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Skywatchers

Part three: Eyes in the Sky

Mark Rouse reviews the main theme for RIAT '05, 'Eyes in the Sky' - Surveillance 05. Pictures by the author and Gary Parsons

Surveillance 05 was the main theme at RIAT this year, with many new types making their debut at Fairford. Old stagers were well represented too, especially for Phantom fans who had a fantastic opportunity to see this becoming-rarer aircraft courtesy of the Hellenic Air Force's RF-4E from 348 MTA. The RIAT Committee should also be commended for arranging another aircraft seldom seen these days - it was a real treat to see the French Air Force C-160G 'Gabriel' from EE 01.054 that arrived on the Wednesday - after all, you don't even get these at a French airshows! The French also managed to pull another rabbit out of their hat by also bringing the French Army's AS532UL Cougar 'Horizon' helicopter, which in itself was worth the price of the show ticket for many enthusiasts!

With the theme of this years RIAT being 'Eyes in the Sky' it seemed only right to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first flight of one the world's most well-known surveillance planes: the U-2. Nicknamed the 'Dragon Lady', it first flew on 4 August 1955 and has since been used in almost every campaign, from discovering Soviet missiles in Cuba in October 1962 up to the most recent events in the Gulf. This year, Fairford was lucky enough to see no less than four U-2s, three of which were in transit while one stayed on for the airshow. Two of the aircraft departed very early on the Wednesday morning, one of these being the 'Senior Span' aircraft. The third left later on in the day and the fourth didn't actually arrive until Thursday, giving enthusiasts many opportunities to photograph the aircraft. Other American surveillance aircraft included a C-130J from Elizabeth City United States Coast Guard, one of its newest aircraft, delivered to the USCG earlier in the year. It looked immaculate in its colourful gloss paint job. An added bonus that is always a pleasure to see was the E-6 Mercury.

I think I am right in saying that this was the first time the RQ-4A Global Hawk had been seen in the static display at RIAT, albeit a mock up. Maybe one day this will be the way in which all surveillance is carried out. One thing that did spring to mind is that if the UAV is something that may be considered for a flying display, then an aircraft the size of the Global Hawk would probably be better suited than the Scan Eagle that flew this year. This was an extremely disappointing slot in the display as it barely visible to the human eye most, if not all of the time as it displayed too far away from the crowd. Stringent safety requirements from the CAA blunted the effectiveness of the demonstration to the point it was useless - if UAVs are ever to feature at airshows, the safety concerns need to be reviewed. (It just shows they have no place at airshows! - Ed)

The RAF supported the surveillance theme well by displaying a Sentry AEW1, Nimrod R1 and a Canberra PR9. This may have been the last visit by the PR9 as the assistance of this well-served machine is fast coming to an end, with retirement scheduled for October 2006. As an aviation enthusiast I must say it was good to see the Nimrod R1 aircraft on the tarmac at Fairford as the opportunities that we have to see them are few and far between (besides Waddington airshow, of course). The Danish Air Force also put on a good display of aircraft this year including the CL604 Challenger from ESK721, although there are many these days that would say it is just another business jet in military colours. This may well be so, but it is still good too see it along with the special marked F-16 in what can only be described as a smaller than usual static display. The Italians similarly put on a good display of visiting aircraft with the BR1150 Atlantic heading the 'Eyes in the Sky' contingent.

The layout of the surveillance static at this year's show was far better than many thought it would be, although it was always going to be hard to get the positioning of all the aircraft right for everyone, and with the surveillance themed area containing a large number of bigger aircraft getting it right was going to be almost an impossible feat. However, the RIAT organisation team never fail to amaze us in the way in which they manage to fit all the aircraft in and do a good job of it too.

As for the flying displays that were held over the weekend the theme 'Eyes in the Sky' seemed to be a little lost, with only the Photo-reconnaissance Spitfires, the Austers of the AACHF and the Scan Eagle fitting the theme, but I guess what the public really wants to see are the fast jets and deafening noise - that makes an airshow such as RIAT what it is!

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