Aviation Rip Off's

[f-4]

Having attended the Marham event - which has sparked this debate - I must take issue with those who say "You got what was promised". I first got wind of the event through the FC post www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=159224 on 6 March. Never saw the advertised poster and as I thought it may be a last chance to catch active Tornados, I applied. I work 9-5 five days a week and getting to the fence is a rare occasion.
I was informed by Swifty the list was full but was on the reserves. I got a place on 27 March and the application form gave no details of what would be on offer - this would be confirmed a month before the event. I wouldn't normally spend £50 on such a photocall but the lure of those last Tonkas was too much...
It wasn't until 11 June we finally got to know what was available to shoot - alarm bells started ringing as it looked like three aircraft and pot luck on the rest. The day would depend on how many Tornados and how close we could get to them. As we know, the closest we got to a taxying Tornado was 900m (measured on Google Earth) and the flyers were all at 2,000ft. Of course, if this had been spelled out before shelling out £50, very few would have signed up.
Somewhere between March and early June the plan got f*cked within the powers that be at Marham - or possibly higher - as I don't believe what happened was the original intent. So no, we didn't know what was on offer, hence the argument "you knew what you were getting" doesn't apply.

[SpilsbyPete]

I was at Coningsby on Wed and Fri.
On Friday the COAP people paid the £100 for the photo shoot.
I must say from there position during the recovery,I must have got better shots.
Anyway,This is the future.
Up close to dull grey F-35's and the going rate of £100.

Time to move on and let this thread fade into the past

SpilsbyPete

[Nighthawke]

Plenty of colour and variation in civil aviation...

[Flightline UK]

Having attended the Marham event - which has sparked this debate - I must take issue with those who say "You got what was promised". I first got wind of the event through the FC post www.fightercontrol.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=159224 on 6 March. Never saw the advertised poster and as I thought it may be a last chance to catch active Tornados, I applied. I work 9-5 five days a week and getting to the fence is a rare occasion.
I was informed by Swifty the list was full but was on the reserves. I got a place on 27 March and the application form gave no details of what would be on offer - this would be confirmed a month before the event. I wouldn't normally spend £50 on such a photocall but the lure of those last Tonkas was too much...
It wasn't until 11 June we finally got to know what was available to shoot - alarm bells started ringing as it looked like three aircraft and pot luck on the rest. The day would depend on how many Tornados and how close we could get to them. As we know, the closest we got to a taxying Tornado was 900m (measured on Google Earth) and the flyers were all at 2,000ft. Of course, if this had been spelled out before shelling out £50, very few would have signed up.
Somewhere between March and early June the plan got f*cked within the powers that be at Marham - or possibly higher - as I don't believe what happened was the original intent. So no, we didn't know what was on offer, hence the argument "you knew what you were getting" doesn't apply.

Just to add to what Gary says about the plans getting changed, it appears that perhaps the Great War Display Team were expecting to be there on the 21st June? (http://www.greatwardisplayteam.com/wher ... -2018.html)

Just speculation on my part, but perhaps a grander plan was envisaged along the lines of the RAF100 theme and for some reason it all fell over. That doesn't excuse the poor quality of what was offered though.

[Mawgan4]

There seems to be a lot of despondency and frustration around at the moment, and it's not hard to see why: reducing number of military airshows, fewer military aircraft in service, higher ticket prices for photocalls etc, all well-documented in this and other forums. But I would like to argue that if you take a step back and consider the big picture, there are in fact still reasons to be cheerful:

1. The internet has improved communication beyond recognition: thirty years ago the first I would know about a deployment would be when a report appeared in the pages of an aviation magazine, long after the aircraft had departed. Nowadays, thanks to FC, UKAR, Scramble, Facebook etc pretty much everything is heralded in advance. And of course there is still 'fence talk'. So our chances of seeing those visitors which do make it to UK airfields is much better than it once was; I'm hoping to see German EF2000s and Tornados at Coningsby in September and US bombers at Fairford in the Autumn also. And if you are not restricted by working 9-5 Monday to Friday, then take advantage of the short notice 'Heads Up' posts.

2. If photography is your thing, then the rise of digital means that you can reel off thousands of shots at RIAT in the hope of getting those few dramatic shots - gone are the days of a single roll of 36 exposure Kodachrome. And the focal lengths nowadays - 400mm or 500mm is not uncommon, and on a crop sensor that is equivalent to approx 700mm on a film camera, compared to the 200mm I used 35 years ago, mean that you can take photos which were only dreamed of in the past.

3. Spend your money wisely, some costs have come down over the years. Cheap flights to Europe make visits to Frisian Flag or TLP a real possibility: I've heard of people doing TLP as a day trip. Or Kleine Brogel photo days. Or Tiger Meets. Or French AF Open days. the list goes on. Or put your car on the ferry. If you don't throw money at overpriced UK photo shoots then maybe you can afford a short trip to Europe. For example, this years FRIAT membership plus camping at Kempsford will cost me just over £300, before food and fuel costs, which is similar to what I paid for 4 days at Frisian Flag, including flights, car hire and three nights hotel; and for that I got over 50 fast jets launching twice a day. And if you travel with a friend and only stay 1 night, the cost comes right down. Get yourself on the mailing lists for Threshold Aero and the Northolt night shoots, and book on those events which interest you, you don't need to do them all.

4. Lastly, keep a sense of perspective; there will always be someone with better access than ordinary people like you and me. I drool over photos of Hyakuri F-4s, Rainbow Canyon fast jets with shock waves beginning to form, NAS Fallon ramp etc I'll probably never get to any of them, but it doesn't stop me enjoying them. Chill out, it's a hobby.

I'm not saying that all is rosy; (and I really sympathise with those who were at the Marham photocall) but in my view it is not all bad. Life is much more enjoyable if the glass is half full rather than half empty. I'm off to pack for RIAT

Alisdair

[romeo bravo]

Well said, Alisdair. Some people need of pack of 'chill out' pills these days.

[jem60]

MAWGAN4. Very well said!!. Life is all about choices, and it is impossible to do it all, tho' I have tried very hard. Combine that with living in the finest country in the world, and life can still be good, even Aviationwise.! Regards, John.

[SpilsbyPete]

Guys,

I do not need any "chill out" pills.
I'm just pointing out the unrealistic charges for Photo Shoots.
I agree there is better value for money across the channel and I will
travelling soon.

As i said "Time to move on and let this thread fade into the past"

Pete