# Warbirds over Wanaka 2016



## nuuumannn (Mar 29, 2016)

Hi Guys, I'll be posting a few pics from WOW 2016 over time as I get my act together, but for now, here's a wee taster...

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## nuuumannn (Mar 29, 2016)

A few more.


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## Wayne Little (Mar 29, 2016)

looks like an awesome show....


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## Airframes (Mar 29, 2016)

Great pics Grant, and I particularly like the one of the Anson.
Looking forward to more.


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## Jeff Hunt (Mar 29, 2016)

Bucket list!

Excellent shots, hoping for more and I agree with Terry, the Anson is sweet.

Jeff


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## Wurger (Mar 29, 2016)




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## Wildcat (Mar 29, 2016)

Awesome shots!!


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## rochie (Mar 29, 2016)

Great shots !


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## Gnomey (Mar 29, 2016)

Excellent shots!


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## nuuumannn (Mar 31, 2016)

Thanks guys, for your comments. I'm in the process of sifting through and editing images for publication and I've written an article for the local aviation magazine, so I'll get to a synopsis of the show for here soon. I've also pitched piccies to Aeroplane Monthly, so hopefully they might get into that as well.


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## Crimea_River (Mar 31, 2016)

Great shots! What the hell is the last one?


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## Airframes (Apr 1, 2016)

I think it's the prototype of Jan's flying beer can opener !


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## rochie (Apr 1, 2016)

Airframes said:


> I think it's the prototype of Jan's flying beer can opener !


So where can i get one of them !


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## ccwilber (Apr 2, 2016)

The "last one" is the Martin Jetpack. (www.martinjetpack.com) It's a single person VTOL flying device with about 30 minutes duration. At Wanaka it was flown pilotless by remote control, but at a recent Chinese show it was flown manned. It was VERY noisy, thanks to the 2-litre V4 engine!


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## Crimea_River (Apr 2, 2016)

Cool. Last guy probably burned his pants.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 3, 2016)

Yep, the Martin Jetpack was extremely noisy and we felt a little let down that it flew unpiloted, to be honest. Nevermind.

WOW was a good show though and its star was undoubtedly John Romain's Buchon, which normally lives in the UK, but John, whose becoming something of a regular at New Zealand airshows, had it shipped down here for this year's WOW. A few images of what was my favourite aircraft at the show and the reason why I made the trip south.
















I was able to get close to the aircraft to get some good detailed shots, which I'll put up as a walkaround.






ObLt Romain looking determined to get into the action.
















Not the best photo, but an interesting effect around the prop.











More of the beautiful Buchon next.


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## Wurger (Apr 3, 2016)




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## nuuumannn (Apr 3, 2016)

These photos were taken across multiple displays at different times over a three day period. Unfortunately I haven't mastered getting the shutter speed right for creating a prop disc instead of freezing the props as here. I've tried, but the pics are never as clear as they are with a ultra fast shutter speed. More fiddling about, I fear.































Buchon and Yak in formation.
















Some say the best Messerschmitts are powered by Merlins (!). Next, Bill Reid's magnificent Anson I.


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## Airframes (Apr 3, 2016)

Great shots Grant, and I love the one with the prop-tip vortices - or are they spiral chemtrails ?!!!!
To get prop movement, a rule of thumb is to work on shutter priority, with the shutter speed set at roughly the focal length of the lens.
For example, with a 300mm lens, set the speed at 1/300th, or thereabouts. 
On my Nikons, I set at 1/320th, or slightly less if conditions allow, and shoot at 400 ISO in clear weather.

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## nuuumannn (Apr 3, 2016)

Hi Terry, thanks for the tip. I've had that advice, but with the caveat that it takes practise! And my results doing that were nowhere near as clear as I wanted them. I have a Nikon too and I rattled off a few with Shutter priority selected, different shutter speeds and ISOs, but I was not happy with the results. I think I'm gonna need a monostick and more practise. Oh, and a bigger lens. I'm working with a 200mm one at the moment; it's okay, but I want MORE!


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## Airframes (Apr 3, 2016)

You might find a monopod a bit awkward and restrictive Grant - there's a tendency to trip over the damned thing as you turn to pan !
I've just had a similar conversation with Karl over the last couple of days. I've been using a shoulder stock, cobbled together from a video camera rail mount and stock, fitted with a remote trigger pistol grip, and a second, plain grip at the front.
It works wonderfully, allowing sharp, steady, controlled shots, rather like firing a rifle at a moving target. But it's a tad on the heavy side, especially as the arthritis is getting worse, making lifting and panning a bit of pain - literally.
I spotted the American-made 'Stedi-Stock' on e-bay and Amazon, a very light-weight, nylon skeleton stock, with a grip to fasten through the stock, into the camera, via one of three holes. They're normally around the £25 to £29 mark, which I thought a tad expensive for a simple stock, no remote trigger, but I saw a limited number on e-bay at £4.95, so Karl and I both grabbed one !
I'll need to adapt it, and mount a tripod-type quick-release head for the camera, and an extension plate on which to fit the two pistol grips, but it should work as well as the other one, and it's a _*lot*_ lighter and more compact.
Worth looking at, as a stock makes a heck of a difference.
As for a bigger lens, I know what you mean - I'd love a Nikon 400mm zoom, but I can't justify spending £1,500+ on a lens used 2 or 3 times a year!
The Nikon 300m I use now gives some great results, especially with Image Stabilisation engaged, and to be honest, the 200mm to 300mm range is probably used more than if I had 400mm at my disposal.
It's not an expensive lens, and on the used market, they can be picked up for a very reasonable price, in good to 'as new' condition, as they often form part of a 'bundle' with camera kit sales, where the buyer wants to move on to something more specialised, and sells-off the 300mm lens.
Again worth looking at, especially if bought from a recognised photo dealer. As and example, I picked up a Nikon D80 body last year, so that I can use two cameras at shows, and got it in 'as new' condition, with a low shutter count, for £95 - a snip really.


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## ccwilber (Apr 3, 2016)

Airframes said:


> Great pics Grant, and I particularly like the one of the Anson.
> Looking forward to more.



We have the Anson going up...

...the Anson going down...

...and finally landing.


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## Airframes (Apr 3, 2016)

Pics aren't showing - only the file info.
Have you up-loaded direct to the forum ?


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## Micdrow (Apr 3, 2016)

Great shots, Terry, the three in post 22 are short videos


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## Airframes (Apr 3, 2016)

Still not loading for me ....................


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## Crimea_River (Apr 3, 2016)

I'm nowhere near as good a photographer as you Grant but I've found that I'm getting better with the steady pan with just lots of practice. I shoot a typical high speed pass at 1/250 with a 75-300 zoom lens at ISO 400 and, despite still throwing out lots of pics, I get more and more that I like. I slow down to 1/125 on landings.


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## Micdrow (Apr 3, 2016)

Airframes said:


> Still not loading for me ....................


Humm weird, I am guessing you double clicked on them to download them? Other wise not sure.


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## Wurger (Apr 3, 2016)

Yep.. I have clicked twice and my player started displaying with no problem.


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## Gnomey (Apr 3, 2016)

Great shots guys!



Airframes said:


> Pics aren't showing - only the file info.
> Have you up-loaded direct to the forum ?



Because they are videos Terry...


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## nuuumannn (Apr 3, 2016)

Thanks Terry, having never used a monostick, I can't vouch for them, but my quest for ultra clear images at long range will have to keep up practising with differing shutter speeds. I think I might find a shoulder harness a little too restricting; I do like to get around the airfield and get photos from different locations; the Buchon images will testify to that and you never know what you might see, but nice idea. I have a Nikon 200 mm lens on a D5500 body, which has a 24 MP sensor, so nice and clear, but you're on it I think; upgrading to a 300 mm attached to another body might be the go. I went on a trip to Stewart Island recently (the women's pubic hair shaped island that sits below the South Island of New Zealand) and met a woman doing wildlife photography with a monster of a 400 mm lens, but her camera, a Canon (hssss) something or rather still only had a 24 MP sensor.

Thanks Crimea, I played with a few different shutter settings and ISOs, but they came out either too washed out or too blurry! Practise I fear! I just don't wanna ruin opportunities, like the Buchon, so I went with stopped props. My editor gets a little annoyed as he's done a lot of air-to-airs, but he still tolerates my pics!

Hi ccwilber, nice clips. Were you in the Titanium Pass stand? I was variously in the Gold Pass stand or could be seen loitering with intent around the Warbirds park at the far end of the field. Jim Hickey annoying the crowd with his inane babble.


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## Airframes (Apr 3, 2016)

Got the videos this time around - must have just been a glitch earlier.
Grant, I didn't mean a shoulder harness (although I got one last year, on the advice of my Consultant Rheumatologist, to take the weight of the cameras off the shoulders and neck, and it's been great).
I meant a shoulder stock - like a rifle butt stock. 
As mentioned, I 'customised' mine, and I'm in the process of doing the same with the new, Nylon, light-weight stock. The camera and 300mm zoom lens sit on top of the stock rail, with a remote-trigger pistol grip beneath, which 'fires' the shutter, and another, plain pistol grip further forward.
This allows the camera/lens combination to be held firmly in the shoulder, just like a rifle, and subjects can be tracked and panned very easily, and precisely.
When not in use, the rig is suspended by two straps, and can either hang on the harness or, by utilising a special 'bolt on' adapter, it can be attached to either a chest holster or hip holster, both of which are an integral part of the shoulder harness mentioned above.
When you get a chance, do some practice shots at the local airport, with the camera set for ISO 400, and with shutter priority at around 1/250th to 1/320th with the 200mm lens.
This should give good results, in average weather conditions, with good resolution and image sharpness, and with prop blur, given that the subject is correctly panned and followed through, avoiding 'snatched' shots.
For 'fast jets', a faster shutter speed can be used, around 1/500th or more, or, even easier,set to 'Auto' and blast away. Both methods will be enough to 'freeze' the action, including any vortices or fuselage or exhaust shock waves, and should give great results.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 4, 2016)

Aaah, I get you now, Terry; I see. Not thought of that and sounds like a brilliant idea, although people might look at me sideways if they saw me carrying around a stock at an airshow, but great idea. I'm surprised it hasn't been acted on commercially as much as other steadying aids for cameras. The VR on the lens is pretty good at long distances, though. The local airport sounds like a goer, since I'm down there a lot already (every day since I work there!).

Anyway, here are some images of the terrific Avro Anson, which is a highlight at every airshow it attends; obviously in airfield attack scenarios, the Anson is the token 'bomber' and is shot down by the 'goodie' fighters with regularity, the odds made greater in the Anson's favour as it actually releases bombs from its bomb bay! Although sadly I failed to capture this since I had my camera on other aircraft during its bomb run and the bad commentators failed to alert us it was about to happen.















































More of the Anson...


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## nuuumannn (Apr 4, 2016)

Right here.









































Next up, the Big Beefy Grumman Avenger.


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## Shinpachi (Apr 4, 2016)

Beautiful shots, nuuumannn


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## Wildcat (Apr 4, 2016)

Love that Anson! Just wish she was in her original RAAF colours


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## Jeff Hunt (Apr 4, 2016)

Lots of good camera chit chat boys but the star of the thread is the photos. Keep them coming, they are excellent.

Jeff


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## Wayne Little (Apr 4, 2016)

Fantastic shots....!


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## Wurger (Apr 4, 2016)




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## Airframes (Apr 4, 2016)

Great shots there Grant.
Shoulder stocks used to be very common, and popular, for air show and motor sport work, back in the 1970s and 1980s with film cameras, but they're hard to find now. Those that are available, are mainly far too complex, and very expensive, designed more for video work.
The 'Stedi Stock' is a good start point, being a simple, relatively inexpensive skeleton stock, in light-weight nylon, but it needs further design development and refining (or customise yourself) in order to provide a more secure camera mount, and the ability to attach a remote pistol grip - still working out how to make the best of mine, and meanwhile I'll continue to use the customised rig I mentioned.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 6, 2016)

Thanks guys. Terry, it's something I might consider, although I'm reluctant to add anything else to my already stuffed full carry bag at airshows!

Now, the Grumman Avenger, which is a very big aircraft indeed and which makes a great airshow display item.































The Avenger set itself up for a carrier style approach and landing with a bat man guiding it in, but I couldn't get both into the shot from where I was standing; the Grumman was waved off at the last minute...





















Next, Avenger wing folding.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 6, 2016)

As a salute, the Grumman did its party piece in front of the stands...















































Coming up, the return of the Big Cat!


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## Wurger (Apr 6, 2016)




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## Wayne Little (Apr 6, 2016)

Nicely done!


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## nuuumannn (Apr 8, 2016)

Will be adding more soon, but I'm busy organising visits to AKL airport to see Ed Force One when it arrives for Iron Maiden's concert on May 1st...


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## Gnomey (Apr 10, 2016)

Excellent shots guys!


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## Airframes (Apr 11, 2016)

Good shots Grant - looking forward to more.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 15, 2016)

Okay then. More from WOW 2016. The Big Cat Returns! The Catalina is one of the favourites at any airshow because it is big, slow and noisy and gracefully glides through the sky, shedding gallons of oil as it goes. This old girl has been absent from the air for four years after corrosion was found on the main spar and after overhaul, the aircraft was first flown less than a month before the airshow. This was its first airshow outing and proved very popular.






The Cat's wheels retract individually and make a heck of a noise from the inside...
















Sporting a new name and nose art since its return, the Cat was operating throughout the three days offering joy flights. _The Wandering Witch _was an actual wartime Catalina. I now have a t-shirt with this logo on it.






"Your Chariot awaits, Sir".


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## nuuumannn (Apr 15, 2016)

Wanaka is nestled in the middle of a mountain range on the shore of the lake where it gets its name from. How the airshow at this small backwater in the deep south became world renown is from the dedicated efforts of one Tim Wallis, who has become synonymous with warbirds, although he made his money farming deer in the mountains around the region. A true Kiwi Bloke of the ruggedest kind and the type of fella every kiwi man aspires to be, sadly, _Sir_ Tim, suffered severe spinal injury when he overturned a Spitfire XIV on take-off and he cannot walk now, but can always be seen at the airshow being wheeled around by a flock of attendees. He still loves it.











Visibility from the side blisters is superb.











We were promised a water landing, but at the last minute the pilot chickened out! Nevermind; still a thrill on approach to the lake.






We got within inches of the surface, but sadly from our vantage point mid fuselage there was no shower of spray. Climbing out over the lake.






The Catalina sits sixteen, eight each in the front and rear cabins, with four either side of the aisle. The forward cabin is just aft of the cockpit and the aft, just forward of the _Observation Lounge_, where a smashing view is to be had from those giant bubbles of Perspex. Pax have to return to their seats during take-off and landing, but were given the option of moving around during the flight. Needless to say, the after cabin was the most popular spot.






Luggate Airport, Wanaka from the air; you'll have to excuse the blurriness through the windows, they were splattered with oil throughout the flight. Note the banking at the left hand end of the pic; the airfield is on a plateau and a C-130 Hercules can disappear from view behind the banking at the runway threshold; airshow acts use it for dramatic effect.






More to come.


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## Jeff Hunt (Apr 15, 2016)

Excellent report and pics.

Jeff


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## Wayne Little (Apr 15, 2016)

Great stuff..!


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## Wurger (Apr 15, 2016)




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## Gnomey (Apr 15, 2016)

Great shots!


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## Airframes (Apr 15, 2016)

Great pics Grant, especially the air to ground from the Cat.
I would call you a lucky bar steward - but I'm too much of a gentleman !!


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## nuuumannn (Apr 16, 2016)

That's very gracious of you Terry!  I'm an associate member of the Catalina society, which helps maintain it, although because it lives in the North Island and I in the South Island I don't get to see it as often as I'd like, but it's the thought (and financial contribution) that counts.


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## Wildcat (Apr 16, 2016)

That cat is looking great! It would be nice if they put a nose turret in though.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 16, 2016)

Nah, the thing's been altered too much to make it look less warlike; the big windows on the side, for example; she's a civvie bird now and has spent more of her life flying pax than time it had spent in military service. There was a discussion on another forum about converting civvie Cats back to military configuration; where do you stop? This one has seats, carpet and cupboards like a boat and all that luxury would have to be taken out; plus you'd need to cut a bloody great hole in the bow, which is never good.

Here's a pic of a placard inside the aircraft;


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## Crimea_River (Apr 16, 2016)

Great shots. Must have been a good experience.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 21, 2016)

Time for some Heavy Metal. Cue the Steppenwolf...

The USAF from Hickam AFB in Hawaii via Christchurch flew a C-17 over for an all-too-brief handling display, which was a little disappointing since I'd seen these big boys being thrown around at European airshows. It couldn't land at Wanaka, not that the runway's too short, but the C-17 is too heavy, nevertheless, good to see the US military being slowly weaned back into the New Zealand public eye, although we want some faster hardware...































Next, the Armee de l'Air are 'locally' based at Noumea in the Pacific and they regularly send these light transport Casa CN-235s over to New Zealand. "Ze Kaza", as the French commentator called it is one of the types being considered as a replacement for the RNZAF's 50 year old C-130Hs, so put on a spirited display and really showed the Americans how a display should be done.











You can't tell in this shot, but it's reversing. (Beep, beep, beep...)


























Last lot soon.


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## nuuumannn (Apr 21, 2016)

"The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, keeping engineers in overtime since 1954..."


























The problem with the Wanaka flightline is that it faces into the sun, so big military birds painted grey turn into silhouettes when photographing them. Lots of alteration in contrast was used in these shots, unfortunately.
















That's it for now, folks.

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## Wildcat (Apr 21, 2016)

Nice shots!


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## Wurger (Apr 21, 2016)




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## Airframes (Apr 21, 2016)

Some cracking shots there Grant - good stuff.
I'm looking forward to this year's air show 'season' in the UK - hope to get to the 'American Air Show' at DX at the end of May, and hopefully 'Legends' and a couple of smaller shows too.
I had thought about going to the Jersey or Guernsey shows, but believe it or not, I haven't found a single 'package deal' for short breaks for the shows, and going via a scheduled flight is ridiculously expensive, relative to flying to, say, mid Europe - average return fare from Manchester is over £200 !!
Going for, say, three days would work out at well over £500 to £600, with transfers and accommodation, and that's not counting tickets for the various static parks at the airports and public parks - a bit much for what is, in essence, a 'sea front' air display, and a waste if the weather is [email protected] !!


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## nuuumannn (Apr 21, 2016)

Thanks Terry; yes, airshows are not cheap and although I'm financially in a position to be able to afford to buy a VIP ticket to WOW, I still prefer to keep costs down by camping in a tent and driving myself down the country, rather than flying down and hiring a car. Mind you, that might be because its bleeding hard to get accommodation to WOW unless you book two years in advance and because I'm a tightarse.

I remember going to RIAT at Fairford one year and to save money I hitch hiked from Cirencester and stayed in a tent in a local farmer's field next to the airfield for 10 quid a night. Going to Fighter Meet at North Weald was always good; you could catch a tube all the way to Epping, then get a courtesy shuttle from the station to the airfield.


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## Airframes (Apr 21, 2016)

Yep, until last year, me, my mate Mick, and Karl (Rochie) did the camping thing for the Duxford shows, staying on a site at Fowlmere, just up the road. 
Now I have the 'Tin Tent' (my camper van), which I've only used for the BoB show at DX last year, so far. But it means that Karl can have a 'bedroom' in a 'proper' tent, rather than crawl into what we swiftly named his 'dog kennel', after eleventeen pints and a couple of shots of 'Scottish White Wine', whilst I have the relative luxury of a bed, electric light, heating,and a solid roof over my head, and of course we all have the convenience of the fridge, cooker etc in the van, plus the 'seating area' under the wind-out awning, or the interior seating if it's cold and wet.
As you know, like most major air shows in the UK, hotel or B&B accommodation for the Duxford shows normally needs to be booked well in advance, hence the reason for getting the van - plus it's a lot cheaper too !
Unfortunately, due to this stupid disability these days, I need someone with me when I go to shows, to help out - at least if camping, anyway - and both Karl and Mick are restricted for time this year, so I'm not yet sure which shows I'll definitely get to. But there are a couple I could just about manage myself, although I might use B&Bs for some, to save having to drag my mobility scooter in and out of the van too often, 'cos that really b*gg*rs me up !!

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## Crimea_River (Apr 21, 2016)

Excellent shots Grant!


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## Gnomey (Apr 21, 2016)

Wonderful shots!


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