Warwick Castle Event 2011
Warwick Model Flyers were asked to support an event at Warwick Castle on Sunday 19th June which had a theme of Trains, Cars and Planes. The club had 10 members who turned out to man the event and we provided a flying display throughout the day, a static display of models and a flight simulator was available for the spectators to try their hands at (though it was mainly the children who did so). Because of the constraints of the location and the proximity of the general public we had to limit the types of aircraft being flown to small electric models and helicopters. We had a set of carefully thought out rules to which all pilots had to adhere to ensure the safety of the public and their property and only allowed 1 plane to be airborne at any one time.
Unfortunately the wind conditions were not ideal for these small aircraft with turbulence from the trees and if you flew above them the wind was quite strong. Fortunately John and Andy had brought their helicopters and they put on a superb display throughout the day and the large crowds that gathered certainly showed their appreciation. We had a good static display of models which prompted many questions. The children in particular seemed to greatly enjoy having a go themselves on the simulator. The girls often showed better initial aptitude, being more prepared to listen to instruction and being far more delicate on the controls compared to the boys who tended to move the sticks wildly and to the extremes!
Even though it was a long day (10:00 till 18:00) I think all of our members had a good day and the public certainly appeared to be impressed and to have enjoyed themselves.
The day started with a pilots briefing
Cover was provided for the members in case of rain
A good assortment of planes were provided by members for the static show
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Between us we put on quite an impressive display of planes
The peace before storm when the public arrived
The public start to arrive
One of the first flights watched carefully by our members
Mike collects his plane after at the end of a successful flight
Our 2 helicopter pilots, Andy and John, did a sterling job and did the majority of the flying wowing the crowds with some superb routines. Later in the day the crowd was about 4 deep while the flying was taking place!
Even our own members turned round to watch the flying displays
The flight simulator proved very popular with the children from 4years old upwards!
Last modified: June 20, 2011