FRIAT 2024

[capercaillie]

Impressive you can mistake a larger, more packed grandstand for an empty one.

Don't start that again!

Now Dougal, small, far away.

[James Cutting]

[Vulture 01]

I've never been a FRIAT member, so can't really comment on what's being foisted on you. However, having read some of your posts I would make the following observations.
1; IAT was originally set up by aviation enthusiasts (Why Paul Bowen and Tim Prince never got knighted I don't know!)
2: They have now passed the mantle o to a newer generation. I don't know anything about the current team, although I would bet that they are 'managers' rather than 'spotters'.
3: Like most things these days, their knee-jerk reaction is to set up another manager in the chain.

RIAT has changed, as it's now a vehicle for generating funds for the RAFBF, rather than 'just' running an air show. Maybe I'm just getting old, cynical and grumpy.
Looking forward to your views on this.

BTW, I've done every show since 1976, so I can remember what it was like 'back in the day'.

[FlyingFairy]

RIAT has changed, as it's now a vehicle for generating funds for the RAFBF, rather than 'just' running an air show. Maybe I'm just getting old, cynical and grumpy.

RIAT has absolutely nothing to do with the RAF Benevolent Fund. RIAT is affiliated to RAFCTE which stands for RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises

FF

[Nighthawke]

Old is experienced, cynical is realism by any other name and grumpy - well a result of the first two.

Anyway that aside, the world we live in is vastly different ith regards to health & saftey, security and numbers attending (due to a number of factors - financial abilities and social media for a start).

As a result of these issues alone the team need to be managers first and foremost as the responsibilities are far greater and more knowledge required.

I can quite understand the frustration of enthusiasts due to the widening of the gap between the old and new team styles.

Personally I have not been to RIAT since 1995 and that was only for departures so 1993 my last full show. I cannot see that changing now but hope that it continues and those who want to go can enjoy it. Sadly the changes being made are only going to incite mre frustration among some of our forum members.

[grogresaurus77]

Is the expectation that the security check when the car parks open be a similar thing to P&V last year, just obviously expanded to cater for larger crowds? I'd forgotten that from the Wednesday last year until my brother reminded me just now.

[James Cutting]

Can someone remind me if there is supposed to be a car pass this year? I've not had one and I can't remember what was discussed. I will try reading back now, too.

[AndyXYZ]

I've emailed them and they sent me Fri, Sat and Sun car parking passes, and for Thu, Mon they said there would be plenty of parking, but I didn't inquire about Wed?

[James Cutting]

Ah okay, thanks Andy. I would like to think our numbers would be included as we've bought a pass. Feels like I'm missing things this year as there's less in the pass than usual (i.e. vouchers) but know they done away with them.

[RedsSnapper]

There was an email sent back in May "reminding" people to book parking if needed. I missed it, as it was just a one liner amongst other stuff, and as it wasn't required last year, I would have assumed they would have made more of it being a change!

Anyway, I emailed yesterday and Wendy has come back to me with parking passes for three days, and reassurance that they are not needed for weds, thurs & Mon.

[James Cutting]

Ah I didn't see it either! Thanks for the reply though

[Bob DeBilda]

Having read the letter from Paul Atherton I suggest the last thing FRIAT needs is a Director of Customer Experience; this smacks of "jobs for the boys" and I, for one, will not be subsidising his / her salary - unless of course the job goes to Wendy Tom's! As a member for over 20 years , I feel WENDY has done a sterling job and FRIAT needs no unnecessary overheads.
It remains to be seen what effect relocation of the grandstand has,but I am sceptical of future intentions for more VIP areas.

[RedsSnapper]

My main concerns over the 2025 relocation are:

- Being further back from the runway is going to be challenging enough for those of us limited to 400mm/500mm reach on lenses, allowing for the inevitable haze. It's going to make it untenable for anyone relying on shorter glass though, I suspect.
- The grass area in front of the grandstand but behind the crowdline area - is that just going to be left empty, or are others going to be let in there to risk the view of those lowest down the grandstand? If so, who is going to police - for example - use of umbrellas (either in rain, or as sunshades) Even if it were some form of VIP area, that would still potentially be a problem, and the more folk have paid to be there, the more entitled they might be likely to be to feel they could use cover/shade if needed!
- Is the "peninsula" of fence line crowd area going to be seen as an evacuation problem when it comes to the fact - lots of folk, and their chairs/bags etc all stuffed in to a long, narrow area with limited exit points seems to me to be potentially problematic.

If RIAT want to offer something in order to help offset the obvious downgrading of the FRIAT experience, then the obvious thing to do would be to say now that they will be taking every step they can to ensure that the dedicated FRIAT entry point returns for 2025 and beyond....however, my suspicion is that the obvious benefit to them of needing to give less, and still rake in the FRIAT ticket revenue, will win out here. I'd love to be proved wrong though!

[DeanW]

- Being further back from the runway is going to be challenging enough for those of us limited to 400mm/500mm reach on lenses, allowing for the inevitable haze. It's going to make it untenable for anyone relying on shorter glass though, I suspect.

Surely being further back will only help those with 400mm/500mm prime lenses. Ideally 100mm-400mm is the optimum focal length to cover and even at the lower end of that it can be a struggle to fit some of the larger aircraft in. Having the FRIAT stand further back will only help fit more aircaft in the frame.

[Nnthusiast]

Anyone think these changes are a set setting us up for a potential larger show?

I'm thinking larger by amount of aircraft, 1 week Fairford, the next Farnborough using the same facilities?
Or, alternatively, Farnborough moving to Fairford and amalgamating the 2 'shows' into 1

Wouldnt honestly surprise me, and could , to some, make sense.

[James Cutting]

Nope, just you! Makes no sense?

Farnborough is more a business show rather than an airshow like the Air Tattoo.

[Nnthusiast]

Having read the letter from Paul Atherton I suggest the last thing FRIAT needs is a Director of Customer Experience; this smacks of "jobs for the boys" and I, for one, will not be subsidising his salary. As a member for over 20 years , I feel WENDY has done a sterling job and FRIAT needs no unnecessary overheads.
It remains to be seen what effect relocation of the grandstand has,but I am sceptical of future intentions for more VIP areas.7

Agreed whole heartedly, Wendy is the glue n that department, thats for sure.

[RedsSnapper]

- Being further back from the runway is going to be challenging enough for those of us limited to 400mm/500mm reach on lenses, allowing for the inevitable haze. It's going to make it untenable for anyone relying on shorter glass though, I suspect.

Surely being further back will only help those with 400mm/500mm prime lenses. Ideally 100mm-400mm is the optimum focal length to cover and even at the lower end of that it can be a struggle to fit some of the larger aircraft in. Having the FRIAT stand further back will only help fit more aircaft in the frame.

As I can't imagine ever being flush enough to afford such long prime glass... In fairness, if I was, then for aviation stuff I probably wouldn't bother - my 100-500mm fits the bill perfectly for me, only at shuttleworth do I ever have "can't zoom out far enough" issues!

[nhoenich]

Back of an envelope calculation
1000 people waiting for the security to open at 6 am , 10% have no bags
900 people need to be processed, there are 10 lanes and it takes one minute to process each person, all the people will be processed in 90 minutes,then will be waiting in a holding area,the benefit of the holding area remains unclear beyond 7-30 when tickets will be scanned and people will be leaving to enter the show ground.The above processing time for each person is unlikely to be as quick as one minute given the size of the bags/trolleys that people bring.
Based on this and given the size of the queue last year at 7 am getting in for the flying display start remains questionable if you are not in line near the front by 8 am.
The only way to speed the process is to have more lanes or to reduce the time for each search.The first is expensive as it requires more personnel and the second will be dictated by Gloucestershire police.

[The Cat]

I plan to be 'bagless' one day.
I hope the 'bag free' lane will be WELL signposted as nothing appears to give a clue to this on the RIAT site.

These event security checks are never thought through realistically.
After all what better location for a terrorist attack than a MASS of people all packed together waiting for a bag check to enter a 'secure' area !