vulcan perform a short display rather just the single flypast mentioned previous.

There were one or two rough edges, in particular the lack of parking facilities near the display area, which meant we soent a good 20 mins searching for a parking spot on a back road, meaning we missed the Reds display. The lack of signage and clear instructions was also irritating, with no other parking solutions apparent. All in all though a good littke air show and one that shows particular promise in future years, particularly if drawing crowds like this year of 200, 000 on a single day.

[melvyn hiscock]

Went today with my girlfriend and family and thought itbwas quite a promisig show. The bad weather managed to hold off until after thr show amd I think the layout of the stalls was a vast improvement on last year. Melvyn and the team did a great commentary job, certainly appealing to "joe public" by providing concise and clear info. The display was also very good, with the B17 and Typhoon being highlights for me, and was also nice to see Vulcan perform a short display rather just the single flypast mentioned previous.

Thanks for the nice comments, I do try to find the middle ground.

There were one or two rough edges, in particular the lack of parking facilities near the display area, which meant we soent a good 20 mins searching for a parking spot on a back road, meaning we missed the Reds display. The lack of signage and clear instructions was also irritating, with no other parking solutions apparent. All in all though a good littke air show and one that shows particular promise in future years, particularly if drawing crowds like this year of 200, 000 on a single day.

All of that is taken aboard and will be conveyed to the team on the ground. The parking is something that needs to be addressed. Last year there was a park and ride that was not used but I understand it was not that well publicised either. It also has to be said that we have been amazed, both years, with the size of the crowd. The numbers are pretty incredible and without knowing how many people we are getting makes it hard for the team on the ground to respond.

[melvyn hiscock]

Dear Melvyn & the Cleethorpes team

Just returned from a very busy day at Cleethorpes.

Firstly, a massive congratulations on managing to get an Airshow to Cleethorpes.
[quote/] Thanks, not down to me but down to the team on the ground at Cleethorpes. They worked their nuts off!

Cleethorpes seafront is an excellent venue and a lovely beach for an air display especially in the sun (which was plentiful today!) , but the following things let the show down:

1. Car parking –

Understood. To explain, I am part of the airside. We do the show and commentary but we have a very good relationship with the team at Cleethorpes that are responsible for this. Part of the problem is the numbers, that were not expected. Hoped for (obviously) but planning for people that do not turn up costs money. Knowing how many to expect is half the battle. There was a park and ride last year and it was not used (see other post) but it is on the agenda for the wash up meetings.

2. Once on the beach, it was packed and the atmosphere was great. We were amongst the huge crowds by the leisure centre end of the beach, but unfortunately there was no PA system around the leisure centre area so we could not hear the commentary, which I am sure was great. Having a PA system round the leisure centre end of the beach would be a good idea next year because then the vast amount of public in this area can at least know what is coming next and hear Melvyn’s commentary. More speakers on the beachfront itself (rather than the road behind) would be good too.

This is one of those ones that is good to hear. The sound system this year was twice as long as last years and we were talking on Sunday night (in the Kingsway Hotel) about extending it the other side of the pier. To go towards the leisure centre is another thing and I agree. Speaker position is never going to please evertone. We are already talking about making next year better. However, just as an exercise, go onto google maps and estimate the distance from the slipway to the leisure centre. It is a long way. Think of how many speakers are needed, and cabling, and masts, and maintenence........

3. The flying displays were good especially the Vulcan ( which consisted of a couple of flybys/ power wing overs and the power climb spiral) and the RAF Typhoon but the gaps between the displays meant that the show felt a bit disjointed and spaced out, especially with no commentary! The longest gap was about 45mins between the BBMF Hurricane and the RAF Typhoon which is a bit too long. This is in direct comparison to Eastbourne/ Clacton/ Bournemouth/ Sunderland where the air displays are very slick and as soon as one display has finished the next is starting. Perhaps this is an area that could be worked on for next year? Especially with the ‘loss’ of some items like the Belgian A109 for whatever reasons. Would be nice to have more team displays at Cleethorpes like the AeroStars / Matadors/ SWIP team. Would be nice to have some foreign stuff next year too please.

Well, if you had been where there were speakers you would have heard the explanations. We tried to keep everyone informed. Your points about speakers position and the car parking that led you there being noted above. However, this is a free show and whilst this is not an excuse for a shoddy performance, it must be remembered that we can only work within a budget and that weather is also a factor. A display with acts being one after the other from 11:30 until 17:00 needs more budget than we had to work with. There was a lunch break built in but the previous day's weather, one act needing to be somewhere we were not aware of, a couple of cancellations (tech on the Chipmunk and the BBMF Spitfire) and were were rather stuck.

The Belgian A109 was not a loss. As far as I can tell it was not booked and it was just a series of misunderstandings. We had asked if the F16 was available if we didn't get the Typhoon but the A109 was a never on the flypro.

As regards teams and more items.... Budget. Team displays would be nice but a team means people, and people mean hotel rooms... and ground crew hotel rooms. The scarcity of available rooms in Cleethropes meant that I spent Friday night with one of the organisers. Not ideal but a wonderful couple. To bring in three teams means two or there nights in hotels for pilots and groundcrews which actually costs more than the display aircraft. Incidentally, I didn't get a room on Sunday night either and drove home to the south coast. All down to budget.

4. Toilets – not enough and especially for the Ladies

heard and understood. Toilets were booked for the crowd exepected, not those that turned up. Lesson learned.

All in all, I think that the Cleethorpes Airshow has a lot of scope ( especially as it is an excellent venue ), but needs to sort out the car parking/ PA system/ Toilet issue and have a more slick flying display and you are on to a winner.

Ok, points all take on board but here are a few to think about.

It is a free show. That is also not an excuse for a shoddy performance but it IS an economic fact. The show relies on sponsorship and donations. With more money you can have a four hour show with no gaps. We were putting appeals out for sponsors for next year as part of the commentary all day. You are right, it is a great venue. Toilets and PA are also down to budget. Remember it matters not a flying f*rt if 200,00 people turn up and no one buys a programme or puts their hands in their pocket or spends any money then it is just someone losing money. If it is a good show then sling some money in the bucket (I am not suggesting that you, as an individual, did not, or even that were buckets but I am sure you get my point). Car parking needs to be sorted but, again, BUDGET, it costs money to hire a field, run buses and to man them.

Please remember also that we have to pay for a lot of things the average airshow goer will not see.

The huge crowds today show that the event is certainly popular but also show how the council really mis-judged things in terms of parking and traffic management.

Best of luck with the show in 2014.

Thanks. However,the show was supported by the council but they were not part of it. The size of the show and the numbers of people that attended took everyone by surprise. We did what we could within the budget. The parking can be dealt with by better liaison with the council who need to be involved, the PA is dependent on money and this comes from sponsorship, the same is the case for the airshow acts.

The show needs the support of the local people and the local council but that cannot be just lip service. There is clearly a ready audience for a good show and for that show to happen it needs to be sponsored.

So, write to the council and tell them that you enjoyed it but that you need a park and ride.

And think of people that might sponsor

Oh, and one last personal note.

Thanks to everyone that came on Saturday and were so good at accepting the sea fog was nothing we could change. It was a nice feeling to know we had so many people that were behind us as we wanted to give them a good show but mother nature stepped in.

Melvyn Hiscock

[melvyn hiscock]

And, by the way, those that commented on here and were there COULD have come and said hello, I don't bite

[Roco]

And, by the way, those that commented on here and were there COULD have come and said hello, I don't bite

Good show Melvyn.

I echo the points about toilets and parking. Park and ride is a must. Also it would be good to try to reduce the time gaps between displays.

Oh and try to get the info on the website early and keep people informed/updated.

Look forward to see what you can bring next year with great anticipation. Some good suprises would go down a treat with the massive numbers attending.

[melvyn hiscock]

The comments about parking and the toilets have been passed back to those organising the whole show. As regards gaps in the show, as I said last night, more budget will get more acts but more budget requires more sponsors.

The gap in the afternoon was very unfortunate as we had factored in a lunch break but weather around the country and other commitments meant that one act was moved into the lunchbreak and we lost, effectively, two acts (that is 20 minutes display time) when the Spitfire and Chipmunk went unserviceable. Basically, the lunchbreak moved!

The flying team were very aware of this but there was not a lot we could do at that late stage. Work is already underway on next year's show and all of the comments will be addressed.

The website issues will also be addressed, there were problems and simply not enough people with time to spare to deal with them.

We did pick up a couple of volunteers for next year's show, which was good.