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How to organise the Airshow in a few easy steps?

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Norm Webster

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Flight Display Director for Scotland's National Airshow at National Museum of Flight.

Hi, I’m Norm Webster, and I’m the Display Director for this year’s Airshow at National Museum of  Flight, East Fortune. Over the next few weeks I’m going to try and give you a feel of what we have to do to organise an airshow, including the issues we sometimes have to surmount.

We started organising the Airshow in February this year so it was imperative that we hit the ground running! Requests were soon sent to the British military  and we were very pleased to be offered the Royal Navy Sea King and helicopter.

SWIP Twister display team
SWIP Twister display team flown by pilots Peter Wells and Guy Westgate

Next we approached various civilian display pilots and we are delighted to have built a fine display which should have something for everyone, with fast jets, helicopters, biplanes, wingwalkers and vintage fighter aircraft.

Breitling Wingwalkers
Breitling Wingwalkers

Air displays don’t just happen, lots of people and organisations are involved, and all need to be kept up to date with progress – the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), National Air Traffic Services (NATS) and local police for starters – and all need to give their consent. We started liaising with the CAA as soon as possible, in order to ensure they are happy with all aspects of the plan –  it’s the CAA that ultimately issues the licence for the display!

Hawker Hunter
Miss Demenour Hawker Hunter will be flown by owner Jonathan Whiley on Sat 23 July at Airshow 2011

In addition to the Airshow at East Fortune, we are also organising the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) which happens the weekend before , so things are a little hectic at the moment.  RIAT is the largest military air display in Europe, and several of the participants are also coming to East Fortune, it offers us the perfect opportunity to discuss the display at East Fortune Airshow beforehand.

I’ll talk next time about choosing the display management team, completing the CAA paperwork, and the peculiarities of running the Airshow at East Fortune.

‘Wait out’ till next week (RAF speak this time, I’m afraid).

- Posted

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4 comments

  1. How to organise the Airshow in a few easy steps? (via The Feast Bowl) « Calgary Recreational and Ultralight Flying Club (CRUFC)

    […] A guest post by Norm Webster, Display Director for the Airshow at National Museum of Flight, East Fortune on 23 July 2011 Hi, I’m Norm Webster, and I’m the Display Director for this year’s Airshow at National Museum of  Flight, East Fortune. Over the next few weeks I’m going to try and give you a feel of what we have to do to organise an airshow, including the issues we sometimes have to surmount. We started organising the Airshow in February thi … Read More […]

    Reply

  2. How many people does it take to organise an Airshow? « The Feast Bowl

    […] I mentioned previously, airshows need a lot of people to make them work. As the Flying Display Director (FDD), I can’t […]

    Reply

  3. Frank Front

    Please don’t ruin the show again by playing pointless music over the sounds of the wonderful vintage aircraft engines. My son was in tears because he couldn’t hear the Spitfire properly last year. The aircraft are enough. It’s an air show after all not a Glenn Miller concert.
    Thanks.

    Reply

    • anitanms

      Thank you for your comment. Norman Webster, Flight Director has said: we will only use music if we feel it enhances the experience, such as used with the Huey at this years display. We would however never play music so loud as to drown out that essential experience of a flying display, the engine sound.

      Reply

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