Flares at airshows

[reaper493]

Evening all,

I've seen a few of the acts have used flares at Yeovilton yesterday. RIAT ops has posted on twitter that flares are not used at RIAT. And I remember solo turk at Waddington a few years back using flares on his first practice, but then never used again.

So what makes Yeovilton different, why can flares be used there?

Cheers in advance.

Mike

[Richard E]

Other minds can probably give you a detailed explanation: when I asked a similar question I was told that the flares have to be treated as live munitions and, unlike Fairford, Yeovilton has the facilities and personnel to store, load and unload them and (presumably) deal with any problems which could arise. Any aircraft displaying at Fairford wishing to use flares during their display would probably have to operate from and be serviced at Brize Norton which has suitable facilities.

[garyscott]

I've seen MiG-29's, F-16's and MI-24's using flares during displays at Fairford. So they can be used at the base, i reckon it could be down to rules in place during the year in question.
Maybe if there is an "on-crowd" wind, flares may be prohibited due to spent or possibly still hot flares landing in crowd areas?

[iainpeden]

I've seen MiG-29's, F-16's and MI-24's using flares during displays at Fairford. So they can be used at the base, i reckon it could be down to rules in place during the year in question.
Maybe if there is an "on-crowd" wind, flares may be prohibited due to spent or possibly still hot flares landing in crowd areas?

Not recently. The issue of display a/c not being able to use flares has been a regular topic of conversation for, I would guess, about the last 10 years.

[Andy_99]

If I recall correctly it's the ability to store the 'Armed' aircraft at the sufficient distance away from the general public that's the issue.
Fairford obviously being a NATO Standby bomber base would have the correct storage & crew to handle the munitions but during the airshow Joe public being on base causes the issue.

[johnb]

That's also my understanding of the "official" reason for no flares. Its a bit weak really, sure joe public was at Yeovilton and they found a way around it. RIAT really should find a solution to this, the show is sadly losing the impact that flares can create

[Knife 04]

Can remember a few years ago, at one of the very dry RIATs, one aircraft dropping flares on departure setting fire to the grass at the departure end. Fire crews were quick to extinguish but a job they did not need to do at that time with other aircraft departing

Would be good to have back but dont think it will happen

[ChrisJR]

I think that was the Il-38 'May' in 1996 on departure.

[effects]

It is all to do with having licenced slots for 'flared' aircraft, for example those of you familiar with Coltishall, we on 54(F) had to take our 'flared' aircraft right up the far end of 41's line and they had to be faced the other way ie facing the hangars. Fairford has none of these slots on the North side.

[lowlevelRAF]

From looking at Fairford and then Yeovilton airfield layout, it could be to do with the distance between the display line and the airfield boundary? Due to the runway layout, at Yeovilton, on the display line using 09/27 runway, the crowd on the north side facing south, the airfield extends to the south. This large area to the south, the rest of 04/22 runway and other areas, gives a safe area for flares to land when they have been dropped by the aircraft, on base but away from the crowd? At RIAT etc, there is no area really for the flares to land safe when dropped on base, plus the distance between the crowd line and the airfield boundary is quite small.

Might be not be right, but makes sense in away.

[reheat module]

Indeed, licensing for use of flares is an issue.
another factor (certainly for Waddington), involved the (at that time), overflight area, display, and the fact that the Explosive Storage Area (ESA) was directly underneath the flight line.
The implementation of Duty Holder and risk acceptance reared its head on many occasions.

[Darren50]

I can remember the Dutch F16 having flares at Fairford in 2005/6, but am I right in thinking it also used them at Bournemouth a few years later too?

[Richard B]

It is all to do with having licenced slots for 'flared' aircraft, for example those of you familiar with Coltishall, we on 54(F) had to take our 'flared' aircraft right up the far end of 41's line and they had to be faced the other way ie facing the hangars. Fairford has none of these slots on the North side.

Think they still have the concrete wall for such things,it used to be, if your looking over to Rhymes farm it would be too the right of the end of Ryhmes border.
It could still be still in place. It was used while I watched an exercise with live missiles being used and they face this wall for safety pin removal before flight.