Duxford Flying Day, Sunday 5th May.

Duxford Flying Day, Sunday 5th May.

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Tony1963

Original Poster:

5,318 posts

169 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
The Tempest has disappeared from the ‘Expected’ flying list.

Thankfully, as an IWM member my ticket was at no extra cost, and I’m meeting a few very old friends for a mini reunion, buts it’s still a disappointment.

Does anyone here know what has happened?

aeropilot

36,530 posts

234 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
Tony1963 said:
The Tempest has disappeared from the ‘Expected’ flying list.

Thankfully, as an IWM member my ticket was at no extra cost, and I’m meeting a few very old friends for a mini reunion, buts it’s still a disappointment.

Does anyone here know what has happened?
Its got a Centaurus..... wink

Saw a photo on another forum of it sitting outside the hangar at DX last week.


Tony1963

Original Poster:

5,318 posts

169 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
If it wasn’t for our mini reunions at Duxford on Flying Days I honestly don’t think I’d see much historic flying at all now. The last airshow I went to was 2015, and nothing has ‘improved’ since then. I was hoping the Tempest could rekindle it all for me.

aeropilot

36,530 posts

234 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
Tony1963 said:
If it wasn’t for our mini reunions at Duxford on Flying Days I honestly don’t think I’d see much historic flying at all now. The last airshow I went to was 2015, and nothing has ‘improved’ since then. I was hoping the Tempest could rekindle it all for me.
Likewise, will be 10 years since I was last at an airshow, my last Flying Legends at Duxford in 2014, although in the summer months I do get to see the odd 2-seat Spitfire fly past my house (often ML407) doing one of their 1 hour white cliffs flights out of Sywell, and I've seen the Spits doing their opening and closing slots at Goodwood Revival in the past 10 years, but that's it.

Was planning on going to CF for Legends this year, but that won't be happening after its cancellation.

Might try and get to an Old Warden show this year if I can before I get too old to be bothered laugh


Tony1963

Original Poster:

5,318 posts

169 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
aeropilot said:
.

Might try and get to an Old Warden show this year if I can before I get too old to be bothered laugh
Joking aside, I think getting older might well be a part of the problem for me. Watching airshows when there were moments that really made me jump was an incredible experience. Transonic passes, low level stuff, flying over the crowd etc, hell, even the Red Arrows were worth watching! And now… they fly absolutely nowhere near the crowd, don’t go BANG!!! as they pass down the runway, and spend the whole display turning away from the crowd. And they want you to pay a small fortune for the privilege.
Similar for motorsport. And the circuits have been ruined.

I try to not let it make me sad.

aeropilot

36,530 posts

234 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
Tony1963 said:
aeropilot said:
.

Might try and get to an Old Warden show this year if I can before I get too old to be bothered laugh
Joking aside, I think getting older might well be a part of the problem for me. Watching airshows when there were moments that really made me jump was an incredible experience. Transonic passes, low level stuff, flying over the crowd etc, hell, even the Red Arrows were worth watching! And now… they fly absolutely nowhere near the crowd, don’t go BANG!!! as they pass down the runway, and spend the whole display turning away from the crowd. And they want you to pay a small fortune for the privilege.
Similar for motorsport. And the circuits have been ruined.

I try to not let it make me sad.
Full agreement in those thoughts from me.


havoc

30,869 posts

242 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
Interesting.

I'm just coming back into airshows after about 20 years off...mainly fuelled by getting to Reno last year.

I fully expect to be disappointed after standing under a pylon at Reno watching half a dozen Mustangs blast 100ft over my head at full chat, but I'm wondering how disappointing stuff like Sywell and Shuttleworth are going to be...


Duxford I really want to go back to, but it's an easy 3 hrs drive for me each way depending on traffic...and their display lists do look rather underwhelming even when they finally get around to posting them up.

Simpo Two

87,026 posts

272 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
havoc said:
I fully expect to be disappointed after standing under a pylon at Reno watching half a dozen Mustangs blast 100ft over my head at full chat, but I'm wondering how disappointing stuff like Sywell and Shuttleworth are going to be...
Shuttleworth is delightful, the air equivalent of Brooklands - picnic hamper and cucumber sandwiches.

BrettMRC

4,450 posts

167 months

Friday 3rd May
quotequote all
Tony1963 said:
Joking aside, I think getting older might well be a part of the problem for me. Watching airshows when there were moments that really made me jump was an incredible experience. Transonic passes, low level stuff, flying over the crowd etc, hell, even the Red Arrows were worth watching! And now… they fly absolutely nowhere near the crowd, don’t go BANG!!! as they pass down the runway, and spend the whole display turning away from the crowd. And they want you to pay a small fortune for the privilege.
Similar for motorsport. And the circuits have been ruined.

I try to not let it make me sad.
That's why I was gutted when Yeovilton airday got canned, (now probably forever) all this "no high energy stuff near the crowd" and turning away meant Brett towers was perfectly positioned to get maximum benefit! hehe






Tony1963

Original Poster:

5,318 posts

169 months

Thursday 9th May
quotequote all
I'd forgotten just how far away the aircraft are now when passing the crowd. It is just 100% disappointment. You see the camera lenses rise as an aircraft turns towards the crowd, then all drop again as the aircraft turns away. Anything less than 500mm on a full frame camera will be a struggle, with lots of cropping later on.

My guess is they're passing the crowd the far side of the tarmac runway. They're closer when landing!


Still... the event sold out, and I guess the tiny number of airshows each year will sell out.

havoc

30,869 posts

242 months

Thursday 9th May
quotequote all
Tony1963 said:
I'd forgotten just how far away the aircraft are now when passing the crowd. It is just 100% disappointment.
frown

Well st.

On the plus side, was at Donington Park last weekend and the sole Spitfire (LF Mk14 I think) from BBMF* went straight overhead twice, which was bloody cool. Only managed to get a couple of half-decent photos though as I wasn't expecting the first pass to be like that and my 100-400 is a bloody heavy lens...






* The Hurri was u/s.

aeropilot

36,530 posts

234 months

Thursday 9th May
quotequote all
havoc said:
Tony1963 said:
I'd forgotten just how far away the aircraft are now when passing the crowd. It is just 100% disappointment.
frown

Well st.

On the plus side, was at Donington Park last weekend and the sole Spitfire (LF Mk14 I think) from BBMF* went straight overhead twice, which was bloody cool. Only managed to get a couple of half-decent photos though as I wasn't expecting the first pass to be like that and my 100-400 is a bloody heavy lens...

New scheme for 2024 looks lovely.

(Its a LF.16e actually not a 14, as its Merlin powered, a 14 would be Griffon powered with a 5 blade prop etc)


havoc

30,869 posts

242 months

Thursday 9th May
quotequote all
aeropilot said:
New scheme for 2024 looks lovely.

(Its a LF.16e actually not a 14, as its Merlin powered, a 14 would be Griffon powered with a 5 blade prop etc)
Good point, got my #s mixed up.

Eric Mc

122,854 posts

272 months

Thursday 9th May
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The MkXVIs were basically MkIXs - but fitted with American manufactured Packard Merlins.

easyhome

207 posts

130 months

Sunday 19th May
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I live in Folkestone, and pretty much every weekend in the spring/summer there are Spitfires coming over us to get to the white cliffs.

Some days there are so many I don’t even bother to go outside to watch!