RIAT 2013 July 20/21 RAF Fairford

[aviodromefriend]

Yet more then a year to go, but according to an advertisement in the souvenirs program from 2012's RIAT, one of the themes for next year should be Sky Guardian, although a member of the permanent staff told that as at last sunday, only the dates were decided about the 2013 show.

[aviodromefriend]

Tickets are on sale now (and be aware, the pricing structure has changed since last year, or better read last show), also the list of invited countries is online now.

[Stefan]

Hellenic Air Force F-16 demo team expected (according to themselves)

https://twitter.com/HAFF16DemoTeam/stat ... 88/photo/1

Regards,
Stefan

[Stefan]

Update 13 December:

https://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aircr ... -countries

We were delighted to read a tweet from the Hellenic Air Force's F-16 Demo Team stating that they plan to participate in RIAT 2013. They would certainly be a great addition to the flying display programme.

We were equally pleased to read on a Ukrainian website that the Ukrainian Air Force plans to take part in RIAT 2013. As soon as we receive an official approach from either air force we will let you know.

The Swedish Armed Forces have said the decision whether to participate in next summer's airshow at RAF Fairford will be taken in February and that we should have a response sometime in March. Along with the majority of the enthusiast fraternity we are excited by the recent unveiling of the specially marked SAAB Gripen; whether we will be able to secure this aircraft for RIAT 2013 is difficult to know however we will certainly be asking the question!

Those keen-eyed among you will have noticed that a new country has been added to the list of invited countries for RIAT 2013 – Vietnam.

The RAF confirmed recently that there will be a Tornado GR4 Role Demo for the 2013 season. The last official duty of this year's crews was to take part in last month's Post Season Display Symposium held at RAF Shrivenham. The crew names for next year have been selected and the names have been submitted. The team are waiting for confirmation that those chosen for the team have been accepted before the work will begin again for 2013. In the meantime, work is ongoing on next year's sequence.

[Stefan]

Update 20 December 2012

http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aircra ... -countries

Earlier this week, we received a very encouraging letter from Air Command detailing some of the aircraft the RAF hope to be able to send to the Air Tattoo next summer. They include a flying VC-10 transport aircraft and TriStar air-to-air tanker plus a C-17, A330 'Voyager' and C-130J/K Hercules for either the flying display or static park.

Other RAF aircraft earmarked for the airshow include a Tornado, Search & Rescue Sea King helicopter, the Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

The RAF is also enthusiastic about our endeavours to bring together all the Typhoon operators of the world in line with our operational theme SkyGuardian. To this end we've invited Austria, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Spain and of course, the UK.

A number of potential, exciting set pieces for the flying display were also suggested and we look forward to working with the RAF over the coming months in the hope of bringing these to fruition.

However, we have also been informed that due to fleet pressures on training assets, there will likely be no flying displays
by the Hawk, Squirrel or Griffin at RIAT. Whilst the RAF participation will not be finalised until next spring, we hope visitors to our website will be as excited as we are about the high level of RAF support being considered for next summer's airshow.

We are currently exploring with EADS, a longstanding sponsor and supporter of the Air Tattoo, to see if Eurocopter might wish to send its experimental X3 hybrid helicopter to RAF Fairford next summer! The aircraft combines excellent vertical take-off and landing capabilities with a fast cruise speed. Were it to come, it would be a wonderful addition to the 2013 event. In the meantime, anyone wishing to experience the thrills and challenges of flying a helicopter on a rescue or VIP mission should try their hand at the Eurocopter Flight Simulator at www.eurocopter.com/flightsimulator

A meeting was held at Air Tattoo headquarters in Fairford this week with our friends at Breitling to discuss their involvement at RIAT 2013. The Air Tattoo remains grateful to the luxury watchmaker for its continued support of the airshow through its private enclosure, sponsorship packages and, of course, its wonderful stable of beautiful historic aircraft as well as its thrilling aerobatic jet team. We look forward to developing plans for their participation next summer.

It was largely thanks to the Air Tattoo's 'man in Moscow', that RIAT 2012 was able to feature the exciting Russian advanced military trainer and light attack aircraft – the Yakolev Yak-130 'Mitten' in RIAT 2012's flying display. Indeed, our well-placed volunteer has been instrumental in securing a number of highly-prized Russian aircraft for the Air Tattoo over the years. The word on the улица is that the Russian Air Force is very keen to reciprocate the RAF Red Arrows' participation in their 100th anniversary airshow at Zhukovsky in August. We'll keep you posted!

Again, it is highly likely that Alan Smith, our volunteer chairman will bring his R-44 helicopter to RIAT 2013 but as we went to press, rumours that a TBM-700 was also planning to attend next summer, remain wholly unsubstantiated.

[Stratofreighter]

Earlier this week, we received a very encouraging letter from Air Command detailing some of the aircraft the RAF hope to be able to send to the Air Tattoo next summer. They include a flying VC-10 transport aircraft and TriStar air-to-air tanker plus a C-17, A330 'Voyager' and C-130J/K Hercules for either the flying display or static park.

A bit off-topic, but does this mean that the VC-10 fleet will not be wholly retired by the end of March 2013, which was originally scheduled?

[andel]

Earlier this week, we received a very encouraging letter from Air Command detailing some of the aircraft the RAF hope to be able to send to the Air Tattoo next summer. They include a flying VC-10 transport aircraft and TriStar air-to-air tanker plus a C-17, A330 'Voyager' and C-130J/K Hercules for either the flying display or static park.

A bit off-topic, but does this mean that the VC-10 fleet will not be wholly retired by the end of March 2013, which was originally scheduled?

Indeed a bit off-topic but apparently the withdrawal of the VC-10 is pushed back to September 2013 as the new Voyager tanker is not ready for service. ( If it will next year ).

[Stefan]

Update 10 January 2013

http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aircra ... -countries

We received an encouraging letter in the New Year from the USAF's Air Education and Training Command stating that whilst they were unable to commit at this time, they would look to see which aircraft they might have available. We shall let you know when we hear further.

In his letter accepting a personal invitation to attend RIAT 2013, a senior member of the Royal Moroccan Air Force stated: "Regarding your request for the participation of some RMAF aircraft either in the SkyGuardian operational theme or in the flying or static display programme, necessary steps are being taken to consider and possibly schedule such contributions."

The Central Flying School's Helicopter Examining Squadron based at RAF Shawbury is looking to send a Squirrel HT1 helicopter for the Air Tattoo's static display. The basic trainer provides an excellent lead-in to helicopter pilots of the three Services, who must have already completed their elementary fixed-wing aircraft training. The Squirrel is also used on the advanced single engine phase as students prepare for the complexities of twin engine helicopter training and operational flying.

A small delegation from the Air Tattoo will be attending next month's European Airshow Council convention in Antwerp, Belgium. The two-day gathering features a range of speakers including Nick Cook, the Air Tattoo's Safety Services Manager who will talk about Emergency Services at Airshows; and Air Tattoo commentator Ben Dunnell who will talk about airshows from a spectator and commentator's viewpoint.

[Tweetie01]

Since i haven't seen it yet..

Update 17 January 2013

http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aircra ... -countries

A meeting has been scheduled for later this month with the Vulcan To The Sky Trust (VTTS) to discuss the potential participation of Vulcan XH558 in next summer's flying display. The Vulcan continues to be one of UK airshows' greatest attractions and we are excited by the prospect of seeing, once again, XH558 at this year's event.

We were pleased to learn recently that our 2012 television advertisement won second place in the Commercial Television Advertisement: Large Show category at ICAS (International Council of Air Shows) in Las Vegas. It was runner-up to the Fort Wayne Air Show advert.

More than 20 members of the Friends of the Royal International Air Tattoo (FRIAT) braved last night's cold weather (16 January) to attend a special forum at Fairford to review last summer's event from a FRIAT perspective. It also outlined some of the benefits members could look forward to in the coming year. The Air Tattoo team was grateful to all those who took part, many of whom travelled long distances, to express their views.

Following our discussions with Breitling, and although nothing has been formalised, it was reassuring to read an external online forum post by pb643 which stated that a recent newsletter from the European Federation Historic Aviation, featured the following about the Breitling Super Connie: "For 2013 visits in Le Bourget (June), Fairford (July) and Sanicole (September) are planned, again respecting the country specific restrictions to carry passengers."

We read with interest the Czech International Air Fest (CIAF) website which announced that a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 is scheduled to display at the event in September. We have invited the Ukrainians to take part and are exploring the possibility of the Su-27 participating in the Air Tattoo this summer.


And the declined countries so far: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, India, South Africa

[Stefan]

Update 24 January 2012

http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aircra ... -countries

Despite the well-publicised, ongoing fiscal challenges being faced by the US administration, we have recently received some positive updates from our friends across the Atlantic:

We received an encouraging letter this week from the USAF's Air Education and Training Command stating that consideration was being given to our invitation to attend RIAT 2013. The letter said: "We will inform you as soon as possible which aircraft are able to support".

Like many of our regular visitors, the Air Tattoo would dearly like to see a USAF Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft once again grace the static line-up at the airshow. Like the B-2, the U-2 is one of the USAF's iconic aircraft due, in part, to its unique capabilities and the aura surrounding its role and place in aviation history. We wish to let you know that we are in good communication with the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB. If and when authority is given to permit a Dragon Lady to attend the Air Tattoo, you will be the first to know.

We have been contacted by the US Navy's VQ-4 Squadron based at Tinker AFB to say they would be very interested in bringing an E-6B Mercury to RAF Fairford in July. The E-6B is the airborne portion of the TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out) Communications System, serving as command links to the fleet ballistic missile submarine force and providing survivable communication links between the National Command Authority (NCA) and Strategic Forces. As with all potential participating US military assets, we will now have to wait to see if approval is given.

In response to our invitation, we have received a brief email from the Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) requesting more information about the Air Tattoo, which we will happily provide.

A Transport and Rescue Squadron from the Royal Canadian Air Force has contacted us with the following message: "We are keenly interested in participating as it represents a very unique opportunity not only to attend the event and meet a broad spectrum of aviation professionals but an excellent training opportunity simply in getting there!" Now that's the spirit. The approval process is currently underway and we very much hope the result will be positive.

Congratulations to Phil Bird, the RAF's solo Hawk display pilot for 2012, who was recently promoted to Squadron Leader. He also received a Deputy Commanders' Commendation for Meritorious Service, which was awarded in conjunction with the New Year Honours List 2013. Sqn Ldr Bird, who comes from Fairford, not only performed an excellent display of the Diamond Jubilee themed BAE Systems' Hawk but also flew Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood to the airshow's media launch last year. We are also grateful to him for helping in many other ways to promote his 'home' airshow! Sqn Ldr Bird is currently deployed in the Falkland Islands where he is responsible for the day-to-day running of all aircraft operations in theatre. He said the job is very challenging especially given the weather and the 8,500 miles distance from home. He said: "It's enjoyable but I am very much looking forward to returning to the UK at the end of the year to fly the Typhoon. Looking back on the 2012 display season, the Air Tattoo was undoubtedly the absolute highlight of the season for me. The crowds were fantastic and provided a great atmosphere in which to display and I'm sure that RIAT 2013 will be even bigger and better."

[michel N]

The first officially confirmed participant is.....

Colombia Air Force KC-767

[wamovements]

Brazilian R-99 and KC-130H confirmed:

http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/Newsro ... t-for-2013

[Stratofreighter]

According to http://www.lw.admin.ch/internet/luftwaf ... shows.html
no Patrouille Suisse at RIAT this year,
but the PC-7 team instead.

[Gietje]

Finnish NH90 on static according to the site.

[wamovements]

The HAF PRO has confirmed that RIAT13 will see participation of an EMB145AEW&C. Credits to airshowinfo.hu