Tails of RIAT

by Gary Parsons

Part three: The flying displays

Stretching from ten in the morning to nearly seven in the evening, the flying displays were as varied as ever during RIAT '99. There is always something for everyone, from gliders and stick-and-string first world war biplanes to fly-by-wire jet fighters. But, such is the enormous length of the crowdline (at nearly two miles) that the smaller aircraft and helicopters seem a bit lost in the vast expanse of sky they need to occupy; particularly struck by this was the lone Slingsby Firefly and the inter-war biplanes. Opening on both days were the Royal Air Force Parachute Display team, the Falcons, who are always a photographic treat.

Seven international display teams were present, ranging from the Red Arrows to the Jordanian Falcons. Special mention must go to the Polish Team Orlik, who gave their first ever display here last year and were back to take their well-earned place amongst the elite of the world. Their solo performer was particularly memorable, as he tested the limits of the display line near the crowd with some pleasing top-side passes and rolls, but how he escaped the red card is another matter! Full marks to that man.

Official trophy winner was Major Gyula Vari of the Hungarian Air Force, who won the Superkings Trophy for best overall solo jet demonstration in the Mig 29, giving a very polished performance, but our winner was the Swiss F18C display which was full of vapour, tight turns and violent manoeuvres; very spectacular! Favourites such as the F16, Flanker, Viggen, Tornados and Starfighter were there to see, all giving their all, if somewhat distant from the crowd. I'm sure some displays were over Oxfordshire...Saturday saw the treat of a routine by two AeroNavale F8 Crusaders, the 'thud' of the engaging afterbuners reminding everyone of the ancient technology enjoyed by this veteran jet fighter. Unfortunately one burst a tyre late in the day after participating in the NATO flypasts, so a solo routine was performed the day after. Also rekindling the sound of the fifties was Hunter F6A XF515 of Kennet Aviation, the Rolls-Royce Avon resonating as only the Hunter can make it do during some very high speed passes. This aircraft suffered an unfortunate mishap on returning to Luton Airport after the show, as the undercarriage failed on landing. Main damage received was to an aileron and drop tank, plus some repairable damage to the airframe. Apart from that, both pilot and aircraft were okay and returned to the air a couple of weeks later.

Piloting the F117A was an RAF exchange pilot, proving that the British Government has more than a passing interest in stealth operations, remember the rumour that twenty or so were being bought? Now that the Americans seem paranoid about display flying, all the stateside air force demos were no more than straight and level passes or wingovers, the B2 probably being thrown around most of all! Even the C17 display was muted compared to past ones at Mildenhall. Rather less restrained was a welcome performance from Navy P3C Orion 161411 of VP30, strange how the attitudes amongst different services from the same nation can vary...

The 75th anniversary of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force was marked by a number of aircraft, ranging from the Battle of Britain Flight to early jets such as the Meteor and Vampire. It was the AuxAF that introduced the jet fighter to the front line, when the Gloster Meteor MkIs equipped 616 Squadron, traditionally a reserve unit before the war. During the Battle of Britain, the AuxAF provided fourteen of the sixty-two squadrons in the order of battle, and to commemorate this Spitfire P7350 from the BBMF was marked in its former colours of 603 Squadron, just as it had actually appeared in the skies over England some fifty-nine years ago!

Making a splash (literally!) was a C130H from the 302nd AW, US Air Force Reserve Command which demonstrated its fire-bombing capability on both days, dousing the BBMF in the process on the Saturday! Such was the heat of the weekend though, that the crowd would probably have been much more appreciative of the soaking! Other heavies giving spirited displays were the G222 as usual and as mentioned in part one, but even this was upstaged by the incredible agility of the C130J which has more power than it really knows what to do with.

As well as the Royal Jordanian Air Force making their own tribute to the late King Hussein, the RAF provided a flypast of Jaguars in 'missing man' formation, the King having particularly strong ties with 6 Squadron and the personnel from Coltishall. Finale on both days was the NATO tribute, with the specially painted E3A as the centre-piece. Jets from many of the member nations lined the runway set against a backdrop of hovering helicopters, while set-piece formations flew overhead, such as the Mig-29 and F8 Crusader. While this was all very impressive, it did tend to drown out the commentary, leading to some confusion as to what was happening next. This happened a few years ago with the similar Victory Finale, and the end result is something that was a good idea but...

Part four: NATO's finest.