SFT Events: Richmond Airshow

On Sunday 28^th September, several members of the SFT staff and students headed out to the Richmond Airshow, commemorating 100 years of the Richmond Airforce Base. A great day was had by all, despite it finishing early due to forecast thunderstorms.

Once the gates opened, everyone had to walk across the runway to get to the event – something you don’t get to do every day, especially at a military base! There were lots of ground displays, including the C-17 Globemaster; FA-18; PC21; and of course, the iconic Caribou where our very own Mark Kelly gave everyone a VIP cockpit tour. There was also a number of stalls and ground vendors as well as the Drone Racing, which was mind blowing, very fast-paced and incredible how they control them remotely essentially using a VR headset with a camera POV in such a tight space at such a high speed!

Air displays began at 11am, with the C-130 Hercules opening the show doing multiple fly-bys as well as a mail drop demonstration. Next up we saw the RFS Chinook with a water bombing demonstration, they have high-speed pumps on board that can suck up 11,000L of water in a whopping 90 seconds! After the Chinook was the E-7A Wedgetail, a modified Boeing 737 to include a Multi-Role Electronically Scanned Array Radar. It was very interesting and different to see the aircraft flying so fast and so low to the ground compared to normal!

Following the E-7A we saw the jets: F-35 Lightning, Hawk 127, and FA-18 Hornet - the highlight of the day for all. The speed and manoeuvrability of these aircraft are incomprehensible, the roar of the engines and the booming sensation in your chest as they fly past is an experience like no other. Unfortunately, due to the early finish, we didn’t get to see the Roulettes or the Globemaster fly but we were lucky they changed the programme around so we could still see the fast jets.

Overall it was a great day out in the sun, delivering something for all aviation enthusiasts. The next SFT airshow event will be Warbirds Over Scone in March next year, more details to follow - make sure you are subscribed to ensure you are the first to know!