Bokimon wrote: ↑Thu Jun 07, 2018 6:27 pm
Have these new rules affected big premier shows like RIAT?
The FAB one does suck as I have borne witness to the new rules that took effect and definitely affected my experience for the 2016 show, therefore I will not return to the 2018 show next month. I will rely on ppl's youtube video uploads to get my fix I guess.
That's a very tricky question. RIAT and several other big shows (Cosford, Yeovilton etc) are held on military property and therefore are goverened by Military Aviation Authority rules, not Civil Aviation Authority rules, so they've been spared the bulk of the CAA's knee-jerk reaction. However, someone in the RAF/MAA/insurance companies/airshow organisation (or, more likely a combination of the four) has decided that extra precautions need to be taken anyway.
Some of the changes at Farnborough, such as the cancellation of the Red Arrows, were apparently mandated by the Royal Air Force after their own safety review and not as a result of the CAA's new rules. An unknown body (widely believed to be the RAF themselves) also decided last year that the Red Arrows should fly on an "alternative display axis" much further from the crowd at the Cosford Airshow last year to keep them away from a nearby village. That is an MAA show. At RIAT themselves there have been some changes, including the closure of a well-known campsite under the display area and the construction of large fences at the runway thresholds to spoil the view and deter secondary build-ups of spectators. Obviously some secondary spectator areas remain and there are rumours that one day aircraft may be forced to fly at 500 feet above these areas, making display flying difficult/impossible, but I can't really see this happening. If you're watching RIAT from inside the airfield, then you won't notice a difference between 2015 and today.
As for Farnborough, that show lost its appeal a decade ago, at least, and it has become something of a laughing stock in the enthusiast community. Even if all the post-Shoreham changes were reverted, you would have to pay me to go back to that awful place. On the public weekend they charge RIAT prices for a collection of aircraft which can mostly be seen at a free seaside airshow, I'm sure people only buy tickets because of the Farnborough brand. The first and last Farnborough I went to was in 2014. Their budget at least allowed a good variety of classic jets, which most other shows can't afford, but sadly, even that can't happen any more. The classic jet scene has been descimated post-Shoreham and only one of the wonderful aircraft performing at that 2014 show remains. The rest have been sold abroad, grounded or put into long-term storage. That leaves a £42 show that features mostly solo Bearcats and autogyros.
Whereabouts are you travelling from if you don't mind me asking? I know this is a predominantly North American forum. There are a handful of shows that haven't been affected by the new regulations, some of them being very good ones indeed - and some even better (and cheaper) options over in mainland Europe. Radom, Poland this August is like RIAT x2 this year. Better than sitting watching YouTube!