Whilst tracking back through my archives and trying to write these blog posts it’s become clear that I’m able to remember a lot more when I’ve taken pictures of the more mundane aspects of the entire airshow weekend, particularly phone camera pics. Often these are not pictures of aircraft but the places I might have stayed at, or the car I drove, the people I met, whatever – these photos help trigger memories. I don’t have many of these for RIAT 2010, I was very much focussed on getting aeroplane photos so this is going to be tricky but will see what comes flooding back!
2010 I had a new partner and we decided to go down to RIAT for the weekend and camp. We camped on the Saturday night, not 100% sure but think it was Flyby again, the one with the noisy neighbours. We got talking to some fellow campers who told us the Raptor had been really good that day but the commentator laid it on a bit thick! Sunday. I’d still not fully grasped the importance of getting up early so by the time we entered the showground it was heaving. I think I wanted to still try and get as close to the front as possible but Lindsay persuaded me to sit a bit further back on a slightly raised bit of crowdline where it was less busy. On the whole it actually worked out ok although there are a fair few shots of aircraft with heads in the way.
I still had the 30D with 100-400mm and looking at my pics I was gradually improving from year to year with more keepers compared to RIAT 2009 but still with a tendency to underexpose. Again, really enjoying going back and working on these old pictures now that I’ve learned a bit more about Photoshop and there have also been ever fancier enhancements to the software. It’s clear though it was a gloomy day, at least for a good chunk of it! However, there are benefits to a gloomy wet day and here we see one of them in the form of some afterburnery goodness. I’ve left the shot pretty much as is. The Typhoon is the first display act I’m bothering to include a pic of as the Grob Tutor, Hawk and C17 pics are underwhelming.
Next item in my photo highlights the Boeing Super Hornet. A fast jet that I think looks better than it flies and what’s more I’ve seen several older generation Hornet displays that make the Super Hornet look stiff as a broom. Again though, it’s a mean looking sonofabitch as the septics are oft to say.
Making its debut at RIAT 2010 was the A400M and although it already seems a bit ‘old hat’ these days it’s still a bloody impressive performer for such a big machine.
I’ve always been fascinated by the engines, hubs and propeller blades on the Atlas.
Another debut this year was the “We Fly!” team of three flying the Texan Top Class 550 LSA. Some really tight flying from 3 disabled pilots, one of which is quadriplegic – outstanding!
Next on my highlights was the Royal New Zealand Air Force 757. I love seeing a well flown big airliner type at an airshow and this was no exception. This is going to sound mental but I sometimes prefer to watch display items, particularly big ones or very fast ones, out of the corner of my eye for added effect. Does anyone else do this? I can’t quite explain why I do it but it can add to the ‘feel’ of a routine.
After the 757 a number of vintage warbirds took off and formed up a display to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Now, this was pretty impressive but I was a little crestfallen when I realised the DB engined 109 would not be performing a solo routine because I really, really wanted to hear it! Instead it was lost in the throbbing chorus of Merlins and a Pratt and Whitney!
Looking at my photos it appears I now had a break for lunch then loaded up my 2gb card (which seemed a lot of capacity back then!) and got ready for the star of the show, the F22. Never let it be said the yanks don’t know how to put on a show. “Laydeeez aaand gentlemen, I pree-zent to you the most feared combat aircraft in the world to-daay,,,the F22 RAPTORRR!!”. It got airborne PDQ but stayed low, my late start meant I was a long way back from the crowd line and consequently I really struggled to get decent take off pics what with dick heads on step ladders in the way.
He continued to stay low then pulled up hard (and I mean hard!!) into a vertical climb and powered into the sky. Now, my memory has failed me here because I always thought he pitched up hard then almost immediately pitched forward back into level flight but the Youtube videos tell me otherwise! Anyway, it was the beginning of an absolutely phenomenal performance, kinda like watching the offspring of an F16 and F15 in action! The thrust vectoring really puts it just about in a league of its own. But niggling away at the back of my mind is that MiG 29 OVT. Hmm, which blew me away the most…maybe just maybe the lunacy of that MiG slightly overtakes the Raptor? Who knows, just very glad to have seen them both
The Jordanian Falcons were at RIAT as always. They get a bad rap sometimes because they’re not fast jets and people like to post on social media/forms how boring they are and use their slot as an opportunity to go get lunch blah blah. I kinda used to think like that myself until I realised that a) these are extremely good pilots b)their display can actually be very photogenic c) one of Jordan’s air force pilots got burned alive in a cage by ISIS and I always feel obliged to pay my respects a little by taking time out to watch them. Bit dramatic I know but I always remember that guy when I see the Jordanian Falcons.
Moving on to an only slightly less controversial subject than ISIS…the mighty Vulcan! Since the day it was announced VTTS were going to get it back in the air the Vulcan has been the topic of more forum chatter than any other aeroplane I can think of! It won’t fly, it shouldn’t fly, they’ll never keep it flying, it’ll only fly once, they should ground it, we’re sick of it, why are they grounding it, they should scrap it, don’t scrap it, one last flight blah blah blah. My own personal thoughts are that we were so, so lucky to have it back and I miss it. The level of vitriol levelled against this aeroplane and those who returned it to flight baffles me. Yeah, even I got pissed of with the begging letters despite paying a DD to them for about a decade but fuck sake it’s the Vulcan, it was awesome and I’d pay good money to have it back even if just so my little boy could see it fly – he could recognise a picture of a Vulcan by the time he was 3.
And what did we get after the Vulcan? Why, the mighty B52! I remember reading an article in Takeoff magazine which had an interview with a BUFF pilot who said something along the lines of: the B-52 had the power of 20 diesel locomotive, had enough aluminum to build 50,000 trash cans and had 20 miles of wiring. And, it flew like 20 diesel locomotives pulling 50,000 trash cans on 20 miles of wire :-D.
We even got to see the B52 deploy its parachute
Next item I shot was the Patrouille de France. I’ve not actually seen these guys (and gals) too often and this may have been the first time. Can’t remember much about them other than the fact that they weren’t the Red Arrows so I would’ve enjoyed the fact that…well..they weren’t the Red Arrows! I love the Red Arrows, I’m a bit of a flag shagger in that sense but I’ve been watching them for 40 odd years so it’s always nice to see a different display team :-).
After the PdF came something rather special from the Cloggies. A display team consisting of an F16 and an Apache painted in bright orange!! They did an initial performance together and then split in to their individual displays. Really enjoyed this
Following the dynamic duo we had the Harrier ZG858 from 4 Squadron. I wouldn’t say I ever took the Harrier for granted at an airshow but I didn’t class it as a star item whereas now, when the Spanish send over a Matador or two to RIAT it most definitely is at the top of the bill. As always, a thunderous display with thrust a plenty.
Following the Harrier came Tornado ZD895. If there’s one thing I struggle with it’s shooting fast, monotone grey aeroplanes on grey day so consequently most of my Tonka shots were always pretty shit. What a machine though, sorely missed. The Tornado performed a bit of a role demo this year complete with pyrotechnics. The best role demo I ever saw was, I believe at Cosford many years ago with F3s and…Hawks maybe? Will have to check back when I write up that airshow. Also, very controversially, some of the best Tornado flying I’ve seen was by the Italians!
RIAT 2010 had another duo in the shape of Typhoon ZJ916 and Spitfire MK356. Looking at the pictures I can still hear the shutters blazing away! I reckon a hardened airshow goer could have a good stab at describing an airshow routine blindfolded just by the rise and fall of shutter clicks. Odd click or two for taxying and test shots to meter, furious activity as it takes off, trailing off to a few optimistic fools shooting it off in the distance (or those with 600mm lens!). Then a procession of clicks with furious escalations for a topside and more optimistic shots as the burners are lit over the other side of the airfield. Final bursts of activity as, in this case, the pair break and crossover a few times. All this underpinned with a constant chatter by the usual lunatic shooting on high speed and filling an SD card on every aircraft, spray and pray at its finest!
That’s it for the flying, now let’s see what my highlights were on the statics! Well, I got my first glimpse of the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II replete with shark mouth markings. It’s weird knowing there are no more Tucanos flying with the RF now, another aircraft that came into service when I was younger. It’s a purposeful looking machine.
A B52 with some cracking nose art. Absolutely crackers when you consider that when the B52 finally retires it will have been in service around a hundred years!!!
A crisp looking Luftwaffe Tornado ECR from Jagdbombergeschwader 32, a unit which (according to Wikipedia) has now been disbanded.
We also got another ‘normal’ Luftwaffe Tonka
Meanwhile the RAF was still flying F3s back then, probably my favourite variant, as exampled by ZE163 here.
We also had a GR4 from the RAF. I rather preferred the original GR1 in wrap-around camo but any Tornado is a good Tornado.
Speaking of Cold War warriors….the Poles sent a Fitter and this I believe was the first time I’d seen one (albeit on static). I subsequently saw a pair flying at a later RIAT and what I absolutely loved about them was the afterburner which sounded like a bomb going off compared to the more ‘modulated’ sounding burner on other machines.
And, ok, well..if we are continuing the Cold War theme I can’t not mention the F4F the Luftwaffe also sent. It’s not going to be long before no more F4s turn up at airshows and that will be a sad day. I’ve never seen one display (that I can remember) but I have at least seen a few on departures/arrivals, most memorably when the Greeks (I think?) aileron rolled their’s whilst departing Fairford a few years ago. In fact, there will come a day when all we’ll get is F35s, A400Ms and maybe the odd Voyager and C17. Oh and the Jordanian Falcons 🙂
