Warbird Information Exchange

I made a post over on my forum. Interested in seeing some view points here.

http://usaircraft.proboards107.com/inde ... thread=574

Less is more.

You've ABSOLUTELY hit on one of my pet peeves, and a reason I don't go many air shows now. While I think announcers can add some trivia for air displays, some of them don't know when to shut up. And if someone isn't talking, music is blaring from the loadspeakers. This is why I tried to go as far to the flightline as possible without getting into trouble and outside of the perimeter of the speakers.

My other pet peeve is jets, or poor coordination between air displays. I've been to an all-warbird airshow, but on an active airport. So some pilot fires up a biz-jet on the ramp and idles for what seems like an hour running the A/C until the client shows up and tosses his golf bags in the back before leaving. I couldn't hear a thing from the air displays. The same goes with mixed displays. The jets idle and warm up on the ramp and completely drown out the experience of piston aircraft startups and flybys. Military jets are especially loud. What's the point? I think the air displays should be segregated where the old piston aircraft can be appreciated more. Nothing sounds better than a round engine or a screaming V12.

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When I did the announcing for the Warbirds segment of the Copperstate fly in, I would do the color part as the planes were coming in, but I was quiet when they were in front of the crowd.

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I used to hate commentary, but as I've aged, I've mellowed, and don't mind it now. Loudspeakers on tall poles where they interfere with my photos, I still hate. But what is said over them, I can stand.

You folks have to understand that the piston airplane engines all sound the same to most people, no matter how many times they hear different ones. So Merlin or R-2800 noise will never be sweet music to them, it's just noise. They'd just as soon hear the chatter. I've noted that many of these same spectators seem to like Lee Greenwood music, so that tells you they are tone deaf beyond all hope.

August

It all depends on who's talking and what that person is saying! I can say that hearing Rob Reider at WOH was good, others that I've heard I can't say the same for. Even the Tora guy this year was a bit lame. Said Tora! Tora! Tora! too many times, not enough history, and frankly didn't get some things quite right from what I've read.

Ryan

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The sentiment of that song is great, but as a musical composition, I can't stand it.

By the same token, Glenn Miller was not the only recording artist from 1939-1945.

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I attended Legends at Duxford a few years ago, and I thought the 'announcing' was very well done. The guy, to me, was more like a voice off to the side complementing the visuals occuring before your eyes, rather than a blabbermouth standing in front of you telling you what you were seeing.

FWIW,
Wade

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The main show announcers are not the only problem. Many of the civilian acro acts need to get better announcers on their teams as well. The worst I have ever heard was Rob Harrison's wife calling his routine. People were literally covering their ears.

I don't enjoy airshow announcers and will generally move off the show line to get away from the speakers. Even the good announcers have a fairly standard spiel and I've heard 'em all a hundred times.

That said, I've been to more airshows than 99.9% of the population and know far more about the aircraft and personalities than most airshow fans, so I don't benefit from the announcer(s). The general public does benefit. Joe 6 pack and his family have very little concept of the historical significance of warbirds, for the skill required to fly one, or for the precision needed to fly an unlimited acro routine right above the runway.

I do wish that the big shows (Osh, SnF, etc) would have one "announcer free show" for those of us who'd rather hear the airplanes than the announcers.

Wade...gotta' disagree about the announcer at Duxford. (If it's the French guy, that is.)
OK...we're watching (and hearing) British and US aircraft and having to listen to an announcer with this thick French accent that I, cunning linguist that I am, can barely understand. WHY? There ain't no French a/c there. (Well...only one.) And CONSTANT parler entre eux between him and the other announcer. SHUT THE F_ _ _ UP for a minute or two and let us hear the engines...GEEEZ.

OK Rant off

Mudge the hysterical

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Land of the free because of the brave

our pit spot for a couple of years was back next to the hangers by race control. it was way to loud so we "liberated" the connection to the loud speaker. the next day it was fixed so we "liberated" a section of wire....that solved our hearing problem.
sorry RARA but we just couldn.t work in that environment.

Mudge, while I agree with you about the narration...are you serious about this France vs US and UK thing?

I hope you are joking, otherwise that is a terribly ignorant thing to say.

He was an annoying announcer, but it had nothing to do with his nationality.

One of the critical things for the PA is to enable crowd direction in the event of a major incident or accident - not an unknown at airshows.

Thus full-flightline speakers seem to be prevalent, for this specific reason.

Speakers in front of the crowd, are lazy/easy/safe PA application as it makes looking after them much more straightforward, and keeps them away from people like Jet1 - not that I haven't wanted to cut the cord on occasion.

Bear in mind also that most people expect to be told what to think at all times. If the TV isn't on, they need wall-to-wall PA, otherwise they fall over and stare vacantly at the sky while mouth-breathing.

Having been asked to do a spot at a show once, I can say that while we agree many announcers are annoying to asinine, it requires a particular talent, rarely found. There are a few commentators I rate highly and a few more I regard as good. Few are paid well enough to guarantee quality or sanction.

Just some thoughts,

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James K

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If I had a dollar for every time I heard "watch as he trades airspeed for altitude..." It tends to get old when the stuff is too loud, blocking your view and repetitive. The Gathering of Mustangs was great, several times the announcer called for silence as they flew over.

What tends to annoy me more is the disrespectful crowds.

I was almost in the middle of a first fight when a guy dragged his kids over 30 yards of people at Sussex to try and wedge his way up to the front line. People that had set up hours before and were irritated when this guy trampled over their stuff to stand directly in front of them. Words were exchanged and it almost came to blows before police passing by noticed. Then there are the know it all idots that argue with the announcer:

Reading one year: <Hurricane flys over>

Announcer: "And here comes the Hawker Hurricane."
Really loud stupid guy" "Thats a darn Spitfire, what an idiot"
Announcer: "And the Hurricane is back from left to right in a high speed pass"
RLSG: "God does this guy know anything, that a f-ing spitfuuuure"
Me: "Its a Hurricane."
RLSG: Oh. (ends his 40 minutes of retarded loud and stupid commentary)

Worst Airshow ever: Lauderdale Air and Sea Show. Couldnt see the airplanes because EVERYONE had massive umbrellas end to end blotting out the entire sky.