I was very disappointed not to see XH558 fly, and did think it may have been able to fly at certain times in the day (differing with the official programme, and partly through my desperation to see a Vulcan fly after so many years), but then again, I fully realise aircrew and crowd safety are paramount. The cloud was very low all day, and while the 'reds' did try to perform, at one point (as they passed to the extreme left) one of the aircraft completely disappeared into cloud.
The Rafale looked very agile, despite only being able to perform basic manoeuvres.
So on the whole, even though the show was a huge disappointment, it did serve to remind one of the 'professional' element in 'professional aviator'. There could have been a big demand from the organisers for aircraft to perform, but IMHO the pilots called it right in not performing in the conditions of the day (even though it meant my day was spoiled).
On a different tangent, the overall highlight of the weekend for me, was in the FAA museum on Sunday, when I was 'transferring' to the carrier in the mock up Wessex, and one of the passengers said to her boyfriend "So is this the harrier?"
I was going to point out the Sea Harrier many PPRuNer's say is really a GR3, only to find there are now two Sea Harriers in the museum, an FRS1 and an FA2!
I am now wondering whether to bother with RIAT this year, as it will mean another day off work, and another chance to possibly not see a Vulcan fly.
