130,000 enjoy Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford
AROUND 130,000 of aviation enthusiasts enjoyed a fabulous display of aircraft at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford.
Organisers were delighted to provide a classic Air Tattoo line-up, made possible by: debut visits from the air arms of Japan, Colombia and South Korea; five other aerobatic display teams, including crowd favourites The Red Arrows, plus the first Air Tattoo appearance of Al Fursan (The Knights from the United Arab Emirates); and iconic aircraft such as the USAF B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, the ever-popular Avro Vulcan, and the Bell-Boeing Osprey MV-22.
A total of 39 air arms from 25 nations were represented at the event, bringing in 268 aircraft and 10 hot-air balloons. And 43 senior military representatives attended the Air Chiefs’ Conference which preceded the airshow.
The event got off to a spectacular start with the christening of the A400M “Atlas”, the RAF’s new next-generation transport aircraft, when the Air Tattoo was delighted to welcome Government officials. Peter Luff, Minister of Defence Equipment, Support and Technology, was the guest of honour at the official ceremony.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, June 30 2013
The weather failed to dampen spirits with the crowds enjoying a variety of showground activities: on the ground the Taiko drummers from the Iruma Air Base in Japan stole the show, performing choreographed drumming routines and encouraging young visitors to try the hand at drumming.
The troupe arrived on board a Boeing KC-767J from the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the first operational aircraft from Japan to appear at a flying display outside Asia, and went down a storm with their colourful, noisy and exuberant routines.
Special guests included: HRH the Duke of Gloucester; HRH Lieutenant General Prince Feisal bin Hussein of Jordan, Patron of the Air Tattoo’s Flying Scholarships for Disabled People; Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton; Gen Norton A. Schwartz, Chief of Staff, USAF; the Rt Hon Philip Hammond, Secretary of State for Defence; and Gen Sung Il Hwan, Korea’s Chief of Air Staff.
Air Tattoo Chief Executive Tim Prince said: “This has been a challenging year, but the great British public, and our overseas visitors, have supported us as they always do. We warmly welcomed our new visitors from Japan, South Korea and Colombia, who have helped the Air Tattoo maintain its reputation as one of the greatest international military airshows, and we continue to be grateful for the fantastic support from the RAF and the United States Air Force, who continue to see the benefits the Air Tattoo brings in terms of defence diplomacy.
“We are particularly grateful to BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin who have committed to extending their sponsorship until 2016, which is great news, and would like to thank our volunteers who play a pivotal role in making the Air Tattoo happen.”
The Air Tattoo medical teams reported relatively few incidents over the weekend. Chief Medical Officer Sara Hall reported that 152 visitors had been treated for minor injuries, including hayfever, cuts and bruises, while several were transferred to hospital for further treatment. These included a gentlemen who developed leg pains after being involved in a road traffic accident off-site, and a lady who collapsed with a cardiac arrest.
Sam Williams, 40, from Cheltenham, travelled to the airfield with his family.
He said: “The weather’s not ideal but one of the great things about being British is that it doesn’t ever stop us enjoying ourselves .
“We expect it to rain so it doesn’t matter so much when it does.
“It’s been a great day – the aircraft are incredible and the displays are amazing.
“To be able to get so close up to these planes and helicopters is really exciting.”
Comments