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Highlights (in no particular order)

Part four: Making an exhibition

Dave Eade/DEltafoto looks at the 100 years of Flight Exhibition. Pictures by the author and Gary Parsons

It is an almost impossible job to portray the flying history of Great Britain. Add to that task the time-scale of a few months to complete it and it is a wonder that anyone took the burden on - the team that accomplished this incredible feat at RIAT 2003 therefore deserve every praise and accolade. There were criticisms in the Internet press and forums (when aren't there?) but the end result was a collection of superbly turned out examples of best of the last 100 years. The historic collection was neatly knitted in with a RAF/RN Today selection which meant that the whole of the west-end of Fairford was given over to one of the best displays of static aircraft seen in this country for years.

There were some glaring omissions, due, some might argue, to the lack of interest in preservation in this country during and after World War Two - but if they do not exist, how can they be presented? When one considers the numbers built it's criminal that we cannot show the Hampden, Stirling, and Halifax, but let us consider what WAS shown. From the earliest fighting machines to the latest offerings came an incredible portrayal of military flying in Britain.

With some widely publicised logistics RIAT 2003 collected some true gems of the jet age from the museum fraternity. Air-Scene UK saw the Scimitar two years ago - apparently abandoned outside the Southampton Hall of Aviation - but to see it standing proud in its rightful place alongside the other Fleet Air Arm jets was amazing. The nit-pickers amongst our readers will no doubt point to the slight nose-down attitude and a few pieces laying unattached but that is unfair to those volunteers who have worked so hard to put it where it should be.

Pride of place to your scribe, who is 110% biased, were the immaculate Lightning T5 and the best Javelin I have seen preserved, the FAW9 of the Jet Age Museum. Both of these airframes gave the appearance that, if you pressed the starter, they would go.

Disappointing, then, was the Phantom FGR2 (XV408) which was not looking its best, it has to be said. Last seen in the blue colour scheme of 92 Squadron, it now appears to have been cleaned up ready to paint - appearing in air-defence grey, but badly needing some TLC. The beautiful example at Waddington would have, perhaps, been a better choice.

In times gone by, different decisions by the government could have meant that the Lightning would not have figured at all in the exhibition, but its alternative would have appeared. I refer to the RAF Museum Cosford's superb Saunders-Roe SR53. This has long been immaculately displayed both inside and out at the Museum and it was wonderful to see it in this line-up.

One aircraft history was well shown within the exhibition, that being the birth of the Harrier. Through P1127, GR3 to GR7 and Sea Harrier, the story was well laid out for all to see and compare how far along the road of development we took the concept.

Tempting it must be to only include the glamorous aircraft in the parade but that was not the way here. Examples of Basset, Pembroke, Auster and Chipmunk were rightfully included - and well presented too!

Finally, two examples of the right thing to do in a collection like this - the wonderful assembly of helicopters, both RAF and Navy and the decision to mark the loss of the Firefly and crew in such a moving way. This loss could so easily have just been omitted without comment - well done RIAT.

So that's it for our look at RIAT 2003 - a show that was certainly a marked improvement on 2002. Next year's show is over the weekend of 19/20 July - Defence 2004 is already being promoted as the main feature. See you there!

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