Buckle up for a thrilling arrival!

RIAT P3 Orrion

A hat-trick of helicopters for this week’s Take Off Thursday, including the Portuguese Air Force confirming their attendance at RIAT25!

Participating in the flying display and in a unique camouflage livery, their AW101 Merlin will be heading to RAF Fairford for the very first time and performing a SAR demonstration on both Saturday and Sunday.

Sticking with choppers, we are pleased to announce that Historic Helicopters will be supplying their Whirlwind and Wessex for this year’s static display, joining a line-up of search and rescue helicopters. Meanwhile, also on static display, the Portuguese will also be providing a Lockheed P-3C Orion for a very rare airshow appearance.

View Confirmed Aircraft

Is there someone you want to spoil this Valentine’s Day? Then why not buy them a ticket to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT)? They’ll have the most amazing day experiencing sights and sounds that will raise the hairs on the back of their neck as aircraft from across the world touch down at RAF Fairford.

Or, if you’re already planning on joining us, why not make it even more special and upgrade to one of our enclosure packages? There’s one to suit every taste and budget. Take a look here at all the different options. But you’ll have to be quick as we’re already sold out for Viewing Village Garden, First Class Lounge, Flight Deck, Cotswold Club and Aviation Club on Saturday, but the Viewing Village Grandstand, Family Enclosure and Altitude Saturday, are still available for now. RIAT25 will return to RAF Fairford on 18th, 19th and 20th July and we can’t wait to see you there.

https://tickets.airtattoo.com

Take Off Thursday is finally here!

RIAT Thursdays

We’re up and running…

Take Off Thursdays are back and off to a flying start with an award-winning display heading to RAF Fairford. The Finnish Air Force will be providing their popular F/A-18C Hornet, which is set to feature in the flying display on Saturday and Sunday.

Joining the Finns is the Lithuanian Air Force, with its search-and-rescue Dauphin helicopter, which is returning to RIAT for only the second time, on static display.

Elsewhere on the ground and also tied to this year’s theme of Eyes in the Skies, are some intriguing civilian-owned aircraft courtesy of Fighter Aviation Engineering. The first of their two aircraft is a Supermarine Spitfire painted in Indian Air Force markings and equipped with aerial reconnaissance cameras, while the L-12A Electra Junior also carried out a specific role, as it was used for covert missions for the Special Intelligence Service.

View Confirmed Aircraft

We’re delighted that you are excited for RIAT25, with more than 50,000 of you having booked your spot for this year’s extravaganza. Like you, we can’t wait for the world’s greatest airshow to return to RAF Fairford on the 18th, 19th and 20th July. Five of our Saturday enclosures are already sold out, so don’t delay, book your tickets today and be part of the fun. Why not upgrade to one of our unique hospitality areas. You will need a general admission ticket to upgrade to an enclosure.

www.tickets.airtattoo.com

RAF Museum secures £650k grant from the Wolfson Foundation

RAF Museum Midlands Hangar 1

The Royal Air Force Museum is delighted to announce it has been awarded a £650k grant from the Wolfson Foundation for the Inspiring Everyone: RAF Museum Midlands Development Programme.

This ambitious project will deliver a major regional engagement programme, alongside a site transformation, including:

  • A new immersive exhibition will explore the critical role of the RAF since 1980 to today, imagining how the service will adapt in the future as it delivers 24/7 Air, Space and Cyber defence
  • A new Learning Centre co-designed with students and teachers will provide bespoke facilities for lifelong learning programmes in subjects ranging from science, technology, engineering and maths, to geography, art and design
  • A new purpose-built Collections Hub will enable the Museum’s stored collection to be brought on site and opened to the public for the first time, providing opportunities for research, conservation, activities, talks and tours
  • The complementary development of a new public realm will provide spaces for outdoor activities, rest and relaxation, and picnicking.

The Wolfson Foundation’s £650k grant for the RAF Museum was announced in their latest round of grants. The generous funding from the Wolfson Foundation is a significant contribution to the Museum’s fundraising campaign for the project and will be specifically directed towards the creation of a new Learning Centre.

Maggie Appleton, RAF Museum CEO, said:

‘We are deeply grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for their generous £650,000 investment. This will play a pivotal role in the creation of our new Learning Centre, enabling us to inspire future generations and share the RAF’s stories in innovative and engaging ways for people of all ages. The Learning Centre will transform our offer for school groups, enabling us to accommodate an additional 8,000 students per year. These state-of-the-art facilities will include two analogue and two digital classrooms, lunch spaces for up to 120 students, and spaces for outdoor learning. Support from the Wolfson Foundation underscores the importance of education, and we are delighted to have them as a key partner in this transformative project.’

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said:

‘We are delighted to support the redevelopment of the RAF Museum Midlands, especially the new Learning Centre. Support for education is at the heart of our work, and this ambitious project will engage and inspire new audiences, including young people, by connecting them with the story of the RAF in fresh and innovative ways.’

The Development Programme will increase the Museum’s capacity to engage with a wider, more diverse audience than ever before. The transformation will be underpinned by, and feed into, activities that welcome more of our communities to use the RAF Museum and RAF story as a resource, enabling the Museum to play a more impactful role across the Midlands. The project will also support the Museum’s ambition to become a Carbon Net Zero organisation. Work will commence later this year and is expected to be complete by summer 2027. 

The Inspiring Everyone: RAF Museum Midlands Development Programme is supported by a number of funders including The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as the RAF Museum’s own investment.

To find out more about the redevelopment project and how you can get involved, visit rafmuseum.org/midlands. The Museum is open daily from 10.00am and admission is free.

The Acclaimed Midlands Air Festival will return to Ragley Hall in 2025

"Midlands Air Festival"
Photo by Lee Chapman

Dates have been confirmed for this year’s amazing Midlands Air Festival. From 30th May to 1st June 2025, this annual aviation and ballooning spectacular will fill the skies over the historic Ragley Hall estate with another thrilling international line up. Classic and military jets, high energy aerobatics, formation teams, helicopters, aerial ballet, flying circus, WW2 warbirds and parachutes will provide three days of almost continuous excitement.  

As well as the air displays, organisers have confirmed they will be bringing over 150 giant hot air balloons, including some massive character balloons, known as ‘special shapes’ including Thomas the Tank engine, Snow White, Astro the Alien, Princess Nelly the Pink Elephant, The UP balloon from the film of the same name and our star balloon direct from the USA standing nearly 150ft – Oggy the Friendly Dragon.   

A sneak peek at what’s in store

Described as the perfect way to start the summer, this year’s highly anticipated three-day event promises a thrilling programme of superb entertainment for families and enthusiasts alike.

Some of the highlights will include, from France, the mighty F86 Sabre classic fighter jet.  Celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Pitts special there will be two versions of this famous aerobatics aircraft with top female Aero’s pilot Lauren Wilson in her standard S2 and world famous Rich Goodwin in his insane jet powered Pitts special.

The brilliant Flying Bulls from Austria will return to the Festival with several aircraft including the Bolkow 105C twin engine helicopter. This amazing display will feature the only chance in the UK to see a helicopter actually flying upside down. Only the B105C can undertake this due to a special fixed pitch rotor system.

Also look out for a flock of Bell 47 helicopters which are also celebrating their 80th anniversary. Easily recognised with their bubble canopies and their TV appearances in Whirlybirds and the Korean War programme M-A-S-H. 

New to this year’s festival is the award-winning father-son duo Team Niebergall from Germany, performing their unique display, flying Marchetti SF-260 aircraft, nicknamed the ‘hotrod’ for their speed and grace.  

Organisers say this is just a small taster of what’s to come, with more rare aircraft and of course the highly anticipated UK military formation teams yet to be announced.

Up, up and away

The excitement kicks off on Friday with an afternoon air display, followed by the spectacular sight of over 100 hot air balloons taking part in a mass ascent. As night falls, the festival’s signature Nightfire display will commence featuring illuminated aircraft performing pyrotechnic displays with fireworks streaming from their wingtips.  The grand finale will leave visitors in awe as the event concludes with the breathtaking Fireglow display, where balloons fire their burners in sync with music, shooting massive flames into the night sky. The evening will be crowned by a dazzling firework festival finale, ensuring a truly unforgettable experience for all.

Trevor Graham, Midlands Air Festival flying director, said; “We are delighted to confirm we are back once again and would like to thank our regular and enthusiastic audience for their support already.  I invite those we have yet to meet to join us for another unforgettable weekend. There will be further announcements about even more exciting aerial displays in the very near future.”

Don’t miss a moment of the action

Some of the most magical and ethereal ballooning moments take place early in the morning, so the organisers are providing a comprehensive premium camping facility, right in the heart of the show site for those wanting to experience ‘breakfast with the balloons’. The camp site will cater for tents, caravans and motor homes, and will provide electric hook ups, showers, toilets, a dedicated bar and catering concessions.  This year, Midlands Air Festival’s campsite will offer the perfect opportunity for guests to stay  in the beautiful surroundings of the Ragley Hall estate, only a two minute stroll from the show ground.

Day tickets are available to purchase as 1-day, 2-day and 3-day passes through the Midlands Air Festival website. The event is free to attend for children under 13 years old when accompanied by a paying adult. Standard parking is also free. The event is always a sell-out show, advance tickets are already on sale at discounted price until the end of January via midlandsairfestival.com. Children under 13 are currently free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Standard parking is also free.

www.midlandsairfestival.com