Winston-Salem airshow

[JDK]

Anyone going to this show in 25-6 August? I have a friend who'd be interested in meeting up with folks there.
Cheers

[kalamazookid]

I'll be there. Just not sure which day yet.

[JDK]

Thanks, Matt! Likewise, now not sure what my friend's plans are.

[catsplanewatcher]

I attended yesterday - the worst airshow I have ever attended

[catsplanewatcher]

If anyone attends the Winston Salem show on Sunday the 26th would you please post & tell us if any of the "invited" military flyovers happen. B-52 , B-2, F-18?

[kalamazookid]

What were your problems with the show? I had a couple minor complaints, but still had a good time. My only problems were that the flying aircraft were roped off, the staging area being closed so we couldn't go out and look at the Skyhawk and Sea Harrier, and the CAP always annoys me. After the warbirds flew, I ended up walking way down the showline to the other side of show center and ended up being a couple rows from the fence for the A-4, formation flight, Sea Harrier and Huey/Cobra routine so that kind of made up for it. Would have liked to get more than three passes from the warbird flight, but I still thought it was a good flight.

The no-shows were a little frustrating: no Corsair, Super Hornet or C-47. I wasn't counting on any of the military participants listed as "invited" showing up, so that wasn't a disappointment to me. Unless they're listed as confirmed, I just assume they're not coming. For only $13.50 advance tickets and not being charged for a program or parking, I thought it was good value for a show and I'll probably go back next year.

[catsplanewatcher]

hi kalamazoo kid - I am glad that you enjoyed the show & hope you attend shows in the future. Was this your 1st official airshow? If it was & you are able to attend Goldsboro next spring, I know you will be very impressed. Also my favorite airshows ever were the shows presented by the Sabre Society in Hickory,NC. This very small group of volunteers have put on great shows. B-2, F-117 flyovers. F-14, F F 18, Blackhawk ,Apache, AWACS, C-130, De Havilland Vampire, just to name a few ALL with aerial performances - ALL planes ,not just a few. They had at least 4 times the planes you saw at WS at an airport about half the size. Unfortunatly due to the depressed economy they have not had a show in several years.
As far as WS goes you listed a few problems , there were many more.
As for airshow center - there was no show center , they parked the huge white trailer in the middle of the show, blocking much of the view. If that were not bad enough, they parked several trucks along the orange fence again blocking the view. All this stuff should have been BEHIND the spectators. Another thing, those loudspeakers! again they were placed in front of the spectators blocking the view and picture opportunities and they were terribly loud and actually drove people, including me away from the flightline. These loudspeakers should have been BEHIND the spectators. I am sure you have never been to any other type of show where they put the equipment in FRONT of the audiance.
As far as the invited planes, the show must have some integrity. You will find that many shows invite planes , with no real expectation they will show. This sells tickets but turns many people against airshows. Also I could not find any of the free parking.
These are really just a few problems with the show. There were many more. They rest of the airport was basically an overpriced flea market. This was our first time attending the WS show, it will probably be our last.

[k5083]

Actually, loudspeakers in front of the crowd are the norm at airshows. Regrettably, excessive volume (at least from the viewpoint of folks in the front rows) also is normal. And, of course, cheesy music and announcers who will repeat everything they have ever heard about the participating aircraft, especially if it isn't true, are standard fare. Only a few shows put the speakers back into the crowd. It makes more sense from an visual and acoustic standpoint but then you have to cope with spectators likely damaging the equipment and cables.

August

[Obergrafeter]

Almost all Military will be a no show under the present administration. Maybe after Nov we will return to normal.

[kalamazookid]

This was my first time at Winston-Salem. It was good enough that I'll go back. There was a good enough turnout of aircraft to justify the 2.5 hour drive. Now that I know where to watch from, what to avoid and how to plan, I'm sure I'll have a better experience next year. I found that to the right of the announcer's stand was a good place to watch. There was one loudspeaker that would have been a pain if I was shooting aerial photos, but I don't so that didn't end up bothering me at all. Next year, I'll bring a chair, get photos when the warbirds get towed out, then go find my seat and watch the rest of the show. If you do decide to go back, the parking at the large Piedmont hangars on the other side of the field was free with a shuttle service right to the gate. Good deal.

I've been attending airshows since before I could walk (first show I actually remember was in '93). The loudspeakers are something I'm used to dealing with. They're annoying, but there's not much you can do about it. I mostly go to airshows for the warbirds, so whatever military aircraft show up I consider a bonus. I can see why you'd be disappointed if the modern military aircraft are your thing.

I'm tentatively planning on going to Goldsboro next year. It will be a good opportunity to visit one of my best friends, who is a crew chief on F-15Es there. Not sure if I'll do that or try to hit the MAM show at Virginia Beach. I can afford one big overnight airshow trip a year, so it will come down to those two.

[catsplanewatcher]

thanks for all replys I got from my post - I do understand the thing about the current admin, but the show organizers must have some integrity about what they post on the web. To have NONE of the invited aircraft show looks less than honest. Lets face it , you can "invite" Airforce 1 & a couple SR-71's "but they ant gonna be there"
I certainly believe you about loudspeakers in front being your normal experience at airshows- but it certainly has not been mine. I have never been to a show, concert,or game of any kind where equipment & trucks were placed between the spectators and the performance.
It just seems that the show organizers focused on making money & basically gave little attention to the show. Did you see the guy selling bathtubs at one of the booths? Yes bathtubs at an airshow! as well as replacement windows,
The one good addition to the airshow was the mini car show. They did a good job of keeping junkers out of this area and only allowed truely classic & rare cars , so great job there. I am certainly looking forward to Goldsboro! No loudspeakers & hopefully no bathtubs!

[JDK]

Ober - just leave it out please. It's unbearably tedious, and partisan bull.

I wasn't at the show, but hope to get together with someone who was later this week - I'll pass on his comments, if appropriate.

A couple of observations (as a global airshow attendee over the last quarter century...):

- Speakers in front of the crowd are (unfortunately) more common than not at airshows. There are reasons why, as August's touched on. If giving feedback to the organisers, suggest a speaker free section; vital for people making audio and video and therefore a popular move.

- A van in front of crowd centre is a lot less intrusive than the VIP or Gold Pass type enclosures that take out a bigger chunk of the real estate, and get a lot more cash than what you're complaining about.

I'd suggest, rather than complaining here, give some feedback to the organisers, but make it constructive.

I don't see a problem with someone selling bathtubs at an airshow, if it makes the show more viable and doesn't replace any more-relevant stalls - they rarely do. You presumably weren't forced to wash, so no harm, eh? Everyone attending a show is going to look at and do other things during the event; no-one just watches the aircraft alone. If Mr bath finds it pays, clearly he's made a bunch of people's day worthwhile at the airshow. It's just an adult variant on the kid who loved the airshow because they enjoyed the bouncy castle all day. If Mr bath didn't make his costs, he won't be back.

Regards,

[catsplanewatcher]

hi JDK - thanks for the feedback. You have certainly seen more shows than me. - Actually I have tried to communicate with the show organizers prior to the show, but got no reply. So I have not attempted to since the show. I would be glad to offer comments to them. - My basic disappointment is the fact that none of the invited planes showed & neither did the confirmed F-18. This simply looks dishonest & makes it easy to find other problems with the show. Had we seen a B-2 , B-52, F-18 or other invited planes , it would make the other problems easier to overlook. I could call up my friends to come over this afternoon to meet Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan because I invited them over , but I know they are not likely to show up. To their credit, they did actually have a show, no easy task in this ecomony. And frankly I may have been spoiled by not being marketed to so much at previous shows. -- The one piece of advice I would offer to the folks at WS is be painfully honest about what they really expect to show up & promptly remove from the website planes they learn are not going to show. - take care

[JDK]

It's easy to honestly oversell a show, and if I had a cent or a penny for every aircraft that didn't turn up, I'd have some money! But there needs to be a degree of honesty up front, I agree.

I take your point about over-promising current service aircraft, and that's unwise - people remember whether the show met or didn't meet their expectations from year to year, and after weather and toilets and personal comfort, that's a main deciding factor for non-attendance. However removing aircraft from a pre-show list gets a load of grief, and remarkably people would give them more grief for doing that than letting names stand!

I can understand your frustration; drop the organisers a note, and if they're worth your time they should get back to you. If not - not!

Regards,

[Obergrafeter]

Ober - just leave it out please. It's unbearably tedious, and partisan bull.

I guess I misspoke. At the present time getting military flybys and or statics is extremely hard to get. The Air Force is only doing T-Birds and F-22. (Fly bys) Getting statics is extremely hard also. Our last show we had no fly-bys and a minimum of one T-1, and one T-6II, where in last years we had Bomber, Cargo and fighter fly-bys. It has to do with the economy, Military is on a tight budget.