riat newbie

All you'll ever need to know about the UK's biggest airshow
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warthog555
Posts: 34
Joined: Mon 16 May 2022, 8:53 am

riat newbie

Post by warthog555 »

hello again all. i am now planning to attend riat on the sunday. although i am excited, i am also quite nervous! this is because i am a newbie to riat. never been before in the past. some things i would like to know are:
where i will be parked with my family (we are coming from shropshire so we are quite a way away from fairford!)
what are the frequencies the frecce the royal Jordanian falcons and the black eagles mainly would use? (i have a scanner so i would need to know the frequencies these teams use!)
do the aircrew let you up close to the aircraft? (heard they usually do this at riat!)
and thats all i would like to know! thanks!

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jasonT1981
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Joined: Fri 19 Jul 2013, 5:57 pm

Re: riat newbie

Post by jasonT1981 »

warthog555 wrote:
Thu 23 Jun 2022, 6:50 pm
hello again all. i am now planning to attend riat on the sunday. although i am excited, i am also quite nervous! this is because i am a newbie to riat. never been before in the past. some things i would like to know are:
where i will be parked with my family (we are coming from shropshire so we are quite a way away from fairford!)
what are the frequencies the frecce the royal Jordanian falcons and the black eagles mainly would use? (i have a scanner so i would need to know the frequencies these teams use!)
do the aircrew let you up close to the aircraft? (heard they usually do this at riat!)
and thats all i would like to know! thanks!
Not too sure on most of your questions, however aircrew are very welcoming. Some even open up their aircraft and let you inside.

Only been twice but so far I have been inside an RAF A330 (Cockpit tour) Multiple Hercs, Multiple C17s, Multiple Chinooks, German and RAF A400s, USAF Osprey, Japanese 767 and thats just going off my memory, there were quite a few more I will have to dig through my photos to remember.

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Bodz156
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Re: riat newbie

Post by Bodz156 »

warthog555 wrote:
Thu 23 Jun 2022, 6:50 pm
where i will be parked with my family (we are coming from shropshire so we are quite a way away from fairford!)
what are the frequencies the frecce the royal Jordanian falcons and the black eagles mainly would use? (i have a scanner so i would need to know the frequencies these teams use!)
do the aircrew let you up close to the aircraft? (heard they usually do this at riat!)
and thats all i would like to know! thanks!
If your coming from Shropshire, I'd imagine you'll be coming down the M5 towards Gloucestershire, so you'll end up in the 'Green' car park at the western end of RAF Fairford (if you follow the AA Air Tattoo signage properly....ignore your SatNav once you start seeing the signs).

Frequencies....no idea as I never use a scanner but I can't say I've ever seen those team's frequencies to be honest...Reds one is usually available, RIAT tower, one or two others.

Yes, you can get pretty close to all the static aircraft, some crews even let people on board.

cg_341
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Re: riat newbie

Post by cg_341 »

Frecce have been known to use a considerable number of frequencies, including 140.600, 263.250, 307.800 and 362.625. How good is your Italian though? The Royal Jordanian Falcons use 126.800 and 133.300 but rarely in English.

Finally the Black Eagles used 231.800 last time they were in the UK but I've no idea if they spoke in English or not.

Also if you think Shropshire is far from RIAT you'll be amazed when you hear just how far other people travel! :upside_down:

RAF4EVER
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Re: riat newbie

Post by RAF4EVER »

cg_341 wrote:
Fri 24 Jun 2022, 12:58 pm
Frecce have been known to use a considerable number of frequencies, including 140.600, 263.250, 307.800 and 362.625. How good is your Italian though? The Royal Jordanian Falcons use 126.800 and 133.300 but rarely in English.

Finally the Black Eagles used 231.800 last time they were in the UK but I've no idea if they spoke in English or not.

Also if you think Shropshire is far from RIAT you'll be amazed when you hear just how far other people travel! :upside_down:
I am travelling from The Netherlands

coanda
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Re: riat newbie

Post by coanda »

When we used to do the trip with my parents we lived in Staffordshire near the A5, so its M5 and then A417, which does put you on the green route. you may also see signs for the Brown route the closer you get, but would advise sticking to green route.

The A417 is a good dual carriageway except for the part around the air balloon roundabouts. This is up a steep hill from the M5 direction - you want to be in the right hand lane going up the hill, ideally. The green route is easy enough after you get off the A417 as it's fairly well sign posted and there will be police around to help deal with traffic. If you're mega early (and for the easiest journey I really recommend being out by 0500-0530 from shropshire) just keep heading towards Marston Meysey or Kempsford unless directed otherwise. Else there'll be plenty of traffic to follow! (but it does move well as they change road priorities and make some roads dual lane in one direction around the airfield if memory serves right).

Be prepared to take longer to get out - recommend not rushing it.

Nav help here:

airtattoo.com/airshow/visiting/visitorinformation/travel

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Chemtrailer
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Re: riat newbie

Post by Chemtrailer »

cg_341 wrote:
Fri 24 Jun 2022, 12:58 pm
Also if you think Shropshire is far from RIAT you'll be amazed when you hear just how far other people travel! :upside_down:

Heh...
10.5 hour flight from Western Canada to Gatwick, followed by a 2 hour drive not including a stop at Heathrow for some spotting.

Factor the time spent driving to the airport, pre departure check-in and waiting for departure, baggage collection upon arrival, customs, car rental office time, groceries for the AirBnB in Kempsford, it's about 17-20 hours in motion ;)

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Wrexham Mackem
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Re: riat newbie

Post by Wrexham Mackem »

warthog555 wrote:
Thu 23 Jun 2022, 6:50 pm
hello again all. i am now planning to attend riat on the sunday. although i am excited, i am also quite nervous! this is because i am a newbie to riat. never been before in the past. some things i would like to know are:
where i will be parked with my family (we are coming from shropshire so we are quite a way away from fairford!)
what are the frequencies the frecce the royal Jordanian falcons and the black eagles mainly would use? (i have a scanner so i would need to know the frequencies these teams use!)
do the aircrew let you up close to the aircraft? (heard they usually do this at riat!)
and thats all i would like to know! thanks!
First and foremost, you'll love it. Its an amazing event, your jaw will drop.

The best advice I can pass along to a newbie, if you're going for one day, is that you won't see everything, so set your mindset to that in advance and thoroughly enjoy what you do see. The flying display takes most of the day. The static also takes a significant period of time to get round, and if you want to be talking to crews and getting on board aircraft, that mostly happens during the day time while the flying is going on. It is possible to do a bit of both during the day, and you have an hour or two either side of the flying of course, but it will be next to impossible to see and experience everything in a day.

Above all, don't overstretch by trying to be in all places at once. And once you get into that mentality, the nerves and stress will dissipate.

Have a great day, and if you have any questions big or small, we're here to help.

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duffspeed
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Re: riat newbie

Post by duffspeed »

coanda wrote:
Sat 25 Jun 2022, 11:01 am
When we used to do the trip with my parents we lived in Staffordshire near the A5, so its M5 and then A417, which does put you on the green route. you may also see signs for the Brown route the closer you get, but would advise sticking to green route.

The A417 is a good dual carriageway except for the part around the air balloon roundabouts. This is up a steep hill from the M5 direction - you want to be in the right hand lane going up the hill, ideally. The green route is easy enough after you get off the A417 as it's fairly well sign posted and there will be police around to help deal with traffic. If you're mega early (and for the easiest journey I really recommend being out by 0500-0530 from shropshire) just keep heading towards Marston Meysey or Kempsford unless directed otherwise. Else there'll be plenty of traffic to follow! (but it does move well as they change road priorities and make some roads dual lane in one direction around the airfield if memory serves right).

Be prepared to take longer to get out - recommend not rushing it.

Nav help here:

airtattoo.com/airshow/visiting/visitorinformation/travel
Does the green route end with parking on-base, or in a field alongside?

I used to come to RIAT via the red route which ended in on-base parking on tarmac but have recently moved house and will be arriving via the green route this year. I presume there would be nothing stopping me leaving the green route before turning off for Marston Meysey and continuing through Fairford to join the red route from the other side?

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iainpeden
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Re: riat newbie

Post by iainpeden »

The traffic plan tends to keep the routes separate so the switch from green to red via Fairford could be blocked without a local resident pass. In the same way it looks possible to move off the blue route into the green car park but is usually blocked.
(Mark Twain: There are lies, there are damn lies and then there are statistics)

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danspuggti
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Re: riat newbie

Post by danspuggti »

duffspeed wrote:
Sat 02 Jul 2022, 1:24 pm
coanda wrote:
Sat 25 Jun 2022, 11:01 am
When we used to do the trip with my parents we lived in Staffordshire near the A5, so its M5 and then A417, which does put you on the green route. you may also see signs for the Brown route the closer you get, but would advise sticking to green route.

The A417 is a good dual carriageway except for the part around the air balloon roundabouts. This is up a steep hill from the M5 direction - you want to be in the right hand lane going up the hill, ideally. The green route is easy enough after you get off the A417 as it's fairly well sign posted and there will be police around to help deal with traffic. If you're mega early (and for the easiest journey I really recommend being out by 0500-0530 from shropshire) just keep heading towards Marston Meysey or Kempsford unless directed otherwise. Else there'll be plenty of traffic to follow! (but it does move well as they change road priorities and make some roads dual lane in one direction around the airfield if memory serves right).

Be prepared to take longer to get out - recommend not rushing it.

Nav help here:

airtattoo.com/airshow/visiting/visitorinformation/travel
Does the green route end with parking on-base, or in a field alongside?

I used to come to RIAT via the red route which ended in on-base parking on tarmac but have recently moved house and will be arriving via the green route this year. I presume there would be nothing stopping me leaving the green route before turning off for Marston Meysey and continuing through Fairford to join the red route from the other side?
We arrive down the green route and the last few years have always parked on base hardstanding
Same old sh*t.............just happening on a different day!!!

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duffspeed
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Location: Let's just be vague and say 'The Midlands'

Re: riat newbie

Post by duffspeed »

danspuggti wrote:
Sat 02 Jul 2022, 10:19 pm
duffspeed wrote:
Sat 02 Jul 2022, 1:24 pm
coanda wrote:
Sat 25 Jun 2022, 11:01 am
When we used to do the trip with my parents we lived in Staffordshire near the A5, so its M5 and then A417, which does put you on the green route. you may also see signs for the Brown route the closer you get, but would advise sticking to green route.

The A417 is a good dual carriageway except for the part around the air balloon roundabouts. This is up a steep hill from the M5 direction - you want to be in the right hand lane going up the hill, ideally. The green route is easy enough after you get off the A417 as it's fairly well sign posted and there will be police around to help deal with traffic. If you're mega early (and for the easiest journey I really recommend being out by 0500-0530 from shropshire) just keep heading towards Marston Meysey or Kempsford unless directed otherwise. Else there'll be plenty of traffic to follow! (but it does move well as they change road priorities and make some roads dual lane in one direction around the airfield if memory serves right).

Be prepared to take longer to get out - recommend not rushing it.

Nav help here:

airtattoo.com/airshow/visiting/visitorinformation/travel
Does the green route end with parking on-base, or in a field alongside?

I used to come to RIAT via the red route which ended in on-base parking on tarmac but have recently moved house and will be arriving via the green route this year. I presume there would be nothing stopping me leaving the green route before turning off for Marston Meysey and continuing through Fairford to join the red route from the other side?
We arrive down the green route and the last few years have always parked on base hardstanding
Thanks for that. I'll stick to the green route all the way then. And as Iain has said, there may not be the option to go through Fairford anyway.

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Bodz156
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Re: riat newbie

Post by Bodz156 »

Yeah, I think Green to Red would be impossible via Fairford...I've occasionally missed the junction on the dual carriageway & ended up in the Blue Car Park though....but that's fields. Green has been hard standing at the Western end for the last few years I've been in there.

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