R25 parking

[flyingslug_0]

i should be there about 8 tomorrow morning what are the chances 25 end then do u reckon??

Not a 100% sure what you mean, but if Runway 25 is in use tomorrow and there are no parking spaces available, I would recommend that you park by the old bomb dump and walk down.

[grimly aviation pics]

I can assure u and other that i would park properly may be my first time but i never set out to upset anyone specially farmers who let us use there land i have this on regular visits to marham hopefully i can get parked in good time around 7.30/8 am tomorrow and see all aspect of r25 anybody with info on how parking was today would be much appreciated

[tim_raper]

With the greatest of respect, no one can actually foresee exactly what it's going to be like, all the info you need is above, make the judgement when you arrive. At the most/worst you have a 15-20 minute walk.

[PR9]

How has crash gate 4 been? My usual bolt hole when 25 is in use as can't be bothered with a bun fight.

Hoping to be down there tomorrow morning bright and early (unless 07 is in use?).

[Tiger 1]

Hi grimly aviation pics and everyone

I was at Coningsby all day today from 0800am to 18.00pm local and did not have any problems getting my self parked where I wanted to be.

On arrival at 08.00am I parked at the BBMF and read the ASP off... then moved to the main spotters park at 08.25am which had 12 cars in it. I shortly after, moved to the relief car park at 0835am which is right next to Adrians Runway Snacks, its a couple of old pans, this area as been opened by the RAF to help with the volume of cars visiting over the exercise. Its worth saying that inside the following hour the main spotters park did fill up very quickly but the relief car park was ok.

I remained in the relief car park until they changed the RWY from 07 to 25... this caused a mass exit from the car parks and the mound area as people scrambled to get to the other end of the field, I then went over to the mound were I parked up with know problems and stayed there until all the mornings departures had returned.

I moved again at about 12.10pm to the crash gate down past the main entrance to the base and again had no problem getting a good spot... I remained here until 16.30pm then moved back up to the BBMF hangar to get the Spitfire starting up and departing.

Whilst I was at this location, it was the only time were I noticed the traffic getting a little chaotic, at about 17.00pm loads of cars were trying to get parked which included French, German and Netherland drivers and on two occasions i observed near misses one of which resulted in an exchange of words.

I then moved again for a short while back to the main spotters park at 17.30pm which only had an hand full of cars in it, sadly the BBMF Spitfire had not returned by 18.00pm so i hit the road for home. A very enjoyable day.

Hope this helps

Best rgds

T1

[PR9]

Thanks for the info Tiger1.

[Tiger 1]

Your very welcome.

Best rgds

T1

[Runner]

There was a whip round in lieu of the damage today. I understand he's not happy about the damage; hopefully the cash might restore a bit of goodwill. A thoughtful gesture by the guys involved. Well done guys.
I

[Rainbow 6]

Have to agree with captain the parking on monday was a disgrace, the entrance to field was blocked, and people who had parked there had just thought I will leave my car here its ok, and it seems to be there thinking that it ok to drive over the farmers crops remember guys its private property and he is well within his rights to block/close his field, he is kind enough to allow to park there. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. This is completely bang out of order and completely wrong and any who does is no spotter as they have no respect for anything there sole interest is them and its wrong. To be honest I was quite ashamed when I saw it on monday morning and off to the other other end.

Probably the same people who said "There will be no flying on Monday or Tuesday afternoon's, I know because I know people" just as the crew were getting in the jets............

Rant over now.......

Rainbow

[boff180]

Have to agree with captain the parking on monday was a disgrace, the entrance to field was blocked, and people who had parked there had just thought I will leave my car here its ok, and it seems to be there thinking that it ok to drive over the farmers crops remember guys its private property and he is well within his rights to block/close his field, he is kind enough to allow to park there. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. This is completely bang out of order and completely wrong and any who does is no spotter as they have no respect for anything there sole interest is them and its wrong. To be honest I was quite ashamed when I saw it on monday morning and off to the other other end.

Probably the same people who said "There will be no flying on Monday or Tuesday afternoon's, I know because I know people" just as the crew were getting in the jets............

Rant over now.......

Rainbow

Just to point out, I was there Monday from 0830 to 1615 and in that entire time not a single car drove over the crops and everyone who was parked on that track that moved did so in a way that did not hit the crops. Either by carefully reversing back up the track or by driving down to the bottom, turning round in the clear area and driving back up. I was surprised how careful people were being, deliberately trying not to hit the crops and had expected to see carnage with many crops being destroyed.

[Runner]

Doodlebug,

I think the farm is called Parkers Farm, 118 comes up with this:

http://www.118.com/merchant/fruit-veget ... on-farming

[Focal_Plane]

Doodlebug,

I think the farm is called Parkers Farm, 118 comes up with this:

http://www.118.com/merchant/fruit-veget ... on-farming

Don`t want to confuse the issue but the sign that was put up on the fence in the field on Wednesday night read:

G.S. Haines - Son`s are aware of this rare opportunity to photograph the Royal Saudi Air Force. We kindly request donations for the Royal British Legion and Help For Heroes for this privilged parking / viewing area. Thank You.

[Runner]

Focal,

The link shows GS Haines as the farmers at Parkers Farm, no confusion

Nice to see they've suggested the charities, there looked to be a lot of leeks worth in that whip round last Wednesday!

[blakey]

First time since the exercise started that ive been down 25 end and i gotta say how civilised and organised it was, ok maybe not the numbers there this week like last week but it was the busiest ive ever seen it

[Focal_Plane]

The situation at the 25 end in the field is, as Captain says, a proper mess. Some people have no sense or regard for others . We've had this many times before at exercise time, but the farmer has gotta be hopping mad unless he's incredibly patient, especially if there's no access, destroyed leeks and loads of litter. Therefore a plea - please park respectfully, considerately and legally or you'll ruin it for all of us. If a location is full, go elsewhere. See the viewing guide at the top of this page for info.

I for one don't go to Coningsby that often but I made the trip on the Monday, and we are so lucky that the farmer allows us to enter his land and carry on with our hobby, what I am saying is please respect his property and take your litter home with you, you all managed to bring it with you so lets take it home with us, when I departed on the Monday evening I took a carrier bag full of peoples rubbish that was left behind.
I for one would like to go back some day and use the field to carry on with my hobby.

Paul.

Paul,

I have to report that sadly things didn`t improve after the first week when we met.

Yesterday, on the final day of the exercise, I picked up two full bags of rubbish in the farmers field at the 25 end, all of it new. One bag which was hung on the fence contained half a dozen cigarette packets, crisp packets, a print out for buying a ladder at B&Q, plus banana skins from bananas BOUGHT IN HOLLAND. Hmmmm?

The row of leeks next to the track down the side of the field is almost completely flattened, most of the damage being done on the day we met when a 4 x 4 drove all along the edge, driven I believe by another "overseas visitor". Mind you, on several occassions I also witnessed other people doing the same, so it`s not all Johnny Foreigner to blame.

Also had a word with the farmer yesterday about it all, thankfully the people who have made donations and who had been to see him seems to have smoothed over the worst of it. Even so, I can`t fathom the attitude of these idiots when you consider how increasingly difficult things are getting for enthusiats. Then there`s the matter of the people who just didn`t seem to give a damn for other photographers, especially during the first week. People turning up at the last minute and standing right in front of others on the 25 end who`d been waiting in their spot for ages; people turning up late and parking their cars on the edge of the road. The police were there at least twice that I saw during the exercise.

Still, can`t say I`m suprised, many of us fully expected this kind of behaviour. Fortunately it was a only a minority who did all this, but why?

Regards,

John