23 October 2006
It has been confirmed that the PFA (Popular Flying Association) Rally – more recently known as Flying for Fun – will not take place in 2007.
Instead, the next editon of the PFA magazine, <i>Popular Flying</i>, will outline a series of smaller regional events for next year, at least. Some of these are likely to involve ‘piggy-backing’ existing events.
The provisional list of events that will have some PFA involvement or presence next year:
<b>Royal International Air Tattoo 14th – 15th July
AeroExpo 8th – 10th June
An event at Dunkeswell organised by the Devon strut 29th June-1st July
Air Britain North Weald 16th -17th June
FLY TBA
Shuttlewroth TBA
Hucknell TBA
Popham PFA event TBA</b>
The Association is working towards the return of a large-scale, possibly national, event for 2008.
The Rally, once a major jewel in the GA crown, has been in serious decline over the past few years. There have been a number of factors in this: the arrival of new exhibitions such as Aero Expo and Fly! The London Airshow have dug into its traditional visitor and exhibitor numbers; some recent bad luck with the weather; rising ticket prices; a lack of clarity from the PFA on what the Rally is about – is it about homebuilds, or is it about GA in general?; moving of the Rally site and date. All have added, in one way or another, to its decline.
More on the <a href=’http://www.pfa.org.uk/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=000068;p=1′ target=’_blank’>PFA website’s Bulletin Board</a>.
