The Victory Show 2017

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Dan O'Hagan
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Joined: Wed 13 Apr 2016, 6:05 pm

Re: The Victory Show 2017

Post by Dan O'Hagan »

Barry Tempest on Facebook:

Barry Tempest
As you will see these major regional air shows have had to be cancelled as far as the flying display is concerned on the weekend.

I spoke to one of the disappointed participants today, Saturday, and this is what he told me.

The application was made months ago in accordance with the required time scale laid down by the CAA in CAP403. Despite this being done the actual permission was granted on Thursday 7th September for a show on the 8th/9th/10th September. A mere single day before the start of the event on the Friday. The prescribed display area was seen to be unflyable for the majority of the aircraft scheduled to take part. These types had been specified in the application. A Spitfire aircrafr flew a practice display over the site and found it impossible to keep within the boundary specified and also to avoid overflying several additional areas deemed by the CAA to be avoided.

The reaction of the CAA GA Unit when informed by the FDD was to suggest cancelling the show if it was not posible to comply with the prescribed conditions.

After considerable deliberation by the EO and FDD the decision was made, with great regret, to cancel the flying element for the 9th and 10th September. They really had no choice but to do so.

This show had been widely advertised locally and nationally and a large number of advance tickets had been sold to the public, many of whom will have made arrangements to travel long distances with possible hotel accomodation in addition. The organisers are left with a huge shortfall in receipts and the enormous task of refunding all the buyers of advance tickets.

All because the CAA GA Unit have failed to do what the Head of that Unit said they would do. To commence processing each application on receipt and not wait until the last minute before starting work. This failing has been endemic within the GA Unit for decades and has been brought to the attention of the CAA on numerous occasions to my personal knowledge. There are always last minute applictions but these should only be processed after those that had been submmitted in accordance with the prescribed timescale. For an EO and FDD to comply with the requirement for early submission of an application for the required permission and yet get treated in this way is utterly intolerable.

Frankly, if I was the EO I would seriouly consider sueing the CAA for their late production of the required permission and to recover both their unrecoverable costs and also for damages to the show's reputation that has been built up over very many years as being a safe and entertaining event at essentially the same venue.

No doubt this affair and the ramifications will come up at the BADA Business Day in October and probably at the BADA/CAA/MAA post-season symposium in November.

Barry Tempest FRAeS
Armageddon Associates

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speedbird2639
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Re: The Victory Show 2017

Post by speedbird2639 »

I think the time has clearly come for the CAA to stick to their core business of regulating commercial airlines and pilots and the responsibility for regulating airshows to be handed over to a new organisation staffed by people who have an understanding of the industry and the pressures involved.

The actions of the CAA seen this weekend is clearly that of some random bloke with some sort of 'small man syndrome' strutting about and giving his Napoleon complex an airing. To stipulate that you can't fly over an 110 acres golf course which, even if being utilised to its maximum, would probably have less than 300 people using it is just crackers.

I used to think that the people who referred to the CAA as the 'Campaign Against Airshows' were being a bit childish but to be honest there is no other way to interpret this weekends bout of ridiculousness.

Witchcraft24
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Re: The Victory Show 2017

Post by Witchcraft24 »

Late permissions have been an issue all season (and indeed in 2016) and I would agree with Barry Tempest that the circumstances Cosby appeared to find themselves in is unacceptable, especially as it is hardly a new venue.

I don't however subscribe to the view that the CAA is deliberately trying to close down airshows. The fallout from Shoreham regarding secondary crowd and uninvolved third party appears to still being worked through. Hopefully, possibly as a result of discussions at the BADA symposiums, there will be no repeat of this kind of late decision making in 2018.

rob68
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Re: The Victory Show 2017

Post by rob68 »

Why was the display line etc only reviewed the week before the show, shouldn't it have been checked months ago?

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Dan O'Hagan
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Re: The Victory Show 2017

Post by Dan O'Hagan »

rob68 wrote:Why was the display line etc only reviewed the week before the show, shouldn't it have been checked months ago?


Down to the CAA. They had all the paperwork about the display line months in advance. Quite why it took them until literally hours before gates opened is something only they can answer.

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LN Strike Eagle
UKAR Staff
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Re: The Victory Show 2017

Post by LN Strike Eagle »

The CAA issuing late permissions is nothing new - I was talking to a display pilot that had a show appearance cancelled at only six hours notice in the immediate aftermath of Shoreham.

It is only a matter of time until someone sues the CAA for loss of earnings.
"You really are an oafish philistine at times!"

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Wrexham Mackem
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Re: The Victory Show 2017

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

LN Strike Eagle wrote:It is only a matter of time until someone sues the CAA for loss of earnings.


Quite rightly too.

I expect - and hope - that the airshow industry can do something collectively via BADA. Its the very least I would expect the trade body to do.

johncas
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Joined: Sat 09 Sep 2017, 8:44 pm

Re: The Victory Show 2017

Post by johncas »

You only need to look at google maps there is so mutch built up areas the moment you take off your over housing main railway line and station to north m1 motorway on your right and industrial estate 2 golf courses the only open countryside is to your right of the runway but there are the woods there which would obstruct view and a shame we did not know the display was cancelled until we had paid to get in full price and heard it announced on the tannoy still a great show on the ground and I dressed up so would have gone anyway but the authorities should have said you cant do the air display days beforehand so punters can decide if they go or not