Weston Park

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Well its Weston Park this weekend - one of the best shows of the year I think. I'll be there Saturday - and probably Sunday (not certain yet!).

 

Anyone else going?

 

BEB

[Andrew Clarke 3]

i will be there tomorrow with high hopes for a bargain or two

[Danny Fenton]

I think the days of the bargains are long gone Andrew, but we live in hope. I will be there tomorrow. Need my fix of an hour or so in the SLEC tent re-stocking my balsa supplies.

Cheers

Danny

 

 

[Eric Powell]

Yes I am going Saturday,taking my stepson & grandson to see if i can get them interested in something apart from computer games(perhaps a simulator ?) although my wife has threatened me with divorce etc. if i buy any more planes.

still i suppose i could always say that its for the grandson!

[winchweight]

Sunday for me.

 

Helping eldest move house today so look forward to seeing all your pics tonight!

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Not many real bargains around, but I did pick up a new Seagull Pilatus PC 6 Turbo Porter,(no box) with all instructions and parts including the el*ctric motor mount and five new Futaba Servos fitted...... for.....................................................£70 !

 

I was highy impressed with Ali's hotliner turbine, very hot.

[Duncan36]

It was a a great Weston yet again. Loads of great memories.

 

I think i was more nervous at launching Ali's Opus than i was flying. Launching it in a cross wind isn't the easiest thing to get right, but glad you enjoyed it, it makes it worth the effort

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Ali certainly adds a new dimension to the word "low" as in "low pass"

 

I thought some of the rolling low passes were particularly stunning. I'd hesistate to try that on a simulator!

 

BEB

[Andy Green]

Another great show but.....

 

At £9-50 to get in and them asking another £1 for a program, its geting a bit steep. A word of warning - remember Sandown Show. It was greed in the end that closed that show.

 

Andy

[Mark Lubbock]

I went again for the whole weekend as usual & although it was a great show, as always, I must agree with the cost aspect-not many years ago it was £19 for the weekend, now it is £45! (£40 if pre boked, but an impending house move made attending uncertain).

The show is getting a bit like the Ali show, certainly not to criticise Ali, his flying & models are truly awesome, but perhaps a bit too far removed from us mere mortals?

As for bargains-none really this year, I normally come back with a fair haul, but this time the retailers seemed to be mainly shifting the tat-ARTf's with nicads, brushed motors & 27mhz gear etc. & as for the swap meet, some folks need to know when to make a bonfire!!

Will I go again? probably, but not if the cost rises anymore

[Tim Mackey]

Havent been now for a couple of years. Frankly, I find them all a bit samey....seen one seen em all kind of thing. I do like to see Ali and his fantastic flying /models, but purely as a spectacle, I made a pledge several years ago to never even think about buying / flying anything I cant afford to lose in an instant.

I shall probably do Cosford, as I feel its better VFM especially with the musueum et al, and not plagued with as many  silly ( to me at least  - no offence to the brilliant pilots involved ) smoke obscured 3d and tail wagging hovering "aeroplanes" and stupidly fast heli stunt flying. Yawn.

Im more of scale fan m'self, and the large scale stuff at Cosford is superb.

As for "bargains" I think the WWW pretty much killed that off at the shows, especialy with the cost that the traders have to pay to be there .

[Chris Card]

I was at Weston!  Sorry I didn't see this thread before I went, not sure why.  I loved the show, especially Ali flying his big Jet (Futura I think it was called).  So impressive & dramatic, really a show stopper in my view.

 

I picked up a wicked case of sunburn and my forehead currently looks like Nelix in Startrek Voyager, if that means anything to you.  Slight downside was I felt the cost of entry was excessive.  Because I camped I paid 45 pounds which for 1 guy and a small tent for 2 nights was pretty pricey.  They have a flat rate for camping so a family of 4 with a car, caravan and 2 tents pays the same rate.  Didn't seem right to me.

 

But...!  It was a great show, I met up with a few friends I've not seen in a while and that's all that matters.  So many people get so much fun and pleasure from the shows that run through the summer season, hats off to all those who put in the effort to run them.  

[Barnesyboy]

Just wrote a huge reply about Weston, only to be logged out !!!!!!

 

Basicly it was

 

 Weston great show alway is

 

Camping cheep if you make the most of it from Wednesday to Monday as little as £9 per night not there fault you can only do 1 or 2 nights

 

Flying Slots, want to see somthing different? then build it turn up and risk it like all the rest do, Steve and the team can only put up whats there!

 

Cost, peeps always moan, next week will be Wings and wheels the Cosford (who are cleaver advertising the museam as free when it is all year round)  then Woodvale then the nats, anyone know how much it is to have Weston Park for a weekend?

 

Bargin, well i saw plenty and like the TV ad have we lost the nack of the haggle?

 

Think that was it, Well done Steve and the Team count me in for next year 

 

BB

[Jez Harris]

Firstly a big WELL DONE to Steve and the Team..

 

Thx also to all who have commented on the Dawn Patrol Slots - nice to be appreciated..it was a big gusty on Sunday and we suffered a couple of incidents landing crosswind..

 

My take on Weston this year...not as good as usual to be honest...

 

Highs were the big 262 and the pylon racer jobbies flown by Ali and co.

The Pyro sloys were ace but the testing of a noisy one during saturdays pilot briefing made us all jump!!

The heli nightime display was great.

The Reds were entertaining as usual.

The Banner pick -up by the Pawnee was brilliant.

The PItts Pair were average and the full size glider dull cos I've seen it too much at Weston.

The mass launch of EDF was fun to watch - I usually detest little lecky slots but the sheer number made it a chuckle..

 

However...I too found the prevalence of Elan type jets and medium to large aerobatics boring....It seemed to be aeros, jets, aeros, jets, aero jets and then an interesting slot followed by more aeros and jets...

 

I admit I like scale stuff- The TJD boys were ace but there didnt seem to be more Big WW2 stuff.

What ever happened to all the big Lancs, BIG spits and other Scale Stuff....I walked up and down the entire flight line many many times the weekend - -it was so dull - a riot of colour yes but mainly ARTF jets and Aeros...

 

I consider myself very fortunate to be able to participate with the Dawn Patrol at a great many shows - it seems that fewer and fewer Non LMA shows attract a big number of Scale type A/C....Why is this?

 

There also seemed to be a few slots that just involved two or three magnums or deltas - not much spectacle to this.

 

So what could be done to improve the show then for me..

 

Demos of stuff like pylon and control line.

I love the idea of a silly comp like limbo or balloon popping

A big aero flying a proper schedule - Steve Mallinder type stuff..

Unique slots like the Wing Walking duo of Steve Holland with the Brietling Stearmans.

Even a club slot showing what "normal" folk fly would be better than endless repeats..

 

In a nutshell more variety please!!!

 

This however relies on the pilots of A/C like these to step up and participate....

 

I've cut back this year on shows due to fuel costs etc....

 

Is this a sign of things to come?

 

Jez

 

 

 

 

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Time warp. We seem to have gone from 2010 to 2011 in minus two days!