RIAT 2013

westdub

Just started to sort out the tickets and travel arrangements for this years RIAT Going to do the full 7 days this time, heading across on Tuesday the 16th doing the 3 arrival days, both Saturday and Sunday at the show, then departures on Monday and returning home the 23d....
Hopefully the weather will be good this year with the show being a bit later in the month, No aircraft have been confirmed to attend yet, but there are a few fairly nice ones that have been mentioned elsewhere like a Ukrainian Air Force Display and Greek F-16 just to mention a couple...

Anyone else planning to head across?
If you are, don't forget the cheap ticket deal that lasts until April 3d ...

http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/airshow-tickets

EI-DOR

Might head this year. Haven't been over since 2010!

vulcan57

Heading across again this year with three others in tow this time from Galway. Show tickets got for the 2 days and now really looking forward to the first of the confirmed participants.

Geezer1000

Meself and the queen are headin over on the bike for a few days. Tickets hotels ferries etc all booked. Cant wait

JAS39Gripen

Already got my tickets. First time going, so I'm looking forward to it!

newcavanman

tickets already sorted. this year is my 30th, first went when it was at greenham common 1983. what a show, in those days tornados and F16s were unusual to see as they were so new. havent missed one year since then. 1985 we went to live aid on the saturday and then on the train to fairford for the sunday .

television

JAS39Gripen wrote: »

Already got my tickets. First time going, so I'm looking forward to it!

you should enjoy it,hopefully you get great weather for it.was there myself back in 07 but just havent been able to get time off work.would love to go back again:)

television

newcavanman wrote: »

tickets already sorted. this year is my 30th, first went when it was at greenham common 1983. what a show, in those days tornados and F16s were unusual to see as they were so new. havent missed one year since then. 1985 we went to live aid on the saturday and then on the train to fairford for the sunday .

what about 08 when it was cancelled due to the bad weather.did it actually start and get cancelled after it started or did it get cancelled before it even started

Tenger

television wrote: »

what about 08 when it was cancelled due to the bad weather.did it actually start and get cancelled after it started or did it get cancelled before it even started

I think it was cancelled a day or two beforehand, the whole area was washed out. Some aircraft had already arrived. There were pics floating around of a very grey, wet day as they left.



I would love to be able to make,been wanting to for years. But family holidays and airshows in July do not mix well.

television

Tenger wrote: »

I think it was cancelled a day or two beforehand, the whole area was washed out. Some aircraft had already arrived. There were pics floating around of a very grey, wet day as they left.



I would love to be able to make,been wanting to for years. But family holidays and airshows in July do not mix well.

i see...if you do get the chance go do so,you WONT be dissapionted.when i was there the following display teams were there,red arrows,usaf thunderbirds,itallian frecce tricolori,spanish patruillia eagelia [think thats how its spelt] royal jordaian falcons,aswell as the rn and ba heli teams..:):D

newcavanman

television wrote: »

what about 08 when it was cancelled due to the bad weather.did it actually start and get cancelled after it started or did it get cancelled before it even started

It wasnt cancelled till about 7pm on the friday evening, at least saturday was cancelled then, sunday wasnt cancelled till 4pm saturday afternoon
it wont be cancelkled again, barring a terrorist incident. they have the car parks sorted now, they had to, it cost them way too much money that year .

television

thats good to hear they have the car park issue sorted out...money that had to be spent i suppose...i would hate to see this being cancelled again

vulcan57

First confirmed aircraft. Colombian Air Force KC-767 Jupiter Tanker/transport.

television

now there is something you dont see everday,could even be a first for riat

Reoil

Do you ever see any F-14s at these things? I haven't in recent years.
I'd have thought they'd be all over the place now that they've been "decommissioned", or whatever the aviation term is for it.

television

no,i was only there once [07] and the f-14 had been retired / decommissioned by then

vulcan57

Reoil wrote: »

Do you ever see any F-14s at these things? I haven't in recent years.
I'd have thought they'd be all over the place now that they've been "decommissioned", or whatever the aviation term is for it.

The only place they're flying now is with the Iranian Air Force, and they haven't been invited !

westdub

Last time I saw flying F-14s they were over Dublin....:D

television

westdub wrote: »

Last time I saw flying F-14s they were over Dublin....:D

its funny you should mention that,as that was the first,only and last time i saw an f-14 too .also went out to dub airport when there was a static display of 1 of each aircraft type,including f-14s from the uss john f. kennedy when she was over here on a visit [i remember it well as i was on cruches following a motorcycle crash]:D:)

vulcan57

westdub wrote: »

Last time I saw flying F-14s they were over Dublin....:D

Last time I saw one was over Galway, cant remember the year though. It was, I think, the Friday before a Salthill show when the US Navy took one of the Galway Bay FM DJ's for a "spin".

DieselPowered

Was at RIAT 2009/2012 not sure yet about this year.
Always a great weekend out.

Just out of curiousity, where do people fly into / stay / travel to RIAT from as it can be something of a puzzle trying to figure out the best approach


Thanks

television

i flew from dub to bristol,then taxi to swindon [cant remember the name of hotel,sorry] and then got 1 of the special coaches that was run from swindon bus station to fairford and back to swindow after the show,hope that helps a bit

vulcan57

Yep, Ideally would fly to Bristol, then shuttle bus to Brstol Temple Meads station and train to Swindon. Then stay at B&B (fir tree lodge for the last 3/4 years). Then shuttle bus from Swindon bus station to the airfield and back each day. Have done Heathrow as well and will be going that route this year as times back from Bristol are awkward. This year there will be 4 of us going from Galway so we will get a taxi to pick us up from Heathrow, works out cheaper.

television

vulcan57 wrote: »

Yep, Ideally would fly to Bristol, then shuttle bus to Brstol Temple Meads station and train to Swindon. Then stay at B&B (fir tree lodge for the last 3/4 years). Then shuttle bus from Swindon bus station to the airfield and back each day. Have done Heathrow as well and will be going that route this year as times back from Bristol are awkward. This year there will be 4 of us going from Galway so we will get a taxi to pick us up from Heathrow, works out cheaper.

yep,you could do it that way aswell.can i ask what airline are you flying with?

vulcan57

television wrote: »

yep,you could do it that way aswell.can i ask what airline are you flying with?

This year, Aer Lingus, Shannon to Heathrow. Have done Ryanair and Aer lingus Regional Shanon to Bristol and once Aer Arran Galway to Bristol.

DieselPowered

vulcan57 wrote: »

Yep, Ideally would fly to Bristol, then shuttle bus to Brstol Temple Meads station and train to Swindon. Then stay at B&B (fir tree lodge for the last 3/4 years). Then shuttle bus from Swindon bus station to the airfield and back each day. Have done Heathrow as well and will be going that route this year as times back from Bristol are awkward. This year there will be 4 of us going from Galway so we will get a taxi to pick us up from Heathrow, works out cheaper.

Yip, somewhat similar. Last two times I've gone..

..Friday
Ryanair Dublin to Bristol on Friday evening (45 mins)
Shuttlebus Bristol Airport to local Temple Meads Station (20mins)
Stayed Local in Bristol (couldn't get accommodation Swindon)

..Saturday
Early train Temple Meads to Swindon train station (45 mins)
Swindon Train station to Swindon Bus station (5 mins)
Swindon bus shuttle to Fairford (38 mins)

..Sunday
Same as Saturday

..Monday
Ryanair to Dublin

Bristol~Swindon Train return tickets - £13.50 per person
Swindon~Fairford Shuttle bus return tickets - £6 per person

It would be ideal to stay in Swindon, but accommodation can sometimes be hard to get if you don't do it early enough and it is only 45 mins on the train for half the cost of a hotel in Bristol.

Thanks

vulcan57

Just confirmed at midday :

Brazilian Air Force

Embraer R-99 2 Sqn of the 6th Aviation Group Airborne Early Warning Control
Lockheed Martin KC-130H 1st Transport Group Tanker

westdub

DieselPowered wrote: »

Was at RIAT 2009/2012 not sure yet about this year.
Always a great weekend out.

Just out of curiousity, where do people fly into / stay / travel to RIAT from as it can be something of a puzzle trying to figure out the best approach


Thanks

I bring the car across by ferry and am lucky to have relations that live 30 mins from Fairford so having to find somewhere to stay isn't a problem, if you want to do the arrivals and departures having your own transport is a must as there is very limited public transport and also its very nice to wander around the statics when most people have left.

johnny_doyle

having missed RIAT last year, have booked tickets for the Sat and Sun this year.

vulcan57

From RIAT on Twitter.

"Our weekly update day falls on Valentine's Day this week. What announcement would you LOVE to hear?"

Is this a hint of something juicy this week?

vulcan57

From the RIAT FB page:

"We are very excited for Valentine's Day tomorrow. We'll be doing our weekly update, and we think a lot of people will LOVE it. Love is in the air"

Looks very promising for a flying confirmation.:)

johnny_doyle

RIAT only a short time away and the weather here in the UK is boiling. Clear blue skies in my neck of the woods (15miles from Fairford). Temperature hit 32 degrees today.

Forecast for Fairford on Sat and Sun is 30 degrees. Might be come cloud on Sunday.

Could be a rain free event this year!

vulcan57

johnny_doyle wrote: »

RIAT only a short time away and the weather here in the UK is boiling. Clear blue skies in my neck of the woods (15miles from Fairford). Temperature hit 32 degrees today.

Forecast for Fairford on Sat and Sun is 30 degrees. Might be come cloud on Sunday.

Could be a rain free event this year!

Could really do with a rain free RIAT for a change, last one was 2006. Can't wait even if the static park maybe a little sparse, the flying looks really good though.

EI-DOR

I went to the Yeovilton Air Day instead this year. Fantastic day. Great to see the new Lynx Wildcat, fantastic machine. It was 32 Celcius on the day, scorcher. By the looks of things Fairford will be the same which will be a nice change.

Anybody that plans on sitting along the fence all day shooting, make sure you bring umbrellas or something else for shade. Especially if children will be along. The amount of people taking away in ambulances at Yeovil was insane. People running around with no tops on are asking for trouble even with sun cream on. There was a family in front of us on the grass with a new born child. What some people be thinking I just dunno. The child was shaded but even so I thought it was plain stupid of the parents bringing a new born in that heat.

Yeovil did have Army tents set up so people could go for some shade but saying that they would have needed another 100 tents to satisfy a lot of people. That was the only shelter available. Big umbrellas is a must.

Also just to add, one of the ques for Yeovil on the morning was over a mile long. That's a long wait in the heat before getting in. I don't think Fairford will be as bad though. Just bring the hats, suncream, water, umbrellas and you's will be fine!

johnny_doyle

not as hot as forecast but at least no rain. Bit cloudy in the mornings but clear and hot in the afternoon/evening.

Too many Eurofighter flying displays possibly. Enjoyed the A380 and the A400, Vulcan, Lancaster, Mig 29, Catalina, B25. Like the Red Arrows but prefer to watch the other display teams.

Tenger

johnny_doyle wrote: »

....Too many Eurofighter flying displays possibly.......

I know where you are coming from but it still sounds like sacrilege for a plane nut!!

johnny_doyle

know what you mean but it felt like they were needed to make up the flying display.

The AN2, Snipe and Constellation from the static display would have been nice to see airborne. Even one of the CASA's would have been good to see in flight.

Thunder and lightning here since last night.

3 days of RIAT on the agenda for next year

Geezer1000

USAF were badly missed at RIAT, especially in the static park

BeardySi

Can't imagine a RIAT without the USAF

Pics from the weekend?

vulcan57

Treadhead wrote: »

Can't imagine a RIAT without the USAF

Pics from the weekend?

OK. Still going through the pile of pictures, just now finished uploading the last ones to my hard drive!!

Few for a start.





























Will stick a few more up later. Really looking forward to the first Three day RIAT next year and plan to go FRIAT for the first time as well. B&B already booked so roll on 2014 !!!

DieselPowered

vulcan57 wrote: »

Three day RIAT next year and plan to go FRIAT for the first time as well. B&B already booked so roll on 2014 !!!

Great pics.
Are dates announced for next year yet? want to book accommodation soon and was waiting for the 2014 schedule.

Where did you stay this year?

vulcan57

DieselPowered wrote: »

Great pics.
Are dates announced for next year yet? want to book accommodation soon and was waiting for the 2014 schedule.

Where did you stay this year?

11th, 12th and 13th July next year.

Quick edit, missed a bit of your question. We stayed in a B&B called the Fir Tree Lodge in Swindon. It was my 5th year staying there, they are very nice and will do breakfast from 5am over that week end so people can get a good start.

newcavanman

johnny_doyle

vulcan57 wrote:

We stayed in a B&B called the Fir Tree Lodge in Swindon.

Just around the corner from the Honda factory, formerly the Supermarine site where the post WW2 Seafires were prepared before delivery to the Irish Air Corps.

westdub

vulcan57 wrote: »

Really looking forward to the first Three day RIAT next year and plan to go FRIAT for the first time as well. B&B already booked so roll on 2014 !!!

Originally Posted by DieselPowered
Great pics.
Are dates announced for next year yet? want to book accommodation soon and was waiting for the 2014 schedule.

Where did you stay this year?

Next years RIAT will be Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th July with the Great War 100th & Red Arrows 50th Anniversaries

Here are all the dates up to 2020
http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aboutthetattoo/futuredates

vulcan57

westdub wrote: »

Next years RIAT will be Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th July with the Great War 100th & Red Arrows 50th Anniversaries

Here are all the dates up to 2020
http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aboutthetattoo/futuredates

I don't think they've updated their website yet. Due to a change in MAA rules, RIAT are making Friday a public day as well next year. The programme and the little flying display programme / site plan things that you can hang around your neck say that next years show dates are 11th-13th july.

westdub

vulcan57 wrote: »

I don't think they've updated their website yet. Due to a change in MAA rules, RIAT are making Friday a public day as well next year. The programme and the little flying display programme / site plan things that you can hang around your neck say that next years show dates are 11th-13th july.

From the offical RIAT Twitter feed on Monday....

Next @airtattoo takes place 12/13 July 2014. Earlybird tickets on sale in Nov. Join our mailing list for reminder at bit.ly/15YW7hW

vulcan57

westdub wrote: »

From the offical RIAT Twitter feed on Monday....

Next @airtattoo takes place 12/13 July 2014. Earlybird tickets on sale in Nov. Join our mailing list for reminder at bit.ly/15YW7hW

Certainly seems to be a bit of confusion somewhere! Will just have to wait for some sort of confirmation in the coming weeks!. I'll be going what ever anyway, but would be nice to know for how long

islanderre

Think I'll travel over too next year seen as its Great War 100th & Red Arrows 50th Anniversaries.....these anniversaries could lead to an extra special show....

Now to fly or drive....... Hmmmmmmmm

vulcan57

A few more pics.

Captain Chaos

Reoil wrote: »

I'd have thought they'd be all over the place now that they've been "decommissioned", or whatever the aviation term is for it.

They are all over the place, as razor blades though. All broken up and scrapped so the Iranians can't get their hands on any spare parts through the black market. There are a few left as static display models and gate guards at some USN bases.