Royal International Air Tattoo 2017 Discussion Thread

[Gary]

Solo Türk self confirmed for RIAT on their Facebook page this morning. Part of Thursdays update?

[Voodoo1]

Great stuff if confirmed, in my opinion the best of the F-16 displays.
It's sure to be this weeks update

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk

[mbo570]

Apache team have self confirmed with pyrotechnics

[bizfreeq]

AAC or Dutch?

[Steven]

Army Air Corps.

https://twitter.com/ApacheDisplay

[bizfreeq]

Thanks, was hoping for Dutch with pyros!

[jasonT1981]

Interesting to note - RIAT have today said they have not been notified about the Apache display yet by JHC.

UK Airshow Review‏ @UKAirshowReview 3h3 hours ago

The @ApacheDisplay have confirmed their calendar today, featuring Duxford May, @cosfordairshow, @YeoviltonAirDay, @airtattoo and Dunsfold!

RIAT Air Ops‏ @RIATAirOps 3h3 hours ago

Replying to @UKAirshowReview @ApacheDisplay and 3 others
Nice, wonder when JHC will let us know?

Apache display have said they made announcement early, and contracts only just sent out

AHDT‏ @ApacheDisplay 2h2 hours ago

Replying to @RIATAirOps @UKAirshowReview and 3 others
The contracts went out last night - we made the announcement early!

[MRTT]

Tends to happen with the AHDT.

[luke28]

Greek F-4 (s)
Finnish Midnight Hawks (f)

[MRTT]

And.. that didn't last long.

[stealth1234]

Greek F-4 (s)
Finnish Midnight Hawks (f)

With all the hype on UKAR anyone would think it was something unseen before

[luke28]

I woke up and saw what looked like an official tweet from UKAR on twitter and facebook about it and now all of a sudden people are kicking off because its top secret?

[Gary]

Not top secret but the email did say

FRIAT Exclusive - A Midnight Feast

As a FRIAT member we're giving you an exclusive heads-up of a display team who are returning to the Air Tattoo for the first time in over a decade.

...

The rest of the world will be told, as usual, at 1200hrs today so let's try and keep it a surprise!

They should have put it in the FRIAT members area on the website, it would have been a surprise to FRIAT member too, it's not very active

[Stroudy]

If there were to be a Greek F-4 (S), maybe more effort could be put into making it (F)? It would fly back home in Greece, does anybody know why not here, year after year?

Its always nice to see this type of aircraft on the ground but these crates are meant to fly! If you're going to fly it all the way here at least display such a well loved, and soon to be gone forever, aircraft so we can all see it the way it was meant to be.

Same with the LN F-15E's. Nice to see on the ground, but why on earth doesn't it fly here when they have a display routine like the one they've performed at MAKS. It always seems like it could be done, but never is anymore

[Gary]

This weeks update

The Hellenic Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom will return to this summer's Air Tattoo as a static display.

The Finnish Air Force is sending its aerobatic team, the Midnight Hawks, to display at RIAT 2017. It will be their first appearance at the show since debuting back in 2004. Four BAE Hawk Mk51s make up the formation with a fifth coming as a spare.

http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aircra ... dates-2017

Finnish Air Force
Midnight Hawks Hävittäjälentolaivue 41 Aerobatic Team (F)

Hellenic Air Force
F-4E Phantom 117 Combat Wing Fighter (S)

http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/aircra ... craft-2017
 

[Stroudy]

See my above comment on the F4.....

[Malcolm]

See my above comment on the F4.....

The problem is that to fly a display the pilot has to complete an intensive training scheme (often taking several months), and then be passed as safe to display by his superiors. Then he has to do a practice display at the airshow venue so that the airshow organisers are happy that the display is safe.

A front line pilot can't just jump in a jet, fly to the other side of Europe and perform an aerobatic display in front of 200,000 punters. If it goes wrong, at best lawyers get rich, and at worst people die.

So unless there is a qualified display pilot for the type, you're highly unlikely to see it fly at an airshow. At best you'll see it take off, do a flyby and then land again.

[Stroudy]

Yes understood, unless they had a display pilot of course that wouldn't be possible.. I was thinking that they probably do for the Greek events.

But failing that you're right with the take off/flypast comment.. and I think that's what im getting at. If I was on the organisational team in a position that could authorise it, I'd make it compulsory for a jet like that to do at least a take off and flypast if it was coming, as im as passionate about seeing machines like that fly as the general crowd would be.

After all its coming to an airshow, not a groundshow.

[TomG]

Yes understood, unless they had a display pilot of course that wouldn't be possible.. I was thinking that they probably do for the Greek events.

But failing that you're right with the take off/flypast comment.. and I think that's what im getting at. If I was on the organisational team in a position that could authorise it, I'd make it compulsory for a jet like that to do at least a take off and flypast if it was coming, as im as passionate about seeing machines like that fly as the general crowd would be.

After all its coming to an airshow, not a groundshow.

Hi there. The Hellenic AF do not have an F-4 display crew so that option is not available. As for your comment concerning a 'compulsory flypast' then that is something that is not in the gift of any organiser and making demands such as those will soon see the withdrawal of the types that you seem to bemoan seeing on the ground.

At RIAT we're as passionate about seeing machines in the air as the next person but a sense of perspective needs to be maintained.

Tom

[bizfreeq]

I'd make it compulsory for a jet like that to do at least a take off and flypast if it was coming

And you would never see them again!