The Aviation Park Festival 2016

by Veronica

Despite the atrocious summer weather, The Aviation Viewing Park Festival 2016 was a huge success last weekend. Take a walk with me through the mud.

Manchester Airport's annual Aviation and Transport Festival took place on the weekend of Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th July. Every year it gets over 15,000 visitors in a weekend.

This amazing event cost just £5 per adult for the entire day. Our 3 year old grandson was free! Car parking was free and the Concorde hangar was also free although "trips" on Concorde were £5.00 for 30 minutes .

The event included a WW2 experience including a lovely WW2 style singer, American WW 2 vehicles, a display of old cars, traction engines, a craft fair, children's fairground rides, aircraft cockpits, live music and much more.

It was a fantastic day.This all shows that despite our well-known dreadful weather we can still have a marvellous time in the mud on a soaking wet day in high summer in the North of England.

The ground was soaking and muddy
The ground was soaking and muddy

Black Spaniel Gallery

( As I wrote  to you recently, even though our land is drained,  when it rains this is what can happen sometimes! ) Below is the pavement ( sidewalk), not very walkable is it. This doesn't keep us at home though. My grandson was in wellington boots for the day.

3 year olds though LOVE muddy puddles
3 year olds though LOVE muddy puddles

WW2 memorabilia

WW2 planes on display
WW2 planes on display
WW2 plane
WW2 plane
WW2 jeeps and vans
WW2 jeeps and vans

Many people joined in the spirit of things and wore WW2 outfits. I asked permission of this lovely couple to put their photo online. They were delightful people and attend all the WW2 events in costume. Aren't they fantastic! She's just gorgeous.

lovely people took part in WW2 outfits
lovely people took part in WW2 outfits

These engines and tractors were beautifully maintained and a credit to their owners who bring them along to show them and add to the occasion. The owners of the camper vans and cars were quite happy  to allow people inside their vehicles and look under the bonnet  (the hood ) .

 

tractors and engines exhibits
tractors and engines exhibits
tractor
tractor

Old motor vehicles

old campervans
old campervans
AND .... a Rolls
AND .... a Rolls

Concorde, Manchester

When Concorde was decommissioned one of them was stored at Manchester and soon became a great tourist attraction. It is very expensive to go on it to look round and sit in the comfy seats but at this festival at weekend it cost just £5.00. Booking was essential for that attraction it was so busy and popular.

Bizarrely, the craft fair was going on around Concorde, just as if it is an everyday thing to shop for crafts beneath Concorde's wings. It felt slightly surreal but special to be shopping below it.

Concorde
Concorde
The famous nose
The famous nose
The craft fair around Concorde
The craft fair around Concorde

The Parade

Part of the parade
Part of the parade

Part of the event was a parade. We like our parades up here. This little engine  was one of the parade partakers.

... of course we got hungry. Some people brought a picnic and ate it despite the picnic areas being rather wet!  :) Did I say wet ? Everywhere was totally saturated.

A great day during North of England mid-summer.

the picnic area was rather waterlogged.
the picnic area was rather waterlogged.
Updated: 07/19/2016, Veronica
 
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Veronica on 07/30/2021

Derdriu
Yes indeed, here South of the River Mersey we have clay ( or claggy ) soil. The land was marshland before the Normans drained it and it is still damp and claggy.
The viewing park has drainage, as does the airport area.

DerdriuMarriner on 07/30/2021

Veronica, What with the 2020-2021 pandemic, I have time to go back to articles I previously read and put in additional comments and questions. Previously, I meant to ask what kind of soil prevails at the festival site (here it's clayey so rain means standing water quickly accumulating and slowly draining. It would be a nightmare for any such event as the aviation park festival).

Veronica on 06/06/2017

Aren't they an amazing couple ? The lady was in ankle strap shoes and her husband was in dark lace ups. Such lovely people too.

As for a WW2 picnic - now hat opens up a completely new line of thinking . Salad Sandwiches and eggless cake would have been the order of the day

DerdriuMarriner on 06/06/2017

Veronica, Do you remember what kind of shoes the couple in WW2 dress wore?
So a picnic at a WW2 event: Now what would retro, vintage food be like for such an event?

Veronica on 07/20/2016

Yes a wonder to behold but environmentally a nightmare.

There were several steam vehicles. Imagine all those steam vehicles next to the runway so the planes were still taking off next to the festival. The whole event was excellent and as I love a day out I wanted to share it.

We will definitely go again next year. Frank you should take your grandson. He'd enjoy it.

blackspanielgallery on 07/20/2016

The Concord must have been a wonder to view. I am, however, glad they were decommissioned after the accident in France. They flew so high their exhaust may have been a problem for the ozone layer.
Is that a steam auto in the parade image?

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