The end of UK Airshows????

[carmedic]

I originally posted this in the "Hunter WV372 down" thread, but I think more people may see it as a stand alone post.


On the 1st Feb the Civil Aviation Authority released details of the latest proposal and in their words, describes ways in which to improve safety at airshows in the United Kingdom. looking into the proposal in detail reveals that it is nothing more than an inexplicable hike in airshow display charges.

publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP%201371%20civil%20air%20display%20review%20actions%20eval.pdf


While most shows have remained quiet on the matter so far, the organisers of the Biggin Hill Festival of Flight have spoken out and released the following statement:


"We are dismayed to read the recent Civil Aviation Authority publication, “Proposed Air Display and Low Flying Permission Charges”, which could see the demise of the British Air Show.

The headline of a 100% increase in charges for the display permission is bad enough but turn the page and a new charge has been introduced; a “post event charge” based on the number of display items.

So in 2015 if you had between 18 & 24 display items you paid £1,497 for the CAA permission.

In 2016 for 18 to 24 display items you will pay £6,994.

And forget a big public show ever happening again for 31 items you will be asked to pay £20,390.

This new charging policy will see the air shows large and small disappear for the calendar in the UK and its not just the display organisers who are affected, display pilots’ authorisations have gone up by 100% as well."

A UK Goverment petition has been set up asking for the CAA to rethink these proposals, please follow this link and sign the petition

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/120628

Also there is a new facebook page which has many event organisers and display pilots as members, this group has been set up to help coordinate the battle with the CAA. If you are on facebook please join and show your support.

www.facebook.com/groups/KeepAirshowsAirborne/

[davidallum]

I wonder how this will affect this years Farnborough,although the organizers claim that it is a trade show with a flying display tacked onto the end of the week for Joe Public on Saturday and Sunday

[zz]

I would have thought that Farnborough and Fairford are big enough money-makers to take this hit. Or at least pass the cost onto the customer knowing that people will still go.

But most other shows will find it hard! I'll certainly sign the petition!

[carmedic]

Air Shows that have been cancelled for 2016, so far
Barton
Dawlish
LLandudno
Sywell
Bridgnorth Wings & Wheels

Several high profile display pilots have joined the cause and are being very vocal about the increase of CAA fees. There is a BADA\CAA seminar next week which should be very intresting

[christoff]

Nice to know that they live up to their initials.....Well done C A A = Campaign Against Aeroplanes.

[peterbrown]

Magnificent. Air displays - until Shoreham last year - were the UK's second largest crowd puller after football, or so I'm informed.

The draconian move by the CAA to financially bleed the air show scene of air shows means one thing. Smaller events will be ruled out, they'll become extinct, only the big players with huge corporate backing will live on to see another day. Such blood sucking restrictions would have put an instant halt on my past events at Blackbushe where I was on a shoe string financially but, nonetheless, air safety was at no time threatened. We did not hand out wads of notes to the elite rule makers who now occupy the CAA, but worked happily with them.

No deaths have occurred amid the airshow going fraternity since 1952 when John Derry's 110 released its engines following structural failure. Display pilots have died, sadly, but often because they were going beyond the limit of the aeroplanes they were flying..our warbird numbers have suffered as a result. As it happens, the needless Shoreham accident did not injure anyone amid the show crowds having made contact with innocents beyond the airfield boundary. My point is that attending UK airshows has proven much safer than attending football matches. Limitations are reasonable as to what pilots may do with aged aeroplanes in public, it makes me cringe to see aeroplanes doing stunts they were not designed to do. My closest friend lost his life as the result of such an event at Biggin Hill when the Invader came to grief. Loss of life due to crass flying is totally not acceptable, and efforts to limit pilot induced over enthusiasm are to be welcomed. Not, however, rules that remove the smaller entrepreneur run flying event from the skies of the UK as surely will happen.

It puts an end to any hope of running flying displays at Blackbushe, so far as I can see or am concerned....We are holding an Air Day on 30 July, we are gathering some interesting static aeroplanes, fly-pasts may be expected, and we'll host a fly-in with free landings! Unless the CAA decide that flying is just too dangerous. So many die in their cars every year, but funnily enough we have not yet been priced off the road to ensure our continued 'elf n safety. I guess less air-shows would lessen the chance of injury travelling to or from the events...and that must be the greatest danger air-shows present?

PB

[dave]

Feb 5, 2016 14:22:23 GMT @bobbybluebizjet said:

Feb 4, 2016 20:49:04 GMT zz said:

Getting back to air shows-  I don't usually bother with major air shows on a regular basis anymore sticking mainly to flying's etc. One thing I do not like is the not selling of tickets on the day of the show, punters having to buy early bird tickets etc. This is just in case the weather is crap and no one bothers going.

hi,  I think the early bird tickets and none on sale on the day comes from the extra whammy of paying a charge for buying the ticket, RIAT I believe is £2 for "administration" didn't the government say last year or so that these charges in other instances were not valid?.
  

[carmedic]

You can submit your views/objections to the CAA at 

publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?appid=58


Those who think its confusing please follow these simple steps.

Fill in your details..........enter 3.1 in the paragraph box.....Select the 1 option available in the drop down box.......write your veiws and comments regarding the increase in prices and then submit it

[carmedic]

Sywell have announce they have cancelled thier airshow 


www.sywellaerodrome.co.uk/

[graham]

This is awful Chris and getting worse by the minute. Someone with some serious clout has got to take the CAA on head to head to resolve this before they are all cancelled.

Form completed and emailed to them

[christoff]

Such a sorry state of affairs,when the CAA think that increasing the costs will actually improve safety...instead you end up with twice as many people trying to attend the few remaining shows causing total and utter grid lock within a twenty mile radius...well I suppose a beautiful aeroplane locked away from all to see is extremely safe!!!

[carmedic]

Feb 9, 2016 18:32:21 GMT graham said:

This is awful Chris and getting worse by the minute. Someone with some serious clout has got to take the CAA on head to head to resolve this before they are all cancelled.

Form completed and emailed to them

There is a BADA meeting this week, but the more people that sign the petition and respond via the CAA page the better,  Millions attend airshows each year but ony 10,000 have signed the petition, 

[oap]

Trouble is that these faceless beurocrats don't think like ordinary Joe Public, do they?

Their idea of sorting a problem is to charge and hope that the charges are such that whatever the problem is will go away. I can see the day when there won't be any small scale shows and the skies will be a poorer place for it. Fly-ins and fly-pasts will be the order of the day. Of course, there must be some regulation or mayhem wii ensue, but this is just moneygrabbing.

A sad state of affairs all round.

Mike

[carmedic]

Good artical following this weeks BADA conferance


thisisflight.net/features/2016-2/feature-caa-airshow-charges-what-they-mean/  

The line that stood out to me was     the CAA “couldn’t justify” the costs.  

Is this because the rises in costs are just a knee jerk money grabbing reaction?  

[Jeff]

what I cant understand is how increasing the cost improves safety ? unless of course the end game is that by increaseing the cost on a year to year basis eventually there will be no airshows left to cause a safety problem !

[carmedic]

Feb 13, 2016 20:22:14 GMT Jeff said:

what I cant understand is how increasing the cost improves safety ? unless of course the end game is that by increaseing the cost on a year to year basis eventually there will be no airshows left to cause a safety problem !

I think that is the CAA's masterplan, but why are they biting the hand that feeds them?