Of Esox & observations : Manston Air Show

Sunday, 23 June 2013

Manston Air Show - such a shame!

At 09.30hrs Gary, Ron & Denise were at our bungalow - we headed off to Manston, via Debbie's where she and Emily joined the gang. We were parking the cars on the grass before 10.00hrs. So far, so good? The fact that Ron & Denise are in their 80's and aren't as fit as they once were meant that Gary had to drive across the field to another area, closer to the entrance. No-one's fault, just what was required.

The centre piece for the whole show - XH 558
What a fantastic piece of engineering - "the pride of Great Britain"
Vulcan to the Skies - you've done yourselves proud

We assembled within the Manston boundaries and were confronted by a heady mix of static displays. There were planes, a fun fair, stalls, marching bands and umpteen other distractions. A cup of coffee and chips for £5 set the tone - it was rip off city!!!! I'm sure that the event organisers hadn't any input into the prices - the greed culture kicking in once more? (Why take an inch when a mile will do?)
The conditions were atrocious - as were the tanoy announcements - so several of the displays were cancelled without the masses being informed.

P40 - Kittyhawk

P51 Mustang - "Jumpin Jaques"

The planes that did fly were superb - centre stage was the AVRO Vulcan - "The Spirit of Great Britain". The "peoples plane" she provided the focal point for the whole event - magnificent!
There were plenty of other planes to be seen, many airshow veterans recalling the airshows of yesteryear - Manston was always a "good-un"

There was always something going on, but the strong winds did nothing to aid proceedings. The Sea Fury pilot; Chris Gotke, came across to speak with the crowds - he was unsure if he would be able to display under the weather conditions? It was quite surreal - this guy was about to display a plane; he was just an ordinary bloke - fantastic advert (anyone can have aspirations)

The star of the show (in my opinion) - the Hawker Sea Fury
This is one major league aeroplane - every bit as important as the Spitfire and Hurricane in our history and heritage.

Airbourne - just why Chris was at Manston!

We live within a few miles of the venue - it took us less than 15 minutes to get home, once we'd found the car. There are stories of absolute chaos - organisation being anything but co-ordinated. Bev and I had a 30th wedding aniversary bash to attend in the evening and it was there that we heard tell of the complete chaos reported on the local radio station - such a pity that a positive, for Thanet, has been ruined (for many) by poor planning and infra-structure.

Is this the last time that a Vulcan leaves Manston?
Vulcan to the Skies

It was a fantastic event - spoilt by the weather and road chaos. There is abosolutely nothing more that the organisers could have done? Angie Sutton (AS Enterprises) and Charles Buchanan (Manston Airport) have to be praised for their efforts, but learn from this experience if the event is to become a regular occurence.