Hawker Hunter crash at Airshow.

Wouldn't surprise me if this grounding doesn't drag out for years, Chilcott style, until hangar fees etc. mount up to the point that they will no longer be maintained in flying condition, killi8ng off Hunters by stealth. Something similarly wrong is taking place with Spacie gliders.

Is this likely to affect the Clacton Air Show at the end of this week?

pauline;163573 wrote:

Take your daughter Method Man, she will love it, my father still took me to Farnborough despite us being as close to that accident as it was possible to be without being killed, and more recently my son has taken me to a Cold War Jets Day, I wouldn't have missed the excitement for the world. Life is for living and an accident can happen anywhere at any time, your girlfriend's concerns for her daughter's safety are understandable, but you have to bring them up to be brave as my father did with me, he told me after Farnborough that he knew, as the engine came towards us, that there was nothing that he could do to save me, but it didn't stop him taking me again and I bless him for that, he knew how to bring up his daughter and I am sure that you will be the same. Good luck and enjoy the Cold War Jets, I wish I could be there.

Pauline.

Thanks for your reply. We're definitely going to go. She's got her ear defenders and step-up platform all set up ready for viewing. My g/f doesn't know half of what we get up to anyway which includes standing 20ft away from the runway at Brunty when the Tri-stars came in 18 months ago We were up at Upper Bruntingthorpe last night at dusk looking at the old buildings that are still in use.

pauline;163590 wrote:

Is this likely to affect the Clacton Air Show at the end of this week?

The organisers Tweeted about 30 minutes ago that it was all clear to go ahead with no changes.

MethodMan;163570 wrote:

Just been catching up with the various reports, eye-witness accounts etc. surrounding this terrible and tragic incident.

How the pilot stayed alive I'll never know but he is, not surprisingly, seriously injured.

I'm due to take my four-year-old daughter to the Cold War Jets day next Sunday for her first taste of a display but my girlfriend is now convinced we'll both be incinerated the minute we step out of the car.

Take her regardless. Just get her ear defenders.

pauline;163590 wrote:

Is this likely to affect the Clacton Air Show at the end of this week?

As it's not "over land" hopefully it will continue as scheduled with no restrictions (as has been posted).
The fact that there is a pier and usually numerous small boats moored off shore the potential is still there.

However, we all knew that something would be done the moment this terribly sad incident happened and the fact that the CAA are wiling to let seaside events go on as scheduled and they have not just grounded everything "vintage" is something.

What the future now holds for airshows over land is a different matter.

Hopefully the CAA's decision will stop some sections of the media baying for blood which as we know usually results in ill defined knee jerk reactions.

This could be the excuse (if one were being sought) to end displays at Waddo. Fairford has a large area N of the runway "quarantined" already, maybe they will have to move aircraft parking elsewhere though. ISTR one of the Migs fell close to the Lanc, but that might have been an optical illusion from where I was stood.
The Police already clear the runway ends from those who want to watch for free, perhaps they will increase the perimeter to a lot more of Gloucestershire.
Can you imagine RIAT moved to Skegness? Yuk.

For 'vintage' read all jets operated in accordance with the provisions of CAP 632.

Interestingly, there is a Strikemaster on the circuit which was built in 1986, a good five years after the Hawks of the Reds.

I think that the CAA has made a measured response - it would have been very easy for a knee-jerk reaction to ground all jets.