Does this mean more staff are now available for summer camps?
What is this summer camp you speak of?
Some have ben binned off already due to lack of staff.
Ah beat me to the punch.
Not shocked, but gutted for all those missing out this year.
So, this announced today, how long do you reckon it’ll take internal Comms to tell the org?
At least for me it’s come down via WAvO already
How many will have booked time off work and will not be able change their annual leave dates. I know of a cadets who had chosen this over Nijmegen. There are going to be a lot of disappointed cadets.
How long then before RAFAC get banned from NIjmegen, just in case something happens!!
Given the reasons being offered for cancellation, it looks like it would be a wise idea to move future iterations away from American-controlled bases.
Farnborough Airshow anybody? 
Which UK bases would work best? Thinking some of the old Vulcan bomber bases that have the long runways but without being too operationally busy.
Machrihanish. It would give Campbelltowns tourism industry a bit of a boost…
It would give Scotland on the whole a bit of a boost! 
My lad is gutted as he was supposed to be there for 2 weeks whilst on a hold. I’m sure they’ll find a crappy job somewhere else instead.
This has been a regular gamble pretty much since I can remember.
If I’m not mistaken, RIAT is usually the weekend that we all go out to NM…
The added pressure is for those wanting to apply for the “extended camp” Or Rangers are those that are the age that would be more “likely” to be eligible for Mil team spaces.
I realise it’s almost certainly a gross over simplification - but… it’s a shame we don’t have an “alternate” airfield stood ready to accommodate…
Lyneham would have been an obvious choice…
On a less obvious note: I dare say this will mean no “donation” to RAFAC / The RAF Charity etc in exchange for the services provided by cadets & CFAVs…
Nor the annual large scale organisation exposure for recruitment / showcasing…
Any chance we can have car park marshalling back now @Cab ?
Cab isn’t doing the role anymore so you would need to ask his successor.
Pretty sure it would be a “no” anyway. Besides which - how many fetes / fairs / festivals etc would be happy to risk using their local cadets again…?
I put the question re alternatives into ChatGPT & it came up with the following
It came up with the below.
However, it did suggest some “dark horse candidates” which could work with some investment
you’d think so right - apologies if i am teaching you how to suck eggs, but a quick history lesson for those unaware
RIAT, or IAT as it was - started at North Weald before moving to RAF Greenham Common Berkshire, in 1971, which was until closure a USAAF AFB.
In 1985 the show then moved to Fairford, again a USAAF AFB.
It only deviated to Cottesmore in 2000 & 2001 when Fairford’s runway was being resurfaced (only for the 2002 show to see an Italian G22 complete “hard” landing collapsing the nose gear and relying on the friction of the fuselage against the (new surface) runway to stop (Click for Youtube link to video)
in terms of Runway length, and ideal proximity to Bader House, the RIAT Offices based at RAF Fairford, RAF Brize Norton seems like the obvious choice - but only on those two criteria - as well all know Brize is too busy and critical to “close” for the two weeks RIAT operations would take over for.
Taking a look at this source Runway Lengths - UK Airfields
there appears to be 14 runways which are/have been longer than Fairford.
- three of those marked as “extinct” (Wittering, Chelveston and Greenham Common),
- five are airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Standsted and Manchester), *
- one is “active” but will be off limits to civlians (Boscombe Down),
- two more disused (Bedford and Bruntingthorpe)
- leaving Brize Norton as discussed not viable
- and Shannon - which I know nothing about other than being in Ireland!
While there isn’t to say a smaller runway isn’t viable, a long runway comes with a large airfield and so permits a large static show.
(Cottesmore is 12 places below Fairford on the list above, 10005ft vs 9008ft)
Looking back ten years, in 2017 there was a “Scampton Airshow” (runway length 9000ft)- which was run and managed by almost the same team (paid and volunteers) as RIAT.
This was created in reaction to the lack of/loss of a “RAF Airshow” in bomber county and public desire for that to be put right when the Waddington Airshow was permanently cancelled.
However it only lasted a year and has never returned.
For whatever reason Fairford works for RIAT - personally i think it is a real shame Scampton wasn’t more successful (i never went, but those who did said for a first year it was a good event) to continue, building on its success, but the availability/future life in Scampton i think was as much a driving factor.
And i think that is the most important part.
While the number of RAF Airfields and with it shows have continued to drop in the last 20, and certainly last 30-40 years, Fairford, Marham and Mildenhall , all USAAF ATB, have never been suggested to be closed or reduced in size - these are key assets to the USAAF and so have a much more defined future than many RAF Stations
while I can see the argument to consider “British” Airfields, unfortunately “the British” (be that the RAF/MOD, Government, or local councils) don’t see the value in keeping airfields as airfields either for operational reasons (RAF/MOD) or when there is a demand (crisis) for housing and quiet/closed/disused airfields are seen as an obvious choice (Local Govt/Councils)
Edit to add: @Chief_Tech and the use of ChatGPT beat me to it!