RIAT 2025

[Tommy]

On the wider point - I still struggle to see why it seemingly strikes such high emotions (not necessarily here, but elsewhere).

RIAT regularly has Europe’s only CV-22B demonstration. And this year the flying U-2 demo was fantastic. Last year we had a CV-22B refuelling with an MC-130, and a B-52H flying. Hell, you can even count the E-4B flypast in 2022. I’ll take that unique stuff any day of the week, personally.

The F-35 will be around for yonks. It’ll come back to RIAT at some point. And the F-16, using a SP or AV jet is far outmatched by its European counterparts in my opinion. That leaves the F-22 which we’ve been blessed to see quite a few times over the years and, once again, I’m quite sure it’ll come back eventually.

[jasonT1981]

Back to 2025

Just looked at my general entry tickets. It says Event date 16th July 2025 for both days of my tickets but then has the days date too for the day such as 19.07.25 under ticket type.

Seems a bit weird but no matter.

[spellow3010]

And for all of the DAVE 'haters,' of which I am one, the USAF F-35A role demo is actually very good. Caught it at Yuma 2023 and at Luke 2024. The latter heightened the display further with the use of flares. Contentious as it is and well trodden discussion, the 'biggest military airshow in the world' really would benefit from the authorised use of flares.

But yeah, the USAF F-35A would be a creditable addition to the RIAT flying display, flares or not. Would it need to be neutered for UK Mil display regs though? I don't know, I am not an expert in that field.

And fair play to the RAF, I did enjoy the F-35B role demo this year. Maybe because it was a 'finally, a display' moment, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

[Mike]

Are you talking role demo here, or the full ACC Demo Team display?

[Wissam24]

Would it need to be neutered for UK Mil display regs though? I don't know, I am not an expert in that field.

Unlikely. It displayed at Paris last year too.

[st24]

I find this incredibly annoying. They haven't sold out at all and anyone of the many who buy on the gate (and pay at least an extra fiver for the privilege) can usually leap frog those who have been queuing for hours (as a certain FRIATer on here will attest to...)
Smacks of fleecing the enthusiast again and causing unnecessary stress and inconvenience.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Ki5gtHEogCPUz4Fi/

[Professor_M]

I find this incredibly annoying. They haven't sold out at all and anyone of the many who buy on the gate (and pay at least an extra fiver for the privilege) can usually leap frog those who have been queuing for hours (as a certain FRIATer on here will attest to...)
Smacks of fleecing the enthusiast again and causing unnecessary stress and inconvenience.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Ki5gtHEogCPUz4Fi/

But, once they've "sold out" all the P&V Tickets, they can start shouting about FRIAT being the "only" available way to see the arrivals (and never be as vocal about on the gate tickets).

[capercaillie]

I find this incredibly annoying. They haven't sold out at all and anyone of the many who buy on the gate (and pay at least an extra fiver for the privilege) can usually leap frog those who have been queuing for hours (as a certain FRIATer on here will attest to...)
Smacks of fleecing the enthusiast again and causing unnecessary stress and inconvenience.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Ki5gtHEogCPUz4Fi/

Quite,the farce of forming a very long queue having bought prepaid P&V tickets or indeed having that privilege as FRIAT and being there as gates open in the queue, to see folks who haven't got a ticket in advance stroll unceremoniously past to the shorter queue, buy a ticket and enter before many who have queued for ages. That's really crap.

Really needs sorting and not difficult. Don't open the booth until all those who have been queueing prior to gates opening have gone in. Not rocket science and stops the teeth edges piling up on Fairford's tarmac.

They've never sold out and imagine never will, if the punter has dosh.

[Skylinerworld]

I must have been lucky as we had prebooked our tickets and because of that, we were taken straight through, past the long line of people wanting to buy them on the gate (this was Western end)

[capercaillie]

I must have been lucky as we had prebooked our tickets and because of that, we were taken straight through, past the long line of people wanting to buy them on the gate (this was Western end)

Sounds like west had it better thought out than east!

[Bodz156]

I find this incredibly annoying. They haven't sold out at all and anyone of the many who buy on the gate (and pay at least an extra fiver for the privilege) can usually leap frog those who have been queuing for hours (as a certain FRIATer on here will attest to...)
Smacks of fleecing the enthusiast again and causing unnecessary stress and inconvenience.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/Ki5gtHEogCPUz4Fi/

But, once they've "sold out" all the P&V Tickets, they can start shouting about FRIAT being the "only" available way to see the arrivals (and never be as vocal about on the gate tickets).

Indeed. At best it's a deeply cynical ticket sales policy....at worst it's dishonest. But I said this last year when these ridiculous early 'sell-outs' were announced. Easy to 'sell-out' when you only make a 100 or so pre-show tickets available....

[GeorgeP]

G'day all, I have received approval from my long-suffering wife to attend a future RIAT when we next visit England. Since it's a long flight from Oz, it makes no sense for me to attend for only a day or two, so a FRIAT ticket is what I'm planning to buy. Do I need a membership of some type to be eligible to purchase FRIAT tickets? I'd also appreciate any guidance re: alternative ticket options, and whether to select P&V or FRIAT stand/enclosure for the arrival/departure days.

From what I've seen on this forum, I think my present camera kit will suffice. I plan to bring two full-frame Canon bodies, a 24 to 105 zoom, and a 100 to 400 zoom. I might add the 17 to 40 zoom for statics and the 1.4x converter if I can shoehorn them into my bag.

Thanks for any assistance that you can offer.

[iainpeden]

George.
The FRIAT ticket covers you for the full six days, you don’t need anything additional.
It coversyou for p&v (either end) on Wednesday (stand not open) and gives the choice of stand or p&v on Thursday and Monday. (Stand Friday,Saturday and Sunday too)
FRIAT is the most cost effective way to do six, or five, days. You also get the advantage of a large marquee to shelter in from the blistering sun/rain/hail/gales of a typical British summer.
Accommodation in the area gets very expensive over the weekend and the only viable way to get to the show is to have your own car (Swindon and Cheltenham shuttle buses can be hit and miss).

Hope that helps

[AARDVARK]

G'day all, I have received approval from my long-suffering wife to attend a future RIAT when we next visit England. Since it's a long flight from Oz, it makes no sense for me to attend for only a day or two, so a FRIAT ticket is what I'm planning to buy. Do I need a membership of some type to be eligible to purchase FRIAT tickets? I'd also appreciate any guidance re: alternative ticket options, and whether to select P&V or FRIAT stand/enclosure for the arrival/departure days.

From what I've seen on this forum, I think my present camera kit will suffice. I plan to bring two full-frame Canon bodies, a 24 to 105 zoom, and a 100 to 400 zoom. I might add the 17 to 40 zoom for statics and the 1.4x converter if I can shoehorn them into my bag.

Thanks for any assistance that you can offer.

Used to live on the Mornington Peninsula..

[Abbotsman]

Slightly annoyed that they now charge two sets of booking fees, one for each day. Last year it was a single fee for the whole booking.

I have just emailed as to why a second admin fee has been charged despite paying for it all in a single transaction. As you state it was one fee last year. I have to say too, for all the organisation required for such an event the navigation for buying tickets leaves a lot to be desired.

Just to update they haven't bothered to reply to my email.

[Tommy]

AirPower coming around again reminds me of what I’ve thought for a few years. There are one or two issues at that show, but one thing they do superbly well is aircraft movements:

https://ticker.airpower.gv.at/

I think RIAT ought to adopt something like this (plus have it on a live screen in FRIAT). I know people like the sheets of lies as souvenirs, but the above would save so much paper, and be more up to date.

This is also on condition that they get enough 4G/5G signal boosters to handle demand, obvs.

Strikes me as a much more modern way of doing aircraft movements rather than the very laborious and old-hat way of printing out daily flying lists.

[Domvickery]

It should also be on a RIAT app, a few times the sheet of lies has been late making it pointless or not available at all, an app will eradicate that instantly

[CWS]

With the seeming upgrades or more modern approach (big screens etc), maybe a more interactive/live app could be in the pipeline. I think a live app for arrivals departures and even on show days could work nicely. Just bits of information that could come in handy.

[capercaillie]

Leave the sheet of lies as is please, I enjoy putting ink to paper, a damn sight easier than trying to look at mobile phones in daylight with crap network coverage and with poor close eyesight in my senior years.

We're not all 18 years old.

[Wrexham Mackem]

I agree Caper. As good an idea it is in theory to have everything in real time and online, the infrastructure is not up to forcing you rely to your phone for a full day on the showground. Most folks' battery would be flat by lunchtime

I've lost my set of sheets from this year by the way. All kept, put in a safe place and now I can't find them. Now if that's not a sign of encroaching years I don't know what is!

[wdg]

I want something I can write on - put asterisks next to things I don't want to miss, check off planes as they come in or go out so I can see what is running late or not here yet, scribble notes if something interesting happens, etc. If it was an app, I would have to take a screenshot, find the tool to annotate it, try to write something (which anyone who has had to sign for a delivery in the last few years will know is not an easy feat) and then save the file - by which time I've missed the next aircraft.

Live information would be useful, but as an addition to what we have now not a replacement. Don't break what works now by trying to be too clever.

[bishbashbosh]

I agree in addition to the paper version - surely ticking off the arrivals and departures is half the fun.

Having the PDF version of the sheet of lies added to the FRIAT website each morning before the gates opened on show days was great. Meant I could enter at Green and plan my morning without having to make a dash to the enclosure first just in case XYZ was arriving first thing.

[bobby 1211]

Why do the live flying times have to be FRIAT only? It was pathetic to put the F-15 demo as the first display on Saturday when it was listed for around mid-day in the programme without telling anyone. I wasted 30mins standing in the queue to enter the Voyager, and just as I was first in the line I look around and see the f-15 on the runway ready to go, so I had to rush over to the display line. Having all the display times live in the app SHOULD be the norm.

[JMC]

Why not both? Digital and paper.

Agreed with what Bobby said, putting the star item on first was poor darts (but having said that it might have come at the pilots request).

[CWS]

Yeah I didn't mean to replace. Still have the old school sheet on arrivals and departures days, but a live app showing changes in the schedule etc could be handy I think. Have the two together.