I don’t want to be accused of advertising other sites but we’ve had a very long (and surprisingly polite!) discussion on this topic on Fightercontrol (in the Airshow section), which you might find of interest. I’ll refrain from repeating my points here as I’ll doubtless be accused of yet more hideous crimes by my team of groupies (or is it harpies?)!

Adrian, I think you’re probably right that cost was the reason why warbirds weren’t used to fill-out the FAA display. RIAT seem reluctant to shower money on civilian acts unless they have to, indeed this was the reason given for the Russian’s absence, the last time I heard Mr.Prince being questioned about it. It does seem a bit shabby though to charge thirty-odd quid for admission and still be too cheap to finance anything more than a flyby from the Sea Vixen!

As for this business of hyping-up the numbers, I agree that their continual claims for quantity and quality do seem a tad lame. Okay, it’s fine to accept that they have to deal with dwindling resources, operational commitments, technical cancellations, weather and the like, but I think lots of us would feel a little more comfortable if RIAT didn’t continually insult us by pretending that the show is something that it isn’t. Clearly, it’s gone a long way past the days of being a huge military spectacular, and if one excludes the more familiar perfomers (aerobatic teams and the like) and the civilian space-fillers, there clearly is little more than a comfortably-sized but potentially very good air show at the core of this overblown circus.

Personally, I wish RIAT would accept and promote the show for what it is rather than what they want it to be, stop using enthusiasts as a secondary source of easy cash, and use what aircraft they do have more creatively.

Might I draw your attention to Peter’s comments a few posts above…

As I’ve mentioned before, I think Yeovilton’s show would easily have been the best show of the year had it not been for the weather and some cancellations. Less expensive than RIAT, certainly far less hype, varied, and with a good (under the circumstances) collection of military types on show. It was sad that their efforts were thwarted.

The Leuchars show in September still holds a great deal of promise too.

The fact that this is the THE fundraising event for the RAF Benevolent Fund and is now very successful at raising funds for that organisation appears to be of no importance to you at all.

Not a question of importance, it’s just irrelevant. It’s not my duty (or anyone else’s) to concern myself with RAFBF money-raising. Good luck to them of course but as far as RIAT is concerned we are ticket-paying spectators, pure and simple, unless you’re suggesting that we should all pay to attend a less-than wonderful event simply because it’s for charity? If that’s the case we may as well dump the whole show and simply each send a fiver off to RAFBF – it would raise more money and be far easier.

Your comments above basically amount to a whine that “things ain’t what they used to be,” hey guess what, this isn’t the 70’s anymore, times change, objectives change, availability of assets changes.

We know, and if you’ve read the various threads, you’d know that we’ve said this time and time again.

On a topical note should the Brit armed forces have had more helicopters in the display in your opinion?

I take it that’s a rhetorical question which doesn’t deserve a serious answer.

Would you be prepared to pay 10% more taxes (10% plucked out of the air) to properly equip the armed forces whilst maintaining the bloated NHS and benefits budgets?

I’m not quite sure what this has to do with RIAT. But this presupposes that the taxpayer needs to pay more cash to equip the armed forces. This isn’t true of course – all that needs to be done is for the Government to pull our forces out of the pointless (and deadly) crusade in Afghanistan. We would then be able to comfortably afford defending the United Kingdom properly… but I digress.

If you want an “enthusiasts event” why don’t you go and organise one yourself? If you read the history of IAT that’s essentially that the original (and largely still current) organisers did.
Over time their priorities have changed. Thats what happens, get over it.

I don’t “want” anything, nor do I need to read-up on the history of IAT. I know already – I was there. Point is, RIAT repeatedly claim that their event is for the enthusiast. Seems logical therefore, that they should ensure that the event meets this aim? If priorities have changed, then why don’t RIAT “get over it” (as you put it) and stop pretending that the show is anything other than a commercial fund-raiser aimed at the general public?

Finally the suggestion that an event that exists to raise money for charity should pay large amounts of cash to secure participants is loony.

Not “loony” at all – they already do. It’s more a question of which participants they pay for, surely?

I’m not sure I’d entirely agree with all the foregoing but with respect to:-

we have to go with what we can get

That is certainly true. But there’s a wider question of precisely what you can get… and what you do with it if and when you get it…

Brilliant stuff Arthur. Enjoy yourself on UKAR!

:rolleyes: