What on earth is a RIAT you may wonder, and assuming you are not an aeroplane nerd you may not have heard about it – it’s in RAF Fairford and it is the Royal International Air Tattoo – and I went this year.
Evening before was supposed to be a careful one – it wasn’t – although not too much, just two much – and we were up and at ’em at 5:00 the next morning – shattered. Paul told us that there would be queues and I hate queues – so the idea was to get there early, before they started. We got there early – they had already started. Not sure what it was like later on, but the traffic was great until a few miles before, then because of a junction up ahead and some stupid police, there were queues. Also, not helping were a couple of selfish idiots on horses on the road – causing problems. Anyway – in not too long a time we got there, parked up with my front wheel against a cone and retrieved my squashed hat from the car.
As we walked over to the gate I was aware that most people had various picnic items, like umbrellas, chairs, cool boxes, camera’s some people even had little trucks to carry their gear in. I had a hat.
Once trough security it was the first visit to Andy Loo’s, which Kate thought was quite amusing – and past some planes. There were a lot of planes on the ground, and some helicopters and loads of simulation machines. And loads and loads of people staring at these planes and helicopters, taking pictures and gurning, and some even writing numbers in little books. I know people need a hobby, but these were adults for goodness sake – although there were a higher percentage of odd looking people here also.
I was starving at this point so sought out the food place and got a crappy hotdog, not realising that further down the airfield were more places, the next place was actually called something like “gormay sausages” so I missed a trick there. We continued walking and walking – the runway was long – until it was time for the planes to take off – we just missed the start, but got a virepoint for the first plane – a Vulcan I think – it was very impressive – the rumble from the afterburners was exciting, the power and maneuverability of the thing was very cool – I thought this might actually be fun. The next plane wasn’t so good, nor the next, or the next, or the next, or the next, or the next. We had found a place to sit, and it was a beautiful if a little hot. Lunch was well received – I had a burger, which was dry – but quite tasty, and then a pasty which was hot and tasty – I was so full I even saved the end of the pasty for later.
After lunch it was decided we were to move on, and unfortunately as we walked up the 50 mile runway we missed the Apache and its pyrotechnics and the Grippen – which was very impressive. Obviously we could still see the things as they were in the sky, and that is up in the air, but we didn’t have a good relaxed view – which was a shame. We camped down on the grass again, and watched the Red Arrows and some team like the Red Arrows but in blue, then another group like the Red Arrows but with Breitling written on them. Then before we knew it, it was time to go home. So we went.
Unfortunately as I pulled away I heard a little *tsschink* and didn’t think anything of it, but the steering was flabby and pulling to the left – I thought a puncture, so got out to look – didn’t seem to be – but the noise continued as I went around the runway, so I stopped again. Tires looked okay, but as they are stupid run flats its not always obvious. Looked under the car – nothing, then I notice the cone was stuck in the wheel arch. I tried to remove it, and some kind soul stopped to help. Sian and I had not though rationally for the first 30 seconds, so he just said – you need to jack it up and take the wheel off. Good idea dude – but no jack.
Luckily he flagged down a passing cone man, who in turn called an AA man who was on site, and he jacked the car up, and with a quick “left hand down” the cone was removed – woohoo!.
Quite liked the airshow, but it wasn’t really my bag – even though I did enjoy the day- probably won’t rush back – but when I do, I shall take a chair.
RIAT – 7/10