And so it begins!
The 2013 airshow season gets under way for me this Sunday at the Abingdon Air and Country Show.
It’s always a great place to get started; a lovely location, some excellent flying, plenty to see and do on the ground and, perhaps most importantly, an opportunity to catch up with many friends, old and new.
We really are very lucky to have such a plethora of events in the UK, large and small, with such a broad range of participants.
Behind each and every one is a dedicated team of people all of whom work extremely hard (frequently on a voluntary basis) to put on the best event they can, whether they be the event organiser, display director, air traffic controller, display pilot……..whatever, the list goes on and on!
The British Air Display Association / MAA symposium, held a few weeks back at Shrivenham, was a great opportunity to meet many of them, and now we all get to go out and about, criss-crossing the UK, working together, and seeing everyone doing what they do best, namely stageing safe events that appeal to the whole family and promote aviation.
We’ve got a gap in the calendar after this weekend (which also sees Old Warden’s second show of the season!) until Duxford’s Spring Show, but let me wish each and every person involved all the very best for a safe and successful season.
Tragically, we’ve already seen one very sad incident, a training accident involving the Great War Display Team at Middle Wallop, last weekend. This incident resulted in one fatality and thoughts are with all those effected. These things do happen, of course, that’s the nature of the beast in some ways, but let’s all hope that there is no more news of that kind this year.
I’ve spoken to a number of event organisers this week and it’s all shaping up to be an excellent season with much to enjoy. We just need the weather to play ball and the sun to keep on shining like it is here today!
I look forward to seeing many of you along the way and, if you are involved with the industry, and haven’t yet had a look at joining BADA, I would highly recommend it.
Until next time…..
Gareth