www.military.ie the defence forces magazine
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Arriving early, we noted that all of the tickets had been sold weeks before, with
none available on the day, and that the expected crowds were likely to be the largest
ever seen on site. The assorted car parks were clearly marked and well marshalled
and the very pleasant weather ensured that summer dress was the order of the day.
In passing, it is worth noting that the myriad food outlets were well stocked with
prices clearly displayed and, as the day wore on, large crowds for cold drinks and ice
cream were very much in evidence. If the children wanted to feel the effects of G
forces or otherwise thoroughly mix their stomach contents then there were many
amusements of the whirling and rotating variety to assist them. Failing that, they
could experience profound motion-sickness effects by strapping into the flight simu-
lator for a short but terrifying flight, which never actually left the ground.
Those who chose to arrive early had easy access to the various
displays within the hangars, including the wonderful AirSpace,
which for the first time, I think, had the drooping Concorde nose
operational, to the amazement of many visitors. The American Air
Museum, housing the B-29, B-52 and F-111, amongst other gems, is
undergoing refurbishment and so remained closed but is slowly
being re-stocked. Another, less visited hangar on air show days,
was the Land Warfare Museum, home to armoured vehicles of
every shape and size and well worth the effort to reflect on another
type of warfare. The debate concerning the efficacy of tracked or
wheeled vehicles in battle continues to this day.
Other hangars included naval types such as the Sea Vixen, Sea
Hawk and Wasp helicopter, not forgetting the rare Firefly, which
awaits its re-assembly. Many other types were in various states of
repair or assembly, including a Sea Fury, a Corsair, a Mustang and
more but my eye was taken with a pristine Beaver in civilian mark-
ings which I would like to have seen airborne; perhaps some day in
the future?
