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RIAT Fairford airshow 17/7/11

ian elliot

ian elliot

SOH-CM-2025
Just back from this years airshow at Fairford. Id been following the build-up for this years show on a major UK spotter-aviation enthusiast site and it seem'd to me, to be a certain amount of pessimism around and i guess some of this rubbed off on me, coupled with the weather and its effect on the flying on Saturday, i set off at 2 oclock in the morning with mixed feelings.
I needent have worried, in the end i had a very enjoyable show with some great flying and an intresting static park, ok, its getting smaller, but i'll take qaulity over qauntity anytime, the weather was pretty awful by the time i got onto the site at 7. but from 10 onwards things very slowly clear'd up.
not a great selection of pics in afraid, spent a lot of energy trying to keep my camera dry, and it was quite dark also.
highlites for me,
Austrian Saab 105,
C27J, you wont belive what one of those things can do
The Hunter formation, could watch that all day
and a truly mental A10 display.
If anyone else went, be intresting to hear your opinions.
cheers ian
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianelliot/sets/72157627100334283/show/
 
Ian i worked it, but enjoyed every moment... the A-10 was great to see back in the skies over Gloucestershire, but for me, as always Il Frecce Tricolori were the showstoppers and really made the Reds look like amateurs this year....

but as i say each and every year..... I'll be Back! in this case, for RIAT 2012 (Remember guys it's a week earlier than usual next year) :salute:
 
Thanks for mentioning next years dates, i was wondering, always wanted to hang around for depatures day but always clashing with work, someone mention'd it clashing with Legends.
cheers ian
 
Unfortunately the cost put me off this year.

Bring back Airfete where it was only £12 for a car load including park and ride............

Hope you had fun there! Some of the best photography occurs with poor weather.
 
Excellent pix, Ian; no cause to apologize! :medals:

The silver lining to poor weather is that you get unobstructed shots, if you follow my drift. :icon_lol:

- H52
 
Smoothie was that hung over, he's probably suffering from temp colour blindness and confused over the two teams :icon_lol:
Click to expand...

Hung over ? i thought you guys were working :mixedsmi:
thanks for the comments guys, would you belive i missed the Frecce, left about 4-30, needed to get home, didnt see the Arrows either, they were slotted in at 3ish, i guess they must have gone up later, missed the Rafele that everyone was talking about also, did hear that the display was extended, shame i had to go, but thats real life for you.
You've said some nice things about my pics, but these guys set the standard. check them out
http://forums.airshows.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=1b85c9dc93f9bccaae12cbd75e208276

cheers ian
 
SteveB said:
Smoothie was that hung over, he's probably suffering from temp colour blindness and confused over the two teams :icon_lol:
Click to expand...

i still maintain that i was right as rain :icon_lol: nah was definately correct they weren't in Hawks :icon_lol: i can't have been that hung over anyways... didn't drink THAT much, plus no headache= not a hangover :wiggle:

nah the reds seemed to have a few hiccups with timing, diving down into the passes from synchro pair you could see the delay as one was levelling out the other was just about to start levelling out... glad someone agrees that the reds aren't the best european team :icon_lol:

but overall, it was a good show with the weather failing to dampen spirits, wondering now what next year will bring...............
 
Smoothie said:
... glad someone agrees that the reds aren't the best european team :icon_lol:
...............
Click to expand...

Yes, I know it's blasphemy, but they aren't. The Red Arrows put on a great show, which I always enjoy and always have done (since the days when they flew Gnats *gulp*), and I'd defend them against any critics - they are certainly better than that other lot, who fly the blue Hawk wannabes.

But the boys from the Frecce Tricolori just have ..... something extra. The Reds display is spectacular, best described as muscular, in your face etc; the Italian boys are not so spectacular, but they just have style - an Italian cliche maybe, but it holds true. In the days when I used to go to RIAT they tended to be on later in the day, I would always make a point of staying for the display.

The Italian AF seem to breed good display pilots; another highlight back in the day was the Fiat G222 being thrown around like a fighter jet. I used to get invites to the Family Day at Cottesmore, and the displays put on in a variety of exotic aircraft were just magical.
 
Nice set op pictures Ian, gives a good impression of this year's show. I was there also, from friday till monday. The weatherforcast ahead of the show wasn't that great but it turned out quite ok in the end except for the saturday morning. I'll post some of my pictures later tonight.
 
As the commentator for the Frecce Tricolori once said (With a heavy Italian accent) when asked who's the best team:

"The patrouille de France are the best eight jet team, the Red Arrows the best with nine and we are the best team with ten aircraft."

Anyway, nice pictures! :applause:
 
Great selection, and thanks for posting Ian.
I should know this...what's that little Tiger Meet twinjet with the high wing and T-tail?
 
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