Little Gransden 2019

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UKTopgun
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by UKTopgun »

Thanks for the update. Totally get that regs are regs. Still love the intimacy of this show, so I will continue to support it. Pretty unique on the airshow calendar imho.

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LN Strike Eagle
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by LN Strike Eagle »

I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I don't expect it to be a Shuttleworth, and certainly not a RIAT - it's just hard to take these shows in now and enjoy them to the same degree with the effect the CAA regs have had, from a spectators point of view. I know that's beyond your control and you're just working around the bad regs we now have, but it still impacts my enjoyment, and if photographing the flying display is out of reach for my gear, then the photo opportunities on the ground take on even greater emphasis, and that's when you really start noticing the clutter and number of bodies live-side.

Our old reviews of Gransden shows were always full of praise for the intimacy and closeness a small show like this can offer. A lot of that has been lost now, through no fault of your own, and I know the frustration it causes for you guys on the other side of the industry as much as it does for us - I was only discussing all this yesterday with a pilot that used to be an annual fixture in the Little Gransden flypro, lamenting what airshows have now become.

Just as an unrelated point, I know the wind was mostly across the runway but was there any reason why several of the heavier warbirds (Hurricane, Mustang, Yale, Harvard etc) took off on RWY 28, in the opposite direction to most other stuff? Are they not allowed to take off coming towards the crowd or was it just a matter of preference for the pilots?
"You really are an oafish philistine at times!"

Gt5500
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by Gt5500 »

Showcomm wrote:Guys, we are evolving and trying to make this the best we can , the curved display line used to be the highlight ( Vulcan 2014 !) but alas the CAA are now inspecting this show every year and as such the pilots are very aware !

Out of interest what is it about flying round the bend that the CAA would have a problem with? Does it infringe the crowd line in someway?. My last trip to shuttleworth it was noticeable the bend was being used significantly less but I didn't understand which of the new
CAA regs were the cause.

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vintage ATCO
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by vintage ATCO »

There is nothing in CAP403 that would preclude the use of a curved display line provided that the appropriate separation distances are not compromised and the area used is in the designated Display Area for the event, if a low flying exemption is required (otherwise SERA applies). It is just down to the individual pilot and what routine he wishes to fly.
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UK Airshow Review
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by UK Airshow Review »

  • "Distant Memories" - Jakub Zurek spent a scorching Sunday at the scenic Cambridgeshire airfield.

    Image Image Image

Elliott Marsh
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by Elliott Marsh »

It strikes me as odd that British display distances still feature so prominently in airshow reviews after three years. Surely by now we all know what to expect, and there's little point chewing over the fact that things aren't as close as they once were, or that the flying at, say, Old Warden is closer? It's all a bit Groundhog Day.

Regrettably, the failure to make the most of the curved crowdline means it would be hard to justify going back.


I have to dispute that comment, particularly given that the report effectively dissuades people from attending future Little Gransden airshows 'because topsides'. From memory, the vast majority of participants "took the bend" to some extent and there's a plethora of YouTube footage to disprove that statement. The warbirds alone configured their display sequences to incorporate the L-shaped crowdline - case in point being the Sea Fury flying an oblique loop on the A-axis and recovering into a topside pass parallel with the runway. There were countless examples of this in the display. The fact such passes were flown at the regulated display distances is neither here nor there. That aside, expecting every aircraft to hoon round the bend on every pass is unrealistic, IMO.

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Jakub.Zurek
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by Jakub.Zurek »

YouTube videos can be deceiving - unless you were there, you won’t know how disengaging most displays were. If you read the full review, you would see I mentioned the Sea Fury being one of the few displays to make full use of the whole length of the crowdline. Likewise the C45 Expeditor was excellent.

It’s not about topsides, I’m not obsessed about them. Far from it. I just want to see the aircraft in front of me. If you attended, you’d feel the same way, as most aircraft turned away before reaching the dogleg part of the crowdline. Perhaps that’s my fault in positioning myself too far down this end, I don’t know. But that’s why personally, it’d be hard to justify going back. It’s my opinion and review, it’s not going to change families and locals from attending and I certainly don’t want that. We also can’t be saying every airshow is great and worth attending, that’s not the point of a review.

Andyph
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by Andyph »

I totally felt the same Jakub.

First time I had been. Superb airfield and lineup. I enjoyed everything about the show until aircraft got in the air.

I'd have much preferred the aircraft to have done touch and goes than display at what seems a ludicrous distance away. Nice to watch aircraft taxying in and out though.

I really feel sorry for the organiser as he has done a super job. But I also won't go back.
Yes the CAA have killed shows like this
Very sad

Elliott Marsh
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Re: Little Gransden 2019

Post by Elliott Marsh »

That's fair, but having been sat on the corner (in front of the commentary position), I fundamentally disagree that aircraft turned away before reaching the dogleg - particularly those that either entered or repositioned crowd right to run in for a right-to-left arcing pass. I mean, other than where that was part of their display (i.e. using the B-axis) but my recollection is that the "bend" was used extensively - to the extent that pretty much everyone I have spoken with since said they thought it was the best use of the venue in years. I guess it's all a matter of perspective.