It's grim stuff. I mean, who has even the slightest interest in seeing a 146? It was vaguely comical how RIAT built this year's hype on the appearance of the F-35, and then appear to have almost dismissed the Vulcan as unimportant. It's ironic how the plan seems to have backfired spectacularly.
I wonder how long this will go on before even the most committed enthusiasts realise the show is an over-priced dinosaur. It's ridiculously expensive, and comprises almost exclusively of mainstream show acts that can be seen pretty-much anywhere. Waddington's show was brilliant by comparison (and that was no great event). Viggen, Draken, Vulcan, Canberra, three Hunters, three Gnats... What has RIAT got? The Su-22 and that's it.
Yes, one can clutch as straws and list the (dwindling) static exhibits but really, who cares about a Japanese tanker stuck in a car park? Or a Greek A-7 that you'll be able to see in a museum soon. Static aircraft are hardly worth crowing about.
Yes, I know all the reasons why RIAT is unable to match the excellence of their older shows but that means nothing. It is what it is. It appears to still attract enough punters to make a profit so that's fine - good luck to them. But wouldn't it be nice if they stopped billing the event as some huge military spectacular for the aviation enthusiast. It's not, and hasn't been for a long time.
But then I guess you can't blame RIAT. It's the enthusiasts that still turn-up and pay the ridiculous amounts of money. Like lambs to the proverbial slaughter. Madness!
