Posted by Flightline UK on 20/12/2007 under Military Airshows | 
From Swindon Advertiser
AEROPLANE fanatics are up in arms about plans to increase ticket prices for next year’s Royal International Air Tattoo.
In previous years visitors to the two-day air show could use their tickets on either date, but organisers have decided to force customers to commit to a single day next year.
Plane spotters were also upset to hear that the cost of tickets will be 20 per cent more expensive than they were last year.
Air Tattoo organisers said that two thirds of visitors to last year’s show went on the Saturday because of poor weather forecast for the Sunday. But the influx of visitors trying to get to RAF Fairford on the Saturday caused long delays for fans.
The new prices mean that fans buying tickets before February 29 will pay £29.95, but plane spotters who want to be free to go on either day and pay on the door will have to fork out £45. Air Tattoo regulars have been posting angry comments on the event’s website since the ticket prices were announced on Thursday.
Jonathan Horseman said: “What a load of rubbish, more money grabbing I guess. So if the weather is bad on the day you buy for that’s a waste of £29 or £45 if you decide to buy at the gate. I doubt I will be going next year.”
“I’m afraid 2008 might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” said blogger Concerned Show Regular.
“You’re alienating the casual family who may only visit one air show a year – RIAT is now too expensive. We are a family of four – and £90 for one day’s entertainment, not including petrol, the bundle of adverts or programme and food is now out of my price range.”
Richard Sheppard said: “What a disgusting way to treat customers. If I am going to pay £30 or more for a single ticket then I should be given the choice of what day I wish to visit. This is a very bad way to treat loyal customers and I think they should reverse the decision.”
Air Tattoo director Tim Prince said: “In the end, we had to weigh up whether it was more beneficial to our visitors to have the choice of which day they came, or whether they’d prefer the prospect of easier access to RAF Fairford.”
A few air show regulars did say they were pleased with the changes.
Matthew said: “A choice by RIAT that I am very happy to hear. I was one of the cars that didn’t get into RIAT until 1pm on the Saturday due to a long traffic jam.”
Peter Bainbridge said: “When you compare the entertainment on offer to a Premier League football match for instance there really is no comparison. Isn’t RIAT still actually quite good value for money then?”
Air Tattoo spokesman Richard Arquati said: “Aircraft enthusiasts are a vocal group but they are also very passionate.
“I am sure that once they take in the rationale behind our decision they will recognise it as being one that will help secure the future of this fantastic event.
“We want to encourage people to buy early and to select which day they join us, in advance, so we can manage the number of people wishing to come to our increasingly popular event.
“By issuing day-specific tickets we have the option to sell-out on either day, if necessary. This will put an end to the uncertainty of the past which made us a hostage to fortune.”
Posted by Flightline UK on under Royal Air Force, Seaside Shows |
The biggest seafront airshow in the world will return to Eastbourne seafront next year from 14-17 August with four days of action packed flying to entertain visitors.
Airbourne has just celebrated its 15th year and regularly attracts a vibrant mix of fast jets, aerobatics, helicopters, freefall parachutists and old warbirds, with the world famous Red Arrows always a hot favourite.
Eastbourne Borough Council Spokesperson for Tourism, Cllr Steve Wallis said “I’m very excited to announce the dates for next year’s Airbourne. It’s the highlight of Eastbourne’s summer with such a variety of displays that get everybody involved. Kids love the activities and chance to speak to real-life pilots on the ground, while visitors return every year to find themselves bedazzled by even more daring air dynamics.”
Organisers Eastbourne Borough Council and the RAF are joining forces to put on an entertaining and exciting show for 2008, which sees the RAF celebrate its 90th anniversary so watch out for some special displays, in addition to the spectacular aerobatics which are a tradition at the show. Airbourne also features exciting ground demonstrations with full size aircraft, cockpits and displays from the RAF careers team. Visitors can speak to crew members, experience flight simulators and watch arena demonstrations all from the open landscape of the Western Lawns.
The show has a wide range of trade stands to suit all pockets from children’s attractions to a diverse catering village with Eastbourne beaches providing a magnificent setting to watch all the action.
The entertainment at Airbourne continues through to the evenings too. Visitors can enjoy a packed programme of events, including the Big Band night and concerts at the Bandstand and a spectacular and breathtaking firework finale on the Sunday night.
Join Friends of Airbourne free to receive newsletters and special offers as well as priority information on all of Eastbourne’s other events. For more information visit the Airbourne website or telephone 0871 663 0031.
Posted by Flightline UK on 19/12/2007 under Seaside Shows |
From EDP24
The region’s tourism industry is set for a multi-million pound cash boost after it was announced a prestigious powerboat racing event would again team up with the Lowestoft Air Festival to create a four-day summer extravaganza.
Organisers of the Honda Formula 4 Stroke championships announced they would return to the country’s most easterly resort in July after last summer’s event proved a huge success, with nearly 350,000 people flocking to the seafront to watch the boats and planes.
The air festival alone is thought to pump about £11m into the area’s economy every year while last year’s power boat grand prix was estimated to have created in the region of £2m.
Next year’s event will see the Lowestoft air show grace the skies on July 24 and 25 with the power boats taking to the water during the following two days.
The announcement, made in Lowestoft, came after high level talks between Honda officials and air festival organisers.
Air festival managing director Paul Bayfield said: “I am thrilled. It was quite dramatic; there were a lot of talks and phone calls before they came back with the news that we are green to go.
“It should mean some good financial rewards for the air festival. We’ve got a four-day event to sell to sponsors and advertisers rather than two days.”
This year’s event got off to a slow start when bad weather on the first day of the air show saw a disappointing attendance figure of 90,000, but the sun came out on day two and encouraging 170,000 to the seafront.
Another 75-80,000 spectators were estimated to have watch two days of high quality power boat racing where the natural amphitheatre of Lowestoft beach was seen as providing a perfect venue for the races.
Air show organisers are still waiting to confirm the main sponsors for next year’s event, but say it will definitely go ahead as planned. The free event relies on sponsorship deals and donations from spectators, and is also set to receive £10,000 from Waveney District Council.
Abbie James, spokesman for the Honda Formula 4 Stroke championships, said she was sure powerboat racing in Lowestoft would become a permanent fixture.
“Because of the success of the event in July, we would be foolish not to come back. There’s a lot of potential in this area,” she added.
Fans will also see the Lowestoft-based team from Lings Honda participate in the more power 225hp section after finishing second in the 150hp race last year. They went on to win the overall series and took possession of their more powerful boat yesterday.
The Eastern Lights charity motorbike cavalcade has also confirmed that it will ride from Norwich to Lowestoft on Sunday, July 27, to tie in with the powerboat racing.
Posted by Flightline UK on 13/12/2007 under Military Airshows |
The Royal International Air Tattoo has finally released details of it’s new ticketing structure for RIAT 2008. On-the-day prices have been increased by around 20% over 2007 prices.
From RIAT Official Website
The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, organiser of the Royal International Air Tattoo, has undertaken a thorough review of its ticketing policy for the airshow.
Our aim in doing so is to enhance your enjoyment of the world’s largest and most exciting military airshow. The review was considered a necessary response to
events last summer which saw a disproportionate number of people attending on the Saturday compared with the Sunday. This, we believe,
was due to contrasting weather forecasts for the two days plus a general increase in visitor numbers.
You will see from the table below that we have decided to introduce day-specific tickets. By doing so we believe we can control visitor numbers more effectively thereby reducing the unpredictability inherent in offering only optional day tickets, as has been the case in the past. A very limited number of tickets, valid for either day, are also being made available.
As our reputation grows as one of the UK’s premier family days out so does the number of people looking to experience all the breath-taking excitement the Air Tattoo has to offer.
We hope you understand the reasons for the changes and appreciate the efforts we have made to accommodate different views. We are confident that the benefits brought about by these changes will enhance your enjoyment of the Air Tattoo.
The new ticket prices are as follows:
| Type of Ticket |
Price |
Availability Period |
Booking
Fee* |
| Earlybird Admission Saturday |
£29.95 |
13 December 2007 – 29 February 2008 |
Nil |
| Earlybird Admission Sunday |
£29.95 |
13 December 2007 – 29 February 2008 |
Nil |
| Advance; Admission Saturday |
<£32.50 |
1 March 2008 – 11 July 2008 |
£3 |
| Admission Sunday |
£32.50 |
1 March 2008 – 11 July 2008 |
£3 |
| Advance Admission Saturday or Sunday** |
£37.50 |
13 December 2007 – 11 July 2008 |
£3*** |
| On The Day |
£45.00 |
12 July 2008 – 13 July 2008 |
Nil |
| Under 16s |
FREE |
13 December 2007 – 13 July 2008 |
N/A |
| Car Parking |
FREE |
13 December 2007 – 13 July 2008 |
N/A |
*Per Transaction – No booking fee when sold through High Street Outlets
**Limited availability
***No booking fee 13 Dec – 29 Feb
Posted by Flightline UK on 12/12/2007 under Display Team News and Dates, Military Airshows |
Reports from ICAS on Fabke’s Airshow Pages suggest the USAF F-22 Raptor display may be coming to the UK next July for the Royal International Air Tattoo and Farnborough Internationa for it’s UK airshow debut. It will also be the forst time the F-22 has displayed outside of North America.
Posted by Flightline UK on 10/12/2007 under Civilian Organised Airshows and Trade Events |
from News Shopper
A FORMER squadron leader has been made an MBE by the Queen in recognition of a lifetime of service to aviation.
Jock Maitland, 83, went to Buckingham Palace on November 30 to be presented with the award by the Queen after being named in her birthday honours list in June. The Biggin Hill International Air Fair organiser took the opportunity to remind her majesty of a previous meeting. In 1944, Princess Elizabeth visited Mildenhall airbase in Suffolk with her father King George VI. Mr Maitland, who joined the air force in 1942, was serving at the airbase at the time of the visit.
He said: “I am proud and delighted to be honoured by the Queen in this way.”
The award recognises his work promoting flying among young people through the air fair. Mr Maitland will be presiding at the 46th air fair at Biggin Hill airport on June 7 and June 8 next year.
Posted by Flightline UK on under Warbirds and Classic Jets |
Following the success of the Vintage Fly-In and Air Display in June this year, the West Sussex-based Goodwood Aero Club will once again be staging this popular air show in 2008, with the dates set for the late May bank holiday weekend, Sunday 25 and Monday 26 May 2008.
The 2008 Goodwood Aero Club Vintage Fly-In and Air Display will give the opportunity for everyone to get close to the pioneering and evocative aircraft from the golden age of flying, be they avid aviation enthusiasts or curious casual observers.
The Goodwood Aero Club Vintage Fly-In and Air Display uniquely caters for historic aircraft, with the majority being built pre-1967. It includes a number of vintage aircraft air displays, planned to be held on both days, plus the rare opportunity for visitors to experience first hand an aerobatic excursion or a memorable flight in an historic aircraft, including Goodwood’s own lovingly-restored Harvard.
A large variety of attractions for all the family, including a traditional vintage fun fair, modern aircraft, avionics displays and a host of other entertainments, will also be on hand.
The Goodwood Aerodrome will be open between 09:00 to 18:30 on both days, and all aircraft owners are invited to ‘fly-in’ in vintage clothing. Free entry and no landing fee will be offered for any pre-1967 aircraft flying into the event. A normal landing fee will apply to all other aircraft, although pilots landing at Goodwood will gain free admission into the event. Prior landing permission will be required.
The Goodwood Aerodrome is located at the former RAF Westhampnett, a key Battle of Britain airfield, and the site of Sir Douglas Bader’s final sortie. Today the site includes the world famous Goodwood Motor Circuit, the sympathetically-restored race track that hosts the nostalgic Goodwood Revival meeting every autumn (19-21 September 2008); an event that also includes a breathtaking aviation element, in addition to the spectacular array of cars and motorcycles, with star drivers and riders that thrill the crowds.
The Goodwood Aero Club offers enthusiasts the opportunity to indulge their passion for aviation and flying, to be part of Goodwood’s rich aviation history.
Tickets will be available in January 2008 from our ticket hotline:
Telephone: +44 1243 755055
Fax: +44 1243 755058
Posted by Flightline UK on 05/12/2007 under Civilian Organised Airshows and Trade Events |
A cheque for £150,000 was handed over to Ed Jarron Secretary General of the Royal Air Forces Association being the sum raised from this years Shoreham Airshow.
The total raised to date from all the shows has now exceeded One Million Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand pounds.
Plans are now well in advance for the 2008 event which is being held on August 30th and 31st 2008 with some stunning new flying displays.
Don Bean MBE Airshow Organiser said “It was tragic that Brian Bown lost his life whilst displaying at this years show but we know that he would have wanted us to carry on next year and we will do that with a fitting tribute to his memory.” A Donation has also been made to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance where Brian lived and to the Sussex Wing of the Air Cadets.
