US Mil

[TomG]

I admire your confidence..................

[AlexC]

Oh you do make me laugh

So glad to hear that I amuse you. Wish I could say the same about you, but you do quite the opposite.

[AlexC]

Most are static at present!!

The vast majority of USAF participation has always been, and always will be static.

[Liveforriat]

You know I had thought the same thing!

The USAF participation looked pretty much standard to me maybe a little less flying than usual but not by much. There is no longer an F117 and there hasnt been an A10 for a while now. The F16 and F15 display teams havent been frequent vistors since 2003 if not earlier.

The F22 was never going to be here this year. Much like the superhornet it is a Farnborough year display only and probably will be for a while to come yet!

I did wonder if The new F15 Unvelied earlier this year would make an appearance not through an airforce but through manufacturer but this again is probably limited to Farnborough years also.

All in all though Im sure the B1B will soon be added to the flying list which will make it a pretty standard year as far as US participation is concerned!

For me personally the excitement is really building now I for one think the show is lining up to be a good one with plenty of noise and high energy!

[Manonthefence]

I wouldnt hold your breath waiting for a B1.

[Liveforriat]

I Like the B1 though Im not going to be oevrly dissapointed if the one in the static is the only one being sent I feel the flying display is good enough as it is and anythign else at this stage is a bonus!

Just out of interest why do you feel that there probably wont be one flying this year?

[capercaillie]

The F16 and F15 display teams havent been frequent vistors since 2003 if not earlier.

So the F-15 displays in 2004, 2006 and 2007 were just a figment of our imaginations then

[Liveforriat]

Ooops

Must of been queing for the loo!!

Think the point still stands that the flying display is never brimming with us participation

[AlexC]

Still better then a distant flypast by F-100's or F-101's in days of yore. Or maybe not!

[Bjcc]

Alex

Then don't read it, no problem to me, (although obviously you don't already)..simples....

Back to the subject. If you fill the flying with US stuff, then no one else gets a look in. Fine, if thats all you want to see, but some of the rest of us would like variety. Thats what we have so far this year. The balance is about right, if more than a one or 2 US items get added to whats there already, then the balance will be wrong.

[Manonthefence]

Ladies, can you get a room please.

[Manonthefence]

Just out of interest why do you feel that there probably wont be one flying this year?

I emailed them

KIDDING!

[Manonthefence]

I did wonder if The new F15 Unvelied earlier this year would make an appearance not through an airforce but through manufacturer but this again is probably limited to Farnborough years also.

Seeing as it is just a mockup and a proposal and isnt anywhere near cutting metal on it, I'd say that Farnborough next year was being very optimistic.

[Liveforriat]

Ahh I did not know this, I actually thought it was a finished, ready to sell piece of kit!

So will it fly any differnt to the standard F15 in terms of power and maneuverability or is it more sensors and LO?

[Russ]

The F-15SE is not scheduled to fly till early 2010, so no chance of an appearance this year. Depending on how desperate Boeing are to sell, maybe we'll get lucky at FI next year.

To answer your second point, there's some info at the following link regarding it's new capabilities:

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/03/17/323962/pictures-boeing-unveils-upgraded-f-15-silent-eagle-with-fifth-generation.html

[AlexC]

Ladies, can you get a room please.

But I'm not that way inclined thankfully!

[A40-BP]

How about an F-15SG then? Technically not US mil but built in US and Mil so...

And the obvious one, B-2A flypast. Or static if they're feeling generous

[Gooze]

A static B2..??

Thats Static Park Brize norton then...

[Monty]

A static B2..??

Thats Static Park Brize norton then...

What?

[A40-BP]

A static B2..??

Thats Static Park Brize norton then...

More like Mildenhall!

[Chimp]

De ja vous

Its like ground hog day on here, every year the same old *%^^ churned up and spat out in a different order.
'A VERY FEW' but ever so vocal, so up your own backsides you can't think of one single original thing to say, just the same old bollocks.
Perhaps thats because of your heads position.
You have no idea of the effort made by the guys to actually get here and by the team at RIAT to organise the whole thing.

Unless you've done it, I can assure you, you don't know.

And every year its the same, its never good enough!

Some suggestions;
Not enough toilets-Take a bucket
Food too expensive-Here's a radical thought, PICNIC!!!
Other people sat on the fence line in front of you without 12 foot lenses and six foot ladders, but with children and ooh picnics-Pay for a FRIAT Ticket its for charity after all! It could be your good deed for the year(Go on polish that Halo, you know you want too)

Enjoy the week/weekend for what it is, not for what it has been, or what you personally 'think' it should be!

If you're not prepared to give up your holidays and work extremely hard, in a very challenging (but great fun, I have to say)enviroment. For free, I might add, for most of the people involved! Then I personally don't think you're in any position to criticise/pester/generally make a nuisance of yourselves to those who are.

[garethbrum]

OK Chimp - I'll bite.

I agree completely regarding the issue of harping on about participation - it's boring and uneccessary as we all (well, most of us) know!

But two things - if you are being in any way shape or form serious.

When people pay good money to go to an event why shouldn't they expect enough toilets? Why do they have to pay through their nose for awful catering? Why should they have to pay extra on top of their ticket price just to get a reasonable view?

And why oh why do some (not all) of you volunteers do this "you can only complain if you've volunteered and worked really hard for free" line? The people who pay to go in to RIAT, or any other show or event for that matter, have every right to expect certain standards to be in place.

It's brilliant that RIAT has so many volunteers and I'm sure you all have a cracking time and work damn hard, but using that old line is verging on martyrdom! Who are you to tell people who've paid to go to an event what they can and can't complain about? Moans about participation aside of course!

[Lightning]

Not enough toilets-Take a bucket

That's a good idea. I plan to sit next to you for the duration of the display, so you'd better pray it isn't a hot day

[Dollar99]

Not enough toilets-Take a bucket

That's a good idea. I plan to sit next to you for the duration of the display, so you'd better prey it isn't a hot day

And if his prayer was answered you'd only complain about the weather

[Chimp]

First thing, I'm actually a girl not a boy!
I'm also not a volunteer
nor am I paid
and in my humble opinion None of the above would make me a martyr!

I think, no actually I know that, if you went to other events similar to RIAT, examples off the top of my head would be. RHS flower show, Tatton Park/Chelsea or even Harrogate.(that, for the purests and hair splitters means large, outdoor public events, held at non-purpose built venues) The lavvie and food situation would be very similar. Horse shows especially the large county shows are terrible for the toileting situation and the food. Dog burgers and Rat dogs spring to mind.
RIAT is not a gastronomical event, its an Airshow and whilst I appreciate bad, expensive food is a con. Its also a fact of these sort of events and as I said there is always the option to take your own. Especially if you're in FRIAT you could take a cool box and have Champagne and Cavier!!
How cool would that be!!
The fact is this is not just a RIAT thing, but you'd think it was, the way you guys carry on about it. Nobody is saying you can't complain, but for goodness sake a whole multipage thread on toilets!!! C'mon!

The Gang at Dbh have enough to do, believe me, without hiring the mobile equivalent of Jamie Oliver or Egon Ronet.

I have to say that I feel that there are quite a few people on here who feel they 'own' RIAT you know what I mean! and feel that they have a God given right to slag off/pester/stalk/critsicise and generally behave very badly towards people likeTim and Rob and the others at DBH.
There is a line, between constructive and helpful criticism/comments and just downright bitchiness and I see this line crossed time and time again on here and not just with regard to RIAT.


As for the bucket thing, well d'you know what, fill your boots pal!!!!!!
I've wee'd and poo'd in places you wouldn't believe, so i hardly think you and a bucket would cause me much distress!
Actually if you kept it for a little while you'd be able to Tan your own hides

Regards
H