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Dave Eade/DEltafoto looks at the 100 years of Flight Exhibition. Pictures by the author and Gary Parsons It is an almost impossible job to portray the flying history of Great Britain. Add to that task the time-scale of a few months to complete it and it is a wonder that anyone took the burden on - the team that accomplished this incredible feat at RIAT 2003 therefore deserve every praise and accolade. There were criticisms in the Internet press and forums (when aren't there?) but the end result was a collection of superbly turned out examples of best of the last 100 years. The historic collection was neatly knitted in with a RAF/RN Today selection which meant that the whole of the west-end of Fairford was given over to one of the best displays of static aircraft seen in this country for years.
With some widely publicised logistics RIAT 2003 collected some true gems of the jet age from the museum fraternity. Air-Scene UK saw the Scimitar two years ago - apparently abandoned outside the Southampton Hall of Aviation - but to see it standing proud in its rightful place alongside the other Fleet Air Arm jets was amazing. The nit-pickers amongst our readers will no doubt point to the slight nose-down attitude and a few pieces laying unattached but that is unfair to those volunteers who have worked so hard to put it where it should be.
Disappointing, then, was the Phantom FGR2 (XV408) which was not looking its best, it has to be said. Last seen in the blue colour scheme of 92 Squadron, it now appears to have been cleaned up ready to paint - appearing in air-defence grey, but badly needing some TLC. The beautiful example at Waddington would have, perhaps, been a better choice. In times gone by, different decisions by the government could have meant that the Lightning would not have figured at all in the exhibition, but its alternative would have appeared. I refer to the RAF Museum Cosford's superb Saunders-Roe SR53. This has long been immaculately displayed both inside and out at the Museum and it was wonderful to see it in this line-up.
Tempting it must be to only include the glamorous aircraft in the parade but that was not the way here. Examples of Basset, Pembroke, Auster and Chipmunk were rightfully included - and well presented too!
So that's it for our look at RIAT 2003 - a show that was certainly a marked improvement on 2002. Next year's show is over the weekend of 19/20 July - Defence 2004 is already being promoted as the main feature. See you there!
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