A sell-out crowd, in excess of 160,000, enjoyed a thrilling weekend of flying at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

Fine weather on Saturday brought out a capacity crowd who enjoyed some superb flying displays, including a dramatic mass flypast by Royal Navy aircraft, the stirring appearance of the restored Vulcan bomber XH558 and a range of fast jets including the French Air Force’s new Rafale fighter. In total, 269 aircraft took part in the Air Tattoo, from 33 air arms representing 22 nations.

One of the highlights was a display by the Avro Vulcan, one of the most iconic warbirds of the Cold War era. The “Vulcan Effect” was tangible, with former RAF Vulcan Captain Martin Withers putting XH558 through her paces, bringing the rest of the airshow to a virtual standstill and earning thunderous applause as he touched down after the display. On the ground, enthusiasts enjoyed a fascinating range of aircraft including a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft from the Algerian Air Force. The North African nation was making its Air Tattoo debut, bringing to 51 the number of countries who’ve taken part in the airshow since it began in 1971.

Despite damp and wet conditions on Sunday, organisers said there was absolutely no risk of the airshow cancelling, and the large crowd enjoyed a thrilling flying display including a show-stopping finale by the Red Arrows.

Among the Royal and VIP guests who attended were HRH Prince Michael of Kent, HRH Lieutenant General Prince Feisal bin Hussein, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy and Chief of Staff USAF General Norton Schwartz.

Celebrity guests included Matthew Lewis, who plays Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films, and Radio 2 broadcasters Sarah Kennedy, ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris and Alan Dedicoat.

Despite being a sell-out, organisers said there were no major traffic issues and the event was a great success.

Air Tattoo Chief Executive Tim Prince said the introduction this year of advance ticket sales only, combined with £200,000 worth of improvements to the airshow’s infrastructure, played a large part in the success of the weekend’s event.

“Having seen the disappointment on so many people’s faces last year when we were forced to cancel, it was wonderful to see such a large crowd enjoying themselves over the weekend. The weather was disappointing on Sunday, but because of the measures we have introduced, it never threatened to halt the event.”

Despite the large crowds there were relatively few incidents over the weekend.

The Air Tattoo’s Senior Medical Officer Martin McGrath said his staff had been fairly busy due to the size of the crowd, with around 200 visitors being treated at the first aid posts and the airshow’s medical centre. Cases ranged from blisters to suspected heart attacks, with six people being transferred to hospital.

A spokesman for Air Tattoo Fire Services said it had been a safe Air Tattoo with the biggest issue being members of the public lighting barbecues, which are prohibited on the airfield.

On Friday, all the RIAT emergency services were put on standby after an RAF Harrier suffered a birdstrike on its way to the airshow. However, the aircraft landed safely.

First-time Air Tattoo visitor Terry Greer from Nailsworth, near Stroud, said: “The aircraft are great, but I’m impressed at how much else there is to do, and how well laid-out the showground is.”

Air Tattoo veteran Luca Storti from Verona, Italy, has been to every airshow since it moved to RAF Fairford in 1985. He said: “I like England, I like aircraft, and I like to see action. This is the largest airshow in Europe and the variety of aircraft on display mean it’s well worth coming to see.”

Since its inception in 2005, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust Enterprises, which organises the Air Tattoo, gifted £1.3 million to the Charitable Trust. To date, the Trust has approved £895,000 worth of grants supporting a range of projects benefiting the RAF family of charities as well as serving personnel and Air Cadets.

Visitors were also given food for thought by members of 28 and 78 Squadron who fly the Merlin helicopter from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire as they threw their weight behind the charity Help for Heroes by promoting a charity cookbook and taking part in marathons.

Flt Lt Michelle Goodman, 32 who became the first woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) after rescuing a badly-wounded soldier in Iraq in 2007 was at RAF Fairford promoting the Help for Heroes Cook Book. Michelle joins a number of household names who have contributed recipes to the book, including Sir David Jason, Ewen MacGregor, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, and several celebrity chefs.

Michelle’s lasagne is now appearing on dinner tables all over the country as the book is promoted at airshows up and down the country. Michelle said: “We hope to raise £10,000 for Help for Heroes by the end of the airshow season. People have been very interested in supporting the charity and the work it does, and the cookbook has been my way of supporting it.”

Michelle has been in the Royal Air Force for nine years, having joined in 2000. She was inspired by aviation when she visited the Air Tattoo as a youngster. “I saw the Vulcan fly and I was hooked,” she said.

Source: RAF