Air Tattoo

I knew I'd get some of you with that title. No, I didn't get a tattoo of an airplane. Air Tattoo is short for Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), the UK's premier military airshow. I was to go last weekend, but due to heavy rains several days before the airshow, it was cancelled for the first time in 38 years. The reason for cancellation was that the grass and fields surrounding the airstrip were too wet to withstand the onslaught of what was estimated to be 140,000 people (and their cars) over the course of the weekend. I can imagine hundreds of cars getting stuck in the mud. Oh well... will try again next year.

What interested to me most about Air Tattoo was the fact that America's F-22 Raptor was there. The F-22 is our latest jet fighter (that we know of). Each one costs around $140 million (your tax dollars hard at work). Don't worry... you get what you pay for. The F-22 is the most dominant fighter in the world today. Not only is it stealthy and can perform an entire mission at supersonic speeds (without afterburners), it can maneuver like no other. Check out this video taken just days ago as the Raptor rehearsed for RIAT 2008.



However, the weekend wasn't a complete loss. Last Friday I did manage to get my hands on one of the last remaining new iPhones 3G's in Bristol. It is brilliant. I particularly find the maps with GPS useful as I try to find my way about over here. For those of you with existing cell contracts due to expire soon, you'd be crazy not to get an iPhone.

Now that I'm settled in I'm thinking about planning some trips elsewhere. I think the way I'd prefer seeing Europe is by planning trips around events. So I've begun to populate my calendar with events I'd like to see. Then I figure I'll take a few days before or after the event to tour the area. Those of you planning a trip may want to keep an eye on the calendar. If you see something that sparks your interest, perhaps that would be a good time to visit.

Next post coming soon... Farnborough 2008.