Flying Legends 2019

Discuss airshows and other aviation events at the Imperial War Museum
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RedEagle
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by RedEagle »

neilos wrote:
RedEagle wrote:Normally park at the Royston end. Will the queues be any worse coming from the M11 and parking east side ?
Cheers


It was a bit manic at the Royston end. I got there around 8am and it still took 40mins to get parked up.

I would imagine Sunday will be quieter as the Reds aren’t there.



Thanks Neilos

So whats the consensus out there? Royston or M11?

snafu
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by snafu »

Really disappointing show. Loads of padding and the non appearance of the DH9 was a real let down. The fact that that the displays are so far away doesn’t help either. I felt I was at the wrong venue watching a show in a field down the road. Best thing was the Red Arrows. Been a Legends attender since the 1990’s but that’s my last. Was a great show back in the day but rules and regs have killed it. Even if they booked exciting overseas planes all you’d see was another tiny black dot nearer to London.

DaveBr
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by DaveBr »

I had a fantastic day. When all is said and done about the line up, it's the flying, the combinations and the pace that set Legends apart. Yes, it flagged a little in the hour or so before the Balbo with the DH9 unfortunately going tech, but the first couple hours were awesome and still the sort of spectacle that can't be seen anywhere else. Still the best airshow of the year by far for me.

I was feeling a bit flat before the show, but today has restored the faith for sure.

pb643
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by pb643 »

I fall somewhere between the last two replies. Certainly not a classic legends, definitely seems to be lacking some of that theatrical zing of legends 5 or 6 years ago. However a pleasant day with some good aeroplanes.

It did feel less busy today to me, so maybe the line up had put some punters off? But sailed in and out as a result.
Last edited by pb643 on Sun 14 Jul 2019, 7:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

Bryan
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by Bryan »

I enjoyed the show today, got there early so no problems for me getting in. I really enjoyed the Ultimate Fighters, five Buchons and I could watch the Spitfire tailchase everyday of the week, shame about the DH-9 but these things happen. The Battle of Britain formation lacked a Hurricane for sure and I personally would have liked to see the Lysander solo display.

Still a good show though and sometimes i need to pinch myself to realise what, and how many planes ive just seen.

UKAirshowTour
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by UKAirshowTour »

Got to junction 10 at 8 and took an hour to get in. However I thought the flying was brilliant yet again and looking forward to heading back tomorrow

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RedEagle
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by RedEagle »

UKAirshowTour wrote:Got to junction 10 at 8 and took an hour to get in.

OUCH! Maybe I’ll stick to the Royston side then.....

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Blackbird
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by Blackbird »

Overall, I agree with pb643 above. I drove straight in from the M11 end just after 9.00. I had a leisurely stroll along the flightline and did enjoy the flying.

Yes, some of it was distant :mad: but we can blame only the CAA for that not Duxford/IWM - as far as I know. Yes, the participation list was weak by the standards of most previous shows but I was mulling this over on the way home. We had an opening Spitfire tailchase of 12 (I think) aircraft; the 3 MkIs a bit later; the only flying B-17 in Europe; the only flying Blenheim (or Bolingbroke if you want to be picky!) in the world; three Daks in formation; the only airworthy P-47 in Europe that I'm aware of etc etc... Maybe Legends has set such a high standard in the past that we are left feeling a bit let down? Also the weather didn't help but we have no one to blame for that. I haven't yet looked at my pics but suspect they won't be great in the flat light and glare from the white sky. It also seemed quite gloomy later after the sun made a bold effort to shine and then changed its mind - it probably looked at the line-up and decided not to bother!

Once the DH9 was over 10 minutes late from it's scheduled slot, I made my way out, making the decision to miss the balbo. (I couldn't hear the commentator from where I was standing at the time).

I drove straight out at 5.00, delighted that I didn't get caught up in a car park shambles as I did at the Daks over Duxford last month. I thought it was pretty busy, and did hear a lot of foreign languages being spoken so it did bring in a goodly number of overseas visitors which is a good thing. Overall, I'd say probably about 6.5/10.

Andy :smile:

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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by C24 »

Well worth a visit
A good selection of aircraft filling the sky
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rockfordstone
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by rockfordstone »

i went, parking wasn't really a problem altho it seems like they were determined to not let anyone who wasn't VIP or disabled onto the land warfare end (i was a bit later than normal so it may be it was just filled). that said, i didn't think parking was too bad on this occasion.

the weather wasn't great, but it wasn't really bad either, some of the clouds look rather striking in some of my shots.

lineup? if you want to be really picky or an air show snob then yeah you can say its a bit of a lacklustre lineup, but it was still one of the best gatherings of warbirds anywhere in the country.

flying was generally good, bit distant as others have said but that's air shows in this country now. unless the CAA have a mind change no amount of moaning about it will change it. i did feel like the wing walkers, as good as they are, seemed to drag on (maybe they were asked to gap fill with the DH9 not going up?)

the commentry was a waste of time, you could barely hear him. id rather be off if that's the best they can offer.

mixed bag all in all, but i'm back today so we'll see how that goes

pb643
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by pb643 »

And I missed Bernard! (Controversial I know) :biggrin:

But he does add to that whole Legends feel, for me any way.

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neilos
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by neilos »

pb643 wrote:And I missed Bernard! (Controversial I know) :biggrin:

But he does add to that whole Legends feel, for me any way.


Legends isn’t Legends without him commentating :lol:

Davidmil
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by Davidmil »

. . . . and talking of commentators, I think we should congratulate Nick Grey on his contribution. His voice was excellent and clear, and he brought a degree of interest and insight regarding the aircraft operations which no-one else was going to provide.

Thoughtful_Flyer
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by Thoughtful_Flyer »

snafu wrote:Really disappointing show. Loads of padding and the non appearance of the DH9 was a real let down. The fact that that the displays are so far away doesn’t help either. I felt I was at the wrong venue watching a show in a field down the road. Best thing was the Red Arrows. Been a Legends attender since the 1990’s but that’s my last. Was a great show back in the day but rules and regs have killed it. Even if they booked exciting overseas planes all you’d see was another tiny black dot nearer to London.


Really?

I was unable to go to the show this weekend but I was there on Friday and saw a considerable number of displays practice. Unless they all suddenly flew a completely different line on the show days (which seems unlikely) then I think you are well overstating it.

Tom105
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by Tom105 »

Dh9 just displayed what a treat to see it fly!
Thomas

davesurrey
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by davesurrey »

I’ve been visiting airshows for almost 50 years but for some reason I’ve never been to a show at Duxford before yesterday (Saturday).
FWIW here are a few of my personal observations.

I had intended to arrive early at 8am but, thanks to my alarm clock, it was 0930 when I arrived having travelled up from the South. I aimed for the West Car Park and there was almost no queueing at all. Very smooth.

Five pounds for the Flight Line Walk was well worth it and although it was busy I had plenty of opportunity to take unimpeded shots. Great!

It seemed like ages between the close of the Flight Line Walk (1130) and the start of the display at 1400 (sorry but seen the Reds so many times before) and I’ve visited the Museum areas before but at least entry was included in the ticket and there are some fantastic displays.

Judging from the direction that aircraft had taken off prior to the display I positioned myself close to the Land Warfare building, giving me a little more height, only to find the direction of take-off changed. Should have noted the windsock of course. But considering the number of folk there I feel I got a good line of sight. Next time I’ll pre-book a seat in the Grandstand.

So, despite some regulars here expressing their disappointment with some no-shows I personally really enjoyed the displays. All told great value for money IMO.

Any negatives? Well of course there were! I now know what it feels like to be femail based on having to queue for the loos. Ever heard of Portaloos? The one food concession (Gourmet Burgers) that I saw was a tad expense. From several places the commentary was muffled or inaudible. Plus on leaving the forced route was devoid of any further signage once out of the grounds.

But overall a great day and I will certainly be coming back next year. :smile:

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rockfordstone
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by rockfordstone »

Thoughtful_Flyer wrote:
snafu wrote:Really disappointing show. Loads of padding and the non appearance of the DH9 was a real let down. The fact that that the displays are so far away doesn’t help either. I felt I was at the wrong venue watching a show in a field down the road. Best thing was the Red Arrows. Been a Legends attender since the 1990’s but that’s my last. Was a great show back in the day but rules and regs have killed it. Even if they booked exciting overseas planes all you’d see was another tiny black dot nearer to London.


Really?

I was unable to go to the show this weekend but I was there on Friday and saw a considerable number of displays practice. Unless they all suddenly flew a completely different line on the show days (which seems unlikely) then I think you are well overstating it.

they were no further away than they normally are imo

Tom105
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by Tom105 »

Good day today, only thing that slightly annoyed me was a very bossy security man made people move that stuff so he could get to the fence to tie some bags to the fence how about getting up earlier to that before gates open and not when a load of chairs have been put there, then telling everyone that nothing can be tied to the fence and he would come and cut all the chairs off the fence that were tied to ot, mostly to stop the moving! I went and spoke to some and apprently the reason is tieing chairs to the fence with string damages the fence!
Buchons in formation and dh9 the highlight along with ultimate fighters.
Thomas

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G-CVIX
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by G-CVIX »

Decent enough day, definitely missing something.

The displays did seem miles away to me. I couldn't get close to filling the frame at 500mm most of the time.

I am really struggling to feel motivated for photography with the regulations in this country and I feel the need to take less time with the camera and more time casually enjoying the display.

My main criticism is how tight on space the grandstand was. I would not recommend it unfortunately. We were packed in like sardines.

Highlights were the Sea Fury, the Blenheim, and the DH-9.

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aviationphoto
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by aviationphoto »

Haven't been to a Legends in 6 years and yes, it was tamer than I remember (and definitely less busy) and no 'exotic' stars as was often the case, no Hurricanes, only 2 Mustangs (I shed a few tears at this point) - obviously some shenanigans going on with the 2 US P-51s departing Friday, and if only a Tigercat, Hellcat and P-38 could have been there but....

Where else in Europe are you going to see 12 Spitfires, 5 Buchons, a 24 warbird balbo, A Bearcat, 2 Sea Fury's, P-47 etc - some amazing types and some great flying.

The weather and the CAA regulations that have tamed the display lines are outside of TFCs and IWMs control so can't complain on that front.

So, for me still well worth a trip.

Our only gripe was the extortionate pricing of anything consumable!

£2.50 for 1 doughnut. Yes, 1 doughnut.
£3.50 being charged for 1 pitiful scoop of ice cream.
I was with my family and we bought lunch but needed something for the evening. We'd decided to go to the restaurant after the baldo because a member of staff in the cafe said it would be serving food and we didn't want to sit in the queue to get out. Got to the restaurant but no food - we were then at the mercy of the few remaining trailers (a bit ridiculous when the museum urges you not to rush out to ease the traffic flow but then all the food outlets pack up and stop serving) and had to suffer the piece of **** dumped on a bun with a slice of cheese which was allegedly a gourmet burger and cost £7. Absolute rip-off.

Other than that still a great show.
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by UKTopgun »

For some reason Duxford always uses Scottish food vendors at its shows. The value and quality always guaranteed dreadful. The prices for food at Wimbledon are cheaper!

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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by danspuggti »

G-CVIX wrote:My main criticism is how tight on space the grandstand was. I would not recommend it unfortunately. We were packed in like sardines.


"Tight" must be the understatement of the year. I've only just got the feeling back in my arms and legs!!!
Couple that with the fact that due to how shallow an angle the tiering was for the seats you couldn't clearly see over the head of the persons in the row sat in front of you and panning for photos was a nightmare.
The "there will be a seating map and you can choose your seat, first come first served" wasn't there either. Arrived first thing and they just gave us a numbered ticket (no choice). Thought they'd fill the stand from top row to bottom row (lets face it most who get there early want a top row seat) but no they were automatically going from bottom to top! Went back to the hut to request to change seat numbers and all the woman did was whinge and moan about people choosing their seats (to which I promptly told her we were told we could pick our seats from those available).
As I was on the back row I (and others) thought we'd stand up only to be told by the staff that this is a seated enclosure and no one is allowed to stand, even on the back row due to "aviation safety reasons" :dizzy:

I dread looking through my photos because I know the majority are not going to be any good :sad:

To top it all off there also wasn't a toilet at the enclosure either (which was advertised in the blurb).

I'll certainly not be using the grandstand again unless theres big changes to the enclosure.

On the plus side even though foreign participation was lacking, and we had a 'Battle of Britain' flypast without Hurricanes :dunno: the quality of the flying was once again exceptional :clap:
Display of the day (for me) was the Ultimate Fighters with their Thunderbolt, Spitfire, Mustang & Buchon. Expertly flown display :up:
Last edited by danspuggti on Mon 15 Jul 2019, 8:19 am, edited 2 times in total.
Same old sh*t.............just happening on a different day!!!

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rockfordstone
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by rockfordstone »

G-CVIX wrote:I am really struggling to feel motivated for photography with the regulations in this country and I feel the need to take less time with the camera and more time casually enjoying the display.

i get that feeling at times with Duxford. i took a fraction of the shots i was expecting because i realised i wasn't going to get the shot (the weather constantly shifting was a pain in the arse) so just spent more time enjoying the display. to be honest that isn't necessarily a bad thing

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Blackbird
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by Blackbird »

I booked a grandstand seat the first show that that this was available. Suffice to say I haven't booked again which tells you all you need to know. And I spent only about 30 mins in my seat (even thought it was on the top row) before I gave up and just wandered around as I had done previously and since.

Andy :smile:

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EGL
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Re: Flying Legends 2019

Post by EGL »

Got to agree with most of the posts - good day out but certainly left feeling disappointed.

Arrived at the West car park about half 7 and it was beginning to bet busy already. Started letting cars in about 7:50 but was disappointed to see that they were only letting camper vans and (presumably) blue badge holders between the AAM and LWH. So I got forced right after the booths and parked almost in line with the car park entrance. Previous occasions I've always been parked between the two buildings which saves carting stuff about all day.

Got seats out at the top of the banking to the LWH entrance - 8:10 and crowd line was full (and I'd been in car park queue at half 7).

Wandered round the stalls, did the flight-line walk, BoB hanger and LWH. Sat down down in time for the Reds and stayed in seats for the rest of the day. Large gap between the end of the Reds and start of "real" flying display did seem odd, I had my youngest with me (9) and he did get pretty bored sitting about (fortunately I had his Switch with me!). Off t a good start with the Spits, great passes (close, fast top-sides) from those on the closer display line, but the rest were very distant in all passes which seemed to be the norm for the rest of the display.

Not seen the aircraft land up at the LWH end before, so some different photo opportunities than usual, but many of the photos from the rest of the display at first glance are very distant and a struggle with the weather.

Flying highlights were the Buchons, Lysander and Ultimate Fighters but did leave feeling rather underwhelmed. Left after hearing the DH-9 wasn't displaying - I'd had enough and my son was getting tired, hungry and grumpy! Did mean I got out easily with no queue's. The lack of foreign visitors (think the Classic Flight could have been the only one's) was a big disappointment (but knew that would be the case in advance) as Legends is one of the few places in the UK many of them can be seen.

Which does remind me of the commentary - couldn't here it that well (no bad thing) but what I did hear was a few references to things being unique and the only place they could be seen. For example the Classic Flight with DC-3 and 3 Beech's - they displayed at last years Scottish International Air Show. There is life outside of Duxford and I'm beginning to feel that some of them may be better experiences. I generally try and get to Duxford every year (last year was first once in 10+ I'd not been) but beginning to reconsider.

Still to come to a conclusion whether it was worth the 6 hour each way drive, cost of hotel, diesel, food, ticket,....!

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