@Ray Proudfoot Would you please not lock this topic but hide any of what you think are irrelevant posts that are not related really to the OP's topic. (including any of mine!) ...or perhaps move them to a thread of their own for further robust discussion? 😉

I, along with many others, have a plethora of political viewpoints in relation to the UK/EU/Brexit/US elections/tariffs/trade barriers etc, which I will refrain from debating here because its not the right place for it.

I hope all my fellow AVSIM contributors can do the same, and also support Chris's OP that it would actually be a nice thing if a UK flightsim show could be put on again! 🙂

Edited February 17, 20251 yr by kevinfirth

@Christopher Low, my apologies for topic drift.

@kevinfirth, hard to separate some so I’ll just ask everyone to refrain from further chat venturing into politics which is taboo.

LATER: A mass purge has reduced three pages to one. Chris, let me know if any remaining are okay.

Edited February 17, 20251 yr by Ray Proudfoot
Additional info

6 hours ago, kevinfirth said:

Funny and tangentially relevant stories that provide perspective on how difficult cross border transits could make attending a UK flightsim show for a European based company is stretching it a bit, but not entirely off topic Chris? 😉

The simpler answer, without jumping on one's preferred political soapbox, is that there's only sufficient demand for one big flight sim event in Europe (the continent), which is FlightSimWeekend in the Netherlands.
AFAIA, there's no equivalent-sized FS expo in Germany or France either.

FlightSimWeekend  covers the European flight sim market. So much so that Skalarki Electronics and LoungePilot (both UK companies), WinWing (a Chinese company) and Cockpitturk (a Turkish company) will be exhibiting home sim hardware options, in spite of all the 'difficulty of cross border transits'.

Instead, you have to ask why neither Microsoft or Asobo, Laminar Research or Lockheed Martin have deigned to make an appearance at the World's second largest FS expo.  

 

Edit: @kevinfirth this was meant more as a general response to this thread, which was rather political, than you in particular.

@Christopher Low I don't see a UK-based FS expo taking place again unless its somewhere conveniently located for both UK *and* continental European visitors. RAF Cosford isn't that location.

Edited February 17, 20251 yr by F737MAX

I once attended a JF show at the NEC which makes more sense. Next to Birmingham airport and two shows in one, Flight Sim in a hall just off the side of the UK Model Train show. With European manufacturers in attendance.

15 hours ago, F737MAX said:

I don't see a UK-based FS expo taking place again unless its somewhere conveniently located for both UK *and* continental European visitors. RAF Cosford isn't that location.

I don't see any reason why not. As far as I am aware, the Flightsim Weekend at Lelystad was an annual event when the UK Flightsim Show was alive and kicking, and they were spaced six months apart. Whether it is located at RAF Cosford or not is a moot point. I would be prepared to travel anywhere in the UK to get to the show.

Look, the UK Flightsim Show meant a great deal to me, and I do not like the thought of letting it die just because of travel restrictions. It was literally one of the highlights of my year between 2014 and 2019, and I want to see it make a comeback. All we need is a bit of enthusiasm and determination. I don't care if the ticket price doubles. I will pay it.

As Captain Jean Luc Picard is fond of saying.........make it so!

It starts to look as if you, Kevin and Ray will need to start organising it.
Let us know when and where.

19 minutes ago, Reader said:

It starts to look as if you, Kevin and Ray will need to start organising it.
Let us know when and where.

Nah, not me sorry, I've managed to find a sideline already in helping to develop use of immersive tech and broaden access to simulated flight training for the air cadets 🙂 ..keeping me entertained.  

The JustFlight team are being unusually quiet about this. Maybe they are JustFedUp of me going on about it every year!

I guess Reader is right. Only Kevin, Ray and myself seem to care about the UK Flightsim Show. Maybe I should organise one in my back yard?

57 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

Maybe I should organise one in my back yard?

 

Only realised this yesterday, but the interior of Cosford is fully mapped by Google Streetview!  Granted the imagery is rather old (The Catalina that has long existed outside one of the entrances isn't there.)  But still, you can see inside some of the external display aircraft like the C130, including the cockpit, that usually are not open to visitors.  how cool is that?

Cosford - Google Maps

Edited February 25, 20251 yr by kevinfirth

That brings back so many wonderful memories for me.....

I can see that there have been a few alterations inside Hangar 1, but is it no longer viable for the Flightsim Show? It looks like they have added more peripheral stuff, so maybe it would be too much of a tight squeeze now?

 

I was at Cosford last September and there seemed to be just as much room as usual.

The show at the Weston-super- Mare Helicopter Museum was handy for us down in the West Country

On 2/18/2025 at 4:16 AM, G-RFRY said:

I once attended a JF show at the NEC which makes more sense. Next to Birmingham airport and two shows in one, Flight Sim in a hall just off the side of the UK Model Train show. With European manufacturers in attendance.

Absolutely Ray. It's the perfect place for any kind of large exhibition or conference.