RIAT 2006 / (Royal International Traffic Jam 2006)

[Hagar]

Maybe you should have arranged to meet outside the Skysim tent. It also helps to know what at least one of the party looks like or at least wear some sort of prearranged ID.

From my experience you need to make more definite arrangements. You might be a tad wary of gving too much personal info online & I don't blame anyone for that. Most people know what I look like by now or I can PM a photo. The way it works is for me to be at a prearranged spot at a specific time. I will wait for 10 minutes. If you don't like the look of me no harm done & nobody is any the wiser.

[masmith]

Well, 11.19 is not 11.00. If I say 11.00 I mean 11.00 & not twenty minutes later. I have better things to do than hang around all day waiting to meet someone who won't show up.    

Woh...Dont have ago at me, I was there from 10:50 to 11:20 who was the one hanging about waiting?..eh

Yer I took the pic at 11:19 because There was hardly no one there at 11:00 so please Hagar do not presume I was the one who was late and wasting over peoples time...

[wealthysoup]

Flying or ferry? That's a long way to go for an airshow

A coach then a ferry for four hours then a coach again




Total journey took 14.5 hours each way  :-/

[Mictheslik]

nice

.Mic

[Hagar]

please Hagar do not presume I was the one who was late and wasting over peoples time...

I was joking. I wasn't even there.

[gryshnak]

It would be more appropriate to call this thread Royal International Traffic Jam 2006...

I dropped my wife off at the Oxford park & ride just after 9am on Saturday, then drove to Fairford.  At about 9.30 I hit the traffic with 3 miles to go.  No problem, right?  Just a minor delay?

10.00am, had moved about 100yds.

10.30am, made it a little further but still couldn't see anything - tall trees on either side of the single lane road.  Jets could be heard roaring around somewhere in the sky.

10.45am, getting worried that I might not be able to reach the B-52 by 11am.

11.00am, reached a sign that said "Fairford 2 1/4 miles", figured I'm not going to make the B-52 in time.

11.30am, two hours in the damn traffic queue, I paid a lot of money for this show and drove 200 miles and I'm missing everything  >:(

12.00, finally reached the car park!  I was NOT impressed with the ability of the RIAT organisers to deal with something as simple as getting cars into the car park.

Fortunately the Patrouille Suisse didn't fly until 2pm, that was the event I most wanted to see.  And the Osprey flew again in the afternoon.  I'll post more about the show itself elsewhere (I'm at a hotel tonight) but having done the RIAT experience once, I'm not in a particular hurry to do it again.

Gryshnak

[Hagar]

It would be more appropriate to call this thread Royal International Traffic Jam 2006...

This is one reason I didn't go. These events are always very popular & from past experience of similar shows the roads around the airfield soon get clogged solid. It's not really anyone's fault. The gates opened at 7.30 am so if I was going I would try to be there before that. If you're travelling any distance it might be an idea to stay locally overnight.

[Mictheslik]

Came at 9.....traffic was fine (wow that rymes)

Left at six......spent 90 minutes in a queue. Oh well, was a great day

About the patroille Suisse......I think they get the award for most gimmicks.....first the "tennis racket" formation in honour of Roger Federer. Then multiple "mountain formations" (pretty obvious) and it also contained a blatant advert for the Pilatus PC21, making it's debut at "Fairfort"



.Mic

[wealthysoup]

It would be more appropriate to call this thread Royal International Traffic Jam 2006...

Just for you  ;) (check the thread name)

[C]

It would be more appropriate to call this thread Royal International Traffic Jam 2006...

12.00, finally reached the car park!  I was NOT impressed with the ability of the RIAT organisers to deal with something as simple as getting cars into the car park.

Fortunately the Patrouille Suisse didn't fly until 2pm, that was the event I most wanted to see.  And the Osprey flew again in the afternoon.  I'll post more about the show itself elsewhere (I'm at a hotel tonight) but having done the RIAT experience once, I'm not in a particular hurry to do it again.

Gryshnak

It's why I don't go. It's always been known the RIAT traffics been an unsolvable problem, and even if you go really early it's possible to be in a jam by 0630-0700. It's a well known fact, and RIAT must be one of the only places that gets traffic jams the days before the show and the day after for the arrivals and departures. Unfortunately its part and parcel of the show, and unless you hear about it or experience it then you don't know about it.

It was made even worse post 9/11 with the US security checks (2002 particularly - scanning every person entering the gate and chacking all bags).

Combine this with the fact you've maybe got 3 times the capacity of the country largest football stadium all wanting to park their cars, and you see the problem. Its the main reason whilst Fairford was closed why they held the show at Cottesmore - its about the nearest suitable airfield to a motorway!

[gryshnak]

Unfortunately its part and parcel of the show, and unless you hear about it or experience it then you don't know about it.

I knew there'd be a queue but I'd never heard it was that bad!  It took me as long to get into RIAT as it did to get out of Duxford!

It was made even worse post 9/11 with the US security checks (2002 particularly - scanning every person entering the gate and chacking all bags).

They did that.  A lady in uniform asked me if I was carrying any metal objects like keys or coins - duh, I'd just driven my car to the air show to spend some money! - and I had to remove it all so they could wave a wand over me before I could go in.

Combine this with the fact you've maybe got 3 times the capacity of the country largest football stadium all wanting to park their cars, and you see the problem.

The thing that puzzles me is, what was happening while we were sitting just around the corner from the car park for ten minutes at a time, not going anywhere?  Nobody else could have been going in or out because we were blocking the road!  And there was plenty of room when we got there, it wasn't a gridlock situation at the gate.  It was so frustrating!

Gryshnak

[Mictheslik]

As I said, we had no trouble getting in. Very well organised amd that, but it was a couple of hours earlier. Last year we also had no problems.

.Mic

[gryshnak]

and it also contained a blatant advert for the Pilatus PC21

Oh, how subtle was that commentary?  He must have been reading straight from the sales brochure, telling us with every sentence how wonderful the PC21 is.  So fast, so modern, so reliable, able to keep up with jets!  Swiss craftsmanship!  Latest technology!  Everybody needs one!  Best aeroplane in the world!  Goes faster because it's painted red!  Cleans the dishes and washes the car while you're out flying!  Accurately predicts next Saturday's lottery numbers!  Lowers blood pressure!  Recommended by 9 out of 10 dentists!  Okay maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but it really was a very blatant sales pitch and I doubt anyone was impressed by it.

I just wanted him to shut up so we could concentrate on the Patrouille Suisse.  Their presentation wasn't as tight or slick as the Red Arrows, but I think the F5 looks better than the Hawk and the PS have a more attractive paint job as well.

Gryshnak

[Mictheslik]

And what was up with the whole PC21 in formation thing....."Look an incredible display team with an even more incredible plane....the PC21 at Fair-fort"

To me it looked the same as all those other trainers.

.Mic

[C]

Oh, how subtle was that commentary?  He must have been reading straight from the sales brochure, telling us with every sentence how wonderful the PC21 is.

Probably because the UK Military Flying Training System contract preferred bidder is being announced soon, and Raytheon, Pilatus, Aermacchi and Embraer are all desperate to convince the RAF that their aircraft is the preferred potential Tucano replacement, and that commentary seem to also be forcing the point that the PC-21 could also replace the first half of the training currently performed on the Hawk.

People forget that RIAT is the prelude to Farnborough nowadays - as well as the public show at the weekend there are some very very high profile corporate events in the preceeding week and during the weekend itself - and you all would have seen the huge corporate enclosures at the front of the crowd line...