Grange Rd Duxford fences and closure notice - pics attached

[MicrolightDriver]

I suppose there'll always be an element who climb up on their 'high horses' and assert their divine right to stand around waving a camera in a field of their choice.


In the current situation however, with the damaging perceptions and criticisms that behaviour will generate for our hobby, I think anyone doing that is going to have a very difficult time presenting themselves in the future as an 'enthusiast'.

In my view they'll have an even more difficult time passing themselves off a supporter of our airshow scene.

Set an example - buy a ticket, go into the show ground and enjoy your day.

[paullangford]

How are these people able to get to the naughty field ? As fences have been put up to stop people getting in ! Where are the police ? If the show gets stopped because of people being in that field, I will be very angry !

1) Grange Road was open as it should be
2) One of the Gates was open to the field
3) The notice only applies for the weekend
4) I do hope nobody is going to try to re-enact the scene out of The Great Escape as Steve McQueen, & try to jump the fence tomorrow on a motorbike to spoil your day

[speedbird2639]

Every year the same old propaganda ,its going to be stopped if people are in the field ,,,, maybe if there were a few thousand but not for a hundred or so.

But this time it is less than a year since 11 people who were nothing to do with an airshow were killed by an aircraft crashing onto a public road - that together with the new CAA rules and the rabid tabloid press waiting for the next opportunity to print scaremongering story may tip the balance.

[andygolfer]

I was there all day today and did keep an eye on Grange Road. There were a couple of large vans by 2 gateway s for a while and two or three people were on the field side of the gateway at one point, there also (although it's quite a distance) a group of about 3 or 4 by another gateway later on. I did not see anybody actually on the fields watching the aircraft but had there been anybody there they would now be well and truly treated for blight, bugs and any other crop diseases as there were operatives on tractors spraying the crops for most of the afternoon.

Grange road was apparently open as I saw a couple of vehicles moving along there but as the previous post (and my original posts) pointed out the closures are only for tomorrow and sunday so being on Grange road today be it on foot, horseback, amphibious vehicle, bicycle, van or car it would not be breaking any order. Let's wait and see what tomorrow brings before we get too excited.

I have to say many of the practice displays seemed further away and it was also noticeable that they were turning well short of the M11 so presumably pilots have been told to avoid flying over the M11 during displays. They were using runway 06 today i.e. towards the M11 so nothing came in low over it to land, take offs were very high by the time they reached the motorway such that if an engine failed they would have plenty of time to pick an emergency landing point without risk to motorists on the M11.

Bronco & Skyvan pair and Patrouille de France were both very good

Andy

[eddywinch82]

I have spent good money on a weekend ticket for this Airshow. I don't think it is unreasonable to say I will be angry so will other people. When I say stopped I don't mean briefly I mean completely for the day. I wouldn't be able to get a refund would I ? How would that be fair to me and others ? When others who won't pay to view the Airshow, cause the Airshow to be curtailed ?

[Pen Pusher]

I was in the seating area opposite the American Air Museum and that's the place to be now. I think the FOD enclosure for the weekend.

Brian

[Flyforfun]

Speedbird and eddy i agree, but how is it they can fly aircraft over a very built up area at Farnborough but not over a few people at Duxford ?

[parsley]

Speedbird and eddy i agree, but how is it they can fly aircraft over a very built up area at Farnborough but not over a few people at Duxford ?

I think it's because generally aerobatic parts of the displays aren't over the built up areas but over the airfield and then out to the west

[paullangford]

I was in the seating area opposite the American Air Museum and that's the place to be now. I think the FOD enclosure for the weekend.

Brian

Can I ask why Brian ?............is it a new centreline ?.............Is that the turning point ?...........or something else ?

[Pen Pusher]

Centre line is now the VC-10 and the aircraft were flying from the 06 end which the centre line is now closer to. The Pat de France ground crew were standing near the VC-10 having rigged up a temporary PA system for the people in that area.

There is a white line in the grass about 10ft or so from the crowd barriers running from about the American Air Museum and up past the Tank Bank and every few years are notices that say tens and wind breakers are to be placed behind the white line.

Brian

[keithjs]

I have spent good money on a weekend ticket for this Airshow. I don't think it is unreasonable to say I will be angry so will other people. When I say stopped I don't mean briefly I mean completely for the day. I wouldn't be able to get a refund would I ? How would that be fair to me and others ? When others who won't pay to view the Airshow, cause the Airshow to be curtailed ?

Just a thought...Surely it would be simpler to not even start the show until the field is clear? Giving those in it ample time during the run up to clear? Why stop half way through when people can be seen in it beforehand?
Anyway we shall see?

[eddywinch82]

Good point Keith I agree.

[paullangford]

I have spent good money on a weekend ticket for this Airshow. I don't think it is unreasonable to say I will be angry so will other people. When I say stopped I don't mean briefly I mean completely for the day. I wouldn't be able to get a refund would I ? How would that be fair to me and others ? When others who won't pay to view the Airshow, cause the Airshow to be curtailed ?

Just a thought...Surely it would be simpler to not even start the show until the field is clear? Giving those in it ample time during the run up to clear? Why stop half way through when people can be seen in it beforehand?
Anyway we shall see?

According to the notices on the first page of this post, you're not going to be allowed to walk onto the road that gets you to the fields to begin with,.....and it's a long road, nearly 4k.
I can only assume they'll be a police presence at the roadblocks either end.

[andygolfer]

Every year the same old propaganda ,its going to be stopped if people are in the field ,,,, maybe if there were a few thousand but not for a hundred or so.

yes we have heard that before but things have changed and I really don't think they will have any option but to stop if there are people (or maybe even a person) in the fields. There is a different type of notice (covering pedestrians) and a newly created physical barrier to keep people out. I just hope it doesn't happen for the sake of those who have paid out on tickets and for the organisers who have made so much effort to put on a show under the new conditions.

[Talldan76]

I'm not attending Duxford this weekend. I just hope that all the common sense prevails in those who would normally frequent the naughty field, and they choose not to this time round.

If the show gets stopped / cancelled due to encroachers then I can see the normal Joe Public airshow visitor being massively put off, and not returning to Duxford in the future - which will be another couple of nails in the airshow coffin...

[paullangford]

Centre line is now the VC-10 and the aircraft were flying from the 06 end which the centre line is now closer to. The Pat de France ground crew were standing near the VC-10 having rigged up a temporary PA system for the people in that area.

There is a white line in the grass about 10ft or so from the crowd barriers running from about the American Air Museum and up past the Tank Bank and every few years are notices that say tens and wind breakers are to be placed behind the white line.

Brian

Thanks

[Brevet Cable]

As those of you who are members of - or frequent - the FC forum may have seen , there's a claim on there that Duxford have temporarily rented the 'naughty field' for this weekend.
( http://www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=338&t=65654&start=160#p816109 )

[TKK 140]

If this is so, it finishes the debate? Maybe they need to rent it for the Friday too. If that's the case.
Hope everyone enjoys the weekend.

[Thoughtful_Flyer]

As those of you who are members of - or frequent - the FC forum may have seen , there's a claim on there that Duxford have temporarily rented the 'naughty field' for this weekend.
( http://www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=338&t=65654&start=160#p816109 )

If that is true then I would certainly applaud the move, one which I have been advocating on here for years!

For years they have been claiming it is dangerous to be on somebody else's land, over which they had no legal control, and then carried on regardless with significant numbers of people in the claimed "danger zone". Thus demonstrating that either they had a cavalier attitude to safety or the real motive was financial.

Maybe Shoreham has been the final straw but many of the problems are entirely of Duxford's making.

[paullangford]

As those of you who are members of - or frequent - the FC forum may have seen , there's a claim on there that Duxford have temporarily rented the 'naughty field' for this weekend.
( http://www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=338&t=65654&start=160#p816109 )

.......maybe that explains the parking fee

[Pen Pusher]

There are people on Grange Road but they are all wearing high-viz jackets.

Brian

[Trenchard]

Traffic is flowing freely in both directions on Hunts Lane - bit odd considering the closure notice. Foot path nine is closed with fences and a bored security man.

[Dan O'Hagan]

Footpath 9 closed by law, or just blocked by a hired goon? There's a difference. A "security man" has no legal authority to stop anyone. Basically he's just a bloke in hi-vis there to intimidate.

[Brevet Cable]

Wrong.

[Trenchard]

Footpath 9 closed by law, or just blocked by a hired goon? There's a difference. A "security man" has no legal authority to stop anyone. Basically he's just a bloke in hi-vis there to intimidate.

By the closure order at the start of the thread I assume - I can't however understand how you can selectively apply an order to one area and not the other