I hope the weather improves for everyone down there and I wish you a really successful rally. Unfortunately I can’t attend this year due to business reasons. This is the first I will have missed in 7 years so I look forward to the pics on the website and the stories from the guys from up here when they return.

Best wishes !!
Ian Bennet,

The countdown timer is wrong!
Your publicity says that the gates open at 9am, yet the countdown timer says
it will open at 8am!
Not that it matters one iota, I am very much looking forward to the rally -
best of luck!
Rob (PFA member)

OK, nobody's perfect. (I did alter it, but it's rather irrelevant now as the Rally has started - WSB)

What about a WEBCAM for those who cant make it there
regards
jp

Hi,

It's an idea we've run before (in fact, the PFA some years ago were the first Air Rally to have web-cam - we even beat the Yanks!!), but the problem now is the cost of renting a permanent hi-speed connection for the week and the cost of hiring the kit.
If a sponsor can be found it MAY happen next year.

Watch this space.

(Any firm interested in sponsoring a live web-cam for next year, please drop me a line - WSB)

sir
i and 3 others went up to the rally on Saturday ,
got to the gates , morning the girl said , morning i said ,
that's £25 pounds please ...ok
NO SIR that's £25 EACH .....how much !!,
that's what I.A.T . IS next week ,
sorry but we turned the car around .....AND CAME HOME ,
£100 pounds for a car of 4 people
your an AIR RALLY not a AIR SHOW ....
i will not even mark you on the calendar for next year.
AT those prices (sic)

 This comment noted and passed to Rally organisers. WSB

Dear Sir

Firstly a big thank you to everyone involved with the preparation and running of this years rally - no-one can allow for the British summer but all things considered I think we were lucky to get as many visitors over the weekend as we did with special thanks to the Irish , Swedish and Swiss contingents.
I hope you will allow an enthusiast to make a few comments which I you will pass on to those concerned who I hope will find them in some way constructive.
My background is as a helicopter design engineer who has been a lifelong aviation enthusiast, but I am not a PFA member.
1. I understand that the rally now runs at a financial loss, not only this year but also last year which was blessed with superb weather.
2. The attraction of the rally is the variety of aeroplanes attending - your pilot/core enthusiast attendance is fairly predictable but this year a few of my friends decided that £40 was too much. You have increased the cost for the exhibitors too and have lost many regulars such as the Aero Book Company.
3. In my opinion in order to bring in more visitors you have to go back to the days of more varied small traders , a ladies pavillion (ala Cranfield), perhaps a young persons area along the lines of the RAF Museum Hendon's 'experience' area which illustrates interactively the principles of flight.
Make the cost to exhibitors more realistic. I think if you can hold the current entrance cost for 3 days for the next rally at £40 that will hold on to your main audience.
4. Invite the UK services to exhibit (RAF careers etc.). Perhaps try to invite the UAS's, AEF's to join the fly-in - good navigation and procedures training?
5. If only there was a decent display line available at Kemble - the aerobatics by Mark Jefferies this year were superb but lost on many because they were so far from the main site. Kemble is not ideal for the fly-in visitors eiither as there is so much controlled airspace around the field. I know there is no other location available but perhaps even with the restricted line at Kemble perhaps a team like the Aerostars could provide a 'public' attraction.
6. Lots of good checks this year on the wrist bands which were excellent. Could you consider a reduced non-airside pass so that the wife and kids can come along and spend their time and money around the static/traders area and watch the flying from there. (Daily entrance £5-£10 , no wrist band?).
7. The UK needs the PFA rally. It is the best opportunity we have to promote light aviation in this country which at best is mis-understood and at worst threatened with extermination. The PFA coffers cannot continually be drained by the rally and now is a time to think radically to pull the 'punters' in. The word on the grapevine is that the SBAC are going to reduce the scope and extent of the Farnborough show in future years so it is going to be even more important for UK aviation that its biggest flying movement, the GA community, is shown to be alive and well and open to all.
All the very best wishes for the future and thank you again for this years event and reading this e-mail!

Kind regards

David Carter

This was my 23rd Rally on the spin as a volunteer on Ops. I am merely an enthusiastic supporter of the aims of the PFA and a PPL (B)

Undoubtedly the Rally was severely affected by 3 things

1 the weather
2 to some degree the clash with Duxford Flying Legends
3 the outrageous charge of £25 for every non PFA member aircraft passenger.
What was the strategy behind this? Next time you won't want to be stung so will join? Why not offer an offset of part of the charge against them joining the PFA at the Rally?

I know this might cover them for 3 days but around 50%, as a guess, visit for only 1 day. If you were a PFA member wanting to share costs, you may decide not to bother. If you make it unattactive for people to fly in then you don't have much of a fly in

More people also equals more buyers which equals more stands.
What are they getting for their money, other than the chance to meet other aviation minded people and go round the stands and spend?
Is it also a part of the strategy to discourage vintage aircraft to visit.
The variety of aircraft and therefore the interest has diminished. e.g. I can remember only 1 Tiger Moth visiting by the time I left at 1.30 on Sunday. Why can other similar rallies attract far greater participation from aircraft kit makers?

In most respects I thought the Rally was very well organised and many pilots complimented us, representing the PFA, on this aspect. Bus service was spot on this time. Showers hot and the team supplying the brekkie does a fantastic job in less than ideal conditions.
It was noticeable how relatively empty the workers campsite was this year.
Not sure why.

However, for the first time I am seriously considering not attending next year as their is not enough by way of aircraft variety and I don't think the charging structure is right

IAN WARRINGTON.

Congratulations on another great event. Thoroughly enjoyed. Thankyou.
Suggest you change the guy who booked the indigo clouds, although the white aircraft showed up well.
Managed to capture a few pictures on Sunday afternoon. Luckily the weather brightened....!

Pics attached.

Tony French (another one)

twakes@boltblue.com

Rally Pics

I have a couple of great shots of the Storch on the ground and loads of Eurocub shots.
Have a look at a few reduced resolution examples at www.eurocub.com and select the rally link.

All the best,

Lisa Kingscott

The hunt for D-EDOL is on!! (but what happened to the blank cheques???) - see Saturday's page

Hi,

If you mean the German bloke with the beard who comes every year and wears an orange jumpsuit, I saw him in the main Marquee on Friday evening.
I don't remember seeing his aircraft though.

Cheers
Simon

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi there,

Just to let you know D-EDOL was there. I saw it outside the firmly shut hangar over the far side. I also saw Volke (not sure of spelling) the pilot of D-EDOL in the beer tent on both Friday and Saturday evening.
Thanks to all for a great weekend. My wife and I nearly did not come along because the weather looked so bad, but soon after lunch on Friday we made a snap decision and put the tent in the car and took a chance.
Not as good as last year, but sill we had a good time. Got away from our daughter for the weekend as well.

Regards...Steve Thompson.

SteveThompson@ClassicFM.net
www.stephen-thompson.info (my pictures to be uploaded soon)

Great weekend as usual ! I've got 9 pics, all approx 100kb & 640dpi wide, for you to use on the website if they're OK with you.

cheers
Mike
Devon Strut
Jodel D9 G-BGFJ

Sirs
I was prepared to an entrance charge to the rally, many of my friends who were aircraft passengers were amazed at the £25.00 charge and said they would not come again.

regards michael Webb

This message passed to rally organisers - WSB

Hello,
I think the Friday is not complete as suggested: I did arrive on Friday with my Pottier (PH-IBL)
But a very nice website, memories come up!
Regards,
Ton

Sorry if any aircraft missed. May be due to photographers missing aircraft or pictures being of unusable quality. If anyone has pics of missed aircraft, please send them in and I'll post them up - WSB

Dear Sir.

Having visited the Rally on Saturday (and having attended for many years previous) I can say what an excellent day it was marred only by one thing.....the outrageous price of £25.00 per person to get in.....why?? I would expect to have to pay this at a major airshow, Flying Legends, Farnborough etc, but the PFA Rally?? You may be running at a loss but at these prices you will surely price yourselves out of the market making even bigger losses! Could I suggest you take a major look at the whole financial set up of the rally in order to get back on track, otherwise I fear this great aviation event will wither and die due to lack of support. Surely the more aviation minded visitors who attend will help to attract more and more exhibitors which is I am sure, in everyone’s interest. Long may the rally continue but at a value for money price.

With best wishes. Trevor Sanderson.

This message passed to rally organisers - WSB

I'd just like to say what a fantastic event the pfa rally was this year, and maybe i'm the only person who actually thought £25-00 was quite reasonable, my only dissapointment was not staying for more than one day!, i look forward to 2005

Gary Shepperd

Pics Attached

Please feel free to send any pictures or comments about
the Rally to: wsb@kemble.flyer.co.uk

Rally Pictures Index