Report from Royal International Air Tattoo 2009

Sunday, July 19, 2009  The Royal International Air Tattoo is the largest military air show in the world. It is held every year on the third weekend of July at RAF Fairford base in Wiltshire, UK. This year it attracted in excess of 160,000 visitors.

Report from Sunday

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The weather can best be described as changeable; with the majority of the day dominated by short squalls and storms, interjected with brief spells of sunshine. This meant many of the planned displays were cancelled, including the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and many of ongoing displays were cut short.

The first aeroplane due to show, the RAF C-17 Globemaster was unable to display, having been called out to Afghanistan earlier in the week. It was seen transiting overhead during the day returning from Afghanistan.

The following is a photo story, with many of the main attractions during the day. Click on the images to enlarge them.

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  The weather dominated proceedings on Sunday
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  The first item; a Netherlands Air Force F-16
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  A Royal Navy Merlin helicopter up close
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  The Chinook continued to wow crowds with seemingly impossible acrobatics
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  The Italian Air Force showed their C-27 with handling that defies belief for such a large plane
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  The Frecce Tricolori, the Italian Air Force's equivalent of the Red Arrows
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  The Dassault Rafale performed an excellent display for all
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  The Swiss aerobatic team began their display in formation with a Swiss F/A-18
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  Team Guinot and their wingwalkers made everyone think how easy it looks
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  For many, the centrepiece, the Fly Navy 100 Anniversary flypast, was the highlight of the day, involving more than 40 aircraft flying in close formation
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  An interesting insight into Royal Navy training followed, with the introduction of civilian contractors in military training
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  When the weather closed in, the B-52 continued to flypast, keeping the show moving
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  The Vulcan evoked memories for many older attendees and continued to stun younger audiences
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  The Breitling Jet team; the only civilian jet display team
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  The New Zealand 757 battling the water on the runway
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  Followed closely by an F-18; the third of the day
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  The Eurofighter Typhoon also made an appearance
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  The Red Arrows closed Sunday's show
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  Flying in in close formation
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  Although they had to flee the oncoming weather
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  Ending the show with style

The Vulcan and B-52 provided an evocative picture for all