With one month to go, the world’s biggest military airshow, the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), is returning to RAF Fairford for the first time in three years.

“Our commitment to inspiring the next generation of aviation and STEM enthusiasts focuses on innovation, technology and the importance of sustainability. We recognise that improving our sustainability is essential if the young people of today are going to have the opportunity to find their place in the world of aviation tomorrow.” said Paul Atherton, CEO.

The RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises is committed to making real, measurable reductions to the carbon footprint of RIAT. So much so, that the organisation is implementing ISO 20121, the International Standard on Sustainable Event Management, as a framework to help it to do this effectively.

“For us to improve our environmental impact and sustainability practices, we need to understand where we are now and what effect we are having. So, for the first time, we will be measuring the impact of everything – from the number of cars in our car parks, to the number of aircraft flying hours, to the amount of food waste generated.” said Kate McKinley, who is leading sustainability activity at the event.

How will this be more sustainable?

This will allow the organisers of RIAT to analyse the environmental impact of different aspects of the event and create a strategy for future policies. Effectively targeting the biggest impacts will help to make real reductions to the event’s carbon footprint in the future.

But this is more than just policies and checklists…

This is about a creating a cultural shift and being more sustainability focussed. The RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises has already started making positive changes with the support of its sponsors, suppliers, and exhibitors.

Although you won’t see recycling bins at the event, all waste will be sorted at a materials recycling plant. Anything that cannot be recycled will be taken to a waste to energy plant, where the energy will be recovered as electricity. Any food waste will be repurposed at an anaerobic digestion plant.

Nothing will be going to landfill.

All generators at RIAT will be running on 100 per cent Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel and a solar and a hybrid generator will be trialled on site. All catering outlets present at the event have been asked to use recyclable and plant-based packaging materials only, and food waste from the staff and volunteer diner will be reduced through detailed planning and anticipation of demand.

Water refill points will be available site-wide, and the organisers are encouraging our volunteers and visitors to bring their own reusable water bottles. This will not only save money but also eliminate 30,000 single-use plastic bottles from waste.

As well as these behind-the-scenes changes, the RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises has engaged with their partners and exhibitors on their plans and invited them to use RIAT to highlight the innovations they are making in aviation sustainability. The organisers of the event intend that RIAT will become a platform for this in the future.

What happens next?

The RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises is excited to be making changes to their event operations and recognise this is the first stage of an important journey. Once it has monitored and measured all aspects of the event and analysed the results, it looks forward to drawing up a strategy for long-term reductions in the event’s impacts.

www.airtattoo.com

As the Royal International Air Tattoo returns to Gloucestershire’s skies, organisers are taken aback by the public’s appetite for the world-class fundraising event.

This week, the organisers of the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) announced Saturday tickets for their event have sold out. After a two-year hiatus as a result of COVID-19, the Gloucestershire-based airshow has proven its ability to still pull crowds from around the globe and is set to welcome an estimated 170,000 people over the weekend of 15-17 July.

Acting as a fundraising event for the RAF Charitable Trust, RIAT will help the charity support even more young people with opportunities for personal development, learning, and discovering their place in the worlds of aviation and STEM.

And what better place to represent these opportunities than the world’s greatest airshow? With more than 200 aircraft, eight-hour flying displays, and immersive activities throughout the showground, RIAT offers people the ideal place to get a taste of the cutting-edge technologies and phenomenal skills that are taking our world to new heights.

While Saturday tickets are no longer available, tickets for Friday 15 and Saturday 17 are still on sale. Those interested in an exhilarating day out should head to www.airtattoo.com/tickets to get their tickets for the greatest airshow in the world.

From Korea to Kempsford: RIAT is welcoming participants from all over the globe. This July, the Royal International Air Tattoo will play host, to hundreds of aircraft and pilots from around the world, including the Black Eagles display team from the Republic of Korea. These elusive aerobatic wonders are legendary throughout the world, and this July will mark the first time in ten years that they have visited the UK. Head to the RIAT website for a full list of those confirmed to be attending.

Date: 2-3 July 2022
Time: Gates open 8.30am, flying 9.30am-5.00pm
Cost: £15.00 (under 16s are free)
BBMF Lancaster Flypast: Sat 2.14pm / Sun 1.58pm (weather permitting)

Scale models of iconic aircraft will be taking to the sky at the Large Model Air Show, when the two-day family event returns to the RAF Museum Midlands on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July.

The show will be packed with over seven hours of spectacular flying displays from hundreds of miniature models, accompanied by interactive experiences on the ground keeping families, aviation fans, and modelling enthusiasts entertained.

Taking place on the airfield at RAF Cosford, see biplanes through to modern day jets, all designed, built and flown by experienced model aircraft pilots. With acrobatic displays, synchronised flypasts and smoke affects, they truly look like the real thing!

There will be more flying than ever before with three flightlines for the first time. The line-up includes a mass flying formation of Spitfire’s, and an impressive collection of First World War aircraft taking to the skies. Plus, an appearance from the largest model aircraft in the country, including the Constellation, Bristol Bulldog, Comet DH88, and the Vulcan. This 20ft Vulcan model will retire after more than 10 years appearing at the show, and its farewell flight will be an exciting recreation of the real Vulcan XH558’s last flight, flying in formation with two Red Arrow Hawks on its wingtips.

A flypast from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Lancaster is an event highlight guaranteed to wow crowds both days, flying in at 2.14pm on Saturday and 1.58pm on Sunday.

The event is growing both in the air and on the ground with more than 50 traders, including a ‘bring, buy and swap’ shop, street food vendors, entertainment and activities on offer.

There will be plenty of opportunities for visitors to get behind the controls and fly some of the training model aircraft, with guidance from top pilots. Or, have a go at the exciting drone flying experience where users will learn the basics of drone flying before attempting to guide one through hoops, under tunnels, and over barriers. Those who master the controls quickly can take on the challenge of completing an obstacle course. This drop-in activity is suitable for children aged 8 or above. The youngest visitors will also have plenty of high-flying fun with trampolines and Airfix model making activities running throughout the day (charges apply).

The catering line-up is just as impressive as the flying with street food vendors serving up a diverse menu with flavours from around the world.

Tickets for the event are available to purchase online, £15.00 adults and under 16s are free. Exclusively for this event camping is available on the airfield at RAF Cosford, from £50.00 including show entry. For more information and to purchase tickets to the Large Model Air Show visit www.rafmuseum.org/midlands. The event is organised in partnership with the Large Model Association.

Preparations for the 2022 Cockpit-Fest are well underway at Newark Air Museum’s site in eastern Nottinghamshire; close to the border with Lincolnshire. Newark Air Museum is a registered charity located on part of the former site of RAF Winthorpe; this year’s Cockpit-Fest event moves back to its more traditional June time-slot; on Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th June, 2022.

This will be the twenty first (21st) time that like-minded enthusiasts have displayed their aircraft cockpit sections at the museum. Cockpit-Fest has become a fixture on the aviation calendar and each year attracts many visiting cockpits and associated displays. Cockpit-Fest allows the owners the chance to display their prized exhibits to their fellow enthusiasts and the general public.

At this year’s event a diverse range of aviation will be represented; this includes a range of military jet cockpits and civilian types; plus, several of the on-loan cockpits that resident at the museum. This includes several cockpits that will be displayed at the event for the very first time.

In addition, a diverse range of visiting cockpit related exhibits are also expected to be displayed around the 16-acre site; alongside an Aeroboot / Aerojumble aviation and avionics sale. Here enthusiasts and the public can search out those aviation artefacts, books and models.

The event is supported by a range of organisations and individuals; with the visitors being encouraged to have a say in deciding, which is the best cockpit by voting on their favourite display and from these results, prizes are awarded.

Cockpit-Fest also attracts other visiting displays like local history / military vehicle groups; re-enactors; and even more aviation related displays such as clothing and historical artefacts.

Full details about the events and a full list of visiting cockpits and displays can be found on the Museum Events page of the museum website at www.newarkairmuseum.org

A Spitfire from the Royal Air Force Museum Midlands is heading to Birmingham in July, as five new dates are added to the Spitfire’s tour of the Midlands.

In celebration of the Museum’s 50th anniversary, the Spitfire will visit regional towns and cities highlighting the area’s rich RAF heritage. Museum bosses are thrilled to announce that Birmingham, ‘home of the Spitfire’, will be hosting five days! ‘Brummies’ can get up close to the iconic aircraft when it goes on display outside Birmingham New Street Station from Wednesday 6 to Sunday 10 July.

Before heading to Birmingham, the rare blue reconnaissance Spitfire PR. XIX will visit Coventry on 18-19 June and Shrewsbury on 25-26 June. Following five days of engagement with families, shoppers and commuters in Birmingham early July, the aircraft will finish the tour in Leicester on 16-17 July.

The Spitfire received a warm welcome from the people of Telford on the first tour date in May, and following an appearance at the Cosford Air Show this weekend, the aircraft will be back on the road once again. Visit the Spitfire at a location near you and try on some of the real RAF uniforms, flying jackets and hats. Alongside the real Spitfire is a replica cockpit section to climb inside for an authentic Spitfire experience, perfect for a Spitfire selfie!

Birmingham’s manufacturing brilliance produced more Spitfires than anywhere else in the UK, making it a fitting venue for the tour. During the Second World War the people of Birmingham also contributed to the war efforts through Fighter Funds. These funds were set up to encourage the public to donate money to buy aircraft and brought communities and Allied countries together. The aircraft bought were named after that individual town, country or business. £5,000, approximately £175,000 today, bought one aircraft.

The Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Spitfire Fund collected £23,500, enough to buy four Spitfires, all made at Castle Bromwich. The Vickers-Armstrong aircraft factory at Castle Bromwich was one of the largest producers of aircraft during the Second World War. It produced 11,939 Spitfires and 305 Avro Lancasters. The factory closed in December 1945 and the Castle Vale housing estate was built on the site.
Look out for the Spitfire ‘flying’ into a town or city near you on the following dates:

• Coventry on 18–19 June, Millennium Place (Coventry Food Festival)
• Shrewsbury on 25–26 June, Quarry Park (Shrewsbury Food Festival)
• Birmingham on 6–10 July, New Street Station
• Leicester on 16–17 July, Jubilee Square

Visit the Spitfire on tour this summer and pick up your free Spitfire virtual reality experience voucher code, redeemable on your next visit to the RAF Museum Midlands (Terms and Conditions apply). Entry to the Museum is free, for details of the exciting aircraft displays, experiences and events visitors can enjoy at the Museum and to pre-book your arrival time visit www.rafmuseum.org/midlands.

Now that a bespoke scaffolding system has been installed around Avro Vulcan XM594 at Newark Air Museum, teams of museum volunteers are now able to work on this huge restoration and repainting project in safe conditions.

Thanks to the expert assistance from Inspired Scaffolding Services from Bilsthorpe near Newark, the scaffolding system became operational just before the recent Platinum Jubilee Holiday Weekend.

The extensive scaffolding work platform has been erected alongside key areas of the aircraft structure, which includes the wing and nose section of the aircraft. This allows museum staff and volunteers to access the aircraft in a safe and secure manner and is anticipated to be in position for around ten (10) weeks this summer.

In addition to the repainting of the upper wing of the Vulcan, the platform has simplified the accessibility for the museum’s restoration teams to work on the elevons and to remove the jet pipe exhaust sections for repair.

For most of the work period the aircraft’s cockpit will remain as part of the museum’s open cockpit offer. The modest contributions for accessing this iconic aircraft (when possible) will contribute towards the ongoing fund raising campaign to cover the scaffolding hire costs and the cost of the weekly safety inspections.

This fund raising campaign can be accessed via the following Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/Vulcan-XM594-Repaint-2022