RIAT '10 vs. Farnborough '10?

[Jonny671]

As I gather, both are on this year.. Which is the better one?

Farnborough is only 10 miles down the road, so think that I will go to that. But obviously if RIAT is alot better i'll just go to that rather than Farnborough.

I've never been to an Airshow before either, I did stewarding at Duxford for a show last year and did enjoy it

[Eric Mc]

From a pure size and air display point of view, RIAT is better.

Farnborough is a trade show with an afternoon air display only. I live in Farnborough and walk to the airshow there. I actually enjoy wandering around the pavillions and chatting to the component suppliers and project teams as much as watching the flying display these days.

They are both very different air shows and each has its merits.

[Jonny671]

Eric Mc said:

From a pure size and air display point of view, RIAT is better.

Farnborough is a trade show with an afternoon air display only. I live in Farnborough and walk to the airshow there. I actually enjoy wandering around the pavillions and chatting to the component suppliers and project teams as much as watching the flying display these days.

They are both very different air shows and each has its merits.

Thanks Eric, thats what I wanted to know.

I much prefer the airshow bit of it, I quite like looking around at the static things too but its the air bit that I really would go to see

[thatone1967]

I was lucky enough to blag a security job at Farnborough last time around... spend a week guarding an A310 tanker, would have been very bored had it not been for the constant practicing during the week

(oh and almost having Lewis Hamilton run over my toes when he was heading off to the runway to chase (IIRC) a Lear Jet!)

[Eric Mc]

thatone1967 said:

I was lucky enough to blag a security job at Farnborough last time around... spend a week guarding an A310 tanker, would have been very bored had it not been for the constant practicing during the week

(oh and almost having Lewis Hamilton run over my toes when he was heading off to the runway to chase (IIRC) a Lear Jet!)

Because Farnborough is a trade show, it actually lasts a full week - starting Monday and ending the following Sunday. Monday to Friday are trade days only and you can only get in with a trade pass.
The flying displays can vary from day to day and some of the more interesting aircraft can have left by the Saturday. I always try and get to see at least one of the trade flying displays from outside the airfield.

The public day flyingh display features more "non-trade" type acts, such as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight or privately owned jet warbirds.

[Jonny671]

Where do you go for the Non Public days, Eric?

I imagine the hogs back would give a very good view..

[Eric Mc]

That's way too far away.

On the public days, I actually pay to go in. These days, I usually go on Saturday as there is a good chance that many of the trade stands in the pavillion will still be manned. By Sunday, much of the staff will have departed ready for the striking down of the pavillions and stands on Monday.

If you want to watch from outside, the best place is in and around the Swan Inn on the main Farnborough Road. If you are arriving by car, you would need to park quitre a bit away from this area as there are strict traffic and parking restrictions in force. It is a very popular spot and the atmosphere in and around that area is usually pretty good.

There is also a location near Fleet at Tweseldown which overlooks the other end of the runway and that is also popular with locals. A couple of PHers took some very spectacular photos from the Twesledown location in 2008 and the shots were posted here.

If you just watch the show from outside the airfield, you mill miss about 75% of what Farnborough is all about.

Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 24th March 10:08

[Jonny671]

Thanks Eric.

My boss says hes watched a few times from up in Hale somewhere?

I am willing to go and pay, but as you said some aircraft have gone by Saturday I don't want to miss the good'uns

I'd be mostly interested in seeing the new stuff, Tornados, F22s, Eurofighters, thats my kind of thing.

[Eric Mc]

Jonny671 said:

Thanks Eric.

My boss says hes watched a few times from up in Hale somewhere?

I am willing to go and pay, but as you said some aircraft have gone by Saturday I don't want to miss the good'uns

I'd be mostly interested in seeing the new stuff, Tornados, F22s, Eurofighters, thats my kind of thing.

The liklehood of seeing a new Tornado are pretty slim - although if a Tornado is carying a new bit of kit, one may be there. Two airshows ago there was an Italian Tornado in the static. Last time, there was an RAF Tornado in the static.





I would strongly advocate paying to go in. It is a much better exoperience all round. Hale is still too far way I would suggest.

If anyone is up for a PH group walk around of the Farnborough show, it might be something worth considering.[url]

Edited by Eric Mc on Wednesday 24th March 10:32

[aeropilot]

Jonny671 said:

Thanks Eric.

My boss says hes watched a few times from up in Hale somewhere?

I am willing to go and pay, but as you said some aircraft have gone by Saturday I don't want to miss the good'uns

I'd be mostly interested in seeing the new stuff, Tornados, F22s, Eurofighters, thats my kind of thing.

In that case I would say you'd be better off going to RIAT tbh.

By all means, as you are near-ish and if you can take an afternoon off and have a Mountain Bike you can stick in the car, an afternoon spent on the outside of the fence at Farnborough would be an added bonus to RIAT, but I wouldn't pick Farnborough over RIAT.

[Eric Mc]

It depends on what you want from an airshow.

I was a real RIAT fan for decades - travelling over from Ireland in the 70s to go to Greenham Common and later to Fairford. However, I haven't been since 1993 when I felt I had just about seen all there was to see and I was beginning to get a bit jaded by the experience.

By all accounts, the 2009 show was a bit muted compared to previous years - probably because the military are stretched at the moment and find it difficult to engage in public displays (the Aldershot Army Show for 2010 was cancelled a few weeks ago).

[thatone1967]

[quote ]I'd be mostly interested in seeing the new stuff, Tornados, F22s, Eurofighters, thats my kind of thing.
[/quote]


Tornado? new...

[Jonny671]

thatone1967 said:

Jonny671 said:

I'd be mostly interested in seeing the new stuff, Tornados, F22s, Eurofighters, thats my kind of thing.

Tornado? new...

Oh no, I don't mean a new Tornado.. Just prefer the Jets to the older planes.

Edit for formatting

Edited by Jonny671 on Wednesday 24th March 11:30

[aeropilot]

Eric Mc said:

It depends on what you want from an airshow.

I was a real RIAT fan for decades - travelling over from Ireland in the 70s to go to Greenham Common and later to Fairford. However, I haven't been since 1993 when I felt I had just about seen all there was to see and I was beginning to get a bit jaded by the experience.

By all accounts, the 2009 show was a bit muted compared to previous years - probably because the military are stretched at the moment and find it difficult to engage in public displays (the Aldershot Army Show for 2010 was cancelled a few weeks ago).

Yes, RIAT isn't what it was in the 'old days' but then what is tbh, but it's still a 7-8 hour flying display programme.

I haven't been for a number of years myself, once in the past 7 or 8 years I think, but if the OP wants mil jets, RIAT is the place.
And this year will have a Romanian AF MiG-21 in the flying display, for what will be only the 2nd or 3rd time and probably the last time too. There's also a good chance of a B-1B and or B-52 as well, which you won't get at Farnborough, and other current or less current stuff that manufacturers have stopped making and arn't trying to sell.

Edited by aeropilot on Wednesday 24th March 11:16

[Eric Mc]

aeropilot said:

Eric Mc said:

It depends on what you want from an airshow.

I was a real RIAT fan for decades - travelling over from Ireland in the 70s to go to Greenham Common and later to Fairford. However, I haven't been since 1993 when I felt I had just about seen all there was to see and I was beginning to get a bit jaded by the experience.

By all accounts, the 2009 show was a bit muted compared to previous years - probably because the military are stretched at the moment and find it difficult to engage in public displays (the Aldershot Army Show for 2010 was cancelled a few weeks ago).

Yes, RIAT isn't what it was in the 'old days' but then what is tbh, but it's still a 7-8 hour flying display programme.

I haven't been for a number of years myself, once in the past 7 or 8 years I think, but if the OP wants mil jets, RIAT is the place.
And this year will have a Romanian AF MiG-21 in the flying display, for what will be only the 2nd or 3rd time and probably the last time too. There's also a good chance of a B-1B and or B-52 as well, which you won't get at Farnborough, and other current or less current stuff that manufacturers have stopped making and arn't trying to sell.

Edited by aeropilot on Wednesday 24th March 11:16

In 2006, we had, every day at Farnborough, a flypast of a B-1B, a B-52 and and F-117.
However, they didn't land - and on every day from Monday to Wednesday, the B-52 pilot mistook Blackbushe for Farnborough

[D4VE 3LL]

The years when both are on is the best time to go as many will saty over over the duration but RIAT is definately more military orientated. I went to RIAT last year and it was just awesome, hadnt been before. Yes everyone whos been will say its crap compared to recent years but you'll still enjoy it.

[dr_gn]

I went to Farnborough in 2008 for the first time. It was a trade day, and I enjoyed it a lot. I wasn't officially there with work, so I could wander around at my leisure. Once the initial euphoria of actually being at a Farnborouh airshow had subsided, I was a bit disappointed to find that many of the main trade display areas were accessible by pass only. This year I will try to get passes from several different companies. The air displays I thought were pretty good, but IMHO Duxford Flying Legends is the best organised airshow, with continuous flying all afternoon with no breaks. Of course it's restricted to mainly old aircraft, but there you go.

Hopefully I'll be going to both again this year, because I figure that if it's something you enjoy, go for it. It's not like it's going to break the bank, and in the winter months when there are virtually no air displays I sometimes wish I'd made the effort to go to more in the summer.

[Eric Mc]

I get more enjoyment from chatting on the trade stands. Even though I'm not usually in the market for a 30 tonne capability launch vehicle or don't intend to purchase the latest in anti-rtank armour piercing shells, I find the traders are happy to chat about their products to everybody who shows an interest.

[dr_gn]

Eric Mc said:

I get more enjoyment from chatting on the trade stands. Even though I'm not usually in the market for a 30 tonne capability launch vehicle or don't intend to purchase the latest in anti-rtank armour piercing shells, I find the traders are happy to chat about their products to everybody who shows an interest.

I enjoyed laughing at the OTT military uniforms of the banana republic generals too. There were a surprising number there.

[Eric Mc]

They've always been a feature of the Farnborough Air Show. If you look back at some of the newsreel footage of 1950s shows, there's always a couple of shots of some middle-eastern or African high level officer festooned in braid and usually wearing dark glasses.