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The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world's largest military air show, held annually over the third weekend in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. The show usually attracts a total of 150,000 to 200,000 spectators on both days.
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History
The first Air Tattoo was staged at North Weald airfield in Essex with just over 100 aircraft taking part. From these small beginnings the show became the International Air Tattoo in 1976, and recognition of its unique status was granted by Her Majesty The Queen in 1996, when the current Royal International Air Tattoo title was adopted in 1996. From 1973 to 1983 RIAT was held at Greenham Common before moving to RAF Fairford in 1985.
- The first Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford was held in 1985. It became an annual show from 1993. Due to runway repairs at RAF Fairford the show temporary moved to RAF Cottesmore, Rutland in 2000 and 2001.
- In 1996 the show was awarded a Royal warrant to use the prefix Royal and it therefore became the current Royal International Air Tattoo.
- In 2003 the air show was recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest military air show ever, with an attendance of 535 aircraft.
- In 2006 around 300 aircraft from 24 countries were on display.
The shows have had a number of air show firsts, including the first display and landing of the then top secret stealth aircraft B-2A Spirit bomber outside of the United States of America during the 1997 "50 Years of the USAF" anniversary theme and in 2008 the first appearance of the state of the art F-22 Raptor in Europe.
Although the show is a showcase for the world's military, it has became an important precursor to the Farnborough Airshow held every even years in the following week. It allows the military aerospace industry to display and present itself outside of the commercial pressures of the Farnborough show.
2008 Cancellation
The 2008 airshow was to feature two themes, the 90th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force and Global Engagement. The United States Air Force Air Combat Command's F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team had made the first trans-Atlantic flight for the new stealth aircraft to participate in the 2008 Royal International Air Tattoo.1 On Friday July 10th, 2008, the day before the air show opened to the public, HM The Queen Elizabeth II presented under harsh weather conditions new colors to the RAF and RAF Regiment in front of selected guests and VIPs. Following a week of heavy rainfall this made the already waterlogged car parks and some portion of the apron unusable. Safety concerns for the hundreds of thousands of expected visitors led the organizers to a last minute cancellation of the RIAT for the first time in the show history.2
RIAT 2009
The themes for RIAT 2009 are ; "Tigers Eye '09" , "Sea Search 09" and the 60th anniversary of NATO.
The 1993 MiG-29 accident
In 1993 two Mig-29s of the Russian Air Force collided in mid-air and crashed away from the public. No one was hurt on the ground.3 After having ejected, the two pilots landed safely.4 Investigators later determined that a pilot error was the cause, after one pilot did a reverse loop and disappeared into the clouds, the other one lost sight of his wingman and aborted the routine.
References
- ^ "VIDEO - RIAT 2008: F-22 display follows 'flawless' first transatlantic crossing" (2008-07-12). Retrieved on 2008-07-13.
- ^ "Second day of air show cancelled" (2008-07-12). Retrieved on 2008-07-13.
- ^ Photos: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29S (9-13S) Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net
- ^ Military Aviation
External links
- Official website
- Photos from RIAT 2007
- BBC features on the Royal International Air Tattoo, past and present
- Michael Pead :: Photos of the Fairford Airshow
- RIAT 2006 photo set
Reviews of Previous RIATs
- Review of RIAT 2007 - aircraftinaction.co.uk
- Review of RIAT 2007 - airscene.org.uk
- Review of RIAT 2007 - airshows.org.uk
- Review of RIAT 2006 - airscene.org.uk
- Review of RIAT 2006 - airshows.org.uk
- Review of RIAT 2006 - checksix-online.com
- Review of RIAT 2005 - airshows.org.uk
- Review of RIAT 2005 - airscene.org.uk
- Review of RIAT 2005 - aircraftinaction.co.uk
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 1 December 2008, at 19:02.
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