In my last report from RAF Northolt arrivals day, I mentioned that I do have a little bit of an ability to tow cloud and rain behind me wherever I go. Well since then, I’ve been to Wales and I’ve been to Salisbury Plain, it rained. What a shock I hear you say, but wait, is it just me?
You see, I am now of the opinion that when certain GAR team members get together (Karl Drage, Paul Dunn, Geoff Hibbert and John Higgins), we should be known as “The Four Seasons”!! We seem to attract rain, wind, sun, cloud, snow, well not snow but it’s only a matter of time. With that in mind and August 20th fast approaching I was a tad concerned.
That said, I didn’t even need to think twice about going to the Dawlish Carnival Airshow this year. Why?? Well, I went last year, that’s enough isn’t it? Well, maybe I should qualify that a little bit. You see Dawlish is good, Dawlish is very good, no actually, Dawlish is Mr Kipling exceedingly good. It’s the cherry bakewell of the airshow calendar. Small, sweet and topped with a Westland Wasp shaped big fat cherry. I love Dawlish!!
Now the downside for Dawlish is that it’s a long way from my home, it costs a fortune in fuel (yes of course it’s a financially sound idea to swap your economical diesel car for a petrol car that’s like the Oliver Read of the petrol world) and it takes forever to get there. It’s a tough climb, it’s bound to rain and it’s midweek. Why would anyone want to go?? Let me explain.
A couple of years back I marvelled at the pictures that emerged on the internet from this small airshow - I really wanted to go and have a look. 'How far is it?' I thought. Two hundred and thirty miles, each way!! No chance!! I really can’t be bothered to go that far. The following year (2008) Karl Drage persuaded me to give it a go and my God I’m so glad I did. The venue that most of the photographers frequent is amazing - a 275 feet high hill which overlooks the Smugglers Inn and the area where some of the visiting helicopters park for the show. It’s a sort of “Mach Loop” for the folk of Devon, with the added bonus of the sea as a backdrop too. Seaside shows are great to watch but if you want to shoot them then a lofty perch is a massive bonus. Dawlish has such a lofty perch.
I set off from a sunny (well dark and dry) Loughborough at 4.30am and headed for the South West. It was going well but 45 miles from my destination I hit rain, 'Higgins and Drage must have dragged it down with them the night before', I thought, 'I’m not taking the blame for this!' After a journey time of three hours and ten minutes I arrived in this quaint seaside town, parked up and made my way to the Smugglers car park.
It’s amazing that in a year you can forget how high 275 feet looks from there! We got the clearance to go up the hill at 9.30 and off we went. I did have a bit of a false start and didn’t manage to be the first to the top of the hill, you see I am a bit competitive, but I definitely lost this one! Even the normally sedate Paul Dunn put in a good performance, well he did have his running shorts on, despite the rain.
We managed to get to the top just in time for the 32 Sqn Agusta A109 to arrive. He gave us a few pirouettes and then landed in the field behind the pub, shortly followed by the beautifully painted 771 NAS Sea King. The Sea King and the RAF Merlin, crewed by 78 Sqn, gave some air experience flights to the waiting cadets, and of course further photographic opportunities for the ever growing band of enthusiasts gathering on the hill side.
The highlight of the day for me was about to arrive, not a massively exciting airframe, not too noisy (although distinctive to the ear) but blimey does he play ball. John Beattie, you’re a legend. We love what you do for us, so thank you for that and long may it continue. John put his Wasp below us on the hill, he was still a good distance away but people’s heads started appearing in the viewfinder; that’s how far he went below us. The resulting topside shot of the Wasp hovering is a cherished and almost unique shot. In the mad dash and clamber for everyone to get to the highest vantage point prior to his arrival, we had left the lower area of the hill devoid of people. John noticed this and took full advantage for our benefit, top man!!
The show itself was good this year, not quite a vintage like 2008 but totally enjoyable nonetheless. Notable absentees were the RAF Typhoon and Role Demo, the latter being axed completely this year and the former sticking to weekend displays only; a great shame and a big loss to the airshow circuit in general in my opinion. Still, this is no fault of the organisers who did in fact come up with a few gems.
It’s always nice to see the Raspberry Ripple Hunter, G-ETPS/XE601. Its pilot, Andy Foan, took most of us by surprise as we were snapping away at Red 10 arriving in a Eurocopter Squirrel. The Hunter approached with great vigour and the legendary “Blue Note” was clearly heard. The Hawk and King Air gave polished performances and it’s actually nice to be on a hillside, away from the display centre and get within a decent distance of some of the aircrafts' passes.
John Beattie also displayed the Wasp during the show and provided a lengthy display at crowd centre but he didn’t forget the 700-800 people standing on the hill and came to see us in fine style.
Always the biggest crowd draw has to be the Red Arrows and this year was to be no exception. In excess of one hundred thousand people came to Dawlish for the airshow, held this year the day before the main carnival event, and the draw of the Reds cannot be underestimated. Of particular note this year, and in fact making the local BBC news, was the unique (certainly in recent times) formation of the Vulcan and Red Arrows. For the organisers to make this happen was nothing short of a coup. It was a moving sight and given the highs, lows and uncertainties of the Vulcan’s recent history, who knows if we will see it again?
As I mentioned at the start of the this report, the weather was once again here to haunt me. The strong gusting wind put paid to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s appearance, which was a real shame and the frequent showers also added to the fun! The USAF KC-135R Stratotanker’s appearance coincided with a very large shower and most people watched it from underneath their umbrellas.
A few more cancellations due to operational commitments and re-tasking were the 13 Squadron Tornado GR.4 from RAF Marham and a pair of F-15E Eagles from the 492nd Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath; so near and yet so far fellas...
Dawlish for me is a “must see” show. It’s put together by a loyal band of enthusiasts who rely solely on sponsorship and donations from fans of the show. I would personally view it as my favourite location for an airshow, and it's also that of the Red Arrows, or so I’m told. It’s a massive social occasion for me. I met up with loads of people I have become friends with over the last few years, in fact five of Global Aviation Resource’s contributors were there. It’s not always the planes and the location that make an event - that is very important - but to travel all that way and have a fun day out in the company of like minded photographers (well most of them) was an absolute pleasure.
GAR caught up with Kevin Wills to ask about his aims and aspirations for next year's show and beyond, and the frustration at trying to source funding in these difficult times was clearly apparent:
"Well, I dont know how we can top the Vulcan and Red Arrows formation, it was certainly a defining moment. However, if we can find a headline sponsor for 2010 then rest assured we will do our best to pull something out of the hat! After a very disappointing collection on the day, it's become quite apparent that we can't continue to provide one of the best free airshows in the country by purely relying on donations itself. If we can't get a substantial sponsor to support us soon then its unlikely we will have a show next year. It is a real shame and it will be a tough decision to make, but we have to be realistic."
Indeed, the bucket shakers that paraded along the sea front and up the hills collected a minute (though not for a lack of trying) and insulting £1600 from the 100,000 people present. You can see Kevin’s frustration. Surely a show like this is worth more than 1.6 pence of anyone’s money?!? I know times are hard for lots of people but the sheer lack of "hand in pocket" has really shocked me. If everyone paid only 10p, 10p for Christ's sake, that would raise £10,000. Sadly, the aircraft don't magically appear, fly on free fuel or get free maintenance. They all cost money, quite a lot of it too. I mean how many football matches or motor racing events are free entry?? Come on, get some new trousers with shorter pockets, have a rummage (guys, we don't need much of an excuse for that) and show some willing. If you don't, Dawlish will wave us all goodbye forever.
Further developments are afoot and a Friends Of Dawlish Airshow scheme is about to be launched ready for next year’s event - assuming it is to continue.
Well done to all involved and if anyone reading this report hasn’t been and experienced the Dawlish phenomenon, then go, enjoy and please donate. Enthusiasts really shouldn’t have this event taken away from them, it’s within our power to help it survive and prosper.
GAR wants to interact with its readers so if you have a question for the author or a comment to make on this feature, please click on the button below. The best comments will appear right here on GAR.2010-07-30 - STEPHEN BATTERBURY
Dear Sirs. I unfortunately could not make it last year (2009), but this year I will be there again. It is also the start of the two weeks and two days summer holiday I have. I always give generously and will do this year, but yes, it is bad that is all you could raise. I think it could be that people who live outside of Dawlish may not be contributing. I am sure the people of Dawlish do contribute. As for paying, well I don`t know if it would work; I have my doubts though.
2009-08-25 - Team Merlin
What a fantastic show Dawlish was once again. The hospitality of Kev Wills and his team is legendary. It is a shame that it is so hard to raise funds for this outstanding air show. We were privileged to meet so many supportive people and look forward to next year. A great article from Mr Hibbert, nice observations on the day.
2009-08-25 - Damien Burke
"Tough climb"...!
Disgraceful that the Great British Public contributed so little. Time for Lowestoft-style pay points at major entrances to the beach? Still voluntary but they certainly did better than 1.6 pence per person overall.
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