Go4Long wrote:Tommy wrote:Agree with that, but it’s not just a US issue. Arguably a significant percentage of any foreign commitment at RIAT, and other UK shows, is seldom reciprocated by the RAF.
We are woefully, embarrassingly, inadequate at returning support to European, US and other airshows from around the world. That may be for several different reasons; significant cuts in the amount of assets the RAF have on show (or just have at all!), a huge number of UK events over the summer all demanding RAF participation of some form or other, or just lack of willpower in the higher echelons.
Which is why, to me, it’s ok to speculate on things like August 1st, because of the Red Arrows tour, but such attendance should never be expected. Same with the US. The “special relationship” is a fair point, but relationships go two ways, and at the moment we’re the pretty non-committed partner.
I would love to see the US get to see a flying demonstration from the RAF at a couple of airshows over there. Did we support them with a flying display for their birthday bash last year? I can’t remember that we did, so why should we expect one for ours?
All of the "underequipped" arguments really are a little ridiculous when you consider that we (Canada) fly a whopping 77 Hornets, and we're likely to have at least two of them on site at RIAT this year. We have 5 C-17's and one will be on static. We have 14 operational CP-140's and one of them is coming. We have 12 CC-130's and 1 of them is coming. We have 15 CH-147's, and we brought one of them last year.
And we're far from the worst equipped air force that regularly has aircraft in attendance at RIAT. I don't understand why it is that people think the US, or really anyone should automatically beef up the display at any UK show when seeing a UK asset at a foreign show is essentially unheard of.
It really does seem to be a one way relationship all around. I've never seen a Typhoon even on static outside of the UK.
As hinted at elsewhere, we don't have the assets to do that anymore. Back in the day Vulcans and Nimrods were regulars at North American events. Admittedly in the UK we became very spoilt given the NATO commitment by US and Canadian forces based in Europe. Hell, if you didn't get an A-10 at your airshow, village Fete or goldfish's birthday party you'd really lucked out..