iainpeden wrote:A few thoughts on the discussion.
First, without seeing the accounts, nobody on here can actually confirm that the tickets for the shows are a rip-off.
Duxford and the IWM have to run, to some extent, as a business and all their associated costs -insurance, marshalling, road signage, aviation fuel, displaying a/c fees etc will have to be paid for. The airshows are probably a main source of income which allows the museum to stay open throughout the winter when the only visitor is Penpusher.
The car park fee is an additional ticket fee - but put a family of four, or four enthusiasts, into a car and that costs drops dramatically.
You can't see the ticket cost as only for the flying - for many it's a once a year trip to the whole Duxford experience. I have a number of friends with children who go to the airshow maybe once every 2 or 3 years and see the flying as part of the day out rather than the whole. Maybe it's the enthusiasts who visit a few times a year who grumble about the "short" flying display.
I do agree that the flight line walk fee is not justifiable - but again, there is obviously a demand and the place needs to run. I remember in the dim and distant past when the majority of the a/c were outside and the museum wa sshut over the winter. It's turned into an active, world class aviation heritage centre and those of us who live near enough to visit on a fairly regular basis are the envy of enthusiasts around the world.
Just be careful what you wish for because in this day and age nothing is sacrosanct and I don't want the the shows to go the way of Mildenhall, Finningly etc and the museum become just that with lots of lovely exhibits but no "life".
The first entirely sensible and rational post on this subject for some time.