Ah, the good old days.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 924

Friday afternoon i was watching a Puma doing some load exercises at Dalton Barracks (RAF Abingdon), it had a suspended cargo net containing a large crate which they were putting down and taking up, completing circuits and repeating the exercise.
It reminded me of the many airshows i saw there years ago where one of the set pieces was to announce over the PA the car registration xyz 123 was blocking an entrance so could the owner quickly move it, this was repeated several times until the final mesage came "move it or we will". This was followed a few minutes later by said car suspended from a great height under a Wessex from which it was proptly dropped from same height on the far side of the airfield.
I'm sure that there were many in the crowd when seeing this for the first time were convinced that the RAF had trashed someones pride and joy.
I'm also sure that the scrap dealer who's yard was at the Wootton rd end of the field was chuffed every time they did it.
Ahh, good times.

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Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 209

RE: Ah, the good old days.

I miss those days too! I was with the Oxfordshire Aircraft Collection at the time and we would provide a big exhibition in B hangar!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 924

RE: Ah, the good old days.

Great times,
I started going to 'At Home' days in my pram(1958), and every year thereafter.I used to love dragging my Dad around every exhibit, i would not miss anything. I remember some of the hangar things , such as the guys jumping from the balcony to simulate proper jumps. The model aircraft were always good, i remember petering to get one of those.
It was such a great adventure every year, Abingdon or Benson.I went to every one until the last.
The only thing is probably the fact that i did not realise the significance of some of the aircraft in the early days, many of them have long gone now and some of them we are struggling to keep at least one airworthy.
Whether its just a childhood thing or not i'm not sure, but those 60's and 70's 'at home' days seemed to be the best airshows i have ever seem.
Spitfires seem to be the only thing that have increased since those days!!.
Vamps, Venoms,Valiants, Victors, Vulcans,Meteors,Javelins, Hunters,Lightnings,Gnats,Fury's, Gannets,Hastings,Beverly's........need i go on.

Phil.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,777

RE: Ah, the good old days.

I absolutely agree about the 1960s and 70s air shows. I too went to every Abingdon and Benson Battle of Britain Day from 1900 and frozen to death onwards. Free entry (as were all the USAF Armed Forces Days), and at least at Benson, access to the flying display aircraft flightline if you got there early enough.

Sure there weren't as many aircraft as there are at shows nowadays, but I think there is too much quantity rather than quality now. In addition, you never knew in advance what was going to turn up, so you really got the "wow" factor - I was never disappointed. French Super Mystere dropping a sonic bang during a low flypast, Danish RF-84 formation, Martin-Baker's Meteor actually firing a seat out of the back cockpit, KB-50s, the absolutely barking-mad "Diables Rouges" Hunter team.... Great days, great memories and a lot of charished photographs.

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24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,000

RE: Ah, the good old days.

1900?You've been going to air displays for quite a few years then Steve! :)

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 924

RE: Ah, the good old days.

And i thought i had been around a long time !!.
Still, at least us old uns have good memories of shows like the'At Home' days, days when the RAF really could put on a display. The good thing was like Steve said you never really knew what you were going to get.
Massed Lightning and Hunter formations, more than one Vulcan in the air at the same time, more than one Beverly up ,and well i could go on and on.
Phil