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RIAT post Mildenhall closure

Post information relating to the Royal International Air Tattoo here.
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mike.p
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RIAT post Mildenhall closure

Post by mike.p » Wed Nov 28, 2018 3:24 pm

Any idea if the Riat will continue at FFD when Mildenhall closes and a lot more staff and the tankers will be based at Fairford ?
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James Cutting
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by James Cutting » Wed Nov 28, 2018 3:29 pm

Don't really know myself. I know RIAT are penned in for Fairford until 2021...I can imagine that DBH are already planning for the years after the RC-135's move there, who knows. :S
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bizfreeq
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by bizfreeq » Wed Nov 28, 2018 3:32 pm

I doubt anyone knows yet, many things can and will change between now and 2025!
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James Cutting
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by James Cutting » Wed Nov 28, 2018 3:41 pm

In before all the 'Mildenhall' options... :pop: :pop: :pop:
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Redflag17
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Redflag17 » Wed Nov 28, 2018 3:57 pm

RIAT is at fairford in 2022 also, but after that sure no one knows as yet, more US elections to come before that.

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James Cutting
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by James Cutting » Wed Nov 28, 2018 4:24 pm

So it is, just seen on the site :Oops:
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Bucky P
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Bucky P » Wed Nov 28, 2018 4:27 pm

Boscombe Down worked pretty well in the early 90's and it's pretty empty these days!

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Coasties
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Coasties » Wed Nov 28, 2018 4:42 pm

One of the issues for the future of RIAT is that it’s currently not just the weekend of the show where any USAF operations can be disrupted but in fact six weeks. RIAT take control of the South side of the airfield four weeks before the show to allow for the build of all the stands and chalets etc, another two weeks after the show for the tear down and clean up. This must be a factor in any future USAF planning to allow the show to continue, not only from an operational point of view but also the security of assets that will be based once the 95 RS have taken up residence.

Mike@Heathrow
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Mike@Heathrow » Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:12 pm

How about this.....

Fairford gets active & Mildenhall gets RIAT?

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paddyboy
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by paddyboy » Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:50 am

Now that would make me a regular attendee again :lol:
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Stroudy
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Stroudy » Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:29 am

FC'ers regularly use the term DBH when talking about RIAT related air ops info on here. Can someone tell me what it stands for please?

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BMrider
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by BMrider » Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:38 am

Douglas Bader House,

Douglas Bader House. Horcott Hill. Fairford. Gloucestershire. GL7 4RB. United Kingdom. The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust is a registered charity in England
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MRTT
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by MRTT » Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:38 am

Douglas Bader House, RIAT HQ.

Alfie
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Alfie » Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:23 am

The first RIAT to be held at Fairford was 1985 and the base was operational until 2010 Admitally the base was probably not manned by so many as it will be after 2022 and the security issues were not so high, so we will just have to wait and see. I quite like the idea of Boscombe Down but I think the traffic could be a major problem unless there is access other then from the A338 Amesbury to Salisbury road.

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mike.p
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by mike.p » Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:42 pm

Just a thought how about back to Cottesmore again, it worked fine when they wen there before.
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Harkins
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Harkins » Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:43 pm

Whilst Boscombe Down proved a great major air show host in '90 and '92, since then it appears that large numbers of houses have been built under what was the display area (left of the HAS complex). So I would imagine that alone will make Boscombe a bit of a non-starter before even thinking about traffic access and the like.

And could that not become a factor in the future of Fairford too? I mean, where exactly are all these relocated staff and their families going to live? Seems weird given how much hosing exists around Mildenhall that they'd move everything to Fairford when there's little or no housing for miles and miles. I guess the landlords of Swindon will be rubbing their hands at the prospect.

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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Alfie » Thu Nov 29, 2018 4:35 pm

How many personal were stationed at Fairford before it was mothballed, compared to how many are coming from Mildenhall?

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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by iainpeden » Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:49 pm

mike.p wrote:
Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:42 pm
Just a thought how about back to Cottesmore again, it worked fine when they wen there before.
Runway lights have gone and I would guess all the electronic guidance systems too. Runway has not been maintained.
Lovely idea but Scampton is more likely - oh!

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Re: RIAT post Mildenhall closure

Post by Harkins » Thu Nov 29, 2018 5:59 pm

Alfie wrote:
Thu Nov 29, 2018 4:35 pm
How many personal were stationed at Fairford before it was mothballed, compared to how many are coming from Mildenhall?
Fair point. Quite possibly more personnel back then. However, it's also possible that some of the posh new private housing that has appeared around the base in the intervening years has been built on former military housing sites and most of the on base accommodation is more than likely long passed its best and probably only really suitable for a short stay while transiting or staying for an airshow. So Fairford will probably need a combination of new and refurbished accommodation for staff and dependents and it's likely that if it ends up on the north side of the runway that it will be under the display area and that might have been alright in the 80's and 90's but will most likely be a problem now.

Call me a pessimist, but my money is on the Tattoo being in its last few years. There's shrinking military real estate for hosting airshows, there's shrinking budgets, increasing security, shrinking numbers of aircraft to attend, shrinking numbers of personnel available and I personally believe there's a shrinking appetite for airshows from the military. So all in all, I don't believe it would need much of an excuse for the MOD/RAF/USAF to put an end to it. There's been little or no fight to keep all the other shows we've lost and if DBH as a civilian organiser/charity have nowhere else to go, there's nothing they can do about it.

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Pune
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Re: RIAT post Mild closure

Post by Pune » Thu Nov 29, 2018 6:45 pm

Harkins wrote:
Thu Nov 29, 2018 2:43 pm
Whilst Boscombe Down proved a great major air show host in '90 and '92, since then it appears that large numbers of houses have been built under what was the display area (left of the HAS complex). So I would imagine that alone will make Boscombe a bit of a non-starter before even thinking about traffic access and the like.

And could that not become a factor in the future of Fairford too? I mean, where exactly are all these relocated staff and their families going to live? Seems weird given how much hosing exists around Mildenhall that they'd move everything to Fairford when there's little or no housing for miles and miles. I guess the landlords of Swindon will be rubbing their hands at the prospect.
Hi,
Doesn't the housing still exist from previous U.S occupation, and the old BX building etc, not sure how many staff were there in the tanker days, paid a few base visits with Fire Service in early 80's and it was a very busy place.
If you can keep your head whilst all around are losing theirs, you have probably completely misread the situation!!

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