RAF Queens Colour Parade and Flypast - Friday 11 July

[mgmark]

For those interested, as well as the RAF being busy out in hot, sandy places, with it being our 90th anniversary year, we're out in force on Friday at Fairford on the day before the International Air Tattoo weekend, with a major parade of about 800 personnel with the Queen presenting the RAF and the RAF Regiment with new colours. 

Weather permitting, it will include a large flypast of around 90 RAF aircraft (current types and BBMF), so if you want to see them, although you won't be able to get into Fairford, it will obviously fly over the immediate vicinity of Fairford, and the route in and out runs broadly from Cheltenham to Swindon.

The flypast details are here (a broad route map and the detailed composition of the aircraft formations are at the bottom of the page):
http://www.raf.mod.uk/queenscolourparade/flypast/index.cfm

More general details about the event are at:
http://www.raf.mod.uk/queenscolourparade/
http://www.airtattoo.com/airtattoo/Newsroom/news/Newsroom/RAF_FAIRFORD_TO_STAGE_HISTORIC_CEREMONY

And it is being covered live on the BBC on 11 Jul from 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm.

Not quite up to the size of the 1955 RAF Review at Odiham in her Coronation year (318 RAF aircraft on static display, with a 27-minute flypast of 641 RAF aircraft) but it should still be a good sight to behold for those interested in aircraft.

MG Mark

[Bob U]

That sounds fantastic. Can't be anywhere near myself but I hope the weather improves for anyone that is there. It would be a shame to have to cancel and have to miss out on seeing a sight like this. I've never seen 1 Typhoon never mind 9

[Doris]

One of my friends is in 63 Sqn and I'm fairly sure he hasn't left for 'Stan just yet so I'm guessing he'll be there.  I hope the weather's kind to them. I'll be in France but may well set the recording device so I can watch this on my return. 

Dx

[Nobby Diesel]

How convenient - I just managed to arrange a visit to a site in Swindon! Leaving now, with camera.

[mgmark]

Seems that the weather managed to hold off fairly well for the parade and flypast, and then bucketed down afterwards 

MG Mark

[Nobby Diesel]

Well, I was standing on a hillside just outside Swindon, and it was torrential.
I listened to coverage on the radio and all seemed well at Fairford.

The cloud was so low and the rain so heavy, we didn't even see the BBMF. I think the heli's peeled off before the jets, which was right over us.
That was good, as they held formation until they peeled away, when some opened the taps a little.

Didn't see or hear the Vulcan, did it fly?

[Perdu]

I didnt see or hear of the Vulc during the telly program

I'd have expected them to have mentioned her if she'd been due

[mgmark]

No, the Vulcan was never slated to be a part of it.  Would have been nice though!

BBMF landed at Fairford straight after the flypast to be in place for RIAT tomorrow, so they wouldn't have been part of the exit via the Swindon area

MG Mark

[Nobby Diesel]

Thanks guys, that explains things.

[nopanic - neil]

I understand Fairford airshow has been cancelled, due to weather and car parks being flooded.

Pity - as I know a lot of work goes into it and also a lot of people were looking forward to it.

[mgmark]

I understand Fairford airshow has been cancelled, due to weather and car parks being flooded.
Pity - as I know a lot of work goes into it and also a lot of people were looking forward to it.

Sdaly it was - basically, the car parks and a lot of the site was awash.  A vast amount of work in the planning and execution of it - but looking at photos of the site, if they had tried to press ahead with it, it really would have made that year of the muddy car park debacle at Silverstone look positively dry.

MG Mark