This year’s Australian International Air Show was hot and hotter. The previous air show in 2017 had the focus on existing assets of the Australian Defence Forces with the Boeing EA-18G Growler and Lockheed-Martin’s F-35A Lightning II just being integrated at the time.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) celebrating 100 years of the formation of the Royal Air Force (RAF) was held at RAF Fairford over 3-days from the 13th-15th July 2018, with a scheduled full flying display on each day, which for the first time included the Friday as a public day.
Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton held its annual International Air Day on Saturday 8th July 2017. Always one of the highlights of the European Air Show calendar it provides a good mix of fast jet, helicopter and propeller action to delight the enthusiast as well as the local service and civilian families. Bases operated by the Royal Navy are given ship names as well as a base name and RNAS Yeovilton is no exception. Also known as HMS Heron it is one of 2 active Fleet Air Arm flying stations in the United Kingdom, the other being RNAS Culdrose (HMS Seahawk).
Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September 2017 saw an airshow return to Lincolnshire, though at a different venue to the last one at RAF Waddington in July 2014. Royal Air Force (RAF) Station Scampton opened its doors and skies to visitors far and wide, hosting an airshow for the first time since 1991.
Imagine a couple of F/A-18 Hornets flying in close formation, with afterburners screaming through a valley, vapor forming over the wings and fuselage, dispensing flares, with snow-capped rugged mountain in the background. That is one image that was etched in my memory for a long long time – after seeing it for the first time on an online watering hole for aviation photographers called Fencecheck.com. I never imagined myself traveling internationally to air shows around the world, but I had put that on my bucket list anyways.
Malmen has a long military history dating back to the 1600’s but we fast forward to 1912 when the first military flying school was established on the base. The initial complement of aircraft was 3 and this developed over the course of that year.
Farnborough International Airshow 2018 | The Trade Show
With the previous airshow in 2016 infamous and remembered due to monsoon rainfall, the warm temperatures and clear skies were a welcome change this year. As the crowds descended upon Tag Aviation’s Farnborough airport, the advice was to keep a bottle of water handy, as the temperatures hovered around the 30 degree mark for the entirety of the event.
With Boeing reaching their one hundredth year in the aerospace industry and manufacturers showing off their latest aircraft, initiatives and advancements, Farnborough international airshow 2016 was set to be full of celebrations, bumper orders and a display of cutting edge technology.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) was held at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire between Friday 8th July and Sunday 10th July 2016.
The 2017 Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) was held at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford over 3-days from the 14th-16th July 2017, with the main display days being the Saturday and Sunday.
