RIAT 2012

[jaybirduk]

Anyone else going this year? flying display looks very good especially since they've just announced the Breitling Super Constellation is flying

[Cyrus1971]

Yup - I'll be there on SUnday with the other half in the Grandstand.

[jaybirduk]

The flying list looks very good

Agusta A109BA
Lockheed Martin F-16AM Fighting Falcon
Aero L-39 Albatros (x7) The Breitling Jet Team
Avro Vulcan XH558
Airbus Military A400M
Boeing 767
Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
Fouga Magister
Lockheed Super Constellation
Yakovlev Yak-130 'Mitten'
Dassault Rafale C
Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard Modernise (x2)
Alenia C-27J Spartan
Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon
Mikoyan MiG-29
BAE Systems Hawk T65 x 6 Saudi Hawks
KAI T-50B Golden Eagle (x8) Black Eagles
Northrop F-5E Tiger II (x6) Patrouille Suisse
SAAB JAS39C Gripen
Boeing-Westland WAH-64 Longbow Apache
Avro Lancaster PA474
BAE Systems Hawk T1 (x10)
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
Panavia Tornado GR.4 (x2)
Supermarine Spitfire
Vickers VC-10
Bell Boeing MV-22B Osprey

[bleesh]

I'll be there too - not sure which day as I got an early bird "either day" ticket.
Looking forward to the Super Constellation though - not seen one flying before.

[knight]

I've not been to a RIAT show for years and looking at the flying aircraft list I'll not be going back anytime soon as it just can't compete with years gone by which is a real shame

[Tycho]

Taking the boy on Saturday and he is just as excited as I am!!!

[Godalmighty83]

If that's the complete list then its a little disappointing, throw in a couple of typhoons and a few of the old school jets that are still flying and it could be much more interesting.

An f35 demo model to respond to recent bad press would be nice but quite a hopeful stretch. lightnings new and old for instance.

Harriers were always a show pleaser :-(

[anonymous-user]

knight said:

I've not been to a RIAT show for years and looking at the flying aircraft list I'll not be going back anytime soon as it just can't compete with years gone by which is a real shame

Agreed. I remember when the dispersal at Fairford was a row of tailfins with no spare space at all. Once taxied in to a display slot, that was it, you were there for the duration. Went a couple of years ago as a spectator for the first time in yonks and it just seemed, well.....empty. Flying used to be non-stop, but that too was full of gaps.
Real shame.

[Mr Noble]

I want to see a YF-22 Raptor fly

[jaybirduk]

The yanks don't seem to bring as much as they did years ago but I reckon with a connie, osprey and Mig29 flying it'll be a great day.

[eccles]

Godalmighty83 said:

If that's the complete list then its a little disappointing,

A mere shadow of previous years.

[Godalmighty83]

Mr Noble said:

I want to see a YF-22 Raptor fly

Unfortunately the main problem with the F22 if that its too expensive to ever actually risk using so it will probably always be a rare sight at airshows.

[jaybirduk]

MiG29 OVT was one of the best appearances of recent years

[FourWheelDrift]

Are FlightGlobal going to be streaming it live again this year?

[knight]

Crossflow Kid said:

knight said:

I've not been to a RIAT show for years and looking at the flying aircraft list I'll not be going back anytime soon as it just can't compete with years gone by which is a real shame

Agreed. I remember when the dispersal at Fairford was a row of tailfins with no spare space at all. Once taxied in to a display slot, that was it, you were there for the duration. Went a couple of years ago as a spectator for the first time in yonks and it just seemed, well.....empty. Flying used to be non-stop, but that too was full of gaps.
Real shame.

My earliest IAT memory is of the line up of Hercs at Greenham Common

[eccles]

knight said:

Crossflow Kid said:

knight said:

I've not been to a RIAT show for years and looking at the flying aircraft list I'll not be going back anytime soon as it just can't compete with years gone by which is a real shame

Agreed. I remember when the dispersal at Fairford was a row of tailfins with no spare space at all. Once taxied in to a display slot, that was it, you were there for the duration. Went a couple of years ago as a spectator for the first time in yonks and it just seemed, well.....empty. Flying used to be non-stop, but that too was full of gaps.
Real shame.

My earliest IAT memory is of the line up of Hercs at Greenham Common

1983 from memory, first year I went.

[knight]

eccles said:

1983 from memory, first year I went.

That sounds about right, not sure if that was my first time there though.

[spitfire-ian]

eccles said:

1983 from memory, first year I went.

My first time too

[Eric Mc]

The first time there was a line up of Hercs was in 1979 - when the event was still held at Greenham Common. It was celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first flight of the Hercules.

My first Air Tattoo visit was in 1976 - when there was a line up of Hawker Hunters - also celebrating 25 years since the first flight of the prototype (WB188) which was part of the line up.

[RedSpike66]

If it wasn't for beaurocrats, administration, 'elf and safety and all that, we might still have Lightnings, Harriers, Concorde and all manner of days gone by jets that would really add to this list and make it really exciting... like it used to be.

Hope the Vulcan gets fixed in time - two engines went bang a couple of weeks ago - Vulcan always puts on a great display.