RIAT Royal International Air Tattoo 2007 - Review

With the hint of good weather on Saturday, Explore Gloucestershire chose to go to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at Fairford Air Base.

With the action starting at 10am we set off just before 9am for the 35 min journey. It took us two and a half hours to get to our destination, as we hit tailbacks the other side of Cirencester on the Buford Road. All routes to the site were colour coded on our guide map and we tuned in to Wings FM the official RIAT radio site for regular traffic updates. As we neared the site our frustration turned to excitement as we were able to view the start of the display with commentary on the radio. So in the end we didn't really miss much. (The organisers have acknowledged that delays were longer than usual and quite possibly occurred as the weather forecast for Sunday was RAIN, (no change there then) hence more people attending on the Saturday. The organisers will be looking into this for the Royal International Air Tattoo 2008 no doubt).

Our arrival to the car parks was well organised and entry was swift despite the additional security measures. Once through those we were able to purchase a programme at a bit of a hefty £8. Next was the opportunity to get kids tagged with mobile phone numbers and instructions on what to do if they got lost (free of charge). In view of the vast numbers of people this was a sensible option taken up by most parents.

Another favourite of ours were the thunderous Eurofighter Typhoons, for sheer phenomenal power and noise you can’t beat them (a good idea for children to wear ear defenders for these!) Another highlight was the Stealth F-117A Nighthawk, smaller than expected and very futuristic in appearance. The finale of the show was a tactical demonstration by the RAF. Whilst the scenario was fictitious, the roles were a dynamic representation of real-life RAF operations. Among the aircraft taking part was an E-3D Sentry from 8 Squadron, a Chinook from 27 Squadron, three Tornado F3's from 25 Squadron, three Tornado GR4's from XIII Sqn, a C-130 Hercules from 30 Squadron and two Hawks from 100 Squadron. Visitors enjoyed all the explosive drama as it unfolded on the world’s biggest ‘stage’.

Around the edges of the show ground were plenty of places to eat, drink and shop. There were activities for kids in the 'Dairylea Freestyle Action Arena', where they could have a go at skateboarding, in-line skating, bmx-ing, pogo, dance mats and basketball, together with performances by the UK’s professional extreme sports entertainers 'Team Extreme'.

Today, the Royal International Air Tattoo is renowned as much for its exciting ground entertainment as it is for its world-class flying display. The critically acclaimed Tri@RIAT featured sensational stunt car driving, battling robots, karting, record breaking bikes, boats and cars, adrenalin-filled flight simulators and breathtaking action arena.

Also on offer was a magnificent dislay of legendary US motors from the 1950s to the present day, including Cadillacs, Corvettes, Pontiacs, Chevrolets, Buicks, Mustangs and Thunderbirds. Now in its second year, this fascinating display also featured GT-40s, a 1960s’ Le Mans Spitfire, a Messerschmitt TG500, Ferraris plus a wide range of Sunbeam Tigers.

To end the day there was the opportunity to relax and enjoy the free 'Sunset Concert' featuring the rousing sounds of the 'Royal Air Force Band', the swinging 'Squadronaires' plus 'Check Six' - the premier jazz band of the United States Air Force in Europe.

We are sure we didn’t see everything, but we tried hard and were exhausted when we left at 8pm. The car park looked busy and we braced ourselves for the long trek home. However it was only really a case of negotiating the car park and the local road, so we were soon on our way. The police seemed to have the situation well in hand and opened more exits as and when required. The traffic situation was also readily available on Wings FM.

Conclusion
We had a brilliant day out and the whole experience was so much more than expected. Well done RIAT. We will certainly add 'Royal International Air Tattoo 2008' to our diary for next year.

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