North West Air Events 2009

[viscount]

I can now add to the list on the previous forum. Good few minor league events but little of major excitement. Yes, I do I consider Cosford more West Midlands than North West - but it is the nearest on-airfield air display to Liverpool! The Cholomondeley Castle event is an innovation, which providing they get decent weather should be well worthy of a visit (providing you like helicopters!).

Thu-Sat 2-4/4 AINTREE GRAND NATIONAL MEETING Private heliport within the race course grounds operational.

Sun 3/5 CAERNARFON, North Wales. LAA North Wales Strut Spring Fly-in www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk (events link)

Sun 10/5 NORTHWICH, Cheshire. 'Thundersprint 2009' motorcycle event, with appearance by a BBMF Spitfire. www.thundersprint.com www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf gives the Spitfire display time as 1320.

Sat 16/5 BARTON, Open Day and Fly-in. www.cityairportmanchester.com

Wed 20/5 SHAWBURY, Shropshire. Military-Civil Air Safety Day. Conference with provision for pilots attending to fly-in. [non-public, official guests only]. www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=224

Fri-Mon 22-25/5 KIRKBY LONSDALE, Cumbria. NWBAC Balloon Meet . www.bbac.org/events

Sat 23/5 East Lancs Railway, BURY. BBMF Dakota flypast

Mon 25/5 SLEAP, Shropshire. Fly-in and Bank Holiday BBQ www.shropshireaeroclub.co.uk

Fri-Sat 29-30/5 SLEAP, Shropshire. Aerobatic trophy [not really a public event, but visitors by road are catered for] (see Dubmaster's reply entry #1 below:

Sat 30/5 OTHERTON AIRFIELD, Staffs (nr Penkridge) Staffs Aero Club Shaddow and MW Fly-in. www.bmaa.org

Sat 6/6 WOODVALE, Merseyside The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight are to display here with a Hurricane see www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf . The event is a private families open day combined with a celebration of 611 Sqdn - which is also to feature a 4 ship Tutor formation. (see Alexmac's post #9 below)

Sun 7/6 CHEADLE The BBMF Dakota is due to make a flypast, www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf . This Cheadle is 15 mins flight time from Wolverhampton! Cheadle, Staffs or Cheadle, Cheshire !?

Sun 14/6 DCAE COSFORD, Shropshire. RAFA Cosford Air Show 2009
www.cosfordairshow.co.uk

Sat 20/6 'WINGS OVER WALNEY', Walney Island, Cumbria www.wingsoverwalney.co.uk

Sat & Sun 4/7 & 5/7 INGLETON BBMF Spitfire flypast on Saturday, Spitfire and Dakota on the Sunday (overnight at Carlisle)

Sun 5/7 SHAWBURY BBMF Spitfire display & RNHF Swordfish - Veterans Day event.

Sat&Sun 11-12/7 'WIRRAL SHOW', Merseyside. Included as last year they did have the A.380 as a star attraction. Back to just a helicopter and para-drop this year ? www.wirralshow.com

Sat 18/7 WELSHPOOL, Powys. Airfield Open Day with stalls, pleasure flights and air show items. Currently no mention on www.welshpoolairport.co.uk but date is provided by www.whizzardhelicopters.co.uk . The BBMF is scheduled to appear with Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane. Also at ALREWAS (near Lichfield) earlier in day. The trio end up at Fairford.

Sat 18/7 CAERNARFON (town or airfield is unclear) BBMF solo Spitfire display (different a/c to that at Cholmondley following day).

Sat & Sun 18 & 19/7 CHOLOMONDELEY CASTLE, Cheshire 'Pagent of Power' Promises lots of helicopters (their website says 174) and the Breitling aerobatic aircraft along with other aircraft displays. On 19th BBMF Spitfire solo display. 'Falcons' to para drop from a Hercules. Tickets from £15 in advance. www.pagentofpower.co.uk also www.cpop.co.uk

Sun 19/7 (provisional date only) CROWNE PLAZA, Liverpool. Jetstream Club Air Fair. www.jetstream-club.org (not shown on their website yet though)

Fri 24/7 SHAWBURY BBMF Dakota & Spitfire display. Is this the annual families day event ?? If so closed to the public.

Sat&Sun 25-26/7 THE GLEBE, BOWNESS, Cumbria. Windermere Air Show 2009. The BBMF feature Dakota, Hurricane & Spitfire on both days (o/n at Carlisle). Also features the 'Red Arrows'. www.windermere-rotary.org.uk/airshow_new.html

Sun 26/7 KIRKBRIDE, Cumbria. Open Day and Fly-in.
www.kirkbrideairfield.mysite.orange.co.uk and www.bmaa.org

Sun 26/7 AUDLEM (presumed the one between Stoke and Whitchurch) BBMF Spitfire display at 1430.

Fri-Sun 31/7-2/8 BURNLEY, Lancs. NWBAC Balloon Festival at Towneley Park www.bbac.org/events

Sat & Sun 1 & 2/8 WOODVALE Model Aircraft Rally. A very few real aircraft attend, the UH-1H Huey is scheduled to appear.

Sat 1/8 ST. MICHAELS, Lancs. Fly-in at the microlight club. See reply #12 for website address. (Thanks Mark Rigby for the info.)

Sat 8/8 RHYL AIRSHOW 2009, the Promenade, Rhyl (see post #8) BBMF Lanc/Spit/Hurri appear then refuel Blackpool.

Sat 8/8 INCE, West Lancs Ince Blundell 2nd Annual Open Day and Fly-In hosted by West Lancs Microlight School. www.bmaa.org www.wlms.co.uk

Sat & Sun 8/8 & 9/8 SILLOTH BBMF trio (o/n at Carlisle) flypast What's the two day event being held here?

Sun 9/8 BLACKPOOL PROMENADE Air Display and Veterans Day, Lancs. BBMF trio to display and the 'Red Arrows', plus others.

Thu 27/8 RAF VALLEY, Anglesey. Charity Photo-call and Families day. [non-public, invited guests only] www.valleyaviationsociety.net

Fri-Mon 28-31/8 CONISTON, Cumbria. NWBAC Balloon Festival at Torver www.bbac.org/events

Mon 31/8 HOYLAKE, Wirral RNLI Display. 'Red Arrows' once again feature as the big attraction at this fund raising event. See entry #11 below.

Mon 31/8 SLEAP, Shropshire. Fly-in and Bank Holiday BBQ. www.shropshireaeroclub.co.uk

Fri-Sun 4-6/9 LLANGOLLEN, Denbighshire. Llangollen Hot-Air Balloon Festival at the Royal Eistedfordd Pavilion. www.hotairballoonfestival.co.uk

Sun 13/9 MORECAMBE BBMF trio of Lanc/Spit/Hurri (on way home from Leuchars via Leeming)

Sat 19/9 BARTON, Manchester. Open Day & Fly-in. www.cityairportmanchester.com

Sat-Sun 25-26/9 SOUTHPORT, Merseyside. Seafront Air Display. BBMF appear with Dakota, Hurricane & Spitfire. Also the 'Red Arrows'.
www.visitsouthport.com/airshow/home

Sun 26/9 NATIONAL ARBORETUM, Staffs 'Red Arrows' perform at the Berlin Airlift 60th Anniversary Flypast.

Sat 17/10 LIVERPOOL PIER HEAD, Ocean Terminal. HMS Illustrious visit and 'Fly Navy 100' flypast. www.royalnavy.mod.uk

I've not included the model aircraftshows at Weston Park or Woodvale www.woodvale-rally.org.uk (Sat&Sun 1&2/8) as in recent years (to my knowledge) proper aircraft have not taken part.

Obviously all events are subject to date change or cancellation, this list is correct only to the best of my knowledge as at end of May.

Balloon events usually feature an evening inflation on the Friday, with morning and late afternoon inflations on the Saturday and Sunday (often approx 6am & 6pm but do vary). Llangollen often has a press event on the Thursday and a night inflation and fire-works on the Saturday after dark.

Note that Balloon events and Fly-ins are heavily weather dependent for their success.

Maybe a few more events yet for the likes of Caernarfon www.air-world.co.uk Blackpool (after the air race fiasco last year), Huddersfield/Crosland Moor www.cmfc.me.uk, Mona etc.
The North Wales Strut of the LAA often have a September fly-in somewhere in addition to the May event at Caernarfon.

Yes, my interpretation of the North West Region is an eclectic one!

Interesting to note the growth in waterfront locations for air displays - Blackpool, Morecambe, Windermere, Southport and now joined by Rhyl, while public events at airfields decline.

[dubmasteruk]

Sleap has the Golding Barrett Aerobatic Trophy on the 29th & 30th May

www.aerobatics.org.uk/sites09/reggoldingb09.htm

[viscount]

An event with a small aviation content to add to the list:

NORTHWICH, Cheshire Sunday 10th May. 'Thundersprint 2009'. While basically a motorcycle and petrolheads event (along with guest James May), the event will feature a display by a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Spitfire. www.thunderspirit.com

[viscount]

Aircraft Illustrated (April 2009, Airshow supplement 'Event Focus - Fly Navy 100' box) provides the following information on an event for us to look forward to:

"HMS Illustrious will be berthed at the Ocean Terminal in Liverpool on 23rd October; a flypast will take place there too".

AI give website www.royalnavy.mod.uk as providing more information on 'Fly Navy 100' events - a quick poke around the site failed to come up with any llink giving details though.

Interesting. Added later - see post #9 below for change of date of visit and Flypast Navy 100

[viscount]

I've added a few more air events at Caernarfon in May, and at Woodvale and Cheadle in early June.

Another Air Event, coming up shortly is the Aintree Grand National Meeting, Thurs - Sat 2nd - 4th April. Can anyone supply comment in answer to several questions:

1) What is the frequency used by "Aintree Ground" to co-ordinate helicopter arrivals. (was on the xsorbit BB from '08, but like all the info has been lost!) ?.

2) Where on the racecourse do the helicopters operate from ? Description? OS Grid Ref ?

3) Is there any place where a person could loiter, outside of the pay-to-get-in racecourse, where the helicopter landings/departures can be observed/ photographed from ?

[Barfluer]

hi viscount
re aintree last years freq was 132.900 OR130.050 was used prevs
some operate from knowsley hall
you can view helecopters arriving from about 10am, you need to go down barlows lane off longmoor lane follow the road through the estate to the very end walk through the cycle barrier to the waste land, your are just by beachers brook fence. good for pics. i will miss this years as i am away on holiday to watch england in st lucia.

[paravion]

re bbmf
Cheers for the info Viscount , any idea if its Cheadle ches or staffs ?

MTIA

Brian....

[viscount]

Oh dear, not a clue paravion. The BBMF site (url posted in the list above) doesn't give the counties - there were several place names I had to look and see what other towns were being displayed at in order to gain a context. However Cheshire and Staffordshire are close enough (especially if the Spitfire night stops in the North West) to be unable to distinuish by context. So, not a clue! Sorry.

[viscount]

Just been passed on this interesting clip from the Denbigh free newspaper 'Visitor' dated May 13th, 2009.

[glow=red,2,300]RHYL SET TO HOST 2009 AIR DISPLAY[/glow]

Denbighshire County Council has announced plans to host Rhyl's first Airshow on Saturday, August 8.

The skies over Rhyl Promenade will light up when a selection of aircraft will perform during the Air Display 2009. The show involves some incrediable aerial displays, and is completely free to watch.

Aerial dispays will include Team Guinot Wingwalkers, The Yakovlevs Formation and Aerobatic Display Team, Battle of Britain Memorial Flight including Lancaster, Hurricane and Spitfire, Jet Provost Pair, Spitfire T9 and nine times British Aerobatic Champion Mark Jefferies.

In addition to the action in the air, there will be plenty to do on the ground, with trade stalls, funfair rides and ground displays taking place along the seafront of Rhyl.

Further participants will be announced over the coming weeks with other displays set for the ground as well as the air.

Cllr David Thomas, Lead Member for Regeneration, said "This is a very exciting addition to the already packed agenda for summer events scheduled in Denbighshire. The hard work of Denbighshire's Events Team and partner agencies in bringing this high profile event to Rhyl will help to continue the regeneration of the town.

For further information about Rhyl Airshow 2009, contact the Events Team, Regeneration and Maritime Services on 01824 712704.

............... an interesting addition to the airshow scene' paticularly if they attract further unusual items to add to the Jet Provost pair.

[alexmac]

Viscount, just spotted this post. The BBMF Flypast at Woodvale on 6th June is part of the 611 Squadron event which has now become the station families day. It is a private event but plenty of viewing spots around the base for those interested. A lone Spitfire is currently planned.

Illustrious is indeed due in October for the tail end of the Fly 100 celebrations. The flypast is planned to take place on Saturday 17th with the aircraft being embarked mostly rotary wing elements. The ship is likely to depart on Tuesday 20th.

Hope this helps
Alex

[viscount]

Just made a trawl around some of the light airfield club websites and find two Fly-ins hosted by the Shropshire Aero Club at Sleap. I've added these to the list on the initial post, but am making this new post so as to inform readers that there is a Sleap fly-in this Bank Holiday Monday (25th May) as I've not seen mention of it elsewhere.

As a result of my research a number of events have been added to the list at the top of this thread.

[superian]

Found this on the Hoylake RNLI site. Also on the red arrows site is a mention of this event. In the past there has been various helicopters and a Harrier.
well worth a day out to support a worthwhile cause.

"Once again, there will be lots to see and do as Hoylake Lifeboat holds it's annual Open Day on Bank Holiday Monday, 31sr August, 2009 at The Lifeboat Station, The Promenade, Hoylake.

Attractions include Air Displays, funfair, charity stalls, street theatre, raffles, classic cars and tours of the Lifeboat.

Admission is FREE, but please note, due to the amount of attendees, the Promenade will be closed to vehicles. A Park and walk is available from Hoylake Railway Station.

(For information on acquiring trade space at this event, please contact Chris Higgins on: 0151 691 8269)."

[markrigby]

One more to add is St Michaels fly-in on 1/8/9, see
nwmac.our-info.org/index.php?displaySrc=/home.php&redirect=done
Rgds Mark

[viscount]

The Cholomondeley Castle Pagent of Power on Saturday and Sunday 18th & 19th July seems to be building in to an exciting aviation event in a year rather devoid of NW local interest.

Prices for tickets purchased in advance by telephone or on-line range from £15 to £60.

For a single day ticket, Saturday or Sunday, access to the events around the park is £15. For access on either day to the park and race track paddock is £25. Weekend access to park and paddock £40, with top price ticket two day park, paddock and Saturday evening fireworks £60. There is also camping overnight available at £15 per tent.

£15 does not strike me as as being particularly extreme. I'm certainly going to order tickets shortly, as having looked at their websites, it appears that it will be a great event (weaher permiting) and not that far away in North Cheshire.

www.cpop.co.uk
www.pagentofpower.co.uk

[griff]

Hi Viscount

The Vulcan is due at Windermere, Woodford and Southport this year (subject to technicals that is)

Cheers

Griff