i feel ever so slightly bitter by the fact that hoards of people charged onto the car parks yesterday to get a glimpse of the flypast!

Why not have stopped this? if, as some people have quoted the decisions being made so far have been "common sense" then how on earth is that not one :ugh:

looking at all the comments and from my own descisions RIAT should move out of Fairford to a more easily accessible airfield. Living in Yorkshire I'm not going to fork out for tickets then fuel to the other corner of the country Knowing there is a possibility of cancellation.
I'm sure there is venues in the middle of the country that are accessible to those of us who live up north.
Same with alot of other events. If not then an equal ammount of money should be spent by the Mod making aircraft available for local shows and encouraging foreign airforces to attend events like waddington.

This hasn't just been an afternoon's rain, but three days of heavy, at times non-stop water coming from the sky, the car parks are absolutely trashed, and there are no alternatives available to them, flat usable fields are in rather short supply and the farmers in the area inflate their prices for RIAT to use them. There are no large expanses of concrete in the area for quite a few miles around, and I don't see a big storage yard of buses ready at a moment's notice to bring the punters in from a remote site.

Bear in mind that this is the first time an IAT/RIAT has been cancelled but not the first time that heavy rain has dogged the show. The difference was that the organisers could park the cars on the vast expanses of concrete that were available at Fairford but the USAF, now there is even more concrete available, but USAF insists that parking must be off-field, in the name of security, odd when at other events that the USAF participate still allow on-field parking, clearly questions need to be asked of our 'friends' across the pond.

RIAT made the right decision whether the moaners like it or not, fingers crossed for a show on Sunday, not looking likely though when more rain has fallen here today.

Now that both showdays have been called off, is it still possible to attend departure day next Monday?? http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/ima...s/confused.gif
No word on this in the press release...

My guess is the crews are going to want to get home asap now the shows completely off. I doubt much will still be at FFD on monday. :uhoh:

Just managed to get through to RIAT by phone. Park and View for departure day next Monday has NOT been called off (yet)... :rolleyes:

Has anyone asked the question that with:

1. Ticket refunds (unless the legal eagles decide a clause on the back of the ticket can be invoked after all)

2. Presumed refund for exhibitiors who pay four figure sums for their pitches (I am guessing, so by all means enlighten us anyone who knows)

3. Lack of sales on merchandise (would a t-shirt for an airshow that didn't happen fetch more or less on eBay?!)

4. No show DVD to sell come autumn

...that RAFCTE faces bankruptcy?

Silsoe,

Its operational, not health & safety ..... unable to allow the operation of the car parks etc due to water levels.

Too many people lay the blame for something not happening on 'elf-n-safety'.

:(

One would hope and suspect they have some form of insurance for this.

And just how do you control this? You must have more faith in the UK publics adherance to rules than I have.

You honestly think you'd be able to restrict access to those "staying locally and using bike or foot" :=

Within 30 minutes of the gates being opened, every public road surrounding Fairford would be blocked by Johnny Public just parking their cars on the verge and walking to the gate :ugh:

Cheers

Stew

could also be the final straw for the XH551 project
All that lost revenue from donations and i guess appearance fee reduced? and who wants to get involved as a corporate sponsor with all the uncertanties of this weekend, let alone if the complex aircraft it is goes tech just to add the mix.

Bet no one will underwrite weather insurance next year! or the premiums will tripple thats for sure

Not quite I think. Latest accounts can be seen here:

http://www.airtattoo.com/Assets/File...&As%202007.pdf

Ah - so you have a Chelsea Tractor, so to hell with everyone else :D

Whatever the depth of the ruts in those images, is immaterial. Once the traffic had been allowed in on Saturday, they would have been 10 times worse.

Aye, and I bet your insurance company would know nowt about that, until they started receiving claims for bent bumpers etc. :eek:

Whilst your "I'm alright Jack" attitude may very well work for you, the organisers fortunately, have a tad more consideration for the welfare of the folks attending and also for the term Public Liability.

Cheers

Stew

3 Years as a claims Handler / manager, i can say you are talking a little bit of poo, if i had a claim from some one who had had an accident sliding in mud leaving an air show i would have no hesitation in authorising the claim. If that car had an accident with another car that was parked at the said airshow i would have to pay the third party claim. There is a misconception that if you have an accident on a private road/private land you forfit cover. This is utter rubish, an unscrupulos insurer / claim management company may try to state that cover forfitted but they would never win in the courts for such an occurance.

If however an accidnet happened Airside that is a different matter, as is a Track day, and the Nurburgring is also a very grey area.

With all the negative comments and opinions flying around about the cancellation of this years RIAT, i just wanted to say thankyou to one of the organisers/supervisors. I only know his first name is Bob and he was driving one of the transits airside. After being asked by a few of the spotters around me on the west viewing area if he could ask the pilot of the Raptor to stay low until the end of the runway, he did exactly that. He then returned to tell us the pilot was more than happy to oblige and would also, on return from displaying at Farnborough, taxi to the end of the runway and do a circuit in front of the crowd allowing me to take these photos. He taxi'd twice approx 30' in front of us and even demonstrated the thrust vectoring nozzles.
Thanks again Bob for making the best of an unfortunate weekend. :D

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...t/24039048.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n...t/3d018007.jpg

Unfortunately I was mixed up in this weekends RIAT...Struggled to get a jet down to it for it to be cancelled approx 2 hours later...Very disappointing.

I will say this though...From our perspective the organisation was fantasic, the organisers incredibly flexible (giving us later and later arrival slots and messing around with their parking plan several times) and all the staff warm and welcoming...When it cancelled for the Sunday we went in for some hosting and even though the disappointment was obvious from the staff they were helpful to the last. It was the oddest feeling walking around a fully set-up airshow in the brilliant sunshine with no public present and nothing displaying.

Having seen the fields that were to be car parks from the bus to our hotel it came as no surprise that it was cancelled...It was absolutely the correct decision in my mind as with just the show setting up traffic driving up and down the access roads it was already cutting up into a bog...With thousands of cars hammering them it would have become difficult and dangerous in no time at all.

I can't guarantee the accuracy of these figures but it was mentioned that they paid £1.4M for the insurance and they were expecting about £20M back to cover everything and apparently the insurance was £400K more this year due to Waddington losing a day last year so the insurance company up the ante...Makes you wander about the fallout from this weekend...Will insurance be affordable again and if it is available will smaller shows be abled to stump up?

Well done to all the RIAT staff for putting on a brave face...Those of us that turned up last night had a good time.

Off thread and alot in hindsight but seeing that thing, and reading about the results its gets, makes me believe even a small number of those things in our chaps hands supported by a decent F35 fleet would make for a heck of a good RAF fleet.

Definatley a very impressive a/c to say the least, with the Americans still being rather secretive about it, this being demonstrated by the fact they flew an F-15 out with it in very close formation and one behind it so its radar signature couldn't be guaged.
I should also say how great the American aircrews were coming to talk to the crowds and giving away toys to the kids and chatting with them too. A very friendly bunch, welcoming queries about the a/c.

A few more photos - trouble with photo editing so not a crystal as Taylors :D but there we go. Not too confident about it working though.

http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o...=REVIEW002.jpg
http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o...COLOURS001.jpg
http://s117.photobucket.com/albums/o...t=IMGP0691.jpg

You know you're right. I'm all jealous as hell about your fuel bills and proposed higher tax etc. :)

Actually the point I was making was that you were advocating that the Airshow should have gone ahead, as your 4x4 would have been okay dokey. [hence I'm alright Jack]

As regards Insurance, at the time of the "hypothetical" towing the car park would be classed as an "other public place" and the Road Traffic Act requirement for Insurance would apply. Whether the punter tied the rope or not, you as the "tower" could/would be held responsible for any damage caused.

Cheers

Stew