July in the UK airshow calendar is a busy month with Yeovilton and Duxford both holding major airshows plus numerous smaller specialists and local shows. But topping them all is the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. The base itself is a serving USAF base in the UK and was originally established in preparation for D-Day in 1944. In the near future the base will change and expand its operations as the USAF pulls out of RAF Mildenhall and transfers some operations to RAF Fairford in 2023.
This year’s big theme was the anniversary of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) established 70 years ago. Other celebrations and farewells were noted too, including the 100th Anniversary of British Airways, the end of service in the RAF of the Tornado multi-role aircraft and the Tocano advanced trainer aircraft. As ever with airshows in the UK the weather always dictates what flies and what does not, and this year the weather was not cooperating fully with the RIAT team. The best days for weather were the days before the show during the arrivals, practice and validation period.