International Air Tattoo show, UK - is it any good?

[muscleflex]

it's on 14-15 july...and since i can't go to Biggin hill this year, i would like to know if this show is worth going?
is this the best show in the uk this year?

anyone been before?
i've just noticed that they will have the F117 stealth planes - and i've never seen one of them so would be cool to see one there!

[cazray]

We went when it was at Cottesmore a few years ago and it was a great show, friend of mine goes most years. Really great day. Expensive though to get in, if there are a lot of you each ticket is £32.50.
Just had a look at the website and there seems to be a couple of Suhkoi's there this year.

[BoySpot]

This show has great potential each year. The organisors seem to get a lot of unusual aircraft to attend (last year was within a week of Farnborough so included the MiG29OVT and the V22 so, although this year isn't a Farnborough year, you can often expect something interesting. Definitely give it a go if you can. Search the Transportation section for RIAT and you will see some of the shots from last year.

[colinradford]

RIAT is the biggest military airshow in Europe supposedly, for shear size and number of aircraft its hard to beat. The displays go on most of the day and there are plenty of static displays etc to see as well.

I've been twice (1992 ish and 2001), its well worth going to IMO. I don't live on the UK mainland but if I was to go to one airshow this year it would be RIAT. Duxford's Flying Legends would be the second.

Get there early to avoid traffic (or take a motorbike if you have one!).

[Buttkicker]

RIAT is the largest and best Airshow in the World bar none

[lkb-28]

RIAT is the largest and best Airshow in the World bar none

Seconded - without a doubt - the very best show in the UK.
This year's theme is the 60th anniversary of USAF and the Thunderbirds are starring.
Show promises to be a winner. I will be there!
Cheers;
Lee

[Scott53051]

Tickets already brought been for the last 3 years & never fails to impress, even though there are thousands of people milling around you can still get excellent shots of either static or flying display aircraft. Hopefully with the 60TH Anniversary might get a B2 aswell as the usual B52 & B-1b, get your tickets now is my advice, but be prepared for a long queue getting out traffic is always bad as it in a tiny village.
Scott.

[muscleflex]

anyone who's ever been care to post a shot of the f117? are they there every year?

[Mumby]

IAT is good if you like jets and modern military stuff, if you prefer warbirds then there are many better options e.g. Duxford, Shuttleworth.

For comprehensive pictures of past events you could do worse then check out the Airshow Photography forum at UKAR http://www.ukar.co.uk/cgi-bin/ukarboard/ikonboard.cgi?;act=SF;f=10

Regards,

Paul

[TLovern]

I didn't realize you paid to go to an airshow in the UK. Here, in the US, if the show's on a military base then it's free admission.

Once inside, the various food, beverage, and souvenir vendors then make up for the free admission by their high prices....

[RadAL]

just go and find out, if its not tooo far from you :)

[BigDan]

Once inside, the various food, beverage, and souvenir vendors then make up for the free admission by their high prices.... Ahhh.... We still get stung for high prices on the food. £3.50 + for a burger????

anyone who's ever been care to post a shot of the f117? are they there every year? The Nighthawk hasn't been for a few years now, with the high number of deployments being cited for the reason, but they are rumoured to be back this year along with the F22.

RIAT is the largest and best Airshow in the World bar none Agreed with you there. I bought this years ticket at last years show.

Themes this year include the usaf's anniversary, trainers, and iirc., transports. Although you may not see some of the stuff that came over for farnborough this year, it is starting to shape up as another bumper year. Arrivals start on the wednesday before the show, with the departures on the monday. This has been a 6 day outing for me for the past 8 or 9 years.

[Scott53051]

The F-117 was there 2 years ago I think, I remember trying to get a good photo but the armed guards weren't having any of it & kept standing in the way. I think the B2 came that year aswell.

Scott.

[Razor61]

The F117 will be appearing here for the last time i should imagine seeing as most are now mothballed. The F-22 Raptor is also earmarked for the show for the 60th USAF anniv. They should be coming from Tyndall AFB Florida but has to be confirmed.

Thunderbirds are also appearing and i expect the usual B-2 Spirit stealth bomber will be doing the flypast, if its not on operational commitments. The B-52H and B-1B are both as usual also flying.

Last year they featured the first military display of the MV-22 in Europe before displaying at Farnborough the following week and also the first showing in the UK of the Mig-29OVT thrust vectoring Fulcrum....
So, in short, its worth a shot.... you won't find over 300 military aircraft at any other show, and in some years nearly 500 have been on the airfield making it the largest military show in the world with the longest flying display (8hrs flying display).

[JuZ]

Best airshow in the UK definately, I'll be there again :D

[muscleflex]

kinda too far for me as i'm in Leeds - but i will try and go there this year! :-) can't wait
just looking around for a deal on a sigma 50 - 500! :-)

[muscleflex]

anyone going - should i get my ticket now or on the door?
and forget about the bigma - i bought a canon 100-400! :) just waiting for delivery now! i can't wait!

[lkb-28]

anyone going - should i get my ticket now or on the door?
and forget about the bigma - i bought a canon 100-400! :) just waiting for delivery now! i can't wait!

Hello Muscleflex;

Looks like you're set to go! A 100-400 WOW!

As for tickets; they're damned expensive. It's a tough call, but, FWIW we will be buying on the day - if we decide to go...

Regrettably the weather will be the deciding factor, and if it looks BAD, then it's a lot of £££ to throw away...

Better the small added cist of buying on the day, than a total wash-out!

I believe you can get them through Waitrose (discounted) as late as 2/3 days beforehand, which might be the better option, if you have a Waitrose nearby!

Good luck;

Lee

[muscleflex]

^^ hi - thanks for the tip - people have been saying weather might be bad...it's scaring me now..hehe.
why waitrose? are they sponsors or somthing?

[juecasson]

The F-22 Raptor is also earmarked for the show for the 60th USAF anniv. They should be coming from Tyndall AFB Florida but has to be confirmed.

I saw the Raptor last year at a US air show, it had been promised the previous year, but due to bad weather in Texas, they wouldn`t bring it.
It is awesome, so I hope it comes to RIAT so I can see it again!:D:D

[Jason@MS]

hi guys,

im a riat regular, ive been for the last 5 years in a row, it is undoubtably the best airshow in the uk, absaloutly fantastic, as mentioned above its not so much one for the warbirds i rely on duxford flying legends to satisy me in that department...

in fact long since milden hall finished its airshows,these days i found myself only needing to go to fairford(riat),duxford(for various airshows) and biggin hill, although as said shuttleworth is pretty good.

and in regard to the above weather comments, its sounds like a loads of poo to me, the last few years ive been its been hotter every year, i allways come back with an extreme tan.

i do 6 days at fairford, get there on the wednesday and leave the following tuesday, plently to see and do, other than the actual display days there are certain vantage points in the area that are great to catch shots of the aircraft as there flying in...

hope to see you all there
jason

[IMARLOW]

RIAT, Mega time to get.
Mega numbers of people.
Mega time to get out.
Food and drink overpriced.
Expensive entry fee.
Worth every bit of time, money and effort.
This year it is estimated some 300 aircraft on display.
For me i like in particular the Saturday and Monday departures day.
It is a brilliant event and one not to be missed.

[muscleflex]

anyone care to tell me the exact address for RIAT so i can input it on my tomtom?

[Jason@MS]

just head to fairford or lechlade... and itl be sign posted from there, ive found tom tom does funny things when trying to get to the actuall base..

as soon as you come off the motorway you drive for abit then hit a series of small villages, highworth,lechlade and fairford...believe me you wont need tom tom when you get that close, just follow the traffic lol

pm replied;)

[juecasson]

hi guys,

and in regard to the above weather comments, its sounds like a loads of poo to me, the last few years ive been its been hotter every year, i allways come back with an extreme tan.
hope to see you all there
jason

I was taking about the Fort Lauderdale Airshow 2005, when the Raptor didnt show, they said it was due to bad weather where it was stationed in Texas, I guess they mean storms, they just said it wasn`t the right conditions. Their words not mine.

No idea what the weather will be like for Fairford but hope it is good.

[sandpiper]

As others have said, best show in the UK for modern military aircraft. Looonng flying display starts at 10 am and goes on until 6 pm, gates open around 7.30 if I remember correctly and you really want to be there early. I got there at 7.10 last year and still met a (shortish) queue heading into the car park. Even at that time, there was a substantial queue of people at the gates waiting for opening time.

By 9.00 the queues to get there were pretty substantial and already causing long delays. If you aim to arrive between 9.00 and 10.00 then expect to spend a couple of hours (at least) in the queue and miss the first two hours of the display.

It is possible to save a few quid buying a ticket in advance, it also saves queueing at the ticket boxes on the gate, although there is a queue even to show your ticket that one moves faster. I tend not to buy in advance, I like to wait until the last minute before deciding which day to go on, depending on the weather forecast. Last year I got lucky and picked one up in the car park, from a chap who's friend couldn't make it. I got it for a fiver LESS than the pre-sale price so got in quite cheaply.

The grandstand is worth considering, as it gives a good viewpoint for photography. Again, you want to be early and buy your seat as soon as you arrive as they sell out very quickly. If you leave it until the display is due to start, forget it. I buy my ticket first thing, then shoot the static display, then get sat down for the main event.

This is one of two airshows each year that are on my 'must attend' list, the other one being 'Flying Legends' at Duxford, the best show for older warbirds.

I'm also planning to be at Cosford this sunday, if the weather looks good, so if anybody else is going and wants to meet up for a chat and a drink, let me know. :)

[muscleflex]

thanks sandpiper. i think we're going on saturday.... so it better be excellent weather!
gonna see how long it takes to get there from leeds.
i'm really looking forward to this...i might even clean my sensor beforehand! @:)

[Andy Bright]

RIAT have made some more tickets available to some of the, previously 'sold out', VIP packages if you're willing to spend a bit. I'll be there on the Sunday... hopefully, I'll find a 1D MkIII by then.

[muscleflex]

will the shows be different for saturday and sunday?

[ies photos]

I went last year(pics on my website) and will be there Sat and Sun this year.
The shows were not identical different running orders, last year on one day the EF flew with the spanish team on one day but not the other, the VC10 flew with the Red arrows on the Sat.

I'm looking foward to it!

[muscleflex]

great. thanks. but there won't be a particular day for a particular plane, will it? like say the f117 will only fly on saturday and not sunday?

[Andy Bright]

great. thanks. but there won't be a particular day for a particular plane, will it? like say the f117 will only fly on saturday and not sunday?

If, and a huge IF, XH558 does a flypast on one day but not the other..there's going to be some pretty sick people around ;)

I think, unless stated, they aim to exactly repeat the day before in terms of the display (disasters excepted!!)

[Cathus]

I echo all the previous replies about this being a great airshow. The last few years the weather has been exceptional so take the suncream.

I'm absolutely gutted as I thought this year's was on one of my weekends off and have just realsied I'm working and it's too late to get leave.

The displays are the same both days though they do swap some of the times around sometimes.

[Cavalier]

anyone going to Cosford airshow tomorrow?

Simon

[gjman]

.........Just had a look at the website and there seems to be a couple of Suhkoi's there this year.

Holy Crap, these aint no ordinary Sukhois, these are the Su-30MKI!!!! You guys got to take lots pics of these birds.

[Wazza]

I'd like to go to this airshow.

How would one get from London to there? (South-East)

[SnowJ]

Seems as your post has been adequately answered already, but I thought I'd throw my two cents in as well. I attended RIAT in '04 and '05, and have to say from my personal experiences, the show is outstanding...one of the best you'll find in my opinion. Of course, I've never attended any in mainland Europe, but it is one of the biggest shows in the UK, let alone that side of the pond...I think it'd be well worth your while to go and enjoy the show.

I'd like to go to this airshow.
How would one get from London to there? (South-East)

From London, go East on the M4 to the A419. Then, go North toward Lechlade road, head North on that until you reach Lechlade, then head East...should take you right to RAF Fairford. Once you reach Lechlade, there will be signs directing you toward RAF Fairford, so you should be able to navigate from that point.

[Wazza]

Thanks for that info, had seen that on Google Earth, but that provides more detail... However...

I won't have a car. So will there be any tours heading that way? Or trains? Buses?

I'm arriving in UK the Sunday previous weekend.

Cheers

PS.
Wow damn you got close..
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0892000/L/

[Danny Uk]

I'm getting the train from London Paddington to Swindon where there's supposed to be a shuttle bus service to the show. I got my rail tickets for a very reasonable £17 from http://www.thetrainline.com/.

[Wazza]

Cheers for the info. :)

[muscleflex]

if any members are gonna be there on saturday - maybe we should all meet up at some point. i'm gonna be there on saturday! pity i don't have a potn strap, else i could just advertise it to everyone!

[Wazza]

If I make it along, I have a strap. And hopefully some 1 series camera. If not, will just be my 20D

[sandpiper]

Holy Crap, these aint no ordinary Sukhois, these are the Su-30MKI!!!! You guys got to take lots pics of these birds.

It looks like they will only be in the static park, they aren't down for a flight display. Yes, I was really disappointed to see that too, I would love to compare them to the MiG at last year's show. I don't normally hang around on the weekdays, I just pick a show day and go to that, but I am seriously tempted to book monday off work, just to hang around and try and get them airborne as they depart for India.

Of course, show listings are never final and it isn't uncommon for a couple of display slots to become vacant as a plane goes 'tech', or becomes unavailable due to operational requirements. In such circumstances planes not scheduled to display can be pressed into filling the slots.

I doubt that, if that was the case and the Su-30s flew, we would get a spectacular display the like of those put on by the Russian display pilots. These are, I believe, regular Indian Air Force planes (and pilots) that are passing by after taking part in exercises in Europe. All the same, I'm sure that they could still impress us with the plane's abilities.

[sandpiper]

if any members are gonna be there on saturday - maybe we should all meet up at some point. i'm gonna be there on saturday! pity i don't have a potn strap, else i could just advertise it to everyone!

Sounds good to me, but I won't know until nearer the time which day I will be going. I have cleared the diary for both days but I will be going on the day with the best weather forecast. I went to Cosford show today and it was horrible, very grey and misty for most of the show - lousy conditions for shooting. :(

[gjman]

I doubt that, if that was the case and the Su-30s flew, we would get a spectacular display the like of those put on by the Russian display pilots. These are, I believe, regular Indian Air Force planes (and pilots) that are passing by after taking part in exercises in Europe. All the same, I'm sure that they could still impress us with the plane's abilities.

Well the IAF planes are in-service a/c they are not "show plane" from the company. Since the Russians are trying to sell an a/c (like the Mig OVT or SMT or Su-30MK that you might be talking about) they go all out during a show and will change out stuff after the show.

The IAF Su-30MKI have an MTBO of 250 hours on their Thrust Vectoring Controls from the mfg. so its not really worth their while to really turn-n-burn during an airshow, they dont even do that back home. But even then whatever they do put up is pretty impressive. That low stall speed really makes for uber cool manouvers even without the thrust vectoring.

The Su-30 is a big bird even on static display its a great subject to photograph, it will dominate over any other fighter on static display. Please make sure that you note the Serial # of the a/c (they have different version which all look the same but are very different capabilities)

[Canuck]

I went to both RIAT and Fairford airshows in '04. I was more impressed with the Fairford Airshow, but this may have been a one-off. Can anyone else comment on 2004 differences?

[Talos55]

I was considering going this year but with the only interest being the USAF Thunderbirds, for two of us, with petrol and food, there won't be any change out of 100 GBP, which is quite a lot to spend on the chance that they won't cancel....I was caught once before at Fairford and I don't believe the risk is worth it.

[Wazza]

Now that I have a 1DIII I was seriously considering it, but shocked to see how much a bus would cost!

Money goes quick in Thailand ;)

[Talos55]

Mmmmm.... I hear there might be a few NATO Tiger Sqdn aircraft on static display at RIAT. Well it just maybe worth a look....

...and if the sun comes out after the rain there might be dark grey, storm cloud backdrops - and maybe reflections of aircraft caught in pools of rainwater too. Then theres a chance of a catching a shot of a colourful umbrella or two or an amusing shot of people watching the show from under the wings of an appropriately parked Vulcan (well perhaps not - this isn't Biggin Hill circa 1970..).

but I guess I'll be going after all...

(Ditched the girlfriend, taking the bike- It'll cut the cost, be quicker and I can ride and stand around in the same wet gear all day!!)

[muscleflex]

well - i'm off tomorrow definitely! it better not rain! it's gonna be near £100 for me too just to get there and back home. my girlfriend might not come as she's sick..so just me.

[Bobster]

enjoy guys, i'm in kent for the weekend :(

[Wazza]

Me too. Couldn't figure out how to get there. Had no internet for the past 5 days, so couldn't check train timetables etc. ALSO wouldn't have minded heading ot Brands Hatch. Always another time. :o