Scotland's National Airshow 2019 (East Fortune)

[Euan Buchan]

I still enjoyed being on The Concorde (my favourite) and The Comet. It was rather strange seeing Star Wars characters walking about. I’m glad despite the weather it stayed dry I don’t think I would have stayed long if it was wet all day.

[Alanko]

A bit of a shame, this. They've not had any luck for the past few years. 2017 was completely washed out (discounting a wobbly flypast from a Cub and an invisible Typhoon). Last year the lineup was curtailed extensively by weather, and same applied yesterday.

The hint of bad weather and all the historics disappear. Yesterday wasn't a strong lineup anyway, so seeing it thinned out to seven slots immediately was a bit of a downer. Watching the Met Office rainfall radar yesterday (as I did last year and the year before), you get thick bands of rain crossing the country. Even if the weather is good at East Fortune, the chances of everything being able to make it is slim. Perhaps the show should be moved back to June? We now have an odd patch of weather in July that tends to be very humid and hot. On a given day you can have dazzling sunshine, heavy rain and the threat of small thunderstorms breaking out.

Beyond that, I read that the Catalina misjudged the crowd line so was instructed to stop displaying pretty quickly, and the Typhoon didn't appear either. For Scotland's solitary airshow this year it was pretty poor.

[vintage ATCO]

The Typhoon tried but was unable to become visual at 1000ft. Did you not hear go overhead? I said 'we heard that', the pilot reply 'I hoped you would'.

[vandal]

The Typhoon tried but was unable to become visual at 1000ft. Did you not hear go overhead? I said 'we heard that', the pilot reply 'I hoped you would'.

We heard him, you'd have to have been deaf not to.

After he passed over, it sounded like he lit the burners, definitely got louder, but sadly faded away into the distance just as quickly.

[Euan Buchan]

Yeah heard it too I could see a lot of disappointing faces.

[Unknown74]

It's well seen that the Weather Gods just don't like the East Fortune Airshow!?!?…….

[Spiny Norman]

Disappointing weather – again! What are the chances of three disrupted years? It suffers/gains from being at same weekend as Sunderland as it shares flying displays but means they don’t get through if weather is guff.

As vandal says, it was the Edinburgh stuff that displayed, it would be good if more was based there.
The flying did take part was good. Certainly the closest I’ve seen the Catalina display…

Am I right in thinking that’s the second year with no flying from Archerfield included? They would have made it through the murk.

Fair play to the Typhoon for attempting to display but as for 2017 another blast through the murk and then a rapid and noisy departure. When the top of North Berwick Law started to disappear around 4.20 we thought it was game over.

In terms of crowds, it was obviously lower than last year judging by the car park space left, has there been any official figure?

[EGL]

Very disappointing day - added a few photos

[vintage ATCO]

We have not used Archerfield for a number of years, for various reasons. Edinburgh currently does not have Avgas (this may change) so aircraft requiring Avgas went to Cumbernauld. Although the rained stopped at East Fortune by midday it continued to rain at Cumbernauld associated with low cloud which precluded the aircraft there getting out. Some are still stuck there as of Monday afternoon!

[vandal]

Although the rained stopped at East Fortune by midday it continued to rain at Cumbernauld associated with low cloud which precluded the aircraft there getting out. Some are still stuck there as of Monday afternoon!

Would this explain why I saw a pair of Chipmunks in formation overhead North Berwick @1500 today? From where I was at the time they passed overhead, they looked to be following the Coast heading East.

[vintage ATCO]

Yes. That would have been the Vintage Pair scooting home

Everyone got out Monday afternoon.

[Spiny Norman]

We have not used Archerfield for a number of years, for various reasons. Edinburgh currently does not have Avgas (this may change) so aircraft requiring Avgas went to Cumbernauld. Although the rained stopped at East Fortune by midday it continued to rain at Cumbernauld associated with low cloud which precluded the aircraft there getting out. Some are still stuck there as of Monday afternoon!

Thanks for that, good to know direct from the horse's mouth!