Made in the USA

Eastern Wonder

European style

Providing a fitting piece for this commemoration was the Lockheed Martin F15E Strike Eagle demonstration flown by Captain Albert 'Jewel' Kennedy. The display from one of the United States most recognisable fighter/bombers was a big hit, with copious amounts of afterburner and vapour. Following it's display the F15E formed up with P51D Mustang 'Miss Velma' piloted by Ed Shipley. The two went on to make up the USAF Heritage Flight, in a fine tribute to the history of the USAF. Particularly fitting was that this particular P51D had recently arrived in the UK from over the Atlantic at Duxford Flying Legends as part of 'Operation Bolero II".

As well as the F117A (see sidebar) the regular American heavy bombers were on the scene. The B1B performance, and it really was a performance this time, was a real breath of fresh air after years of flat passes not fully showcasing the aircrafts capabilities. The crew this year delighted the crowd with both a topside pass and a roll, the latter only on Saturday. The B52 went tech on Saturday, but was able to give the smaller crowd a pair of flypasts on Sunday. 

USAF heritage may have been the predominate theme this year but the flying display was something of a showcase for American aviation workmanship. After an award winning turn last year the Swiss Air Force F/A-18C Hornet was back. Also in the flying display was the F-18C Hornet display from the Finnish Air Force, last seen at RIAT back in 2005. It was a tight contest but the Finnish display just about edged it in the opinion of yours truly.

Happy 50th
Following the display from the BBMF Fighters on both days the Red Arrows formed up with the three Spitfires and single Hurricane for a memorable celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight. The BBMF began life as the 'Historic Aircraft Flight' back in 1957. What added to this this special occasion was the fact that the three Spitfires and single Hurricane seen as part of the display were all part of the BBMF when it was first formed back all those years ago. PS853 is now operated by Rolls Royce but it was still able to rejoin the flight even if only for the weekend. The BBMF Lancaster also flew at the show, albeit in a separate slot.

Another returning type coming from Spain was an aircraft now very familiar to UK airshow goers, the Eurofighter Typhoon or, more accurately in this case, the Tifon. The Spanish made their Tifon debut in 2006, however this years display was much improved, seeming a lot more thought out than that of a year previously. Put up against the RAF display, the Spanish aren't quite there yet, but we hope they are back next year with further improvements. One European regular missing was the Mirage 2000 following the French Air Forces decision to limit it's appearances this year. Replacing it this year from France was the Alpha Jet doing it's best to fill the gap, most notably with a very spirited takeoff.

Another well known aircraft from the United States was well represented in the flying display in the shape of the Lockheed Martin F16 Fighting Falcon. With, including the Thunderbirds, 8 examples of the type present in the display it was certainly well represented. Following the disappointment of non appearances at Waddington the familiar sight of the Belgian and Dutch Air Force F16 returned with both aircraft displaying to their usual high standard. Particularly good to see was that both display aircraft were cleared to use flares aplenty on both show days. It's nice to see the organisers relaxing their rulings on flares and their usage, let's hope this is a permanent change.

It wasn't all about Western types however. Returning for a second year was the Mil Mi24V display from the Czech Air Force. This attack helicopter is often considered to be the Eastern answer to the Ah64 Apache. Hopefully it won't be long until we can see a RIAT flying display with both of these types featured. Also returning from the Czechs was the Aero L-159 from 212 Tlt. However, the most notable inclusion from the East came from the Indian Air Force Su30MKI Flanker. It's been many a year since we saw a Flanker at RIAT, but thanks to Exercise Indra Dhanush at RAF Waddington three of the type, plus a support Iluyshin 78 were seen at the show, before the end of the exercise the following week. 

Role Demo

One Flanker was part of the flying display on Saturday, both the organisers and the Indian pilots themselves working hard to attain the necessary permission to allow for a short demonstration of the type. Unfortunately, the demonstration was a short one, consisting of a pair of tight turns quite a distance from the watching crowd before a climb above the cloud base. For many minutes hopeful eyes were cast towards the west, but the Flanker didn't return, heading back to where he came from, Waddington. Whilst it was a shame the demo was short and couldn't be flown out of Fairford itself the fact that the Indians were not display pilots meant the fact we even got to see one flying after so many years at RIAT should be appreciated.

Suffering a little as a result of the number of interesting acts from overseas was this years reduced home team participation. Two solo displays which certainly held their own came from the RAF in the form of the Typhoon F2, flown by Flt Lt Jim Walls with a much improved display, and the ever reliable Chinook HC2 from RAF Odiham. A rather surprising absentee being the Tucano display, perhaps not a highlight of RIAT but the type of aircraft you expect to see. Away from this pair the rest of the displays from the UK seemed somewhat subdued when paired with the turning and burning of F18s and the panache of USAF Teams. It was a shame the RAF Role Demonstration was left until late in the programme as the natural instinct of those attending is often to leave earlier than the final act to attempt to avoid being caught in traffic leaving. However, on Saturday, the weather was kind to the demonstration and it made for entertaining viewing despite the sheer size of the site at Fairford making staging this showcase a difficulty.

Largest actual display of the weekend came on Sunday from the Boeing 747-400 of Oasis Hong Kong Airlines. Following several faster displays on Sunday morning the Jumbo gave a more sedate routine. However, the sight of a 747 gracing Fairford at low altitude is a sight those who attended on Sunday are unlikely to forget soon

Despite the lack of a Farnborough show this year meaning that the big star turns of last year were unlikely to be matched the team at RIAT still managed to put together a solid flying display that proved the RIAT format is still going strong.

Part Three - Statics