Royal International Air Tattoo 2015

[0000]

Around 0930.

[TNTom]

Hmmm, maybe i should leave earlier, friday wasn't much of an issue with traffic, was planning to leave at 8 get there for just gone 9, maybe i should leave at 7.

[ecsrobin]

TNTom said:

Hmmm, maybe i should leave earlier, friday wasn't much of an issue with traffic, was planning to leave at 8 get there for just gone 9, maybe i should leave at 7.

If not sooner. As I mentioned earlier traffic is horrendous on the weekends. I've worked the last 3-4 years and even with special routes in for my passes the traffic is a nightmare and that's coming from Swindon or local hotels.

[aeropilot]

0000 said:

Around 0930.

[anonymous-user]

ecsrobin said:

TNTom said:

Hmmm, maybe i should leave earlier, friday wasn't much of an issue with traffic, was planning to leave at 8 get there for just gone 9, maybe i should leave at 7.

If not sooner. As I mentioned earlier traffic is horrendous on the weekends. I've worked the last 3-4 years and even with special routes in for my passes the traffic is a nightmare and that's coming from Swindon or local hotels.

Agreed. On one occasion I was displaying there and we had to phone ahead and request a later display slot simply because we were stuck in the bloody traffic. Needless to say RIAT had about as much flex as a Naafi kettle and it boiled down to either giving us a later slot or we cancelled.

[Silent1]

It was a shame that one of the ramex delta mirages had a bird strike on takeoff meaning the remaining mirage did a very short one ship performance as I was truly looking forward to that.
The British 2 Apache display at ~5pm was brilliant with the explosives as was the inadvertent sound barrier breaking by a plane before lunch (I don't know which, I was in the Jordan tent having a chat)

[richebets]

Silent1 said:

as was the inadvertent sound barrier breaking by a plane before lunch (I don't know which, I was in the Jordan tent having a chat)

I think this may have just been the 'bangs' from the pyros used during the hawk T2 role demo .. I thought the same on Saturday , one of the explosions sounds like the sound barrier breaking !

[richebets]

Some pics from Friday and Saturday can be found on the links ..

Raf synchro 75 Riat 2015 Royal international air tattoo 2015 by Rich, on Flickr

Ramex delta Riat 2015 Royal international air tattoo 2015 by Rich, on Flickr

Mig 29 Poland Riat 2015 Royal international air tattoo 2015 by Rich, on Flickr

[Mojocvh]

Nice shots Rich, esp the Aéronavale on Flickr

[jmorgan]

Just popping a fresh memory card in when the hoover Mig went by, managed to squeeze a quick few out before realising what it was doing!!!

[johnnyreggae]

Never been before: fantastic event with great flying and several planes we'd never seen before

Our traffic jam on Saturday morning was an hour and a half long from Cirencester on the A417 starting at 845

It appeared to have been caused by the temporary traffic lights two miles west of Fairford as the road was then clear

Pretty rapid exit through Fairford village just after 7 pm

[CrutyRammers]

Although it was really all about the Vulcan for me, I was really impressed with the A400 display. That thing is agile in a way that it really shouldn't be!

[fatboy69]

johnnyreggae said:

Never been before: fantastic event with great flying and several planes we'd never seen before

Our traffic jam on Saturday morning was an hour and a half long from Cirencester on the A417 starting at 845

It appeared to have been caused by the temporary traffic lights two miles west of Fairford as the road was then clear

Pretty rapid exit through Fairford village just after 7 pm

Those traffic are a fking stupid idea - they are in place every year for just three days.

They are meant to assist traffic turning right at that junction which is pointless because there is rarely any oncoming traffic.

The joys of having to be on site by 6.00am every day means that all the traffic is avoided!!

[ecsrobin]

Crossflow Kid said:

ecsrobin said:

TNTom said:

Hmmm, maybe i should leave earlier, friday wasn't much of an issue with traffic, was planning to leave at 8 get there for just gone 9, maybe i should leave at 7.

If not sooner. As I mentioned earlier traffic is horrendous on the weekends. I've worked the last 3-4 years and even with special routes in for my passes the traffic is a nightmare and that's coming from Swindon or local hotels.

Agreed. On one occasion I was displaying there and we had to phone ahead and request a later display slot simply because we were stuck in the bloody traffic. Needless to say RIAT had about as much flex as a Naafi kettle and it boiled down to either giving us a later slot or we cancelled.

Clearly you spoke to the wrong people a few years ago we spoke to a nice police officer who escorted us though the traffic.

[jmorgan]

Well. If the OP does not mind my thoughts.

My first time and we took advice to get in early. 4am start, on the road by 4:45 and on site and parked by 6:45 for 7. Sailed in, that was the green/grown directions for Saturday and Blue for Sunday.

Getting out, Green/Brown was easy. Blue was a nightmare (not criticising to say it could have been better, major event traffic and all that). Perhaps next year we will stay green/brown and cross country rather than aim for the 419 to the M4 past Swindon.

We thought it was great. Two days of flying from 10 till 5. Lots to see and do, went for the grandstand yesterday and just chilled watching the show. For us, I like that idea, toilets close by and some good food. All on tap and next to no queues. Saturday was the walk around and going to the Vulcan village where they are now the proud owners of a lot of my money but I got some autographed books in return, and a compressor blade .

Etiquette in the grandstand was excellent as well, unless they were on the top row, no one stood up and got in the way of others to "get that one shot" even when the Vulcan went up. It was quite funny as well, anyone pointed a lens away from the action, many lenses followed in case they were about to miss something.

I fancy the grandstand could have been closer but there are probably reasons for that. Take off was obscured by the FRIAT grandstand, at least the start when lining up. In this respect I think that the grandstand at Farnborough was a lot better.

Would I go next year? Hell yes.

[CrutyRammers]

jmorgan said:

Getting out, Green/Brown was easy. Blue was a nightmare (not criticising to say it could have been better, major event traffic and all that). Perhaps next year we will stay green/brown and cross country rather than aim for the 419 to the M4 past Swindon.

Same here, fine getting in on blue but getting out to the M5 took 2 hours.

jmorgan said:

and a compressor blade .

Me too

[jmorgan]

Got some rivets last year. Nearly went in for the used bits table but the Mrs threatened me with stuff if I did.......

Edit
Red Arrows Synchro pair cross by Jeff, on Flickr

Edited by jmorgan on Monday 20th July 11:05

[SwissJonese]

CrutyRammers said:

Although it was really all about the Vulcan for me, I was really impressed with the A400 display. That thing is agile in a way that it really shouldn't be!

I agree, mental flying ability, at one point I thought they where going to do a loop the loop.

Although I still loved the Chinook display, every time I see them I'm amazed at what they can do, the speed of the vertical lift was incredible. I've got a Heli pilots licence and flown in loads of helis but these things are the nuts.

Edited by SwissJonese on Monday 20th July 11:15

[Eric Mc]

It's a "CHINOOK" - not a "Chinock". The original "Chinook" is an American Indian name for a wind that blows over North America.

We all know that a "Chinock" is a former Welsh leader of the Labour Party

[SwissJonese]

Eric Mc said:

It's a "CHINOOK" - not a "Chinock". The original "Chinook" is an American Indian name for a wind that blows over North America.

We all know that a "Chinock" is a former Welsh leader of the Labour Party

Fair enough, edited my post for spelling mistake, still an amazing machine though.