Warbird Information Exchange

I was listeing to a podcast download from Warbird Radio, which is pretty old but I have only just downloaded it and listened, of a discussion between Matt Jolley and airshow announcer Gordon Bowman-Jones.

Something that came up that surprised me was Gordon was saying how airshows outside of the USA have heavy sponsorship and bigger airshows have a VIP tent. Matt seemed amazed by this.

Here in NZ the 'Gold Pass' area has been around at the bigger airshows such as Warbirds Over Wanaka, Classic Fighters at Omaka, Wings Over Wairarapa, and the Tauranga City airshow, going back to the mid-1990's. The Gold Pass tickets get you into a segregated grandstand in the middle of the flightline, with a special VIP restaurant marquee tent, posher toilets than the normal portaloo, free drinks and good food, gift bags with the programme and free bottle of wine, etc.

I had always assumed this phenomena had come to NZ from the USA, as it's all about marketing the airshow and making a bit more money whilst presenting a lot more to the airshow goer. The Gold Pass stands are great if you're in them, if you're not they are a pain as you can't see much if the set up has been poorly designed (like Tauranga City Airshow last year which was crazy!).

But yeah, I am amazed that this concept is not American, and it has not caught on there. We've been doing it nearly 20 years and every year they seem to get more elaborate, and more in demand. Some of the shows now have a Gold Pass VIP area and a Silver Pass area. The photographers love the Gold Pass stands as you are so much more elevated, usually unimpeded (they don't stick the annoying speaker poles in front of gold pass stands like they do on the rest of the flightline for example!!) and the display is centered on the stand as it's usually in flightline centre so the richer or more dedicated people get the best view.

So, where did the VIP areas at airshows actually get invented?

Something else that I liked hearing from Gordon was he actually said the greatest airshow he's ever seen in the wolrd was Omaka. I wonder if he was at this year's one?

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Very likely the UK. There has always been a large number of enthusiasts, spotters, photographers etc. over there and the show organisers realise they are willing to pay for extra facilities. Don't know exactly who was first but when I went to RIAT in 1985 (the DC-3 theme) there was a special enclosure, so it's been going on for a while.

There aren't many such folks in the US and most are quite happy just to watch. When PAE had shows there was a press tent and I remember a couple of others but forget which. Abbotsford has had VIP tents for as long as I can recall but they are/were mainly for hospitality purposes although why you would want to get s**tfaced at an airshow I don't know.

Several show in the USA are doing this type of thing now.

Our local Fort Worth - Alliance show has had corporate (sponsor) VIP tents at show front and center for many years. They take up at least half of the show line, right of center. They have also begun to sell the photo pit idea.

Wings over Houston has VIP areas, and photo pit with a raised platform and a man lift for high angle shots.

All for extra dollars.

I don't mind the idea of VIP seating and corporate sponsorship and photo pits are cool. (AFW stole the idea from a Fence Check.com, they allowed FC to have a members only spot at a show only to do it them selves and charge for it the next year.)

Some airshows do it well and some don't... IMHO.

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Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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Most airshows I've attended since the early 90s have had some sort of "premiere seating" you could pay extra for. I've been to a few where it was so bad that most of the show line was taken up with various "tiers" of pay-per-view seating. If you just bought a gate ticket, you were stuck down on the far ends of the show line.

SN

Come by Lancaster on the 3rd of September and we'll find them a tent and treat them like VIP.....