Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Discuss airshows and other aviation events at the Imperial War Museum
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Airshowhammer

Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by Airshowhammer »

Worst airshow i've ever been without a shadow of a doubt.

I.Winfield
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by I.Winfield »

Where are they now parking those who arrive early, if not between LWH and AAM?
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by UKTopgun »

I.Winfield wrote:Where are they now parking those who arrive early, if not between LWH and AAM?

The field to the north of the LWF, once that is full the one directly across the A505 it seems

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neilos
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by neilos »

I.Winfield wrote:Where are they now parking those who arrive early, if not between LWH and AAM?


6 or so rows get parked between the tank bank and basically, the hedge!

Then they were parking on the section where you drive in and queue up at the kiosks!

Whoever had the bright idea for changing parking, seriously needs to take a good look at changing it back for Legends. If they keep to this parking arrangement, Legends will be chaos.

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BrawlerO
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by BrawlerO »

Glad I gave this one a miss...

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BMrider
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by BMrider »

Airshowhammer wrote:Worst airshow i've ever been without a shadow of a doubt.


Agree :sad:

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phreakf4
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by phreakf4 »

BrawlerO wrote:Glad I gave this one a miss...


I'm glad I didn't.

Because I was with a disabled person (confined to a wheelchair) and am myself of severely limited mobility due to being on crutches following serious surgery (the disabled person's husband was essentially bribed to drive us to the show) we were delighted to be able to park in this new "Disabled Car Park". Going by the comments from other disabled persons arriving around us, so were they.

Whether as a consequence of low attendance or because of the new parking system I can not say but that was by far the easiest exit from Duxford that I can ever remember and I have been attending air shows there back to the times of Ormond Haydon-Baillie and co, so about 40-50 years.

Final (and probably controversial) point. Looking around at the rest of the spectators (though from a limited viewpoint as since I can not, as yet, walk very far and was therefore limited to staying in the Premium Members' Enclosure for most of the day), a bit more walking would be a good idea for some in the hobby.

On top of that I enjoyed the show, not least because it was the first I have been able to attend since last October.

Also just had the bad news that due to family commitments, my friend will not be available to drive me to the Daks Over Duxford event to which I had been looking forward with eager anticipation for months. So perhaps be a little less entitled and willing to make a little more effort to walk a bit further to enjoy (?) the hobby. One day it may be you who needs disabled/special access parking.....

Flak jacket and steel helmet duly donned....
Last edited by phreakf4 on Sun 26 May 2019, 5:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....

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st24
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by st24 »

Airshowhammer wrote:Worst airshow i've ever been without a shadow of a doubt.

And you made that decision even before the flying started, i.e. the airshow ??! :confused:
You caaan't trust the system... Maaan!

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phreakf4
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by phreakf4 »

BMrider wrote:
Airshowhammer wrote:Worst airshow i've ever been without a shadow of a doubt.


Agree :sad:


Obviously didn't attend any amongst the Humberside Air Show in about 1996 or the farcical Blackbushe Air Festival of recent times or even the Farnborough public days from 2016 or 2018 then.....
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by Thoughtful_Flyer »

phreakf4 wrote:
BrawlerO wrote:Glad I gave this one a miss...


I'm glad I didn't.

Because I was with a disabled person (confined to a wheelchair) and am myself of severely limited mobility due to being on crutches following serious surgery (the disabled person's husband was essentially bribed to drive us to the show) we were delighted to be able to park in this new "Disabled Car Park". Going by the comments from other disabled persons arriving around us, so were they.

Whether as a consequence of low attendance or because of the new parking system I can not say but that was by far the easiest exit from Duxford that I can ever remember and I have been attending air shows there back to the times of Ormond Haydon-Baillie and co, so about 40-50 years.

Final (and probably controversial) point. Looking around at the rest of the spectators (though from a limited viewpoint as since I can not, as yet, walk very far and was therefore limited to staying in the Premium Members' Enclosure for most of the day), a bit more walking would be a good idea for some in the hobby.

On top of that I enjoyed the show, not least because it was the first I have been able to attend since last October.

Also just had the bad news that due to family commitments, my friend will not be available to drive me to the Daks Over Duxford event to which I had been looking forward with eager anticipation for months. So perhaps be a little less entitled and willing to make a little more effort to walk a bit further to enjoy (?) the hobby. One day it may be you who needs disabled/special access parking.....


The best post I have read on here for a very long while!

Airshowhammer

Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by Airshowhammer »

phreakf4 wrote:
BMrider wrote:
Airshowhammer wrote:Worst airshow i've ever been without a shadow of a doubt.


Agree :sad:


Obviously didn't attend any amongst the Humberside Air Show in about 1996 or the farcical Blackbushe Air Festival of recent times or even the Farnborough public days from 2016 or 2018 then.....


Well no, hence why i've chose this :wink:

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by UKAirshowTour »

It wasn’t a Duxford classic but I never expected it to be but the flying was great I thought I really had a good day yesterday. However if I had of prebooked the Flightline walk and saw the giant gaps on the line in the morning I would have been annoyed

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by Witchcraft24 »

What is the Bader Bus Company Display like?

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by UKAirshowTour »

Witchcraft24 wrote:What is the Bader Bus Company Display like?

Gentle with some nice formation flying. More about promoting disabled flying but a welcome display

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BrawlerO
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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by BrawlerO »

phreakf4 wrote:
BrawlerO wrote:Glad I gave this one a miss...


I'm glad I didn't.

Because I was with a disabled person (confined to a wheelchair) and am myself of severely limited mobility due to being on crutches following serious surgery (the disabled person's husband was essentially bribed to drive us to the show) we were delighted to be able to park in this new "Disabled Car Park". Going by the comments from other disabled persons arriving around us, so were they.

Whether as a consequence of low attendance or because of the new parking system I can not say but that was by far the easiest exit from Duxford that I can ever remember and I have been attending air shows there back to the times of Ormond Haydon-Baillie and co, so about 40-50 years.

Final (and probably controversial) point. Looking around at the rest of the spectators (though from a limited viewpoint as since I can not, as yet, walk very far and was therefore limited to staying in the Premium Members' Enclosure for most of the day), a bit more walking would be a good idea for some in the hobby.

On top of that I enjoyed the show, not least because it was the first I have been able to attend since last October.

Also just had the bad news that due to family commitments, my friend will not be available to drive me to the Daks Over Duxford event to which I had been looking forward with eager anticipation for months. So perhaps be a little less entitled and willing to make a little more effort to walk a bit further to enjoy (?) the hobby. One day it may be you who needs disabled/special access parking.....

Flak jacket and steel helmet duly donned....


Glad you had a good day but I’m not sure why you felt the need to quote me? As someone that was considering going (and didn’t) I was simply responding to the fact that people were posting about yet more Duxford traffic issues and “worst airshow ever”. I’m reasonably fit and quite happy to walk wherever I need to. Whereas my Mum, who was in a wheelchair because of Multiple Sclerosis but died recently, also had an enjoyable day at Duxford due to excellent provision for those with mobility issues and I personally hope that will continue.

Airshowhammer

Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by Airshowhammer »

st24 wrote:
Airshowhammer wrote:Worst airshow i've ever been without a shadow of a doubt.

And you made that decision even before the flying started, i.e. the airshow ??! :confused:


Before it even started? I said it just after the Typhoon display walking down from the grandstand. Stop trying to be quick to jump to correct everyone's opinion. Some of the reasons were not even the fault of IWM. I went to the back of the grandstand and was told to sit even though there was no one behind me at all because I was at the top and the reason I did stand up because the person sat next to me took up two seats and I also did not want to hit my lens on anyones head. A few other enthusiasts were quite annoyed with this also. I overheard someone ranting at a member of staff about disabled parking but i'm not sure what that was about and a few other altercation's (never mind these things happens but it set the tone a little bit) I had a wander around and there were so many things that seemed so off. I saw the PR team off the camera and they all looked like they didn't want to be there (The way they were praising this show I thought that they'd interested in what's flying, nope all head in hands on phones. The majority of the crowd all appeared to be loads of the 'omg thats awesome' hipsters/millenials from London when a Tutor would go by...it all had a very plastic feel to it (I have no issue with this btw i'm all for new people experiencing the show, it just did not feel like being at an airshow, it felt more like being at a talent show)

It was my cameras first outing today and it didn't go according to plan, it set off a manic episode and I did feel trapped being surrounded by so many people (first time this has happened at any show so was kinda gutted) panicked and got the first shuttle bus home just after the Apache. Weather was awful coldest and most windy in a long time. F15's were cool, was a tad underwhelmed by the fly past though I thought they'd be all together. Chinook was impressive. Typhoon wins the award for shortest demonstration, vapour looked great though. Seeing all the warbirds tucked away was a depressing sight, the line up was very weak and I won't be going any Duxford airshows in the near future unless they make some big changes, which is unlikely, as long as they're raking in the cash it'll continue to stay like this. It feels like whoever is organising the Duxford shows are really detached from the airshow community.

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by MiG_Eater »

I really enjoyed today.

After initially freaking out about being parked at the far Western end, I found it was actually a decent place to watch from. A bit of extra walking is never a bad idea with the traditional airshow over-indulgence in picnic food either... After a good look around all the stalls and a few interesting chats, followed by a perfectly decent flying display i'm very happy. A great 3 days at Duxford!

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by phreakf4 »

BrawlerO, nothing personal intended, I was responding more to the "worst airshow ever" and "why did they change the parking" comments.

I stand by my other comments, however.
nothing is confirmed at a show until its u/c hits the tarmac or it is running in for its display.....

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by rockfordstone »

Having done the 2 days, and the Friday afternoon, i'm 50/50 on it.

the line up was pretty good. A classic? No. But we had a typhoon, chinook, apache, breitling display, strikemaster pair so can't really complain too much. the flying as usual was top notch, especially given the weather today.

the parking system seemed odd to me. yesterday i got onto the land warfare area, today i was parked over the bridge in the old officers side of the road. that said, i had no problems getting in or out either day.

outside of the flying, there was a good selection of stalls, but inside the airspace hangar and other hangars the activities seemed really lacking in comparison to other shows. The RAF and Army tents seemed to be just dumped outside airspace with no real thought.

i'm not sure if they have new organisers, but something just felt off with the whole thing.

i don't regret going at all, but something was missing.

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by rockfordstone »

Witchcraft24 wrote:What is the Bader Bus Company Display like?

i quite liked it to be fair. a great cause and a nice neat display.

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by Abbo46 »

Despite the weather, had a decent day today but as said previously, felt as if something was lacking. F-15s were a welcome sight, shame they weren't a little closer to the warbirds but still, lovely to see them!

Packed up and left before the end, Breitling Team elsewhere and of course, we've got the mass Spitfire finale in September to look forward to. :up:

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by rockfordstone »

Abbo46 wrote:Despite the weather, had a decent day today but as said previously, felt as if something was lacking. F-15s were a welcome sight, shame they weren't a little closer to the warbirds but still, lovely to see them!

Packed up and left before the end, Breitling Team elsewhere and of course, we've got the mass Spitfire finale in September to look forward to. :up:

the rain almost made me pack up early, which is a thought i don't often have, but i wasn't as hyped for this one.
i did stay tho

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by 197cup »

My dad and I really enjoyed today, a good variety of aircraft which flew entertaining displays. It was also Great to see the Meteor up close which is such a rarity these days. The Breitling Jet Team were very good and I’m now actually looking forward to seeing them at riat. Strike masters, Typhoon and Strike Eagles brought the noise with lots of vapour pouring of the Typhoon.
Super easy to get to and in the show and the same to get home.

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by Milguy22 »

This year I decided to take my (almost) 12 year old brother to his first air show. From the moment we got in the car he was so excited, he had never been to one before so I chose Duxford as a good starting point.

Throughout the day he absolutely loved it, the weather helped on Saturday. I've never seen someone so enthusiastic about the wingwalkers or a spitfire. Traffic not an issue getting in or out. Great day out! Thank you Duxford, and my brother's words when we left were " when is the next one, that was amazing". I didn't bother taking my camera on Saturday as it was a day for him, but I thoroughly enjoyed just watching it all and taking it in. Overall a great weekend.

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Re: Duxford Air Festival 25th - 26th May 2019

Post by Ryan. »

I've done my fair share of knocking this airshow and was it the best Duxford I've been to, no. Not by a long, long shot. Speaking to the director of IWM Duxford, they are taking a different approach to the Air Festival. They are trying to attract families. After speaking with him, I do somewhat understand the approach, Duxford have three airshows is it ok that one of them isn't aimed at me? It's a little sad as I've always looked forward to the Spring airshow as its normally the first major airshow of the year for me. I used to attend without fail and maybe now it's more a case of seeing what's booked before deciding. The approach isn't going to change. They felt the show had everything a family would want to see and are looking at other activities around the show to attract different people. I think they understand that this isn't going to be amazingly popular with enthusiasts but feel they need to change approach to attract a different audience to Duxford.

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