Yet Another RIAT F**k Up!
Nice touch that Saturday tickets won't be valid on Sunday - what a complete and utter f**K up. I doubt if RIAT will ever recover from this debacle. Tim Prince et al, hang your head in shame.
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Riat Cancelled!
Oh dear this sounds very similar to an event in '07 does it not?
At least the org managed to cancel day 1 in advance of the punters turning up and then having to turf them out after only an hour or 2.
However, if the ground is as waterlogged as suggested, can anyone see the potential for Sunday being another swamp disaster? I can't see it drying tomorrow with the current forecast.
I guess that is what happens when you try and have an airshow in the summer!
SA
At least the org managed to cancel day 1 in advance of the punters turning up and then having to turf them out after only an hour or 2.
However, if the ground is as waterlogged as suggested, can anyone see the potential for Sunday being another swamp disaster? I can't see it drying tomorrow with the current forecast.
I guess that is what happens when you try and have an airshow in the summer!
SA
Last edited by Sentry Agitator; 11th Jul 2008 at 20:05. Reason: Granted - no rain BUT...cloudy & only 17C
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How can they cancel with such little notice????????
No matter how dissappointing it is, if it needs to be cancelled then it needs to be cancelled but surely a decision should have been taken earlier? I was just off to bed for an early night for the long drive requiring an early start and I have 2 friends already camping near the site.
Lots of VERY angry people will arrive tomorrow.
No matter how dissappointing it is, if it needs to be cancelled then it needs to be cancelled but surely a decision should have been taken earlier? I was just off to bed for an early night for the long drive requiring an early start and I have 2 friends already camping near the site.
Lots of VERY angry people will arrive tomorrow.
Details now up on site - full refunds available for those with Sat only tickets.
That's an improvement on what the back of my ticket says.
Probably the right decision, having seen some of the photos posted elsewhere (UK Airshows Review forum, for example)
http://forums.airshows.co.uk/cgi-bin...i?;act=SF;f=22
Never mind, there's always Farnborough next week to see XH558 for me.
That's an improvement on what the back of my ticket says.
Probably the right decision, having seen some of the photos posted elsewhere (UK Airshows Review forum, for example)
http://forums.airshows.co.uk/cgi-bin...i?;act=SF;f=22
Never mind, there's always Farnborough next week to see XH558 for me.
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Well, Good call to do it now, instead of at 0830 in the morning like Waddo did last year!
To all the disapointed spotters, never mind. XH558 will be next displayed on Sunday(?) or at Farnborough....
To all the disapointed spotters, never mind. XH558 will be next displayed on Sunday(?) or at Farnborough....
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Sorry, have to post a second time as I still feel angry at this.
I've been flying over Faiford all week and seen what the weather radar was painting. Every captain I have flown with this week has been bored by me saying "it must be soaked by now, I do hope they don't canel, I really want to see the Raptor, Vulcan...." etc.
I've been to Glastonbury and understand how an RAF base can never be reduced to such a sight, but it shouldn't come as a shock to the organisers with around 12 hours to go. Aviation is the third profession I have been in and all three have screamed "communicate, as early as possible". How many Fairford punters are already in bed, ready for an early start, who could have been saved hundreds of miles in the car tomorrow if the organisers had put out a "decision pending" notice this afternoon?
Not good.
I've been flying over Faiford all week and seen what the weather radar was painting. Every captain I have flown with this week has been bored by me saying "it must be soaked by now, I do hope they don't canel, I really want to see the Raptor, Vulcan...." etc.
I've been to Glastonbury and understand how an RAF base can never be reduced to such a sight, but it shouldn't come as a shock to the organisers with around 12 hours to go. Aviation is the third profession I have been in and all three have screamed "communicate, as early as possible". How many Fairford punters are already in bed, ready for an early start, who could have been saved hundreds of miles in the car tomorrow if the organisers had put out a "decision pending" notice this afternoon?
Not good.
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Serves em right. It's about time the organisers got a kick up the backside. RIAT treats the aircrew, engineers and volunteer helpers that make the show like s**t. Transport, accomm, timings, organisation...I could go on
Instead they concentrate on grabbing the money. Well, it now looks as though the people that pay the money are also going to find out the truth.
A big hangar party (to which getting guests in is like popping into the Big Bruvva house for a random cup of cofee - impossible!) is not enough this time to convince aircrew that it must have been a good weekend and if not it'll be better next year!
(Edited due to vitriol!)
Instead they concentrate on grabbing the money. Well, it now looks as though the people that pay the money are also going to find out the truth.
A big hangar party (to which getting guests in is like popping into the Big Bruvva house for a random cup of cofee - impossible!) is not enough this time to convince aircrew that it must have been a good weekend and if not it'll be better next year!
(Edited due to vitriol!)
Originally Posted by NutLoose
Well they can always hot foot it over to Duxford for FLYING LEGENDS.
Better Aircraft, better show and a better day out............ Tickets are still available for both days and ONLY AT THE GATE........... additionally they will get to see 3 flying B17's together, one having flown over from the USA for the show.......... Now that's what I call an Airshow....
Better Aircraft, better show and a better day out............ Tickets are still available for both days and ONLY AT THE GATE........... additionally they will get to see 3 flying B17's together, one having flown over from the USA for the show.......... Now that's what I call an Airshow....
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I thought that the USAF looked after Fairford? 
Its only an RAF base (Station is not the word I would use) in the loosest sense of the term.
And the RIAT team (not RAF) take the place over..
Its only an RAF base (Station is not the word I would use) in the loosest sense of the term.
And the RIAT team (not RAF) take the place over..
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I don't think the "operator" of the station is really relevant.
The fact is that most if not all the car parks are of a temporary nature (ie fields). If they are saturated, then you're going to end up with a hell of a lot of stuck vehicles. These will no doubt be towed out, but there will probably be some damage to cars. Next thing the organisers will face claims from numerous Insurance Companies etc.
On top of that, once exiting the fields, you then have the problems of muck being dragged onto the public roads, which causes road safety problems.
Folks just have to accept that airfields, stations or bases (take your pick) are by their nature not "set-up" for 100,000 spectators and their vehicles.
Better to cancel today rather than wait until most folks are in queues outside the gates.
Cheers
Stew
The fact is that most if not all the car parks are of a temporary nature (ie fields). If they are saturated, then you're going to end up with a hell of a lot of stuck vehicles. These will no doubt be towed out, but there will probably be some damage to cars. Next thing the organisers will face claims from numerous Insurance Companies etc.
On top of that, once exiting the fields, you then have the problems of muck being dragged onto the public roads, which causes road safety problems.
Folks just have to accept that airfields, stations or bases (take your pick) are by their nature not "set-up" for 100,000 spectators and their vehicles.
Better to cancel today rather than wait until most folks are in queues outside the gates.
Cheers
Stew
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Just got home to Merseyside after leaving Friday morning with my Saturday only ticket.
Big delays on the M5/6 going, torrential rain + Friday traffic and an accident, took hours to get to my hotel in Gloucester. Came back to the car from dinner and heard on the news at 9 that it was cancelled. Talked to some ground crew from 41 Squadron and some Danish Air Force guys and they were amazed the show hadn't been cancelled Friday morning. Packed bags, checked out of hotel I'd spent about 10 minutes in and got back in my car.
2 and a half hours later, home. May have driven a tad faster than I maybe should have
Oh well, my brother has already asked me the date for next year
Big delays on the M5/6 going, torrential rain + Friday traffic and an accident, took hours to get to my hotel in Gloucester. Came back to the car from dinner and heard on the news at 9 that it was cancelled. Talked to some ground crew from 41 Squadron and some Danish Air Force guys and they were amazed the show hadn't been cancelled Friday morning. Packed bags, checked out of hotel I'd spent about 10 minutes in and got back in my car.
2 and a half hours later, home. May have driven a tad faster than I maybe should have
Oh well, my brother has already asked me the date for next year
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Well, I was there yesterday. The grass areas on site were pools of water.
Heading out at around 1630, the car park areas and some camp sites were akin to small lakes. Some of the parking looked OK, but the entrace was under standing water.
The rain was in very heavy bursts, on and off all day. Hats off the people in the air Friday, well done given the conditions. We did wonder how they would cope on Saturday, when we got home and heard the news it did seem like the best decision.
I do know the Queen managed to escape all the rain, she departed the parade ground for lunch and the heavens opened - people were soaked through in a couple of minutes. The RAF people still marched off as if nothing was going on.
Still saw some pretty good practice flights though, and the fly past was great.
Heading out at around 1630, the car park areas and some camp sites were akin to small lakes. Some of the parking looked OK, but the entrace was under standing water.
The rain was in very heavy bursts, on and off all day. Hats off the people in the air Friday, well done given the conditions. We did wonder how they would cope on Saturday, when we got home and heard the news it did seem like the best decision.
I do know the Queen managed to escape all the rain, she departed the parade ground for lunch and the heavens opened - people were soaked through in a couple of minutes. The RAF people still marched off as if nothing was going on.
Still saw some pretty good practice flights though, and the fly past was great.
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Tickets Not Available On The Gate Sunday (if It Goes Ahead)
From RIAT themselves - Tickets will not be sold on the gate tomorrow.
Questions and Answers:
When was the decision made?
The decision to cancel the Air Tattoo was made at the earliest opportunity on Friday evening when it became clear that we could not guarantee public safety. RIAT staff have been working throughout this week to try and ensure that the car parks and showground were accessible
following the heavy rain.
Are tickets available for Sunday?
No tickets will be on sale at the gates on Sunday. A limited number of tickets may still be available at our usual retail outlets.
Questions and Answers:
When was the decision made?
The decision to cancel the Air Tattoo was made at the earliest opportunity on Friday evening when it became clear that we could not guarantee public safety. RIAT staff have been working throughout this week to try and ensure that the car parks and showground were accessible
following the heavy rain.
Are tickets available for Sunday?
No tickets will be on sale at the gates on Sunday. A limited number of tickets may still be available at our usual retail outlets.
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Excellent!!
Just got back home after my 6 hour round trip to Glos. At virtually the same instant as I put the key in the front door I get a text from ticketmaster stating that the show has been cancelled. Why couldn't this have been sent yesterday?
Fair enough, if public safety couldn't be assured, then they were right to cancel. But as others have said here, some sort of warning on the web site that it was in the balance would have been useful during Friday.
Just got back home after my 6 hour round trip to Glos. At virtually the same instant as I put the key in the front door I get a text from ticketmaster stating that the show has been cancelled. Why couldn't this have been sent yesterday?
Fair enough, if public safety couldn't be assured, then they were right to cancel. But as others have said here, some sort of warning on the web site that it was in the balance would have been useful during Friday.
I guess I must have saved £80 in petrol, hog roast, coffee and beer costs. It's no one's fault, so I think I will donate a good proportion of that cash that I wouldn't have had by Sunday to the Vulcan XH558 fund.
Probably a wise decision to canx, but I do hope all the the stops are being pulled out to get the car parks useable for Sun. Given the amount that the tax payer must have coughed up, for Fridays private event, the powers that be should be doing all they can to prevent yet another national disaster.
Probably a wise decision to canx, but I do hope all the the stops are being pulled out to get the car parks useable for Sun. Given the amount that the tax payer must have coughed up, for Fridays private event, the powers that be should be doing all they can to prevent yet another national disaster.
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The folk I feel sorry for are the traders. I was going down today and have lost a night's rate in digs - c'est la vie. I'll travel down tomorrow anyway because the digs are still there for me for the week, but I won't be getting in by the looks of it. So I'll have to find somewhere to park up and look like a sad git.
I accept that sh#t happens, but in a purely organisational context, it seems strange that such a massive international event has fallen foul to an afternoon's rain.. simply because the car park was buggered. Could not an alt parking areas in the region have been found and zillions of buses chartered? Was there not a fallback option in the plan, given that soft parking anywhere in the UK seems to be such a potentially weak area? No, it wouldn't have been perfect, but the public would understand I'm sure, and it'd have been good to have seen a 'can do' mentality for a change and it would have silenced the negativity from all the careerist whiners.
If Glastonbury can be flooded out and still survive because it has spirit, what was so different here? Fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow anyway.
I accept that sh#t happens, but in a purely organisational context, it seems strange that such a massive international event has fallen foul to an afternoon's rain.. simply because the car park was buggered. Could not an alt parking areas in the region have been found and zillions of buses chartered? Was there not a fallback option in the plan, given that soft parking anywhere in the UK seems to be such a potentially weak area? No, it wouldn't have been perfect, but the public would understand I'm sure, and it'd have been good to have seen a 'can do' mentality for a change and it would have silenced the negativity from all the careerist whiners.
If Glastonbury can be flooded out and still survive because it has spirit, what was so different here? Fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow anyway.
