I am of those VERY disappointed cadets…
Given all the shenanigans with me moving units, I have had to put a lot of effort into getting info from lots of different places, and finally managed to get everything organised literally THIS MORNING.
Given the rarity of spaces, I’m not confident I’ll get a space next year before I age out. So that’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that the Orange One has taken from me for ever….
/rant
Stop the clock.
Ken’s on it.
Announcement just received.
It’s a bad sign that I found out from ACC rather than, you know, cadet portal….
I found out from, in the space of 5 minutes,:
two different WhatsApps groups
someone shouting across the office “Hey Steve, you heard about RIAT?”
read the office statement, replied to the WhatsApp groups then came to ACC
In all fairness, I suspect that’s likely due to the organisers announcing publicly before telling RAFAC or giving them a chance to consider internal comms.
They were only announcing new aircraft displays a day or two ago.
indeed - some events happening at a new location with potential for camping still taking place…interesting!
RIAT themselves only announced it formally bout 10am this morning.
Stop the clock, we’ve just had an update through it. Was expecting them to ignore it until somebody came up with an alternative plan.
Got it from WhatsApp first (link to an air display organiser), then here very quickly after.
Email came through from RAFAC pretty quickly.
That cadets may hear from ACC or another channel before CoC isn’t a surprise given how it was announced and during the work day.
For a giggle I asked ChatGPT to give me the least suitable
The interesting one is valley as it would be the best display but awful logistics
Northolt another interesting one as whilst people could get to the event using the tube the traffic infrastructure of west London would be insane.
Manston has a huge runway, and is currently sitting unused but in good condition with loads of parking-suitable fields around it…
But works are starting to reopen it in a few years
(joking of course - in my dreams this would happen!)
Dunno what the state is of Manston’s runway. Until a yr or so ago, I think someone was trying to resurrect it as a cargo hub?
Doncaster (ex-Finningley) is still trying for get back to commercial operations.
Used to do “fish runs” in Vulcans to Machrihanish - land without streaming the ‘chute, engines running, pick up lots of boxes of smoked haddock, etc! Runway is only about 4600 ft now.
What about Kemble or Cotswold airport as it is now known. Similar part of the world and a 6500 ft runway. RIAT is fixed.
The runway part of it is still in use for the occasional visit, with the buffer to the side of it quite overgrown still from its use in Op Brock with all the lorries a few years ago. Still plans to reopen, airspace consultation ongoing atm, works starting late 2027-early 28, and opening 2031
except it isn’t.
Kemble has a good runway, but little else.
there is not a lot of room for Static Aircraft due to the limited taxiways/dispersals.
based on the Fairford method of managing the airfield, one side is operational, the other the airshow. there simply isn’t enough room for either.
I believe there has been a “Kemble” airshow in the past which is a good sign, however this was small scale rather than suitable for “international” scale
It was never going to be.
Traffic is far too difficult in that area; there are zero good road or rail connections anywhere nearby. The infrastructure on the base had been in a state of deteriorating since the V Bombers left too, and the married quarters were sold off years ago which just led to a load of locals whining about noise.
On top of all that, the price for tickets was far too expensive.
It is a shame it didn’t work, especially given the history of the base, but it never had a chance.
Scampton reactivated, Cottesmore or Wittering…?
What about, Yeovilton? Used to have a good show there.
agreed and this is what i was getting at
but for all the reasons you mention it was never going to - it was a fools errand to appease the public desire for a “bomber county” airshow while Scampton was the right location for that year, it had no future long term as much as a shame that is
We had one cadet going to RIAT, one annoying consequence is that he was hoping to get the residential part of his Gold DofE signed off.
Now he’ll have to look for alternatives - any suggestions please?
If only there was a base that’s practically unused by the RAF, immediately off a dual carriageway that connects to the M1 and A1, with plenty of open access space available for static displays…
Perhaps somewhere along the A46 between Newark & Nottingham would be a fantastic location? Somewhere where displays could be over the open lands north of the River Trent…?
