What to expect at a local airshow display

By Volunteering at an aviation heritage museum
Comments 35
5 Sep 2026

What to expect at a local airshow display

Plan around the flying, not the gates

Most airshows in and around Somerset follow a similar rhythm, and once you know it, a family day out becomes far less stressful. Gates usually open somewhere between 09:30 and 10:30, but the flying display rarely gets going before early afternoon. That gap of three or four hours is the bit that catches people out. It is easy to arrive at opening time, exhaust the children on static aircraft and burger vans by noon, and then find you have no patience left for the main event.

If you want the full day, arrive early and treat the morning as its own outing — the hangars, the heritage aircraft, the seats in a vintage cockpit. If you are coming mainly for the flying, aim to be parked and through the gate about 45 minutes before the first display is due. Display schedules are published in advance but they are almost never run to the minute, and a single change of wind can shuffle the whole afternoon.

What a display sequence actually looks like

A typical afternoon is not one continuous roar of engines. It is a series of slots, each one usually between eight and twenty minutes, with short gaps as aircraft reposition, refuel or wait for clearance. Those gaps are useful — they are when small children get a loo trip and adults get a chance to sit down.

Early slots: often a solo aerobatic display or a training aircraft, flown high and fairly gently. Good for getting a picnic finished before the noise builds.
Mid-afternoon: pairs, formation teams and heritage types — this is often the sweet spot for photography, with the sun in a reasonable position.
Late afternoon: the heavy metal or the fast jet, usually as the finale. It is short, loud and the moment everyone remembers.
Weather gaps: low cloud rolling in off the Bristol Channel or a shower over the Levels can hold everything on the ground for twenty minutes or more. Bring a layer and be patient.

The direction of the display is decided by the wind, so the aircraft may be far away on one pass and almost over your head on the next. That is normal, not a sign you have picked the wrong spot.

Choosing where to stand

On the airfield, the crowd line is laid out so that displays are flown in front of you, away from the public. Standing close to that line gives the best low-level experience, but it also means the loudest noise and the longest walk back to the car. Families with small children often do better a little further back, near an aisle or a boundary, where there is space to spread a blanket and a quick escape route if someone has had enough.

Sun position matters more than most people realise. In the afternoon, standing so the sun is behind or beside you will give you far better views and photographs than staring west into the glare. If the display axis runs roughly east to west, a spot on the northern side of the crowd area is usually the better bet.

Viewing from outside the site is possible along public footpaths and on some of the higher ground, and the views across the Somerset Levels and up towards the Blackdown and Quantock Hills can be lovely. Just remember that aircraft appear smaller and lower passes are hidden by hedges and trees. Never stop on a verge, block a gateway, or park on a rural lane — farmers need those routes, and the police will move you on.

Safety, noise and small people

Airshows are among the safest large events you can attend, precisely because the rules are strict. Your job is mostly to respect them.

Stay behind the crowd line at all times, even if an aircraft looks parked and harmless. Propellers and rotors are invisible when running.
Ear defenders for children are worth the money. Jet noise is genuinely painful for small ears, and it can frighten a child for years.
Keep hold of hands in the static park and around food queues. Crowds move quickly when something flies overhead.
Leave the drone at home. Flying one anywhere near an airfield or display is illegal and dangerous.
Note the nearest medical point and lost-child point as you come in, ideally with a photograph of your spot on your phone.

Take water, hats, sun cream and a waterproof in the same bag — Somerset weather can turn a glorious afternoon into a damp one inside an hour, and there is rarely enough shelter for everyone.

Getting away afterwards

The finale is the worst possible time to be in the car park. Either leave during the closing display, which sacrifices the best ten minutes of the day, or accept a slow exit and plan for it.

Bring a flask and a few snacks and wait half an hour, chatting while the rush drains away. If you are on a park-and-ride, check the last bus time when you arrive, not when you are tired and dark is falling. Above all, go with a rough plan rather than a rigid timetable — airshows are run by weather and serviceability, and the families who enjoy them most are the ones who expect the schedule to bend.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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