Torbay Airshow 2016 Amazing Event Well Done Torbay

[Dave]

Saturday 11th June 2016

Be Proud Torbay, Very Very Proud.

There is no better place to live in the whole of the UK than Torbay, we have some of the best beaches, wonderful coastline and beautiful views in every direction you look.. Torbay does have a few problems, its not perfect, but the pace of life is and there is always so many events to enjoy throughout the year for the locals and our visitors.

I was never aware of any talks about Torbay holding its first air show, I just remember reading about it in our local rag when it was announced it was taking place. The Shoreham Air Show disaster changed many things with regards to air show management; not only the way pilots are allowed to fly but also how organisers look at delivering their event management plans including traffic management and event health and safety and risk assessments I think this was one of the main reasons Torbay was chosen to host this air show.

There were plenty of moans about all the road closures that were being put in place of the weekend of the air show, but it all worked perfectly and surely any slight inconvenience had to be worth being able to have this wonderful spectacle right on our own doorstep.

A good number of park and rides were set up around the Bay and our new road into it from Penn Inn proved its real value and justified just why it needed to be built. The only downside to the weekend looked to be the weather but on the Saturday at least, even that put its fingers up to all the forecasters who got it wrong.

I decided to catch the bus into town from close to our Zoo into the bus station, I was charged £2 and to be honest I was surprised about the lack of traffic on the journey into town. Was this event going to be a flop? Where were all the people? I soon got my answer to that question when I stepped off the bus.

Across the road from the bus station, special exit barriers had been set up at the train station, there were a good number of police there and also railway police who were making sure there were no fare dodgers getting past them. The level crossing barriers at the top of Torbay Road were down and a very large crowd started to form. They seemed to stay down even longer than normal, but when they went up the loudest cheer went up into the air from the now hundreds waiting there.

Torbay Road now seemed like Wembley Way, it was packed from side to side with the whole road all taken up by thousands of walkers heading for the seafront.. In all my life I had never seen a sight like it in Paignton. I turned the corner at the end of Torbay Road and was hit by the sound of excited children playing in the play area on Paignton Green.

I walked on by and through the fairground and stopped and looked at a few of the rides no one in the world could ever get my on, it can only be a sign of my age I fear. I walked further along the green past so many different foot outlets and then came across the main entertainment stage. This was the spot to watch and enjoy all the live music that was on offer, but I got to see three very lovely young ladies dancing.

Thirty minutes to the start of the show, it was time to find a spot along the seafront, that was not going to be the easiest of tasks due to very large amount of people there. I walked past the pier and finally ended up going through a gap in the wall down on to the beach path halfway between the pier and the harbour. In the end I was glad this is where I ended up as while it might not have been my chosen spot, the pier played its part in some of the shots I got.


The count down to 2pm was on but a rain cloud was forming above, surely it was not going to be a wet and miserable afternoon? I looked up and the first plane carrying the Tigers Parachute Display Team was flying overhead. On the ground we were treated to a light shower of rain and it meant the team had to jump from a lower height than they had planned.

But it did not matter and after that the sun came out and stayed out for the whole afternoon, Torbay wanted this air show and somehow managed to find the most perfect weather for it while other parts of the country were very wet indeed.

The stone path I was sitting on was hard,  would I really be able to sit here for over three hours, would there be long boring breaks in the flying? Well as far as the flying was concerned it was non stop action, there was never more than four or five minutes between each display. I have never known three hours fly by so quickly, (please excuse the pun) I enjoyed all of the displays equally and did not want it to end.



2.00pm-3.00pm
Tigers Parachute
Display Team
Sea Vixen
Gyrocopter
3.00pm-4.00pm
Piston Provost
& Waco YMF-5
Yakovlevs
Breitling Wingwalkers
Twister Aerobatics Team
4.00pm-5.00pm
Strikemaster
The Blades
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
Typhoon

The Typhoon made its final flypast and people all around me were getting to their feet, so many happy smiling faces who enjoyed our first ever air show in the Bay. Torbay Council needs to do everything possible to try and make this air show a regular event. All the measure put in place worked perfectly and could there ever be such a wonderful backdrop as the Bay itself for an air show? I walked back to the bus station through an even more packed Torbay Road, what a great event, what a great feeling to have been there and what a feeling of pride that came over me as Torbay delivered all that could be hoped for and more.

I will try and get down there again on Sunday afternoon weather permitting

A BIG WELL DONE TORBAY LETS DO IT ALL AGAIN NEXT YEAR

[Dave]

Sunday 12th June 2016

The last and final day of the first ever Torbay Airshow and what another great day it has been for the Bay. There looked even more people of Paignton seafront than yesterday; I expect the Red Arrows were the main reason for that.

The Tigers Parachute Display Team were able to jump out at a much higher height today, but due to the wind jumped out over the green, unlike yesterday when they were over the sea when they jumped out.

There was a rather heavy rain shower just as I arrived on the green and once that passed over it remained dry right up until the second the Red Arrows arrived. For a good five minutes it was hammering it down and you see the rain drops bouncing off the sea.

Thankfully it soon stopped and the Red Arrows put on the sort of show you come to expect from them. This ranks as the best weekend I have ever spent in Paignton, we do put on some great events, but this can surely never be beaten.

All the stops must be pulled out to make this a regular yearly event, it was so good to see many people and so many families out enjoying the weekends entertainment.