Private Custard wrote:The simple facts are these,
Duxford had a massive crowd inside, so they got their money.
The school was packed, so they got a healthy cash injection to put towards the kids' school trips/library/playground equipment.
The police were generally ignored, they can't do anything legally anyway.
We got better photos.
I honestly don't care if a Mustang lands on my head!
The farmers don't seem to care, so that's that really.
So if a pilot was in difficulty and needed to ditch his plane before baling out but saw you and stayed in to avoid killing you and died as a consequence you would feel okay about that then? Or alternatively if said pilot baled out and the mustang hit you on the head how would that pilot feel for the rest of his life wondering if he could have done something to avoid you - he probably has far more conscience than you after all!
You've probably got well in excess of £2.5k worth of gear yet refuse to buy a ticket for about £25 to support the event which is providing the photo opportunities that you are convinced are so much better - although I believe that is just an excuse to justify not paying, I've seen excellent photos taken inside and with the flightline walk, taxiing shots and picking the right location there is far more variety.
As has been said previously, the land owners and or display organisers need to show that they have taken reasonable precautions and I guess that legal advice has told them that their actions are sufficient.
One point which has never been bottomed out though - who actually puts up the fences, Duxford's contractors or the farmer/land owner? Also I am surprised that the farmer who owns or leases the mound area seems happy to have people there as he is condoning their presence and that probably does not fall within the 'reasonable precautions' remit. If he asks people to move and they politely tell his to sod off then he could probably argue that he has made a reasonable effort but some comments previously have suggested he's quite happy with the situation.