Leeuwarden 20-21 June - Comments

[Janos]

Polleke this is NOT my text but from Blu109.
Please reed the whole part of my reaktion.

[Polleke_NL]

Polleke this is NOT my text but from Blu109.
Please reed the whole part of my reaktion.

I know and I did although I initially overlooked the fact it wasn't your's. Me quoting that wasn't meant as a personal "attack" but just a general remark to underline the fact that majority of us photographers always seem to be suffering from the minority of photographers that will do anything for a clean shot, no matter what consequences, but that's just my personal frustration I guess..
But, let's get

[Thijs]

Everybody is complaining about the bad static lay-out but can somebody tell me at which airshow they have a good lay-out of the static?

in my opinion there is no airshow were all the static aircraft are good placed and can be well photographed. As said before if you want to take decent shots of the static aircraft you have to invest time (which most people don't have or do not want to spend) and be there at Wednesday and Thursday.

I have to say i was a little bit negative in advance about going with public transport but it turned out to be a good decision. There were enough busses running from Leeuwarden station to the airfield. and there were no large waiting queues. The only disadvantage was the shortage of capacity from the side of the NS, from the station of Zwolle there were no seats available at all. So people had stand until the station of Leeuwarden.

[Shirley]

Hi all,

Small contribution from my side.
I think it all has to do with what you expect. If you have been to "bigger" airshows abroad, I don't think you can compare. You can always wish more but some things are just not possible (due to several reasons).

I'm more a photographer myself and I didn't even took my camera with me! And I had a great day (and evening before). Always good to see familiar faces again, have fun and have a beer.
Thanks Guinness!!!!

I can only say keep up the good work to the organisation.

Br Erik

[EHAM]

Hi jb5 and all,

I really enjoyed this 2008 airshow. I made some nice pictures, although the weather could have been better (and I didn't have my 300mm F4 yet). It was the first time I visited the show both days and I hope I can do the same thing in the future .
Just one comment/question:
* Why can't the fire extinguisher be placed behind the aircraft? That is less ugly than in front of the a/c. Or is there a reason why this can't be done?

Kind regards,

[topgun1984]

* Why can't the fire extinguisher be placed behind the aircraft? That is less ugly than in front of the a/c. Or is there a reason why this can't be done?

because of safety regulations and was mentioned already in this topic

[Thijs]

* Why can't the fire extinguisher be placed behind the aircraft? That is less ugly than in front of the a/c. Or is there a reason why this can't be done?

You can do that, with Photoshop

[SquAdmin]

although the weather could have been better (and I didn't have my 300mm F4 yet).

Trust me, with a 300mm F4 the weather won't get any better

[aviodromefriend]

Parking on the road, I hate it, but the organisation did a good job and I could get right on the shuttlebus (driver lost his way unfortunatly....)

Take public transport. I do that for my whole life. You (can) know how the parking is at LWD. Spares another car that might contribute to a traffic jam. Shuttlebus drivers getting lost can be frustrating I admit. Experienced that kind of trouble the last time at Gilze and Texel.

The Toilet situation.... well I came early, I had a good spot so I didn't have a problem with it....and they were free. (I think I had to pay all those other times....)

Just got an idea how to deal with a toiletproblem for the liquid part. Might keep you posted.

3 different departure stations for the buses. This could have been marked a little better (my only really complaint)

I think these were very well signposted from the south side at the static, Besides, you entered at the place you should leave again. Had a lot worse experiences at Volkel in 2000. I think KLu changed something after I complained, From that year my suggestions were implemented, till the present day. correction, year.

I missed the running clown though.... Never did see him

Just return to the discussion where the clown said he wanted to run. It was for the B-17. No flying fortress so no running clown. Maybe next year at Volkel where the crowdline is a lot longer to run along. Allthough, some might go mad next year at the comments afterwards. There was some f(censored)ing idiot dressed up as a clown at their static pictures.

[Flying Flea Builder]

Monday afternoon, after all the comments, positive and negative, it's time for my 'after-dinner mustard'.
My only opportunity to go to EHLW was Saturday, so I had to do my job in one day. Parking problems ? Not! As a motorcyclist, I just ignored all yellow signs, drove straight into the city, then followed "Stiens/ Vliegbasis' (what al lovely quiet road) .and parked my bike just in front of the main AB entrance. Yessss! Static mostly OK, I managed to picture at least 90% of all acft, including gliders, mla, the narrow-fenced ones in the shelter area and even some 'your kid on he photo'-F-16's. (and that for the crowded Saturday!). Airshow: brilliant ! It was a well balanced build-up: from historic to brand new, and from light to heavy stuff. No real 'holes' in the flying programme, even not due to two small incidents: the Hunter's bird strike and the EF-18's 'forgotten' lockpin in its left MLG. Variety of aircraft: ok ! Some of you are complaining about less miljets in the static and airshow. Well: count your blessings ! Considering the announce of defence cuts by several countries, the deployment of mil. acft . to far corners of the world and the rapid exploding price of oil, these Open Days could have been one of the last opportunities to see such a variety of aircraft. Governments will reduce airshow participation and private aircraft owners will certainly be hit by high fuel prices (like Gnats, DHJA,KLuHV, DDA, Hunter and so on...). The airshow comment by Jan and Leo was excellent: fresh and humorous, like a radio program. Toilets: far enough. Food and drink fares: no idea, I didn't spend a single euro. So I don't have any complaint ? Sure I have (I'm still a Dutchman, you know ?), but it's not the end of the world. Most displaying aircraft were parked and handled on the north side of the base. That's a pity and a missed chance. Most people would be very pleased to see also all ground operations 'live' in front of them, last year at Volkel they did a great job with that. Wouldn't it be possible to use the 'big bird' platform for this, and park the big birds on the taxiway to the FWIT-area ? (I can remember an open day in the early nineties when this taxiway was used for the static.)
Andthe speakers: I had the luck to stay in the press enclosure, and the speakers in front of that were lying in the grass. A suggestion for the next time: do the same along the entire public barrier, it doesn't bring down the sound quality, and good for the photographers.
Over all: I had a nice day, thanx to KLu and organisers. And to all those complainers: when in nearby future airshows will become a rarity, and the amount if types decreases, I think you'll scratch yourself behind ears and say: remember Leeuwarden 2008.....

[Arjan6511]

Tom Tiger schreef:
I missed the running clown though.... Never did see him
Just return to the discussion where the clown said he wanted to run. It was for the B-17. No flying fortress so no running clown. Maybe next year at Volkel where the crowdline is a lot longer to run along. Allthough, some might go mad next year at the comments afterwards. There was some f(censored)ing idiot dressed up as a clown at their static pictures.

[ursa_major]

Ok, here's the English view:

3 of us came across for both days of the show. We had a fantastic time, and enjoyed the show. The selection of aircraft was good, the static was exceptionally well laid out for photography for the most part, and it was possible to get an unobstructed shot of everything. Sure, there were aircraft parked on the far side, but the crowdline was unobstructed, unlike at Volkel for example. This means more people got a good view, not just those who bring ladders (and btw - I saw at least 3 guys right on the crowd fence sat on tall ladders - wtf?).

The show is free - not something we in the UK will ever see our government giving us.

There may not have been the wide variety of aircraft types available, and there were some last minute cancellations - this is going to hit every airshow in the western world at present as the forces are using their kit to do what they're paid to do rather than have it taken off ops to showboat in front of the public. Could you justify to the guys on the ground out east why an airshow appearance was more important than them having air support when they needed it?

Someone complained about the food & drink prices being extortionate. Anyone complaining about the prices at the annual show have clearly never experienced the wallet-shrinking delights of paying for food at RIAT or Waddington. And the food was, without exception, tasty and edible. You definitely could not say that with certainty about food at UK airshows. IIRC, for 10 euros, you could get a burger, frites and 3 drinks. For the same money in the UK, you'd probably get an awful burger, some chips & maybe one drink.

The toilets were excellent compared to UK shows, and there seemed to be plenty of them too. Maybe the distribution could have been different, but it didn't present us with any problems.

All told, we had an excellent time, our only complaint is that it was a long drive to get there. the fact that we come over from the UK each year for the annual show indicates that the organisers are doing something right

[Jetzone 2000]

Here is my feedback.

Positive :

• Nice variation of aircraft considering the $$-cuts and operational commitments.
  Good accessibility
  All Free (!)
  Did I mention F-4, F-4, F-4

Negative :

• Commentators (hoog 'Tell Sell'-gehalte, 'Oh, kijk ons eens grappig zijn.')
  Static layout (just a fact of life; static is for 'taxpayers')

Please, refrain from suggesting to stay away next year because I have some 'less positive' remarks. I enjoyed my stay at LWD, but if you feel the urge to explain 'The Puropse of Open Days', just go ahead...

[aviodromefriend]

Everybody is complaining about the bad static lay-out but can somebody tell me at which airshow they have a good lay-out of the static?

Mildenhall had a good lay-out, in my opinion. But OK, you have to take what you get, and try to make the best of it. Everyone has to decide how to do that for themselves. There is one at the board with a signature that makes it all clear. I don't have it at this very moment, but it is like: You only have to please yourself, nobody else. Maybe shocking to read for some people, but the longer I think about it, (and stay at this topic) the more I get convinced that one is right.

Further, I remember I once read a funny 10 step course Aircraft photography. One of the steps was: "If you don't like the shot, be prepared to walk away (Unless it's an Algerian Airforce MiG 25, then you stay)". As there was no Algerian contribution in the shelter area (at least, I didn't see any), I wonder why people are dissing the show for that part of the static. Just leave it. The aircraft that were parked there were nice, but no world-press stopper. If you don't like the shot you can make, maybe you can find a nice picture from somebody else at the net about that aircraft.

[Brian]

My thoughts about the show:

It was very well organised! Had a great day saturday (despite of the weather, but hey.. that's something we can't control).

Even though those commentators were sometimes quite wrong, well hell, nobody is perfect. And i must say that they had some good comments now and then. I wasn't bothered by them.

Maybe they can put the speakers at a lower level next year?

For the rest, JB5 and BAD thx for the time and effort putting in this fine open day!