Another fantastic venture to RIAT in 2025, I’ve been attending the show ground and park and view locations for over a decade.
This year I choose Lakeside park and view with it’s ease of access from Cirencester direction and ease of departure egress from the field.
The weather was reasonable on Friday, and incredible on Saturday with the humidity in the morning at 88% and an average of 77%. This produced some stunning photo opportunities to capture high alpha manoeuvres producing condensation clouds over the wings and structure. Clouds are formed with subsonic manoeuvre that reduced pressure over the upper surface of the wings that produce the fluffy stuff we all love to capture!
F/A – 18 Hornet directly overhead at 150ft at Lakeside park and view.
Being north of the Fairford underneath the downwind leg is very special. Also the position of Lakeside is approximately the centre line position of the 9,000ft runway. This provides amazing opportunities to photograph the aircraft as they approach crowd centre directly overhead at 150ft.
Consider this, an F/A – 18 Hornet approaching crowd centre from the north side directly towards your position at over 600 knots with full afterburners on then pulling a high alpha manoeuvre directly overhead.
Disappointing that the Spanish Harriers were not able to attend, previous years I’ve had a Harrier hoovering directly overhead, the noise and sound waves hitting the body was an experience you will never forget and a special photo opportunity.
Eurofighter (Typhoon) directly overhead at 150ft.
The ease of park and view not having to go through security, catch a bus to the showground and transport all your gear into the showground makes the experience very relaxed. Don’t get me wrong the showground have some amazing opportunities but I always want to see and walk to as many static aircraft as possible. At park and view just turn-up, setup your gazebo, kettle on, cook a bacon bap and relax. I’ve always listened to all the airside commentary via a FM radio.
Eurofighter (Typhoon) – vapor cone (also known as a Mach diamond).
F-16 Fighting Falcon having routing directly overhead from north to south at over 600 knots.
Facilities at the park and view are good with mobile toilets and catering venders. Plenty of space in the large field to choose your preferred spot, entry charges for 2025 was £15 per car.
The Reds approaching from the south to crowd centre.
The Boeing E – 3 Sentry is an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) derived from the Boeing 707 airliner. It provides Command control, surveillance and communications in an all weather environment.
Boeing E – 3 Sentry
The The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (MMMF) Lancaster was cancelled on Friday due to engine technical issues but flew on Saturday with Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane.
MMMF Lancaster.
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight on Saturday.
Eurofighter (Typhoon) climbing out with full afterburners on.
F/A – 18 Hornet overhead at 150ft with full afterburners on..
F/A – 18 Hornet low pass south to north just about to pass overhead at 150ft.
Leonardo M-346 of the Italian Air Force directly overhead!
Lockheed U-2 a reconnaissance high-altitude aircraft climbing out.
F-16 Fighting Falcon having routing directly overhead from north to south at over 600 knots.
Eurofighter (Typhoon) climbing out with full afterburners on.
F/A – 18 Hornet overhead inverted at 150ft.
F-16 Fighting Falcon celebrating 50 years of flight!
The Reds doing what they do best, formation flying!
Eurofighter (Typhoon) climbing out.
Aerobatic display team of the United Arab Emirates with their Aermacchi MB-339NAT aircraft.