It actually feels quite sad to be thinking and talking about flying in these terms, but I have to admit it’s been a hard season. The events I witnessed at Shoreham last year have changed the game entirely for us as display pilots and show organisers and although I really do hate to admit this, some of the shine has gone. It is definitely coming back but on more than one occasion I have found myself feeling tired, fed up and worried when before I would have just been enjoying myself, such is the burden of paperwork. I’ve wondered whether it’s all worth the effort and the risk and the pain, I’ve thought of stopping altogether as some I know have already done. Things have felt different up there, somehow more serious, more severe. I fear I’ve been smiling less than I really should when doing some of the most incredible things most people can’t even dream of being able to do.

There have been other times though where it’s all snapped back into clarity. I received an email from a young girl and her mother following one of my performances this year that actually reduced me to tears. Somehow, to them what I was doing was important – it was inspirational. My going out and performing against all my own personal odds hadn’t gone unnoticed and I found myself sobbing into my keyboard – it is all worth it. If all I ever do is inspire one person then will all have been worth it – I already know I’ve inspired and influenced many more than that. Flying is a selfish pastime as most of us know it, so to find ways in which to use it to give something back is the ultimate goal for me, and it seems I do sometimes get it right.

I’ve spoken at schools, universities, to groups of young women, to air cadets and to scout groups. I’ve stood up alongside other inspirational women at the tops of their fields to give schoolgirls pause for thought – who knows, maybe one or two who never even thought about science or technology or maths as career paths will be the next world-changers, the researchers and engineers transforming society. I am under no illusion that what I’m doing is extraordinary, but it’s also an incredible privilege to perhaps influence someone else to do truly amazing things.

The flying has been fun, lots of very varied shows flown alongside some of the most amazing people. This year I headed up to Scotland for the first time to display at the Scottish International Airshow, I performed at the RAF Cosford Airshow for the first time and I took a booking for my first international show in Ireland (sadly the weather meant I didn’t make it over there but it was still a milestone booking). I also displayed a different aeroplane for the first time, on behalf of its owner – one of my ultimate bucket list aircraft, the Yak 50. I spent time training with the most incredible guys to qualify for and then carry out my first ever formation display this season. It has been a year of firsts. Big, big things have been happening and I’m working very hard to continue pushing forward, look out for some really exciting things to come for next season…

Between displays, work and finding time to breathe, I’ve also been writing a bit more, albeit not on here. I will have my second ‘air test’ article published in Pilot magazine very soon, this time a full-blown review of the Yak 50 with some stunning air-to-air photographs.

So how has it been really? It has been gruelling, terrifying, painful, rewarding, amazing and the most incredible privilege. I still love display flying and am finding myself in a position where I’m beginning to believe that one day I may actually attain the unattainable. If I had ever said to my parents when I was little, that one day I wanted to fly spitfires they would have taken me to one side and told me not to be silly. People from poor backgrounds don’t get to fly, let alone fly warbirds – right? Who knows, one day I may make that dream come true, I’m certainly going to give it a go, and meanwhile I will just make do with flying badass aerobatic displays – next year’s main goal is to grin more while I’m doing it. Just watch.

My first airshow performance was flown at Welshpool in 2013 and is a life experience that will forever remain deeply etched in my memory. That day was singularly the most terrifying, exhilarating, difficult and incredible day of my flying career. The show itself was a wonderful celebration of all things aviation as well as all things local. With spectator numbers in the thousands the atmosphere was electric. I spent hours watching the smiles and laughs, listening to the ooohs and ahhhs as the best of British aviation was thrust in front of our eyes and into our hearts. That day was so special.

I watched the Vulcan bomber fly low along the display line, the sound echoing inside my bones and raising emotion I had no idea existed – a deeply set, openly proud nostalgia became as much a physical sensation as it had ever been an emotional one. On top of that I entered the unique world of display flying proper for the first ever time and was welcomed with open arms. Legends of the scene chatted freely with me, giving advice and pointers, encouragement and warning alike, making me feel at once excited, nervous and yet somehow completely at home.

The display flight itself is now a distant memory of many hundreds, if not thousands of sequences flown, but a memory I can recall any moment. The feeling was of all-encompassing focus, unlike any feeling I can ever hope to explain, alien in every sense. In that focus everything was clarity and joy. Every action and motion was instinctual, rehearsed and natural. The experience was one of total control.

On landing I was applauded the whole length of my landing roll and taxi, thousands of people waving and cheering, children on the shoulders of their parents, clapping and shouting with joy as I waved back at them. That moment was the most surreal but defining moment of my life.

In the UK we are very lucky – ours is one of the most vibrant and varied airshow scenes on Earth, enabled by what has, up until now, been a flexible and sensible regulatory approach that has granted freedom of expression whilst holding one of the very best safety records in the world.

From huge airshows inviting participation from military and air forces all over the world, showcasing the most up to date technology on the planet; to displays of some of the world’s rarest and most historic aircraft; to local fetes and rallies decorated with exciting aerobatics; to simple weddings where newly-wed couples have smoke hearts drawn in the sky, we’ve got it all!

Or at least we had it all…

The latest changes to the way the CAA regulate and administer the airshow domain has left little room for the joys and freedom we are used to. I’m not going to go into all the details here as they’re far too numerous and complex and have been extensively written and talked about by people far more qualified than I, so I shall stick to the simplest perspective for me to write from – as an individual, civilian operator of a simple, piston-engined, aerobatic display aircraft. I write as an aviator living my dream.

Note: for the full details, the official document from the CAA, CAP403, can be found here:  publicapps.caa.co.uk/cap403

Last year the unthinkable happened. A freak, outlying accident at a major airshow led to people on the ground losing their lives. Leaving out the politics, the speculation, the media response and the ongoing repercussions, this was a tragedy of the greatest order. It shook us all as pilots, as enthusiasts, as human beings. The fact remains however, that we had one of the safest airshow systems in the world – yet nothing is foolproof.

Now, in the name of ‘safety’, our regulator has imposed changes that in large part are primarily a cost-recovery exercise.  The CAA outrageously claim that we as the ‘display community’ are in opposition to regulatory changes proposed to improve safety. Let me state this now – we are all united in wanting to make our world as safe as we can.

Massive increases to the fees charged to airshow organisers and private operators as well as the pilots, will not provide any increase in safety. The increased fees will supposedly fund the increased administration required to manage the vast number of changes to the rules that will regulate the 2016 airshow season.

We saw a public consultation from the CAA on their newly proposed display charges that ended on the 29th of February (and which had been open for only 29 days). Sadly it left no room for discussion on the regulatory changes, merely their proposed fee increases. The key issues of the system of regulation still haven’t been open to industry discussion.

Here we are, literally stepping into the start of the 2016 airshow season stunned as our regulatory authority have decided to change the way we operate, moving the goalposts for our gaining permissions to display or to hold displays, still without giving us detail of how any of it will actually work.

Not only this, but now with no notice to invoke changes to display and sequence designs, we’ve had a new set of display line distances foisted upon us – changes that will either position our aircraft so far away from the crowds watching as to suggest it might be a good idea to invest in shares in a binocular manufacturing company (230m away from the crowd line), or require awkward speed limitations to be met in order to use what is still a very distant display line at 150m.

We have been blindfolded, spun around until we can take the confusing sensory inputs no more and left to crawl toward what miniscule chink of light leaks through (via those few stalwarts on the CAA front-line who do actually know and care about the display world). We are being made to crawl into the 2016 season squinting through the murk, burdened under the oppressive weight of increased fees, requirements and indirect costs. All this is done in the name of cost recovery and the reduction of liability for our regulator. Very little of this will improve our safety, make our lives simpler or less stressful, quite the opposite.

The Honorable Company of Air Pilots, one of the country’s most prestigious representative professional aviation organisations made this comment in their response to the consultation:

“We are deeply concerned at the regulatory changes and the associated tremendous charge increases the CAA is seeking to introduce in such a rushed manner and with little notice even before the findings of the Shoreham accident and inquests have been completed. It is not appropriate, nor usually permitted within government policy, (cf Better Regulation Framework Manual – Practical Guidance for UK Government Officials March 2015) to introduce increases of 100%-500% all at once, nor at such short notice.

Furthermore and also contrary to government policy, the regulatory and financial impact of the proposed changes do not seem to have been subject to a proper impact assessment and are in great danger of causing major financial damage to Britain’s important aviation sector and alienating those participants the CAA seeks to regulate. Without the benefit of a proper impact assessment, these changes could have unintended adverse impacts on the safety of flight and public safety in UK.”

As an example, one by-product of the increased cost of a low-flying exemption [or permission] for a display with a single aircraft/act (bread and butter work for operators and pilots like me) will be a vast increase in the already considerable pressures felt to get the performance done, often on days where most would choose to leave their aircraft safely tucked away in their hangars and go to the pub instead. There will be many of those questionable days where pilots will be wishing they could just go back to bed but, being bowed under a massively increased personal financial pressure, or an intense sense of duty to not to let down a client who has covered the extortionate fee, or continually being begged to ‘just get there’, might just take off into the low murk, wind and rain… Is this going to be safer? In reality it probably will because the majority of these small displays at steam rallies, county shows, school carnivals and village gatherings, will simply die off due to the cost for the permission being unfeasibly high (at a staggering £374 which is a 100% increase on the old fee of £187) –  remember this is a fee which is unrefundable and added on top of the cost of the flying act itself.

Hugely increased fees and environmental constraints for larger shows could mean the loss of many and increased ticket fees at those that remain. Increasing ticket prices will do nothing more than discourage people from attending as spectators, safely contained in controlled and risk assessed viewing areas that are easily visible to the performing pilots…This will then likely lead to an increase in the numbers of people who choose to view airshow performances from uncontrolled areas. In many cases these could add significant distraction to the performers at the show as well as potentially placing more and more into ‘harm’s way’ should anything go wrong. Are these not the risks we should be seeking to reduce?

We have always been an aviation nation, we have always presented our triumphs and achievements to the world, to demonstrate, to sell and to inspire. We have one of the greatest and safest airshow circuits on earth, providing entertainment for all – from the keen enthusiasts who want to see powerful demonstrations of the latest in modern technology, those who enjoy seeing and feeling real history brought to life, to children who dream of flight and families who are just looking for a great day out.

Reducing the number of airshows and displays across the UK, which I fear could be the result of this seasons drastic changes, will do nothing to keep our aviation heritage alive, helping to inspire our future generations. It will do nothing to enhance and expand the minds of our youths, nothing to aid the memory of the sacrifices made by our military heroes. We should be nurturing and encouraging our wonderful, historic, dynamic airshow world to grow, not stopping it dead in its tracks. We must create the inspiration and the memorial and we must enable the organisers and the performers to create the safest and most entertaining events possible.

I for one want to add more children’s drawings to my wall.

Help us keep the scene alive by supporting our shows. Go along to your local show, buy a ticket, thank the organising teams for their efforts and love for their events, and share your support on social media. Show the CAA we all still

#loveairshows

A version of this piece was previously published in Pilot magazine, April 2016

It has been a hectic and busy year, by far my busiest season to date with some 33 performances successfully completed over the space of just over 4 months. Needless to say it hasn’t all been plain sailing, with more than one performance having to be cancelled either due to poor weather or aircraft unserviceability. I do my very best to keep the Pitts up and running as much as is humanly possible, but you simply can’t account for everything and we were unfortunately struck with a major leak from the main fuel tank during the Seething airshow, meaning the next I was due to transit to immediately afterward at Cosby had to be cancelled. I must express my extreme gratitude to the engineers at Fordaire Aviation, Seething for their superb service and efforts in getting us back in the air following the fuel leak, and to Matt Summers of Vortex Aerobatics for going well out of his way to taxi me across the country to collect the Pitts in his beautiful RV8. Thanks guys!

Weather also put paid to performances at Felixstowe, Rhyl, Croft Farm and Hoylake – such is the nature of operating in the UK. The tragedy at Shoreham also can’t go without mention as being one of the hardest days of my life, my thoughts and condolences still go out to all those affected.

Back to the positives though – so many fantastic airshows and events that welcomed me this year have left unforgettable memories. I’ve once again met some truly amazing people, pilots, organisers, volunteers, photographers and spectators alike – without all of us these shows would never happen. I am so grateful to everyone for granting me the opportunity to live such incredible experiences.

I could write all day about the many and varied moments I’ve been so privileged to live this year, but all I’m going to say is wow! Let’s do it again

Oddly enough it’s not even all that scary, I think my media skills are actually getting pretty good. When Steve Knibbs and the BBC Points West crew turned up at my home airfield with their cameras and very expensive looking gadgets, I have to admit to feeling somewhat nervous. It’s a real credit to just how ‘pro’ the professionals really are though when you are made to feel 100% at ease with a big camera in your face and a big fluffy microphone oddly positioned somewhere within speaking distance. This is not my normal operating environment – I’m more used to being snugly enclosed in my nice safe cockpit than exposed to several hundreds of thousands of people on TV, that’s for sure. That said the whole thing was just a brilliant, fun experience and the quality of the edit a real credit to them – especially the live filmed flying sequences they captured for the piece. I am greatly looking forward to more in the future!

My second appearance was oddly also for BBC Points West, live from the seafront at the Weston-super-Mare airshow. A short but sweet couple of sentences spoken in the face of what felt like a gale-force wind, accompanied by some of my own in-flight footage…I could get used to this TV lark!

Enjoy

Lauren Richardson Airshows from HDVS Media on Vimeo.

I’ve said it before but it needs saying again – I’m living a dream.

After a somewhat disappointing ‘appearance’ at the Abingdon Airshow as my airshow season starter (where I remained on the ground due to some epically bad weather), my next show was to be the one I was both most nervous and most excited about – the Shuttleworth Collection Classic Wings evening airshow at Old Warden.

Old Warden is home to one of the most incredible collections of rare, exotic and historic aircraft in the world, with the vast majority of the collection being in flying condition and flown regularly by the team of collection pilots, who also happen to be some of the most experienced and talented pilots in the world. With aircraft including genuine 1900’s aircraft, some of the rarest and most iconic warbirds, and my personal favourites – the record breaking Comet and Mew Gull air racers, I really was to be in incredible company.

My display slot was the last of the ‘main’ show slots (but before the Edwardian aircraft, which I was bitterly disappointed to not have seen fly due to having to depart to beat the sunset getting home), after some incredible acts. To actually see the infamous DH Comet racer flying in formation with the Spitfire and Hurricane of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and then again in formation with Alex Henshaw’s cape record setting Percival Mew Gull will likely remain some of my all-time top airshow memories.

The main thing for me though of course, was not the watching of the other fantastic aeroplanes, but my own flight and the debut of my 2015 display sequence (slightly modified to suit the venue’s curving display line and constantly being tweaked and modified, as per normal).

More flick rolling, torque rolls, tailslides, flat spinning and lots of dynamic and traditional aerobatic maneuvers make up my performance for this season and I must say I’m having more fun with it than ever. Sliding backwards through your own smoke, flying inverted at low level along a runway, receiving rounds of applause when you get out of the aeroplane…what’s not to love?

With many more shows on the horizon this season, I’m still practicing hard and continuously developing the maneuvers and sequences to create the most thrilling and entertaining performances I possibly can – taking on as many comments and views as I can get hold of, so please, if you see me fly do let me know what you liked/didn’t like/think could be better/think would look amazing, it all helps!!

To all the chaps and chapesses at Old Warden who were so welcoming and made my visit as stress-free and enjoyable as it was, thank you. Hopefully I will be back soon

Despite some rather sub-optimal weather conditions on Good Friday, the Pitts and I made a successful appearance at Santa Pod Raceway as part of their season opening Festival of Power.

I will admit now that I’ve never before been forced to fly my ‘Flat’ display. Bad weather displays, yes, but the full-on flat display was something I’d not yet flown in anger. The difference between my ‘Bad Weather’ display and my ‘Flat’ display is simply one of height, or more specifically, the height the cloud gives me to play with between the display base and the point where seeing becomes a problem. On Friday the cloudbase allowed me a measly 550-600ft of vertical height above the ground, which meant that with my display base height at 200ft I had precisely not enough clear air to do anything safely beyond flying flat, rolling maneuvers and low passes with tight turn-arounds.

I managed to break out a really rather pleasing variance of rolls, hesitation/point rolls, inverted passes, knife edge passes and various wingovery tight turn around figures and in all honesty it really was an entertaining performance, despite the mizzle and low cloud. I feel pretty pleased with myself.

So yes, it’s done. The season is well and truly under-way and I have another different experience to add to the heap of experiences I like to keep growing – after all, they do make me a better pilot!

Check out the Calendar page to see where I will be along with a whole host of information about each show.

So, what’s new then? Any of you who’ve been following me for a while will have noticed my Twitter, Instagram and Facebook page names change, along with this swish new website – I’m now pushing hard as an airshow pilot, hence ‘Lauren Richardson Airshows’!

I will be sporting a fancy new flying suit adorned with my wonderful sponsors’ logos (if you’re interested in seeing your name on either me or the aeroplane, do get in touch), and the aeroplane is also newly liveried to match the branding.

There is a fabulous new promo video up, created by the wonderfully talented Mike Astles, which I really do urge you to watch – it’s short and very fun to watch.

Of course the biggest ‘new thing’ for 2015 will be a rather heavily modified, updated and dramatically changed display sequence [or two]. I’m not giving much away at this stage, but what I will say is it’s going to be pretty special.

Watch this space!

Enjoy!

I’ve met yet more amazing people, gained more great friends, inspired others, been inspired, felt supported, moved and encouraged and at the end of the day finished another flying season successfully, having learned many valuable lessons and gained more experience than I could ever have hoped for. The aviation world really can be a wonderful one.

Highlights have included performing at massive shows in front of crowds of several hundreds of thousands of people, meeting fans to be told I’m doing amazing and inspiring things, being hailed as ‘one of the very best’ displays at shows alongside some utterly incredible acts I could never ever have imagined being compared with. Of course I was also truly humbled being a part of a show upstaged by a pair of aircraft flying with eight merlin engines…

There have been some amazing times with some amazing people and I am so grateful to everyone that has stood by me, supported, encouraged and helped me to keep going this year, I believe I’ve done a few of you proud and I hope to continue doing so. Every word of encouragement, every picture shared, every smiley face tweeted means the world to me.

The winter now sees us in a phase of yet more change, I’ve moved to Gloucestershire to take a job with my sponsor, Hercules Propellers, who will also be helping me expand my flying ‘business’ – to hopefully enable next season to be the best yet. The aeroplane will be in tip-top condition after a winter of extensive maintenance, I will be getting ever fitter and stronger as part of my own winter regime, and plans are afoot to hopefully re-enter the competitive scene in a big way, as well as to take the UK Airshow circuit by storm.
2015 is after all the year of the 70th anniversary of the very first flight of the Pitts Special, so we will be doing our utmost to make it a very special year too.

Keep watching this space!

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