Scampton Airshow 2018

[Finningley Boy]

Flightline UK 2018 are specifically listing the event as 'to be confirmed'. The burning question is, how come its gone from being confidently advertised in this year's programme and, indeed, on Flightline UK including a features listing to being taken off the features page and listed as TBC?

FB

[Stagger2]

Just maybe......it's the date of the event to be confirmed??
It would be much better to move it back a week NOW!.. to avoid the disappointment of limited overseas flying participation again. Going head to head with the Belgian Air Days at Kleine Brogel and the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovak air force at the Czech International Air Fest on 8/9th September will be a 3-way clash with an obvious casualty?

[Chrisse]

Just maybe......it's the date of the event to be confirmed??
It would be much better to move it back a week NOW!.. to avoid the disappointment of limited overseas flying participation again. Going head to head with the Belgian Air Days at Kleine Brogel and the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovak air force at the Czech International Air Fest on 8/9th September will be a 3-way clash with an obvious casualty?

The official 100 anniversary show of the Czech air force is a week later CIAF has only chosen that as a theme, just like I suppose any other Czech show next year. NATO days Ostrava is the official celebration.

[Finningley Boy]

I was thinking they may bring the dates forward so it only clashes with Bournemouth and Prestwick/Troon, which shouldn't place any competition on Scampton except in trying to secure the Blades and Wing Walkers etc and further they should still have access to the Lincoln Uni's extended hospitality while the snowflakes are off on holiday at T in the Park or whatever it is. I put this to the Lady who responded to my query earlier, having told me nothing interesting 'Thank you for your interest in Scampton Airshow, a decision will be made soon check our website for updates' she responded to my point about the dates by saying she knew nothing about the show, as if it was nothing to do with her, and I should continue to check the website for updates and so on an on. No insight such as, a decision on a possible change of dates has now to be agreed or sponsorship etc, just the usual secrecy, cloak and dagger nonsense! I suspect people in these jobs think any such detail cold be harmful in the wrong heads

Anyway, lets hope all is well!

FB

[Wrexham Mackem]

Why not just wait for the announcement FB? its barely two months after the event, the organisers need to draw a conclusion on how successful it was and whether to do it again, as is sound business sense. If its confirmed for its previously published dates we'll soon find out. As we will if its confirmed for some other date. Or if its not to return. And when whichever of those three announcements is made, I'm sure there'll be an explanation.

Personally, I hope it comes back and becomes established. I can also see how it must be difficult to make much money from a relatively small crowd capacity. My fingers are crossed for them.

[Finningley Boy]

Wrexham,

They billed next year's air show in this year's programme, announced it was a gut busting success. It was listed as one of the select shows for a running preview/review on Flightline UK. Then in the last couple of weeks, it is no longer in the list of previews/reviews and it is now relegated to 'TBC' It may be nothing but there does appear to be something suddenly amiss about this successful air show. If a 2018 event wasn't listed in the 2017 programme and if it emerged as a 'TBC' from the outset then the direction of travel would be much more encouraging. However, its gone the other way. Another thing I made my query following the uncertainty which has developed quite quickly in the last couple of weeks. The lady responded by saying she knew nothing about the event. Now, fellah, tell me you think that's an adequate response?

Now if I was to be negative, and their are one or two ukarians who see only the empty end of the bottle at the best of times, I'd say this, the organisers have mangled the likelihood of next year's show being the kind of one they really wanted this year to be, but wasn't due to Sanicole attracting all the impressive stuff. The RAF probably will be very poorly represented again in spite of what year and month it'll be and the demand for participating aircraft from other air arms across Europe is going to be harder next time due to it being Klein Brogel and the Czech AF centenary event the same weekend. People were saying beforehand that they should pick another weekend and it has perhaps now dawned on the organisers. Hence, we are where we are, so that's why I've taken what you might call a keen interest in what should be a cracking air show at a hallowed location but has been so bungled through lack of research into when would be the ideal time to stage it, that it is secretly, a flop. I don't want it to be hence my frustration, but we can see why, it is summed up by the comment from the Lady responding to my query!

FB

[jalfrezi]

Now if I was to be negative, and their are one or two ukarians who see only the empty end of the bottle at the best of times, I'd say this, the organisers have mangled the likelihood of next year's show being the kind of one they really wanted this year to be, but wasn't due to Sanicole attracting all the impressive stuff. The RAF probably will be very poorly represented again in spite of what year and month it'll be and the demand for participating aircraft from other air arms across Europe is going to be harder next time due to it being Klein Brogel and the Czech AF centenary event the same weekend. People were saying beforehand that they should pick another weekend and it has perhaps now dawned on the organisers. Hence, we are where we are, so that's why I've taken what you might call a keen interest in what should be a cracking air show at a hallowed location but has been so bungled through lack of research into when would be the ideal time to stage it, that it is secretly, a flop. I don't want it to be hence my frustration, but we can see why, it is summed up by the comment from the Lady responding to my query!

FB

Unfortunately FB you are coming across as negative, saying 'I'd say this' doesn't make your statement any less negative. Just two weeks ago you were saying there's too much speculating on UKAR, but now you're speculating and making assumptions on next year's show and the RAF participation.

I sort of understand your frustrations and the problems commented on with this year's show, but it's still only November! Maybe by next February/March we'll have a better idea on what the state of play is with regards to next year's show. Que sera, sera

[Finningley Boy]

Jalfrezi,

You're spot on!

FB

[BossMann]

Anyone have any more information on the future status of the Scampton show?

ScamptonMarketing/ RIATAirOps???

[Finningley Boy]

With the two main UK military airshows next year, neither of them RAF, already listing impressive aircraft, albeit tbc, as I tried to say before, the situation with Scampton is not simply one of wait and see until the Spring, they've yet to you know what and get off the pot over whether they are holding the event or not. Something went amiss between this year's event and the ticker tape success it was lauded as, now an event which was billed as a 100th Anniversary focal point has been a tbc since October. But don't expect to end up any the wiser by contacting 'the organisers'!

FB

[BossMann]

2018 SHOW CANCELLED:

STATEMENT FROM THE SCAMPTON AIRSHOW WEBSITE:
"On September 9-10 Scampton Airshow Limited, with the support of the RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises (RAFCTE), RAF personnel and a hardworking team of volunteers successfully staged a new airshow at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. The two-day event attracted 50,000 visitors from the East of England and beyond. Organising an aviation event on the scale of the Scampton Airshow involved many stakeholders, significant planning and we are very proud of what was collectively delivered.
However, post-event there remains a lot to reflect on and areas where we would like to improve. As the organiser, we have concluded that rather than stage an airshow in 2018, we will use next year to fully consider the many lessons learnt with the ambition of running an event in 2019. We are very grateful to the many volunteers, sponsors, participants and local agencies, as well as the many thousands of people who attended September's airshow, for their support."

[XX752]

2018 SHOW CANCELLED:

STATEMENT FROM THE SCAMPTON AIRSHOW WEBSITE:
"On September 9-10 Scampton Airshow Limited, with the support of the RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises (RAFCTE), RAF personnel and a hardworking team of volunteers successfully staged a new airshow at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. The two-day event attracted 50,000 visitors from the East of England and beyond. Organising an aviation event on the scale of the Scampton Airshow involved many stakeholders, significant planning and we are very proud of what was collectively delivered.
However, post-event there remains a lot to reflect on and areas where we would like to improve. As the organiser, we have concluded that rather than stage an airshow in 2018, we will use next year to fully consider the many lessons learnt with the ambition of running an event in 2019. We are very grateful to the many volunteers, sponsors, participants and local agencies, as well as the many thousands of people who attended September's airshow, for their support."

This is utterly pathetic. It clearly wasn't 'successfully' staged then was it? The deathly silence from the organisers really gave it away. If a show cannot take place at the home of the RAFAT, during the RAF's 100th anniversary year then this show sadly has gone forever.

[Dan O'Hagan]

Still, the RAF has at least found £300,000 to celebrate "RAF100" with a few daffodils at the Chelsea Flower Show.

A disgrace, though not unexpected, given the glorified seaside lineup they tried to pass off for sky-high prices last year.

Be interesting to see how Armstrong's and DBH's sycophants on this forum try to spin this one.

The RAF has no interest in military air displays, and as for civil ones, we all know who is to blame for their demise.

[boff180]

Nice to see that those who hoped the show wouldn't be a success have now got the opportunity to crow loudly in order to satisfy their own well known grudges....

From a volunteers perspective, this is gutting news. I feel sorry for every single volunteer who I know first hand put their all in to trying to make the show a success, a superb bunch of people. Here's hoping the show can return in 2019 and if it does, I'll be first in line to re-volunteer.

Any loss of a major show should not be applauded in the current market, and it's disgusting that some people are.

Andy

[Tommy]

Any loss of a major show should not be applauded in the current market, and it's disgusting that some people are.

Like whom?

[Dan O'Hagan]

Scampton suffered from horrific PR, and by not having a clear idea of what it wanted to be. It could have been "RIAT of the north" and a genuine successor to the Waddington airshows, but a bad choice of date, lazy choices of aircraft bookings and extortionate prices for what was a seaside show with bells on meant it was difficult to see that this was a show organised by the same people who, more or less, put on a high quality event at Fairford most years.

The organisers bit off more than they could chew, and made some rank bad decisions.

A shame it's gone, Air Fete style, on hiatus as we do need more shows to prop up a moribund industry, post Shoreham.

[XX752]

Scampton suffered from horrific PR, and by not having a clear idea of what it wanted to be. It could have been "RIAT of the north" and a genuine successor to the Waddington airshows, but a bad choice of date, lazy choices of aircraft bookings and extortionate prices for what was a seaside show with bells on meant it was difficult to see that this was a show organised by the same people who, more or less, put on a high quality event at Fairford most years.

The organisers bit off more than they could chew, and made some rank bad decisions.

A shame it's gone, Air Fete style, on hiatus as we do need more shows to prop up a moribund industry, post Shoreham.

I do not think 'lazy choices of aircraft bookings' was really in the plan. The bad choice of date, clashing with a major event in Europe meant that most decent overseas military acts had already committed elsewhere instead, leaving little decent to pick from.

Scampton airshow was enjoyable - but as a medium sized 'family' type airshow which it did achieve, however the major flaw with this was the extortionate hugely inflated ticket prices for what was offered. I cannot help that this airshow was deliberately priced high to fail, merely to stop the pressure from all those who had campaigned and worked so hard to restore an airshow back to Lincolnshire.

[craig.mason]

well that's a shame i enjoyed this years event hopefully it will return in 2019 and be bigger and better

[Talldan76]

Seems an odd press release to me, and a very strange reasoning behind cancelling the show.

[CJS]

It hasn't really been cancelled or axed though has it, it had never been confirmed in the first place.

[Wrexham Mackem]

but a bad choice of date...... and extortionate prices for what was a seaside show with bells on meant it was difficult to see that this was a show organised by the same people who, more or less, put on a high quality event at Fairford most years.

Bearing in mind you have one set of resources running two events, the choices of date are somewhat limited. It must be difficult to run it pre RIAT, when the build up to that event needs maximum attention and infrastructure. You then need to run one event down and spool the other up. Maybe next year, with RAF100 and all that brings, running Scampton too is too much of a drain on resource?

As for the price - when you are running an event to make a profit, you have to run the economics accordingly. The venue has limited capacity. You can't charge a tenner a head and hope you get three times as many people, because the venue can't hold three times as many people. These are business basics. The pricing strategy can't have been that far off, because 50,000 people went.

As someone who went myself, it was actually an enjoyable event. It had just enough that you couldn't see anywhere else to set it aside from 'a seaside show', and I could see huge potential in it given a bit more luck with military allocations. Fingers crossed for 2019, we need all the airshows we can get.

[MikeH]

That's the trouble with the RAF's PR department nowadays - no "Spirit of Adventure."

[The Baron]

It hasn't really been cancelled or axed though has it, it had never been confirmed in the first place.

Pretty certain a confirmed date was originally announced. I seem to recall it clashed (yet again) with the Belgians.

[Stagger2]

Wrong Venue, wrong date, limited audience capacity, poor response from invited aircraft operators, what could possibly go wrong?
It's almost like the event was staged to fail whatever. They say they're going to use the highly significant 2018 year to learn. Learn what??
Not to go up against established international events using an inappropriate venue & a flawed business model, perhaps?
More a case of " we tried, it didn't work, hey ho!, consigned to history"

[AngryAndyPandy]

It's' almost like people have waited for a moment like this to revisit their gripes and moans with the show this year, which is such a shame. As said beforehand we need all the airshows we can get and if that means postponing a year to iron out the details or to assess whether it's feasible and practical then so be it. The organisers, I'm sure, know a lot more than most of us into EVERY aspect of an airshow. Let's move forward and hope it returns in full strength.