A BEVY of fantastic flying machines touched down today (Wednesday June 8th) at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire for the media launch of this summer’s Royal International Air Tattoo, to help the event celebrate its 40th anniversary.The aircraft – from the swing-wing fast jet Tornado GR4, through the USAF’s MC-130P Combat Shadow and the Royal Navy’s tiger-striped Navy Merlin, to two ultralight EV-97 Eurostars, provided by the RAF Charitable Trust, and a Boeing Stearman biplane from the Breitling Wingwalkers – touched down at the home of the Air Tattoo to launch this year’s event, which takes place on July 16 and 17.

Sir David Jason, a great supporter of the Air Tattoo and an Honorary Vice Patron since 1999, arrived in an RAF Chinook HC2 from RAF Odiham to perform the official cutting of the Air Tattoo’s 40th birthday cake and to wish the event well. He said: “It’s a great pleasure to come to the media launch, as I like to feel it’s helping drum up the support that the RAF Charitable Trust needs.”

He added: “The Charitable Trust is close to my heart as it supports all the guys in the military who’ve fallen on hard times, as the money raised goes to help them and to make their lives more worthwhile. I feel very strongly about the role the RAF played in the Second World War, as I was born during the conflict and without them none of us would be here – so I feel duty bound, and proud, to support the Trust.”

The launch also featured three veterans from the first-ever Air Tattoo held in 1971 at North Weald, Essex. Spitfire Mk9 (MH434) which displayed at the first-ever Air Tattoo, flew in to join Tim Prince, Air Tattoo Chief Executive and a founder member of the airshow, along with aviation journalist and photographer Peter R March.

Recalling the Spitfire’s first Air Tattoo appearance (it will also be displaying at this year’s event), when it was piloted by former Red Arrows leader and legendary aerobatics display pilot Ray Hanna, Tim Prince said: “I can still recall the cold sweat I felt when Ray made his first approach: he was so low the tips of his propeller seemed to be touching the ground. But Ray went on to perform fantastically in MH434 and he helped cement the Air Tattoo’s reputation for staging spectacular aerial displays.”

Tim added: “It’s a great pleasure to welcome our guests, and this has really set the scene for an outstanding 40th anniversary Royal International Air Tattoo. The United States Air Force is firmly behind us, as shown by the participation of the MC-130P Combat Shadow from RAF Mildenhall, along with Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and civilian aircraft, and we look forward to them joining us again, with thousands of members of the public, for our anniversary Air Tattoo on July 16 and 17.”

Renowned aviation journalist Peter March from Bristol also attended the first ever Air Tattoo at North Weald. He said: “It’s been a marvellous experience being a member of such an outstanding team of aviation enthusiasts. I’ve been involved for 40 years, and I hope to continue producing the programme and taking photos as long as I’m able.”

First to touch down at the launch was the MC-130P Combat Shadow from RAF Mildenhall, representing and reinforcing the Air Tattoo’s long-standing links with the United States Air Force. It was quickly joined by a Royal Navy Merlin helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron, Culdrose, sporting a grey striped livery and representing the Tiger 50 theme of this year’s Air Tattoo, which marks the 50th anniversary of the NATO Tiger Association.

Next in was a Tornado GR4 from XV Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth, which flew the 500-plus miles from North East Scotland (in a mere 40 minutes) and put on a fly-past for the assembled media. The fast jet display was followed by a fly-past by the historic Spitfire MH434, linking past and present as one of the aircraft which displayed at the first-ever Air Tattoo in 1971.

Two EV-97 Eurostars, funded by the RAF Charitable Trust and providing Air Experience Flights for RAF trainees then joined the runway display, with the final arrival being a Boeing Stearman biplane from the Breitling Wingwalkers base at nearby Rendcomb, complete with wingwalker Danielle Hughes who performed her daring display on top of the bright orange biplane.

• This year’s Air Tattoo takes place from July 16 to 17 at RAF Fairford, in Gloucestershire, when more than 155,000 visitors are expected to view around 250 aircraft from across the world.

• The event is staged in support of its parent charity, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust, which provides financial support to a wide variety of RAF-related projects and initiatives within the RAF family. Since 2005 the Trust has gifted over £1.56 million to a wide range of projects and initiatives.

http://www.airtattoo.com/

United States military aircraft will be out in force at this summer’s Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford.

The Air Tattoo, which takes place on July 16-17, traditionally displays the largest range of US aircraft in the UK and this year will see around 18 fast jets, transport and specialist aircraft as well as helicopters touching down at the Cotswolds airfield.

Among those taking part are two F-16 multi-role fighters and two A-10C Thunderbolt IIs from 52 Fighter Wing at RAF Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany; a giant C-5B Galaxy from the 312th Airlift Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, California and a B-52H bomber from the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Base, North Dakota.

Also participating in this summer’s airshow will be three US Air Force Special Operations aircraft: an MC-130E Combat Talon from Elgin Air Force Base in Florida and an MC-130H Combat Talon II and MC 130P Combat Shadow based at RAF Mildenhall. All three aircraft have the capability to deliver troops and supplies into hostile territory as well as carrying our low-level refuelling missions.

Other USAF aircraft taking part include an RC-135 from the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron, based in Nebraska and two F-15s and an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk. The primary mission of the HH-60G is to recover personnel from war zones. The US Marine Corps will be represented by a KC-130T refuelling aircraft from Fort Worth in Texas.

The US Navy will be sending a P-3C Orion from the Maritime Patrol Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) and a Mercury E-6B command and control aircraft for static display. The FRS provides flying training to naval aviators and naval flight officers prior to them joining the fleet whilst the Oklahoma-based Mercury E-6B, provides command and control communications. Both are for static display.

Air Tattoo Deputy Director of Air Ops Rob Windsor said he was delighted that once again the US military felt able to support the Air Tattoo.

He said: “The US Air Force, US Marine Corps and US Navy rarely display in the UK in such numbers and thanks to them the Air Tattoo has become known as the place in Europe to come each year to see many of their assets. We are hugely grateful.”

This summer’s Air Tattoo will be marking its 40th anniversary and hosting a gathering of specially-decorated ‘Tiger’ aircraft from the NATO Tiger Association. ‘Tiger’ aircraft come from NATO squadrons that have a Tiger or Big Cat in their emblem and their association marks its 50th anniversary in 2011. The ‘operational’ spotlight STAR 11 will focus on aircraft and equipment involved in the roles of Strike and Reconnaissance.

Tickets are available by visiting www.airtattoo.com or calling 0800 107 1940. All tickets must be purchased in advance. All accompanied under-16s go free.

Want to be the first with tickets to the Royal International Air Tattoo 2012?

In that case you may be interested to know that the winner of this years calendar competition will be the first with a pair of tickets to RIAT 2012 AND a DVD of RIAT 2011.

The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world’s largest military air show, held annually over the third weekend in July, usually at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. The show typically attracts a total of 150,000 to 200,000 spectators over the weekend.

RIAT 2011 will be held on 16-17 July 2011. This year’s Air Tattoo will look back over the past four decades as it celebrates the show’s 40th anniversary with a series of special aerial displays and ground entertainment. It will also host a gathering of specially-decorated ‘Tiger’ aircraft from the NATO Tiger Association. ‘Tiger’ aircraft come from NATO squadrons that have a Tiger or Big Cat in their emblem and their association marks its 50th anniversary in 2011.

To find out more about RIAT and this years airshow please visit www.airtattoo.com/airshow

For rules & entry to this years competition please visit www.airscene.co.uk/competitions.php

The RAF’s rapid initial response to the recent Libyan Crisis and its continuing role in Operation Ellamy is uncovered in the 2011 Royal Air Force Yearbook.

The RAF’sofficial yearbook also offers an insider’s view of operations at Camp Bastion along with special reports and photos from the frontline at Kandahar airfield in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.

Featuring articles by some of aviation’s most respected writers, the RAF Yearbook gives a fascinating insight into behind-the-scenes RAF operations, deployments as well as the new technology that is set to take the Service into the future. From the state-of-the-art remotely-piloted Taranis aircraft to the RAF’s new airlifter, the A400M, readers will be able to learn all about the Royal Air Force’s increased capability in the 21st century and beyond.

As well as looking forward, the RAF Yearbook 2011 celebrates important milestones such as the Spitfire’s 75th anniversary and the 70th anniversary of both the Air Cadets and the RAF Search and Rescue Force with a series of fascinating, in-depth articles.

With the RAF Yearbook 2011 comes a free eight-page pull-out colour supplement telling the story of the RAF’s involvement in the UK’s most exciting military airshow – the Royal International Air Tattoo – during the past 40 years and how the airshow has contributed to UK Defence Diplomacy since 1971.
The official RAF Yearbook 2011 is now on sale at WH Smith, Tesco and all good newsagents, priced £4.99. It can also be purchased at www.airtattooshop.com

The yearbook, which is published by the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, helps raise money for the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust. For details about the charity, visit www.rafct.com

This summer’s Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford will feature a tribute to a Wiltshire-based aircraft that was involved in preparations for the historic Pegasus Bridge landings on D-Day during World War Two.

Among the hundreds of aircraft taking part in the Air Tattoo, on July 16-17, will be a Dakota from the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, painted in D-Day invasion stripes and with the markings carried by No233 Squadron Dakota FZ692. This aircraft was delivered to No233 squadron at RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire in March 1944, and on the night of June 5 1944, 30 Dakotas from the squadron took gliders and parachutists from the 3rd Parachute Brigade to Normandy, returning later in the day to drop supplies.

Nurses stationed at Blakehill Farm who looked after wounded soldiers on evacuation flights became the first female RAF aircrew to fly into the combat zone. A Dakota from No233 Sqn became the first aircraft to land at a British-controlled airstrip in France after the invasion, on June 13. The squadron went on to provide aircraft towing gliders that carried troops from the 1st Airborne Division to Arnhem for Operation Market Garden, the attempt to capture key bridges across the Rhine in September 1944.

This summer’s Air Tattoo will be marking its 40th anniversary and hosting a gathering of specially-decorated ‘Tiger’ aircraft from the NATO Tiger Association. ‘Tiger’ aircraft come from NATO squadrons that have a Tiger or Big Cat in their emblem and their association marks its 50th anniversary in 2011. The ‘operational’ spotlight STAR 11 will focus on aircraft and equipment involved in the roles of Strike and Reconnaissance.

Tickets are available by visiting www.airtattoo.com or calling 0800 107 1940. All tickets must be purchased in advance. All accompanied under-16s go free.

A dramatic tiger-painted aircraft from the Belgian Air Force will be among a number of striking aircraft heading for this summer’s Royal International Air Tattoo.

The Air Tattoo, which takes place at RAF Fairford on July 16-17, will feature a colourful range of specially-decorated ‘Tiger’ aircraft from the NATO Tiger Association. ‘Tiger’ aircraft come from NATO squadrons that have a Tiger or Big Cat in their emblem and their association marks its 50th anniversary this year.

Links between the Air Tattoo and the NATO Tiger Association stretch back to 1977 when the airshow hosted the 17th official NATO Tiger Meet. This was an annual get-together first held in 1961 when the 79th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the US Air Force sought links with another squadron bearing a tiger insignia, the French Air Force’s 1/12 Escadron de Chasse. In 1977, 12 ‘Tiger’ squadrons took part in the Air Tattoo and since then, the Air Tattoo has regularly welcomed many colourfully painted aircraft from the association. The Belgian Air Force will be sending two F-16s: the Tiger-painted one from 31 Squadron will be on static display while a second, from 349 Squadron, will take part in the flying display. Both are based at Kleine Brogel Air Base.

Other Tiger squadrons already confirmed for this summer’s Air Tattoo will come from France, Germany and Austria as well as RAF and Royal Navy aircraft.

In addition to hosting a gathering of Tiger aircraft, the Air Tattoo will be marking its 40th anniversary and turning the spotlight on aircraft and equipment involved in the roles of Strike and Reconnaissance. Visitors on Sunday July 17 will also be able to enjoy a one-off lunchtime performance by X-Factor star Alexandra Burke.

Tickets for the Air Tattoo, priced from £39 each, are available by visiting www.airtattoo.com or calling 0800 107 1940. All tickets must be purchased in advance. All accompanied under-16s go free.

AN aerobatic display team that attended the second International Air Tattoo in 1972 is set to return to the UK this summer to mark the 40th anniversary of what has since become the world’s largest military airshow.

Les Diables Rouges (The Red Devils) aerobatic display team, part of the Belgian Air Force, will be taking part in the Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on July 16 & 17.

In 1972, the two-ship team took part in the airshow when it was staged at North Weald airfield. The pilots flew Fouga Magisters. Five years later, the team disbanded.

However, the Red Devils have now reformed, flying SF-260 aircraft, and they plan to return to the Air Tattoo in the summer to celebrate their historic links with the airshow.

A spokesman for the Red Devils said he was delighted the new team would be taking part in the Air Tattoo. He said: “I hope our participation will serve to emphasise not only our historical links but also the enduring relationship that exists between the Belgian Air Force at the Air Tattoo.”

Air Tattoo Chief Executive Tim Prince, who helped found the airshow in 1971, said the Red Devils’ would help conjure up a wonderful sense of nostalgia at this summer’s event. He said: “We had some good times at those early shows and I recall the Diables Rouges, with their Fouga Magisters, performed beautifully. It is a great honour to see them return for this special occasion.”

In addition to celebrating its 40th anniversary, this summer’s Air Tattoo, on July 16-17, will host a gathering of specially-decorated ‘Tiger’ aircraft from the NATO Tiger Association. ‘Tiger’ aircraft come from NATO squadrons that have a Tiger or Big Cat in their emblem and their association marks its 50th anniversary in 2011. The ‘operational’ spotlight STAR 11 will focus on aircraft and equipment involved in the roles of Strike and Reconnaissance.

Tickets are available by visiting www.airtattoo.com or calling 0800 107 1940. All tickets must be purchased in advance. All accompanied under-16s go free.

Leading figures from the UK aviation and airshow industries met in Gloucestershire this month to launch the British Air Display Association (BADA).

The association, which announced an initial membership of 82, aims to be the focal point for developing and encouraging safe practices as well as promoting the industry to those involved in staging airshows, including display pilots, organisers, and authorities such as the Civil Aviation Authority and the Military Aviation Authority.

Held at the headquarters of the Royal International Air Tattoo in Fairford, the inaugural meeting saw the election of a committee to run the association. It comprises: Acting Chairman Ian Sheeley; Acting Vice Chairman George Bacon; Secretary Robert Windsor; Treasurer Colin Hitchins and committee members Geoff Brindle, Rod Dean, Dave Walton, John Davies, Rick Peacock-Edwards and Glen Moreman.

Ian Sheeley said: “the inaugural meeting was a great way to launch this new national association with an encouraging number of members present. The new committee provides a wealth of experience that will help BADA get off to a flying start”.

He added: “The key thing now is to maintain the momentum, and the first issue we’ll be looking at relates to airspace restrictions associated with the London Olympics next year and their effect on the airshow business – that’ll be receiving a great deal of our attention. The launch of BADA is an exciting development for the UK airshow industry and I’m looking forward to working with the rest of the committee and our members to build for the future.”

http://www.airtattoo.com/