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While six of our cadets went to RIAT to work, some of us dropped in on the Sunday to watch and enjoy. (Ed.)

We set out very early to ensure we made the first few air displays. After getting very excited about seeing the stationary Avro Vulcan, (a cold war bomber recently restored using charitable donations) the squadron walked to the main taxiway in the poring rain. This wasn’t a great start to the day, however the weather started to clear up for the first display. The cadet presence at the show is massive, with over 700 volunteers who help set up the grounds and even more from visiting squadrons.   An F-16 fighting Falcon was the first to fly. It was good to hear the deafening roar of the engines on full afterburner. The programme is absolutely packed, with a plane always in the sky. The Italian Tricolour and the Royal Air Forces Red Arrows were the two main air display teams. I have to say that this year the Red Arrows were far superior with faster speeds, more complex manoeuvres and smaller wing to wing distances.   I also very much enjoyed the ‘Fly Navy’ fly past which consisted of four squirrels, three merlin’s, three lynx, eight sea kings, four fire-fly’s, four jet streams and three harriers! This was to celebrate 100 years of Navy flying. The site consists of two main areas, one for viewing the aerial displays (a grass strip parallel to the runway) and the Taxiway (for observing the stationary aircraft) Being a cadet at the event has its privileges too, I was able to hop the fence protecting some aircraft and either sit in the cockpit or have a tour around the aircraft. I sat at the helm of a Hercules and a Harrier.  My favourite display of the day was a Eurofighter Typhoon F2. This plane is the latest of the RAF’s fleet, it currently has the role of defending UK airspace. The Vulcan was also amazing to watch, it was surprisingly agile and very graceful, despite being an ex- bomber! I thoroughly enjoyed the day and cannot wait for next year!

Last Updated on Saturday, 05 December 2009 00:32