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Shuttleworth airshow


Pagey

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Morning,

I went to the airshow yesterday and thought that it was very entertaining and didn't seem badly affected by the new CAA regs. I thought is was the closest I have seen the red Arrows too.

I was surprised when I got home to read on an airshow forum that they were all complaining that the show was a disaster as the planes were too high and too far away. I was working in one of the hangers (helping a friend) and sitting at our stall at the back, we could clearly see the aircraft flying past the doors (so they couldn't be too high)

A few were complaining that the show being a sell out ruined the day for them (they seem to prefer the shows to be half empty)

Any thoughts from anyone who attended

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I was there and the planes were VERY significantly higher than in previous years. If you're a photographer, this is not a welcome change at all.

It was a great shame that the Reds had to cut off the last half of their display, due to some charming fellow flying his helicopter through their display area.

I was there primarily as a trader. Would I have been happy paying £28.00 for the show? No, I most definitely would not..... As much as I appreciate all the effort that Shuttleworth put in every year on their airshows, IMO yesterday's show was not up to scratch.....

Chris.

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I didn't attend, but would be very interested to hear what any regulars thought.

Also, did they stop people standing in the fields on the approaches?

If it was a sell-out I am sure that the Collection will be pleased - their operating costs need to be covered one way or another.

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I normally go to every Shuttleworth airshow and to be honest I noticed very little difference. The only disappointment was a cross wind which grounded the Edwardians , Mew Gull and Comet.

I got to sit at the fence and a rather nice p-40 parked in front of me and once again rivets were hard to spot so why add them? But that's another topic.

A very good show otherwise.

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Maybe a bit higher but I thought they were flying closer to the crowd than say Duxford.

I did think that there was a lot of dead air time (periods of time with nothing in the air)

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I'm fairly regular at OW and went yesterday. I go primarily for photography but like to watch the displays too and have a life long love of aviation in general.

Some of the display were considerably further away than usual. I use a Canon 7d with a 300 prime and a 1.4 extender. I've often had to take the extender off at OW as the planes were more than filling the viewfinder. Yesterday I had it on all day and still had to crop in afterwards.

I thought it put some e.g. the Blenheim at the perfect distance for me, but others e.g. the beautiful Ryan were too high and distant for a decent shot. It did vary though, with Teichman's warhawk the most distant (probably due to the aerobatics) and the Hurricane a lot closer

Has the experience been changed? - yes. Has it been ruined? - maybe if you go for photography only and have less than 300mm, but otherwise, not really. Old Warden is and continues to be a wonderful place for an air show and quite frankly if you call yourself an aircraft enthusiast and can't enjoy a day there, you're doing it wrong. 2016 is a wait and see year for me and I feared the worst when I heard the new regulations. For me Old Warden has passed the test of an enjoyable day out, Duxford is very much still 'wait and see', and I do fear the worst for that one ( they closed the country road at OW for safety reasons during the display, so how you can have an airshow next to the M11 beggars belief).

Steve.

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Went and enjoyed it, but yes the displaying aircraft were more distant. Previously the crowd line was the fence behind the parked visiting aircraft, but now there's a strip of no-man's land between it and another fence about 30m back. Going to need a bigger lens.

So photography less good but otherwise a lovely atmosphere as always. My only gripe would be coming from the North on the A1 there was very little warning that the road off the Biggleswade roundabout was closed. The sign just before said to carry on south on the. A1, but there were no further signs.

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( they closed the country road at OW for safety reasons during the display, so how you can have an airshow next to the M11 beggars belief).

Steve.

Given that the alternatives were closing the M11 (which really does beggar belief), or cancelling all flying displays at Duxford, it seems like a proper English compromise to me.

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Given that the alternatives were closing the M11 (which really does beggar belief), or cancelling all flying displays at Duxford, it seems like a proper English compromise to me.

But surely if they are serious about safety Duxford would have to go. Believe me I don't want to see it, but I can't see how continued displays there can be called safe. If the changes at somewhere like OW were felt necessary then DX must be giving them nightmares as surely it's the very model of another Shoreham waiting to happen. Am I being cynical or is the issue being fudged in the case of DX for some reason.

I mean absolutely no disrespect to any pilots or display organisers, but surely it's just a numbers game as to when someone or something breaks. Very tricky one for me as I love the place, but think it's smacks of a double standard.

Steve.

Ps Paul, separate photo thread now added.

Edited by Bennygman
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