Brize Norton flypasts

[CJS]

Ok, before I'm shot down in flames I a) know they don't happen and b) understand it's not just a case of flying over the airshow, lots of planning needs to be done.

That said, pretty much every year you can see aircraft climbing out of BN during RIAT. So just for fun today I flew an Alpha Jet between the two on GEFS (I know I know...) and it took all of 3 minutes I think to take off, line up for FFD and perform a flypast, then turn and land back at Brize.

Obviously the timings aren't going to be that accurate using something like GEFS but I'd never realised just how close the two airfields are.

My question therefore is whether there's a specific reason we never see anything from Brize perform a flypast at RIAT. Or have we in the past?

Cheers

[Andyperkins]

Ok, before I'm shot down in flames I a) know they don't happen and b) understand it's not just a case of flying over the airshow, lots of planning needs to be done.

That said, pretty much every year you can see aircraft climbing out of BN during RIAT. So just for fun today I flew an Alpha Jet between the two on GEFS (I know I know...) and it took all of 3 minutes I think to take off, line up for FFD and perform a flypast, then turn and land back at Brize.

Obviously the timings aren't going to be that accurate using something like GEFS but I'd never realised just how close the two airfields are.

My question therefore is whether there's a specific reason we never see anything from Brize perform a flypast at RIAT. Or have we in the past?

Cheers

They put on quite the flypast in 2012 consisting of a VC-10, Hercules, Tristar, C-17, Voyager, Atlas.

[CJS]

They certainly did. I was more wondering about those one off aircraft - I seem to recall last year or in 2015 there was a Canadian C-17 or something which was there for whatever reason over the weekend of RIAT and which left on one of the days. You could see it leaving and one wondered how tricky it would have been to have left via Fairford.

[Tommy]

Presumably not as simple as we'd like to believe, but yeah, looking at recent shows:

2011 - the 99 Sqn special tailed C-17 flew from Brize on the morning of each show day and departed in the evening (in case operational tasking required it elsewhere) & was placed in static (arguably landing/taking off are a bit cooler to see than a simple straight 'n' level flypast)
2012 - massed formation of "heavies" form Brize
2013 - Tristar performed a flypast

I'm sure there are others - things like RAF Herks arriving for static on the Friday show days, but I can't remember all of them. Point is, Brize do participate when they can, but presumably it's not as simple as taking off and flying past, despite the proximity.

I don't know if the memory is playing tricks, but I think last year's show, at P&V we all watched a Voyager lift off from Brize, and lazily join the circuit and land at FFD within minutes. I wouldn't have been surprised had they not put their wheels up!

[Russ]

My question therefore is whether there's a specific reason we never see anything from Brize perform a flypast at RIAT. Or have we in the past?

Another consideration is every RAF task is timed. Deapite the proximity, if they have to hold before performing a flyby. There's also the aircrafts fuel and payload to consider and also crew duty time if they have a long flight ahead.

Not as straightforward as you might think.

[Spotty_Jag]

I seem to recall last year or in 2015 there was a Canadian C-17 or something which was there for whatever reason over the weekend of RIAT and which left on one of the days. You could see it leaving and one wondered how tricky it would have been to have left via Fairford.

Even pre-Shoreham, I would have thought there was restrictions on who can fly at an airshow? Even "just a flypast"?

[capercaillie]

I seem to recall last year or in 2015 there was a Canadian C-17 or something which was there for whatever reason over the weekend of RIAT and which left on one of the days. You could see it leaving and one wondered how tricky it would have been to have left via Fairford.

Even pre-Shoreham, I would have thought there was restrictions on who can fly at an airshow? Even "just a flypast"?

Tell that to the countless number of RAF, Navy and USAF flypast pilots of shows of yesteryear.

In answer to Chris's opening question, Lyneham and Brize Norton based types used to be regular sights at IATs at Fairford through the 1980s and 1990s with multiple type formation flybys, eg 15 Hercules in 1987, regular Hercules 4/5 ships, Tristar and 2 VC10s in vic formations, Tristar and VC10s in tanking formation flypasts and of course this happening after the solo VC10 and later solo Hercules were still on the display circuit.

I'd assume as we have in recent years had the odd flypast by a VC10 and Tristar, that its still very possible, but it just comes down to timing and tasking now, with the transport fleet stretched and the flying display timings all carefully regulated. Cosford for example try and get a couple of Brize heavies flying through each year successfully, so its certainly achievable.

[Georgeconna]

Sure we are all happy now to see Multiple Typhoon and F-16 Act's in one day, Why bother with something different like an ATA refueling demo that happens on a weekend show day instead of this Friday 'show'.

Funny every time I go to Brize we see SFA moving, When we are at FFD for the show it looks like the world and it's mother are leaving and arriving into brize

[aviodromefriend]

I don't know if the memory is playing tricks, but I think last year's show, at P&V we all watched a Voyager lift off from Brize, and lazily join the circuit and land at FFD within minutes. I wouldn't have been surprised had they not put their wheels up!

I think it was in '02 during departures. The RAF C-17 already had it's landing clearance at Brize even before it was allowed to taxi at Fairford. In the end it was visible for the complete flight and was on the ground before the next departure from RIAT.

About how close it is: in '99 a number of participants that flew a solo demo and also were planned to fly in the finale landed at Brize Norton between their flights to free up some time while launching the show's finale and build up the runway salute. Their landings were easily visible from the showground. Also the Reds have used Brize for a number of occasions as their operating base.