YESSSS… Finally got to see it tonight. And it sure lives up to the hype. The flying sequences are amazing and have to be seen on the big screen. The first “BONG” of the bell in the opening credits sets the scene perfectly, and I swear I could smell Av Gas too.

Well it happened, and it was one of the best I have done. A long week of hard work and fun with friends I haven’t seen for 3 years. The aircraft and statics were a excellent mixed bag from plenty of different countries. The highlights for myself were the Korean Black Eagles, the flypast by the Airbus Beluga XL (my first time seeing this aircraft so close) the Austrian Typhoon and C130 QRA demonstration, the Belgian F-16 paintwork with the green snake, the E4B “Jumbo” of the USA, and the helicopter SAR demo by the Czech air force.

The accommodation this year was also different to previous years, being off site at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester, where we were welcomed and looked after brilliantly. Nicknamed by us volunteers as Hogwarts (from the Harry Potter books) due to how the buildings looked, and the bar was just like the dining room from the films. Friendly staff and clean rooms go a long way when you have been on the airfield for a 12 hour day. I must also thank all the air cadets who attend the show each year and help with setting up and on the airfield, doing the dreaded F.O.D plod (Foreign Object Damage), picking up any rubbish and other debris that could damage the aircraft.

All in all a very enjoyable but tiring week, glad I had the following week off to recharge and edit my photo’s. Narrowing down 1600 to around 80 to share, and then processing through Photo Shop to get a final Jpeg. These will be in the gallery with the ability to buy them when I upload.