Iconic Aircraft Aviation Forum

Its been announced today that the Classic Air Force which was split between its original Coventry base and the new Newquay site is to pull back to Coventry and Newquay will close - or rather won't reopen this year.

Very sad ... badly handled ... people have been asking whats happening this year and they've been stalling - and only yesterday their facebook page was championing the volunteers in Newquay - then today - WHAMO and goodbye.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Classic-Air-Force-Live/528793810573435?fref=nf

There is talk of 'something' taking its place - but no detail yet ...

Sad for Cornwall - Classic Air Force presence down here was a real feather in the cap ... but yet again the profit monster wins the day ...

There was a lot doubt they could make it pay when they moved from Coventry.

Always sad when something doesn't work out, did they jump or were they pushed from Coventry - I was never quite sure.

I don't know if they looked at an atlas before they decided to move. Newquay is near the end of a sparsely populated peninsula. For me it would be a 250 mile journey. For most of the country it would be much further. Coventry on the other hand is 150 miles away and I guess that most of the country (and Wales) is within that. How many Cornish holidaymakers are aviation enthusiasts?
Presumably they were made a good offer to move.

Anyone know how busy the Newquay site was?

what will happen to the larger exhibits?

10680 wrote:I don't know if they looked at an atlas before they decided to move. Newquay is near the end of a sparsely populated peninsula. For me it would be a 250 mile journey. For most of the country it would be much further. Coventry on the other hand is 150 miles away and I guess that most of the country (and Wales) is within that. How many Cornish holidaymakers are aviation enthusiasts?
Presumably they were made a good offer to move.

Anyone know how busy the Newquay site was?

Living - as I do - at the end of that 'sparsely populated peninsular' - I quite see your point and agree with you as we have to do that very 250 mile journey to come the other way to see pretty much anything aviation wise - and yes you are right Cornwall is not really the place for something that is very much a niche operation ..

In the summer the population explodes and we are falling over the holiday makers who are looking for things to do - and I suspect but not many of them saw an old aviation based attraction as a place to visit as there are no roller coasters, adrenaline etc - most inland - non coast attractions - are hit hard with visitors when the weather is bad and you can't go to the beach and one hangar with some 'old' static aircraft and some pretty expensive flying experiences just did not cut it ..

I suspect their decision to come to Cornwall was driven by access to one of the largest hangars available (the old Nimrod base) and they were running out of space in Coventry ... we all know we sometimes get a 'rose tinted specs' view and they must have thought they could make it happen - but I suspect costs of running 2 sites and the downsides of Cornwall's location have got the better of them.

Sad to see them go but entirely see the point about Coventry's location...

Personally ,I would like to see them re-locate to Biggin Hill

Can I refer my learned friend to my other posts on this subject since this older thread was started ...

http://www.iconicaircraft.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=9121

And also advise my learned friend that as far as I am concerned Biggin Hill can have them - send several very large lorries as none of them are flyable

Spitfire wrote:Can I refer my learned friend to my other posts on this subject since this older thread was started ...

http://www.iconicaircraft.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=9121

And also advise my learned friend that as far as I am concerned Biggin Hill can have them - send several very large lorries as none of them are flyable

Learned ? who's learned ?

Anyone I choose to call 'learned' ... or is it Aceyone I choose to call 'learned' ... who knows

Spitfire wrote:Anyone I choose to call 'learned' ... or is it Aceyone I choose to call 'learned' ... who knows

Now you have found how to cause havoc as the tourists decide to run north on the last Friday of their holidays when the heavens opened.

Block the road across Bodmin Moor with several indivisible loads all under escort and travelling in very small convoys of three trucks at around 15mph. Oh and shut the Saltash crossing.

Been there done that (the exodus not the abnormal/indivisible loads)