Like a FRIAT virgin (for the very first time)!

Royal International Air Tattoo riatlogo.gif (4865 bytes)

Best seat in the house Part four: Like a FRIAT virgin…(…for the very first time)!

Dave Eade (call him Madge) finally gives in and succumbs to the pleasures of a FRIAT six-day pass. All pictures by Gary Parsons unless stated otherwise.

The last time I ventured anywhere near the Royal International Air Tattoo coincided, by chance, with the crash of the Russian MiGs – only the second air crash I have observed in 40 years of the hobby. I decided, way back then, that the Mooo whole extravaganza had become too big to 'do' in a one-day trip and it was time to call it a day. Memories of Greenham, Boscombe and Fairford were all I had until the opportunity arose for the first time this year to do the whole thing as a member of FRIAT (Friends of RIAT) – six whole days of 'men behaving badly' – and the best part of three hundred airframes for company. It had to be done!

Strangely, the whole experience from beginning to end was unique. Arriving at about 08:00 on the Wednesday – complete with my FRIAT pass – I spent the day until about 16:00 in the Park and Ride at the Runway 23 approach along with an increasing, but never overwhelming, number of fellow "Friends". Light and visibility were perfect here as, stepladder equipped, we shot the first days' arrivals. Traditionally these are the 'big-ones' and two KC-10s and a ‘lifter soon joined the C-5 already occupying the cross-runway. Imagine the adrenaline rush also when an early arrival turned out to be the B-52! This was going to be good! The day continued with C-130s from the RAF, US air arms and the beautiful 347 from 3 Squadron, Royal Jordanian Air Force. If ever a Concours d’Elegance win was deserved it was for this superbly turned out example. In addition the South African C-130 tried, in vain, to win the longest journey prize to no avail, having only slipped over from Marshall’s at Cambridge.

A runway change at 16:00 did little to dampen spirits as, from this vantage point, a short walk led to the turn-off Dramatic entrances are the norm on arrivals days point for An26s and more Hercules. All agreed that, for the first day, it had been well worth while.

When finding new sites for RIAT, the organisers were well served by the local geography at Cottesmore, with a field of some thirty acres so near in which to put the campsite. Again, you have to do it to appreciate it but over the next three days, this huge field became "Tent City" with probably a thousand pitches fully occupied. Cynical maybe, but add this to the set-aside grants from the EU – nice one, Mr Farmer! Toilet and shower facilities were immaculately maintained for the whole period and a bar and shop were there for those 'essential' items.

Primary colors

Day two dawned, with clear blue skies and onto the base at Cottesmore for the first time – and the first surprise. Everyone that you meet with a RIAT uniform is SO friendly. I must have replied "Good Morning" to a dozen RIAT staff before we got to the entrance to the enclosure. On paper, the idea that "parties of FRIAT members would be escorted onto the base" seemed a bit strange. It has to be said that the friendliness of those doing the escorting made this work in perfect harmony with the enthusiasts – nobody waiting more than a few minutes to walk in. Again, not knowing what to expect, we flashed our badges (more "Good Mornings") and in we went. First part of the enclosure is the restaurant, shop and bar – which it has to be said would be visited many times in the next few days. With a non-exorbitant price tag, breakfasts, lunches and dinners were all there to be sampled. A free programme and gift (a RIAT cap) were there to be picked up along with a list of arrivals for the day - £2 a copy but, as Smashie would say, "it’s all for charity". Through the door to the RIAT grandstand, with its prime position for the best view in the house. We could thank our Lucky Star that our colleagues, who had reserved the back row, were definitely not using the stand that day. This meant that we could stand up for the photo opportunities and not risk the occasional head appearing in frame during a pan (possibly my only criticism of the whole event). Standing up anywhere other than the back row is definitely not in Vogue and is met with a chorus of abuse from the other watchers. Those who book seats have the chance to re-book the same seats for next year at set times during the Tattoo and you can understand why they do it – a seat in the back row is a seat to Cherish.

FRIAT faves

So to day three and another day of final arrivals and rehearsals (to allow the B-1, C-17 and MiG-21 to find the airfield – if they had rehearsed much further from the crowd line they would have been in the next county!). Finally, another perk for the Friends of the Tattoo, in that as soon as the base has completed its arrivals, parking and is declared safe, it is open house for FRIAT members to wander the static without the hoards that will follow on Saturday and Sunday – an ideal photo opportunity. It was also the time to realise that the F-117 was subject to protection from a group of paranoids. In the space of thirty minutes we saw people ordered off stepladders and those standing on their camera boxes were subject to the same. Definitely Borderline was the treatment of the poor commentator from the Frecce Tricolori who was walking back from the commentary box to the team’s location on the other side of the airfield. He (a member of the military) was shouted at, cornered and given a public dressing down by these morons for walking past the back of the aircraft! He appeared totally shocked, as he hadn’t even looked at it – his mind, no doubt, on other things.

Having 'done' most of the assembled aircraft during arrival and rehearsal – the opportunity on Saturday came to just sit and enjoy the show. Despite what you may have read on some Internet sites, this was a first-class airshow. The combination of fast, heavy, tear-jerking and new was well blended. In my opinion the Committee of RIAT are like us, they get what they get and have to make it work. It’s not their fault if the USAF takes a different view of what makes a good demo than a few e-mailing egoists who feel they are in a position to judge.

So followed two days of glorious sun-drenched airshow. Another thought that we expressed when leaving on Sunday evening for the campsite was that it was also a very safe show – a repeat of what some have suffered at airshows this year would have done RIAT, of UK airshows, no good whatsoever.

Did I say walking back? RIAT is the first airshow I have ever been to where events are purposely arranged to prevent you leaving at the end of the flying. All it needs now is a fireworks display as darkness falls and nobody will ever want to leave! As it was, the strains of music from the concert as we took advantage of the sunset light to get those last few shots just added to the feeling of well-being that was RIAT 2001.

Check them out at http://... The final chapter for the "Friends" is departure day. If you haven’t done it then this is the day when the military want their airfield back and the period from 08:30 to whenever means that some three-hundred or so aircraft have to vacate their spots and go home. FRIAT members watch from their enclosure and grandstand as a continuous procession of aircraft follows each other and bids farewell to RIAT. Sadly, the demand on time means no fly-bys are allowed but it doesn’t stop the wing-waving farewells once the wheels are safely tucked away or the back-seater waving his whatnots off as the pilot hauls his aircraft into the sky.

...And you worried you were sad! So my thanks and appreciation go to everyone who has anything to do with RIAT 2001. Yes, you could pick holes if you are the type but I felt that the organisation of this six-day spectacular was as near perfect as anybody could expect. If one ever refers to the term 'volunteers', it seems to automatically include an allowance for some lacking in expertise – not so here folks, this is as Professional as you can get (capital "P" intended). My thanks also to my friends, Roger and Neil for making the whole thing happen – and my wife Caroline for the birthday present of a FRIAT ticket!

RIAT? – I’m converted – in fact I’m Mad-on-er!