Royal International Air Tattoo 2009
R.A.F Fairford
(Hellenic Air Force RF-4E Phantom 7487 arriving on 16th July)
July 18th and 19th saw the annual Royal International Air Tattoo at R.A.F Fairford, England take place. After the cancellation of the event in 2008 due to severe thunderstorms and torrential rain, this years event was eagerly awaited. The themes for 2009 were the 60th Anniversary of NATO, Sea Search '09 and Fly Navy 100 (a celebration of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm). The event attracted over 250 aircraft from 33 different air arms, with the Algerian Air Force becoming the 51st nation to attend the airshow since its inception, bringing a Lockheed C-130H Hercules transport aircraft. Despite the bad weather leading up to the show dates, organisers estimated that over 160,000 people attended this years two day event. Whilst numbers of aircraft dwindle year on year there is still something for everyone and always something to get the heart pumping. Here's a selection of some of the aircraft on view.
Tornado F.3 from Leuchars in Scotland. maybe the last time we might see one of these at a U.K airshow as
they are phased out and gradually being replaced by the Typhoon
As is the norm the Royal Air Force provided a Shorts Tucano in a somewhat striking colour scheme for 2009
A-10C Thunderbolt from the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem arrives on the Friday before the show.
As can be seen the weather was not ideal in the two days building up to the public event on the Saturday and Sunday.
This USAF C-20H Gulfstream from the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein visited several times during the build up to the show
Amongst the earliest arrivals were the Swiss Air Force with two FA-18C's and the PC-7 display team.
Providing support for the Swiss contingent was their sole Dassault Falcon 50, seen here departing on 17th July
Amongst the NATO visitors were two FA-18A Hornets from the Spanish Air Force's ALA.12 unit at Torrejon
CASA 295 T.21-12 from ALA.35 at Getafe provided the transport element of the Ejercito Del Aire
Probably making its last appearance at any show is the last BAC 1-11 operated by the Royal Air Force of Oman.
553 is the last of three such aircraft once operated by the RAFO, which are being replaced by Airbus A.320's.
This French Air Force Alphajet arrived from the training base at Cazaux. Note the new coding system for French
aircraft where the base number (in this case 120) forms the first part of the code as against the old wing number
Aermacchi's M346 demonstrator 002 provided a glimpse of the future trainer for many air arms
The undoubted 'star' of 2009 was this Algerian Air Force C-130H Hercules from 2 Escadre de Transport based
at Boufarik Air Base. Seldom seen in Europe this was a real coup for RIAT.
Two of the 'Fly Navy 100' contingent were this Jetstream T.2 and Bae Hawk T.1 from RNAS Culdrose
Another participant from Culdrose was this 771 NAS Sea King HU.5
Providing a contrast to the Royal Navy rescue Sea King was this Royal Air Force HAR.3A example
The newest R.A.F aircraft on display was this recently delivered Bae Hawk T.2 from 19 Squadron based at
R.A.F Valley in Anglesey North Wales.
CL.604 Challenger from 721 Squadron Royal Danish Air Force
From the newest aircraft on display to one of the older participants. The mighty Avro Vulcan B.2. Owned by the Vulcan Trust, this ex- Royal Air Force V-Bomber was the last Vulcan to be retired from RAF service in 1993. Immense effort was made in getting this aircraft in flying condition after being retired and over £7 million was spent on refurbishment.
October 18th 2007 saw her return to the skies again and her first display took place at RAF Waddington on 5th July 2008. As with any old aircraft, serviceability issues have been an ongoing problem, but thankfully she made it to Fairford in 2009 and a great many people were glad to see and hear those thunderous Olympus engines once more.
XH558 arrives at Fairford on the afternoon of 17th July 2009
Providing a more sedate arrival was this Grob Vigilant from the RAF Cadets
The NATO base at Geilenkirchen in Germany provided both a Boeing 707 trainer/transport aircraft and this
Boeing E-3A Sentry AEW platform
The Royal Netherlands Air Force provided its usual support in the form of its 2009 display F-16 from Volkel Air Base
Along with the F-16 the Dutch contingent also consisted of a Fokker 60 from 334 Squadron at Eindhoven