Dan O'Hagan wrote:Presumably, given how quick UKAR is these days to spread positive PR releases at DBH's behest a request is already in with Andy Armstrong for a full and frank interview covering quite how he and his staff got Scampton so badly wrong first time out that they're not willing to try again?
It's easy to post the good news, but UKAR has always stepped up to ask the difficult questions too. One hopes that is still the case.
Good luck with this Dan – it would be great to get answers from the organisers about ‘how they got it wrong’ and what their actual plan is regarding returning with another show in 2019?
We are all supporters of RIAT/ Waddington and wanted the Scampton show to be a worthy successor of Waddington/Leuchars but we were all worried about the following right from the start:
1. Clash with Sanicole – this proved to take virtually every foreign display away from Scampton
2. Overpriced tickets – who, why and how was it decided on £39 for a 5 hour flying display
3. 5 hour flying display versus 7 for Waddington versus 8 for RIAT for the price of a RIAT ticket
4. The poor flying display content which we now know failed to attract the public (the target ‘family’ audience for this show), it could not attract the foreign military but even the UK RAF Tutor/ Chinook, Army Apache/Red Devils, Navy Raiders stayed away
5. Why the P&R from Lincolnshire showground was used versus farmers fields surrounding Scampton
6. Why RAFCTE were failing to engage with us on forums such as this for Scampton but continuing to engage on the RIAT threads
We had all expressed our concerns on here but the RAFCTE for the first time failed to engage with us. We were all expecting some foreign aircraft displays list to be announced post RIAT but all we got was a gyrocopter, anson and Pembroke.
This show was upstaged by Yeovilton, Biggin Hill, Dunsfold and Cosford which were all cheaper and boasted much better and longer flying displays. Even Cleethorpes Armed forces day managed a 3 hour flying display for free.
Waddington and Leuchars both managed to co-exist with RIAT and both had excellent flying displays in recent years - Waddington 2012 comes to mind with the Black Eagles debut, which had massive foreign participation and was on par with RIAT. Therefore what is the problem with Scampton?
If RAFCTE charge RIAT prices then they should deliver a ‘RIAT North’ which is clearly what we and joe public wanted, the family oriented scampton show failed for whatever reason.
With the experience and contacts they have I was a little disappointed at the lack of foreign flying participation at Scampton. I had always thought it as the Red Arrows home base would have been like other shows at the home bases of Frecce Tricolori/ Patrouille de France/ Patrulla Aguila, i.e. an aerobatic team meet with other fast jet/ helicopter displays added in.....
Lots of us on UKAR decided to go to Sanicole and were not disappointed, those that had committed themselves to Scampton supported the show (myself included) and agreed that the P&R was great and that the show had great potential but needed a better and longer flying display. On the Sunday it did seem very empty where we were standing. But the post show PR hailed the show as ‘huge success’ ??
I had even suggested a ‘FRIAT style Scampton Airshow forum’ so that we could engage directly with the organisers and help them make it a success.
I do hope the event will come back in 2019 for the Red Arrows 55th Anniversary, but clearly they got their model/ business plan wrong this year, I hope that this can be overcome for the show to be a success that it deserves to be.