RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

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Tuckat
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Tuckat »

capercaillie wrote:
Thu 21 Jul 2022, 1:16 pm
Did he suck seed, that goes against the grain? When the Buffs pulled out he was being a bit of a wall-flour.
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Mike
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Mike »

Come on guys, it was an honest mistake, I’m sure he feels crop about it

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capercaillie
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by capercaillie »

Was it all just run of the mill stuff though? Or did you think it was oatstanding?
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bobby 1211
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by bobby 1211 »

Barley walking = he looked like he had half of his body paralysed after a stroke only moving his right leg forward, nearly tripping over. I think if your over 60 it's time to say enough but you do you.

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capercaillie
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by capercaillie »

Anyway, back to thoughts.

Well, firstly and most importantly it was great to be back on hallowed ground, see friends for the banter, mourn others who sadly didn't make it through the last three years.

A show was delivered with nearly 300 aircraft, 180 in service military aircraft turned up, 20 UK show firsts of in service military types, cannot think of how long its been since that many new types appeared at a single event. Simply outstanding.

The flying had a good mix of types, yes a Rafale or Mirage pair would have been great, the gorgeous Danish F-16 even better, an A-10 to top it all off, but you can only work with what is available on the day. As a comeback it definitely had enough fast jets and great helicopters, many new. I'd have spaced the turboprop teams out a little more during the day rather than having a Pilatus fest towards the end, maybe something to look at as a balance in future?

The static had enough gems to keep us happy, E-4B was a tremendous coup, would be nice to know how much work went on behind the scenes to arrange. But lets not forget types that won't likely grace RIAT again such as the German A340 and AMX, as well as stunners like the Polaris, An30, Hunter, Swedish trio and the A-4.

Car parks flowed really well this year (Thursday P&V aside), and even access through the tent into the showground moved efficiently. We appeared to have a larger number of North American viewers in FRIAT this year judging by the whooping and hollering, but you can't dampen excitement. Appreciation was shown to so many acts, applauded as they rolled in, the Koreans getting the biggest hand, with their Taegeukgi painting and spiral bomb-burst break.

Negatives, well small gripes, the cloud on Friday afternoon, why didn't the organisers plan the E-4, Swedes and Hunter to arrive in the morning after the A-4 I will never know? The parking of the Estonian Skytruck was next to useless - head on to the rope with that wingspan, with light down the tail or nose either side of the flying display - tut tut. And not letting the Lithuanian Dauphin go past the FRIAT enclosure before that Italian Herc came in on Monday, terrible timing there from ATC.

I go to an airshow for the aircraft, so I generally don't take too much interest in stalls, water bowsers, price of chips, the mini London Eye unless its in the back of a picture or other paraphernalia but attending five days from Wednesday to Monday in good weather with a very good line up in these times, I left with a smile on my face.

A round of applause for the Ops team as they walk past the FRIAT enclosure please. :clap: :clap_tone1: :clap_tone2: :clap_tone3: :clap_tone4: :clap_tone5:
Last edited by capercaillie on Thu 21 Jul 2022, 3:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bodz156
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Bodz156 »

bobby 1211 wrote:
Thu 21 Jul 2022, 3:16 pm
Barley walking = he looked like he had half of his body paralysed after a stroke only moving his right leg forward, nearly tripping over. I think if your over 60 it's time to say enough but you do you.
Do you mean " *barely* " walking

I even looked it up on Google to see if I was missing something & all I got was suggestions for walks in Lancashire.... :thinking:

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jasonT1981
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by jasonT1981 »

One of my biggest WTFs was people on mobility scooters. Some seemed to have 0 regard for anyone on the static. I lost count of how many times I nearly got ran over on the Saturday with them just driving on through everyone to get to the front lol.

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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by bobby 1211 »

Yeah I didn't even realise the auto correct 😆 well from now on I'll be proof reading what I write.

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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Mike »

jasonT1981 wrote:
Thu 21 Jul 2022, 3:34 pm
One of my biggest WTFs was people on mobility scooters. Some seemed to have 0 regard for anyone on the static. I lost count of how many times I nearly got ran over on the Saturday with them just driving on through everyone to get to the front lol.
That, and people with large backpacks. One almost demolished a table's worth of stuff in the Aviation Bookshop stand on Saturday, and wandered off without a care in the world.

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Gonzo230
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Gonzo230 »

capercaillie wrote:
Thu 21 Jul 2022, 3:30 pm
.
Negatives, well small gripes, the cloud on Friday afternoon, why didn't the organisers plan the E-4, Swedes and Hunter to arrive in the morning after the A-4 I will never know?
I mean, I’m just wildly guessing here, but I don’t think the folks doing the Longest Day in mid-June have the detailed hourly forecast for the Friday of show week available. :joy:

Seriously, the major factor in arrival slot timing is the time at which the aircraft/element want to arrive.

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HeyfordDave111
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by HeyfordDave111 »

Hmmmmmm, ok, my comments....

Positives.....
Nice turn out of aircraft with some very rare ones 'in the mix'.
Best Display for me was the Austrians. Choreographed pure grunt!
Black Eagles (Obs), although if you did really take time out to look at the display there were gaps between formations, but they are, in my eyes, the best out there....by a fair margin.
Great weather if not a little too hot.
Prices on some of the food stands, and they did vary from stand to stand if you looked.
UK Phoon with the covers on! really guys? tell you what, dont come!
Clank guys letting you on board
The gorgeous Canadian bus! Yummy
If Mr Cruise is turning up, run him up and down the runway so we can all see him eh? Not just the 'elite' few, or 'in the know'

I did spend a goodly few hours in P&V East on Friday i think it was (it all melts into 1 big memory) and stood about 30ft back from the ladder line (yes, why oh why are there ladders on the line instead of back where i sat), and i thoroughly enjoyed it, and it bought back memories of the 90's sitting there wondering what was next? Wish they brought back that grandstand in West though, and charge for access. I'd do that.

Me'h bits
Car park. Why start marshalling cars to the furthest points of the field and working back from there. You get into blue early and have to walk waaaaay further than those turning up later.
Why did FRIAT guys and girls have to walk the width of a field, to enter the road and walk back that very same width to go into the FRIAT 'gate'? Literally open the bloody 5 bar gate that was by the refreshments and toilets, but dont subject your guests to a yomp with all their gear, thats just plain silly.
While im here, why no FRIAT lane at security? Another 'perk' lost.
FRIAT stand is too small now, the guy next to me took , and i am not joking, half my seat, and every time he lifted his lens he hit me in the head or cheek with it. The stand needs 're-inventing for the more corpulent.
With the heat, why not have a white roof from the stand to the RIAT building so we can sit outside but sheltered from the rays to chill out? wouldnt cost much out of your next years way too large a windfall.
Too many buzzy things at the show, as predicted, and in that heat you can only go to the loo so many times. I watched precicely 0 full buzzy displays, maybe i would have watched 2 or 3, but felt it was overpowering with the amount of those teams.
Why no sheet of lies on the Friday?
Why was blue now joined with an 'alternate' blue? all this did was hold up the blue route as the over officious marshalls 'did their thing!
Talking of which, I thought the marshalls could have done with some customer care courses, as 1 particular one bellowed and bellowed at a poor old chap who had mistakenly turned his car the wrong way when on the field.
Oh those back packers, and mobility scooters..... painful in all respects.

I fear that next year will find me elsewhere, as the price rises are too painful now, and beyond my budget.
I hope that RIAT charge an exponentially similar amount to the guys and gals that only turn up for a day....... any bets on that happening? lol
I think That RIAT need to now 'up their game', price rises are bad enough, but give something back, and dont B.S. us and tell us the majority of members wanted a price rise..... we aint that gullible!
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verreli
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by verreli »

There's been some really great feedback on this thread and also over on the main RIAT 22 discussion thread. I hope the RIAT team read it and make the 2023 show even better next year. There's always circumstances beyond the organisers control and that will no doubt occur next year too but equally there are things that can be done better.

My only wish is that more of a thing was made of the Friday arrivals. This year was good with the A4, E-4B and SHF but a few more missed approaches or thought in relation to making the arrival more of a spectacle - within the rules and regulations - would make a good thing great.

Many thanks to all involved in the organisation and running of the show. It was a great event and I'll be back next year for another dose of aviation medicine.

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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by JMC »

Precisely, imagine some F-4’s confirmed and were told to arrive on the Friday and blast up the airfield before landing.

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aviodromefriend
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by aviodromefriend »

Gonzo230 wrote:
Thu 21 Jul 2022, 4:17 pm
capercaillie wrote:
Thu 21 Jul 2022, 3:30 pm
.
Negatives, well small gripes, the cloud on Friday afternoon, why didn't the organisers plan the E-4, Swedes and Hunter to arrive in the morning after the A-4 I will never know?
I mean, I’m just wildly guessing here, but I don’t think the folks doing the Longest Day in mid-June have the detailed hourly forecast for the Friday of show week available. :joy:

Seriously, the major factor in arrival slot timing is the time at which the aircraft/element want to arrive.
want to arrive? From their last visit to Luchtmachtdagen Volkel I know the SWAFHF wants to finish their flying as early as possible if they go abroad, as that leaves them more time for beer drinking. I would imagine for them it is more something of
a at what time can we depart from Satenas?
b when can we come down somewhere for refuelling?
c when can we leave our refuelling base?
d could this all be done before the Friday airshow starts?
than wanting to arrive at a specific time, unless maybe you would allow them to arrive during the show (as happened in '19 when the Patrouille de France dropped in in bits during the time the flying display would have taken place).
A weather forecast is a forecast and just that

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nighthawk999
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by nighthawk999 »

To Heyford Dave 111; "and every time he
lifted his lens he hit me in the head or cheek with it".
Why did you allow him to apparently do it multiple times,or was it completely unavoidable?Did you at least say something to him?
The first time could be considered accidental I suppose,but repeatedly??

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Tuckat
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Tuckat »

nighthawk999 wrote:
Mon 25 Jul 2022, 4:42 pm
To Heyford Dave 111; "and every time he
lifted his lens he hit me in the head or cheek with it".
Why did you allow him to apparently do it multiple times,or was it completely unavoidable?Did you at least say something to him?
The first time could be considered accidental I suppose,but repeatedly??
Same thing happened to me, in P&V east on Monday. We got in early, and set our chairs against the fence, I’m quite happy taking photos sitting down. Shortly after the departures started I had a solid nudge on the back of my head. I turned around and a bloke was looking through his telephoto lens and it was a smaller camera that was slung around his neck that had caught me. As he didn’t say anything I assumed it was an accident. Shortly afterwards he did it again. This time I waited until he lowered his camera and I gave him one of those looks ( it usually works, herself calls it my F off face) No reaction from the camera wielding "dwad". When it happened the third time I stood up, advised him that was the third time he had caught me and if he did it again I would stick his camera where the sun doesn’t shine. He moved away and didn’t bother me again. As happened with a previous poster, as soon as the idiot had moved on, the people sat either side of us thanked me for getting rid of him. I guess that type of behaviour is symptomatic of the times, no manners and no consideration. It won’t put us off of returning next year though :slight_smile:
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by MarkL »

bobby 1211 wrote:
Wed 20 Jul 2022, 8:18 pm
BTW I was quite shocked I saw people in their 60s attending RIAT, barley walking, tripping over grass but trying to get that one photo🤨
Ageism alive and well.
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by cg_341 »

Obvious troll continues to be obvious but noone does anything about it.

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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Berf »

Perhaps a meet the pilots event at FRIAT as an additional benefit. I 'happened' to be passing the tent down in the red zone but there was not much interest with a bloke with a loud hailer cajoling people to visit. FRIAT people are more likely to be very interested (and less likely to tramp down to the red zone), the location with the marquee is better, and there seemed to be quite a lot of interest when COAP produced a couple of US pilots. Maybe on the Friday when some pilots are less busy...

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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by stevebrodie »

HeyfordDave111 wrote:
Thu 21 Jul 2022, 5:16 pm
..............................

Me'h bits
Car park. Why start marshalling cars to the furthest points of the field and working back from there. You get into blue early and have to walk waaaaay further than those turning up later....................
Does my swede in !, we got into Blue early and ended up by the burger van. Cosford is even worse, its a gamble as to what time to turn up to get the closest carpark to the runway.
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by iainpeden »

Arrived both days about 6.45 and was to the back of blue 2 Saturday and Sunday. That suited me as I wanted to get out back to the 419 and Cirencester not drag through Kempsford and Highworth to Blunsden Hill to get stuck at the lights on that 419 junction. I was able to go out of the back of the field, simple.
On Saturday I was told they had shut the five bar gate to stop queue jumping. I just climbed over.
(Bobby 1211 will be amazed a 64 year old is still capable of climbing a gate - not ready for the scrap heap yet, but the old saying about youth being wasted on the young is spot on)
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by neil_davidson2 »

It was great getting back to RIAT this year.

Friday was spent wandering around the static with a pause for the parts of the flying display, and then Sunday in the Cotswold Club.

We used the shuttled bus from Swindon bus station both days and this worked well as always, great service & friendly, helpful staff.

Entry through the yellow gate also went well, we arrived about 8.30 on Friday and went through with an efficient wand over and quick bag check; Sunday we arrived about 7.00 and the queue seemed to move quickly enough once the gates were opened.

In terms of the static display I thought it was a great mix of aircraft and reasonably well laid out for the most part given the inevitable clutter. There were a couple of gaps in the display areas which I assume were down to cancellations. It's already been mentioned that the position of some aircraft was a little unsympathetic with regards to photography and I'd like to add the Coast Guard display to that collection - I love seeing them represented at the show but they always seem to be in close formation with a lot of blue cones. I thought the line-up in "helicopter alley" was great though.

The flying display was also a great mix of types, although I will admit we were suffering a little from Pilatus-fatigue towards the end of Sunday afternoon. That's not to say the displays weren't well flown but I wonder if it's down to our position towards the end of the crowd line. It's accepted that the majority of displays will be oriented around the centre of the crowd line (with the exception of the Czech Sokol which seemed to be centred somewhere over Cardiff) and as a result the slower displays inevitably end up with longer gaps between passes over the crowd ends.

We decided to forego the Swiss PC-7 team and trek up to the green end to take a look around the static displays up there, and although it was definitely worth the effort for the gems parked up there I did wonder if there might have been a possibility of positioning some of the "star" items such as the Swedish Historic Flight & A-4 closer to the centre of the static park.

With regards the showground itself the toilets being grouped together was a bit of an issue if you were caught short towards the Western end of the blue zone. The only other minor gripe was the lack of phone signal over the weekend, although if the phone companies declined to put in additional temporary masts there's probably not a lot RIAT can do about that one.

Overall we both thoroughly enjoyed both days we were there and as mentioned at the top of the post it was great to be back.

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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by boff180 »

neil_davidson2 wrote:
Tue 26 Jul 2022, 1:19 pm
I did wonder if there might have been a possibility of positioning some of the "star" items such as the Swedish Historic Flight & A-4 closer to the centre of the static park.
They were parked where they were as this historically is the best area photographically for static aircraft hence why most of the stars were parked in this location.

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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Foggy32 »

My thoughts

It was great to be back on the airfield, meeting up with some people we hadn’t seen for a long time.

Arrivals – Wednesday was a bit slow but nothing RIAT can do about that. I didn’t mind the walk from the green car park, which gave us the opportunity to stretch our legs after the long drive. Only negative really (I understand we did have a choice about this) but that Burger van was a disgrace £13 for a frozen burger with Chips with grated cheese that you had to search for!!! Anyway like I said my choice to buy from the van. The coffee from the other place was good though.

Thursday – great to be back in the grandstand, loved every minute of it.

Friday/Saturday and Sunday – Thought the program was really well planned out with some great displays, thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the heat. Loved that some of the display aircraft were viewable in the green/red ends. The only issue I have was with the tat stalls in front of the aircraft, by god the scrum around that F-15 on Saturday was horrendous, why can’t they be moved away, I understand they want to sell t-shirts, etc

Monday – again enjoyed every minute but had to retreat after the F-15 took off.

FRIAT – I thought the staff seemed to be a little defensive and abrupt on Thursday and Friday, although when we were in the enclosure on Sunday, seemed to be completely different. Maybe I am being overly picky but I saw more than one member walking away shaking his/her head. However, not going to put me off for next year 😊

All things Car Parks 😊 – well same as any other year, wanted to avoid the scrum of the Blue Car Park during the airshow days so parked in the Red Car park – didn’t arrive until around 7 each day so parked up and joined the line, Friday was amazing, practically straight in, Saturday well it was a bit of a shambles to be fair, cars were pushed a little too far up to the entry point when resulted in no real lines being formed, then miss communication from stewards didn’t really help, result, the disabled entry point being used by all and sundry and security measures being thrown out of the window. Sunday well a completely different story, arrived practically the same time, joined a formed line, and took around 25 minutes to get in so no issues. Leaving the red car park, to be honest doesn’t help when no stewards are directing traffic but any delays were expected. Not perfect but far from being a shambles. Red Entry point bit weird where it was located, also who’s idea was it to have traffic run just after the entry point, causing a pinch point (move the stall for god’s sake 😊) but honestly saved the legs a little bit 😊. All in all, could have been better but also could have been a whole lot worse.

Shopping stalls etc – seemed to be a lot less than in previous years, but naturally, this will be as a result of COVID, the lack of Camera equipment stalls made me thankful I had stocked up on SD cards before I attended. I did, however, made sure I avoided the scale model stalls 😊

Overall
I really enjoyed the week, good variation of Types and the display days were full and enjoyable. Only minor gripes with the exiting the car park, some of the organization on Saturday morning and some snippy ness with the FRIAT staff but nothing that’s going to make me not attend next year.
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Re: RIAT 2022 Feedback and thoughts

Post by Mike »

iainpeden wrote:
Tue 26 Jul 2022, 10:01 am
(Bobby 1211 will be amazed a 64 year old is still capable of climbing a gate - not ready for the scrap heap yet, but the old saying about youth being wasted on the young is spot on)
Presumably it helped that it wasn't in a field of barley?