RAF Fairford
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Fairford ('94 to '05)
Fairford 2006
Fairford 2007
Fairford 2008
My Father first visited the International Air Tattoo in the seventies when it was held at Greenham Common, Berkshire. I must have attended the airshows after I was bornas we continued to go every year it was held at Fairford as by the time I had arrived, IAT alternated with A+AEE Boscombe Down until 1993 when IAT was held at Fairford every year following the closure of Greenham Common in 1992. I remember parts of earlier shows but 1991 sticks in my mind as the first one I took real notice of. In the alternating years we visited RAF Mildenhall for their annual airshow and boy I can remember those - that was the first time I tasted a beefburger and those Americans know how to cook!! Apart from the years it was held at Cottesmore for runway resurfacing, I have been to every IAT since 1993. In 2003 I camped for the first time and it was brilliant! In 2007, I moved to a different campsite from the previous one and being on the runway threshold is a very exhilarating experience, I can tell you!! In 2007 and 2008 I also visited the RIAT departures, perching in a special area at the Western end of the runway. The monday departures are always sad, the end of another great weekend! 2008 was a washout with the show cancelled and 2009 provided similar weather although the show did go ahead and with the star of the show, the Avro Vulcan returning to the Airshow scene after over 15 years. However, I opted to visit for one day only this time and was glad to as the show for me had lost some of its oomph (for want of a better phrase!) over previous years. The flying display was sparse compared to recent years and the airshow took on a different mood once inside, becoming ever more commercialised rather than a public spectacle of aviation supremacy. Here's to 2010 and a better display!!
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