Category Archives: military

Pilatus’ New Toy

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Rob

There were lots of things I was hoping to see at RIAT but I did get a few that were very pleasant surprises. Various air forces had business jets showing up and departing throughout the show as dignitaries (or urgent … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, corporate, military, photo | Tagged aircraft, airplane, business, civil, corporate, gloucestershire, jet, military, PC-24, photo, Pilatus, RAF Fairford, RIAT, Swiss Air Force, transport, travel, uk | Leave a comment

Rather Disappointing F-35B Appearance

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Rob

The F-35 has been around for quite a while by now so I have shot them on plenty of occasions (although an F-35C is still on the wish list). My UK trip was one where I was hoping to get … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, military, photo, video | Tagged air show, aircraft, airplane, display, F-35B, fighter, gloucestershire, jet, lightning, Lockheed Martin, military, photo, RAF, RAF Fairford, RIAT, royal air force, travel, uk | Leave a comment

BOAC and the Red Arrows

Posted on September 25, 2019 by Rob

RIAT is known for special formations and British Airways has been part of them in the past. Concorde with the Red Arrows and an A380 with the Red Arrows spring to mind. For 2019 and BA’s 100th anniversary, they wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, civil, military, photo | Tagged 747-400, air show, aircraft, airliner, airplane, bae systems, BOAC, Boeing, british airways, civil, gloucestershire, hawk, jet, livery, military, photo, RAF Fairford, RAFAT, Red Arrows, RIAT, scheme, special, trainer, travel, uk | Leave a comment

The Tornados Just Weren’t Playing Ball

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Rob

I do love the Tornado. It was coming in to service just when I was getting into aviation and I ended up working on handling clearances for them when I was a junior aerodynamicist. Their retirement by the RAF was … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, military, photo | Tagged air show, aircraft, airplane, fighter, German, gloucestershire, Italian, jet, Luftwaffe, military, panavia, photo, RAF Fairford, RIAT, tornado, travel, uk | Leave a comment

A Sentinel Looks Glossy When it is Hammering Down

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Rob

Based on a Global Express business jet, the RAF’s Sentinel battlefield surveillance jet has plenty of lumps and bumps to distinguish it but the paint scheme is a different story. It is painted plain gray and, aside from one example … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, military, photo, Travel | Tagged aircraft, airplane, bombardier, gloucestershire, gray, grey, jet, military, paint, photo, RAF Fairford, rain, Raytheon, recce, RIAT, royal air force, sentinel, surveillance, travel, uk, wet | Leave a comment

Ukrainian Sukhois

Posted on September 5, 2019 by Rob

Non-Western jets are always a strong attraction at a Western air show and the appearance of the Ukrainian Sukhois at RIAT was no exception. The SU-27 is a beast of a jet and quite an impressive performer at a show. … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, military, photo, Travel | Tagged air show, aircraft, airplane, fighter, flanker, gloucestershire, jet, military, photo, RAF Fairford, RIAT, SU-27, sukhoi, travel, uk, Ukrainian Air Force | Leave a comment

IWM Duxford

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Rob

My wife is a star – well that, or she is a masochist. Our trip to the UK was in three phases. We spend the first phase visiting family. The second phase was my visit to RIAT for a few … Continue reading →

Posted in aircraft, civil, military, photo, Travel | Tagged aircraft, airplane, cambridgeshire, civil, collection, Duxford, imperial war museum, IWM, military, photo, travel, uk, vintage | Leave a comment

Romanian LanceRs

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Rob

RIAT proved to be a lot of fun with such a variety of types to see. The shooting conditions were less than ideal but that shouldn’t take away from what was there and the effort that went in to organizing … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, military, photo, Travel | Tagged air show, aircraft, airplane, fighter, Fishbed, gloucestershire, gurevich, jet, lancer, MiG-21, mikoyan, military, photo, RAF Fairford, RIAT, Romanian Air Force, travel, uk | Leave a comment

Lots of Prop Vortices

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Rob

Departure day at RIAT was a bit overcast, much like the majority of the show. The damp atmosphere did have the positive effect of meaning many of the more powerful prop aircraft were pulling vortices from the tips of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, military, photo, Travel | Tagged air show, aircraft, airplane, c-130, condensation, gloucestershire, hercules, Lockheed Martin, military, moisture, photo, properllor, RAF Fairford, RIAT, Sweden, takeoff, transport, turboprop, uk, vapor, vortex, vortices | Leave a comment

Concorde Formations Flypast

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Rob

RIAT is known for putting together formations of different types to celebrate certain events. The fiftieth anniversary of the first flight of Concorde resulted in two display teams getting together. Concorde was an Anglo-French collaboration and so was the celebration … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Shows, aircraft, military, photo, Travel | Tagged air show, aircraft, airplane, alpha jet, anniversary, bae systems, concorde, Dassault, demonstration, display team, dornier, flyby, Gloucerstershire, hawk, jet, military, Patrouille de France, photo, RAF Fairford, RAFAT, Red Arrows, RIAT, trainer, uk | Leave a comment