Held over the weekend of Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 June, the Big Event is currently enjoying its fourth year in the current format, following in the footsteps of the highly successful, and highly praised, Margate airshows of 2005 and 2006. Whereas those initial events were full-blown air displays featuring several hours of flying from a variety of warbirds, classic jets, aerobatic aircraft and the majority of the Royal Air Force display teams, the 'Big Event' removes the emphasis from the aerial activity, instead marketing itself in broader terms as a weekend of fun and entertainment for the whole family.
Following a reformat of the event in 2007, subsequent Margate shows have been much lower key affairs, with scaled down flying displays and more of a focus on ground attractions for families. A sound business decision from Thanet Council, perhaps, with budgets being tight across the board; after all, logic dictates that a smaller event featuring the ever popular crowd pullers, the Red Arrows, and a smattering of other RAF types, is far more cost effective than a five hour flying programme crammed with expensive warbirds and classic jets, particularly when armed with the knowledge that the turnout is likely to be just as strong, regardless of the length and depth of the flying programme. If anything, the recent Big Events have seen even larger crowds than their more comprehensive predecessors - further proof, if it were needed, that the current format continues to serve Thanet well.
The 2010 Big Event saw even more limited aerial activity than previous years, with eight acts on Saturday and seven on Sunday. However, in addition to the regular RAF participation, the organisers, TSA Consulting, had pulled together two special attractions for each day of the show. Saturday was to have a choreographed Battle of Britain dogfight featuring the Duxford-based Messerschmitt Me-109 (or Hispano HA-1112 Buchon, for the purists) and two of the Aircraft Restoration Company's Spitfires, with Sunday due to enjoy a welcome appearance from Avro Vulcan XH558. However, XH558's winter maintenance schedule ran into some unfortunate delays which involved further work on the machine's nose wheel undercarriage leg which put back its debut by a few months, meaning it is unfortunately missing a swathe of popular shows, including Cosford, Kemble, Margate, Biggin Hill and possibly even the biggest UK military shows of the year at Waddington, Yeovilton and the Royal International Air Tattoo. Consequently, a replacement act was sourced in the very welcome form of the Vampire Preservation Group's Vampire T.11, currently residing with the Air Atlantique Classic Flight's 'AIRBASE' facility at Coventry airport.
Arriving at Palm Bay shortly before the Red Arrows were due to open the display at just after midday, I was pleasantly surprised to see that small but significant changes had been made to the main showground area, opening up large areas of crowdline for spectators wishing to position themselves towards the front of the arena. Previously, only a tiny area along the main crowd barriers had been accessible, meaning that many people were crammed into far too small a space to be able to enjoy the flying in something approaching comfort. Thankfully, the decision had been made to move some of the catering vans, fairground attractions and stadiums further back, allowing people to sit along the crowdline rather than having to position themselves further back, with much of their view blocked by the ludicrously positioned ground attraction. Perhaps it was due in part to the changeable weather putting some day trippers off, but I thought the showground felt a lot more accommodating this year; there was a much nicer family atmosphere, with people having plenty of space to spread themselves out on the grass without having to practically sit on top of each other.
There was plenty to see on the ground, particularly if you had children, alongside the usual array of airshow stalls and fairground rides. Unfortunately, some of these were still positioned a little close to the crowdline, meaning that the majority of the day was spent listening to fairground ride music. Perhaps a more suitable set up, if possible given the topography of Palm Bay, would be to position the rides at the very rear of the showground, with food outlets midway between them and the crowdline, similar to the set up found at many airshows.
The main attraction for many of those in attendance were the Red Arrows, who are often responsible for drawing healthy numbers to smaller events across the country. Indeed, it appeared that many people left the Big Event once their display was over, the crowd figures during the afternoon never matched the levels they were at during the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team's routine. Performing in some of the worst conditions of the day before the main flying programme, the Reds had strong winds, low cloud and, at time, driving rain to contend with, but managed fantastically regardless of what the weather Gods threw at them. Flying their flat display, the Red Arrows elicited a strong response from the appreciative crowds, who braved the on-crowd wind and drizzle to the end. It was surprising, however, to hear team commentator Graham Bagnell announcing that Margate was the team's first public display of the 2010 season; has Cosford slipped from memory already?!
The bulk of the afternoon's flying programme consisted of the RAF display teams, with the abbreviated traditional 'training to front line' sequence of Tutor, Tucano and Typhoon taking centre stage. It is always a personal delight to see the reaction of the general public who are witnessing these fine displays for the first time. This year, the Tutor's flick rolls and the Tucano's negative-G manoeuvres and stall turns drew gasps from the audience; the Typhoon, unsurprisingly, had people marvelling at the raw power of this fantastic machine. Something I noticed, interestingly for the first time, was that the Typhoon possesses a sound unlike any other jet on the display circuit: an innate, echoing roar that reverberates deep within the soul.
Centrepiece and highlight of Saturday's show was the specially choreographed Battle of Britain scenario, featuring a dogfight between TG Aviation's Boeing Stearman and the Aircraft Restoration Company's Buchon, Spitfire IX and Spitfire XVI. To elaborate on the pacing of the sequence, the Stearman, flown by Dave Evans, flew a brief aerobatic routine before being intercepted by John Romain in the Buchon. After several straffing runs on both the Stearman and a boat moored offshore, the Stearman headed for cover as two Spitfires engaged the Buchon in a tailchase consisting of sky filling barrel rolls, wingovers and topside passes. Eventually, Fighter Command prevailed and the Buchon departed at low level to the East, disappearing into the horizon, leaving Cliff Spink and Dave Ratcliffe in the Spitfire pair to fly a couple of 'victory rolls' in celebration.
As far as the aerial element was concerned, it was a highly entertaining, well flown set piece, as we have come to expect from pilots of this calibre, the likes of which will undoubtedly be seen at many shows in the coming weeks. However, what set this apart from the many simulated dogfights witnessed at airshows in the UK and Europe over the years was the inclusion of a special commentary feature, produced by Sean Maffett and Jonathan Ruffle at AirSound for the Cosford airshow (where the weather put paid to the Battle of Britain finale), called 'A Moment of Eternity', derived from the poem 'Fighter Pilot' by ACM Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris: "He was a common, unconsidered man, who, for a moment of eternity, held the whole future of mankind in his two sweating hands. And did not let go."
AirSound had previously produced the 'Into the Wild Blue Yonder' feature in 2009, which was played over the tannoys at Duxford and Cosford. Unfortunately, this prototype feature suffered from a lack of focus; there was no direction or context to the comments that had been recorded; where is the relevance, for example, in nameless folk discussing their flight to Majorca while the Hawk displays? Whereas 'Into the Wild Blue Yonder' was an excellent premise that was, for numerous reasons, not executed to its fullest potential, the 'Moment of Eternity' recordings really hit the mark, providing an extensive historical context against which Saturday's dogfight unfolded. This year, they have a tangible, epic story to tell.
Encompassing appropriate music, speeches from Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill, poems and interviews with historians, visitors to the RAF Museum at Cosford, veterans and the present day warbird pilots offering different perspectives on the Battle of some of the key figures of Fighter Command, the feature really contributed to the overall atmosphere of the set piece, setting some of a reflective and thought provoking tone to a display that could have simply been a textbook scenario with standard play-by-play format commentary describing the manoeuvres performed by the warbirds, with little thought to the historical importance and context of the display.
I will gladly admit to having a lump in my throat and chills down my spine as the Lancaster made its final pass, the beautiful sound of the four Merlin engines complemented by the sounds of Elgar's wonderful 'Nimrod', accompanied by an actress reading aloud a letter sent to the parents of a young airman, informing them that their son had been lost in aerial combat. Even after years of bearing witness to emotive displays, this was one of the most moving moments I have experienced in a long time.
Furthermore, the feature carries extra significance in the story of immense courage and sacrifice that is told; if the message gets through to only a handful of spectators, AirSound can consider the purpose served. They hit the mark in every possible respect on this occasion and I can't emphasise enough how well the 'Moment of Eternity' recordings worked in practice. Utilising the extensive historical archives, together with present day input offering retrospective insight into the Battle, is something I would like to see more of at airshows, particularly if produced as skilfully as this feature.
Sunday's Vulcan replacement act was the Vampire Preservation Group's immaculate Vampire T.11, flown in an elegant routine by Matt Hampton. One of the most photogenic aircraft on the display circuit, the Vampire's inclusion at any event is a highlight and I look forward to seeing this machine being put through its paces in a similar fashion at forthcoming events at Waddington, Old Warden and Shoreham, to name but a few. Appreciation must also be shown to the Breitling Wingwalkers, who braved increasingly poor conditions on Saturday afternoon to fly a full display. Despite a biting on-crowd wing and steady rainfall towards to end of their routine, the team flew in their usual crowd pleasing style of formation aerobatics and opposition passes at low level; wingwalkers Danielle Hughes and Stella Guilding deserve special praise for continuing to show unmatched enthusiasm and dedication to their craft at a time when the majority would surely call it a day!
For those who paid the £2 charge to park in the large playing field of the school adjacent to the showground, getting out was an exercise of variable difficulty. Post-show, it appeared that motorists were left to their own devices, with the few marshalling staff doing a lacklustre job of controlling the dozen or so lanes of traffic that were converging into one, instead standing back and allowing drivers to adopt an "every man for himself" policy to battle out of the car park. The combination of a mass exodus following the Red Arrows on Sunday and inept traffic control getting out of the car park left many people stationary for some time; indeed, there were reports of people queuing for over 90 minutes to cover only a few hundred yards of road.
Thankfully, the local authorities did a much better job of controlling the flow of traffic around the local roads and despite the occasional traffic jam on the smaller roads (to be expected when dealing with Margate's narrow, often one way road system), the main roads appeared to be moving fairly smoothly throughout the afternoon and into the evening. After a quick meal at a local restaurant, I bypassed Manston on my way home, just in time to see the Red Arrows departing into a faultless blue sky. The perfect end to what had turned out to be a very enjoyable, if occasionally wet, weekend.
The Big Event surpassed my expectations and produced two hours of high quality flying each day. On balance, the show delivered everything a family could want from a day out by the sea: the Red Arrows, wingwalkers, aerobatics, noise, plenty to see and do on the ground, and even some fine weather to enjoy on the Sunday. For the enthusiasts, the inclusions of a superb warbird tailchase and an excellent classic jet display were particularly welcome. But this event wasn't about the enthusiasts: it was about appealing to the key demographic, and in that respect, the event should be considered a success.
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2010-06-29 - Neil McCarthy
I had a lump in my throat just reading this and i wasn't even there! Excellent review.
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