The weather was much improved today, but it still rained heavily towards the end of the day. That didn't stop Thursday being the busiest RIAT arrivals day for some years with several aircraft in the circuit at one at times . Paul Johnson/Flightline UK reports. All photography copyright of the Author.

The bad weather of  Wednesday delayed several item and the RIAT operations team have had a job on fitting them into the rest of the schedule as well as including the all important rehearsals and other essential movements. One of those today has been the validation of the F-22 display at Farnborough. Almost unbelievably the F-22 requires as escort in the air much like the B-2 flypast in previous years. As the F-22 made it's noisy departure, a RAF Lakenheath based F-15 arrived in the overhead to fly with the F-22 to Farnborough and back!

There was a slight delay to proceeding when Delta Jet's Jet Provost T5 burst a main tyre on landing. Tthe incident was handled well by the crew as the aircraft slewed to the edge of the runway. After about 10 mins the rescue party has the aircraft out of the way and operations recommenced.

Star arrivals today have been the Turkish Stars who also rehearsed, a pair of Czech Air Force Gripens and the Canadian contingent of CF-18s and a CP-140.

Arrivals at 1800L

• Turkish Stars
• R-44
• Turkish Air Force C-160D (support)
• RNethAF Fokker 50
• USAF B-1B x 2
• RAF Tornado GR4 x 3
• Spitfire PR XI
• Army Historic Flight Beaver AL1
• Hellenic AF RF-4E Phantom
• ETPS/Swedish Air Force JAS-39B Gripen
• QinetiQ Alpha Jet
• Beech 1900D (Swiss Support)
• Folland Gnat T1
• AAC Lync AH7
• Hurricane I
• Hawker Hunter T7
• Piper Dakota
• RAF Vigilant x 3
• Vampire T11
• RAF Harrier GR9
• RNethAF F-16 x 4 (inc display + spare)
• Indian Air Force Sarang Team
• Omani BAC 1-11
• Patrouille Suisse
• RN Jetsream T2
• Chipmunk
• Los Halcones
• Chiliean AF C-130H
• Aermacchi M311
• Jet Provost T3
• Jet Provost T5 x 2
• CzAF Yak-40 (departed)
• USAF C-21A
• Royal Jordanian Falcons
• USAF F-15E
• USAF T-1A Jayhawk
• Italian AF MB339CD x 2
• Norwegian F-16 x 2
• US Army UC-35 (departed)
• RAF Typhoon x 3 (inc Display + Spare)
• RAF Hawk T1 x 4 (inc Display + Spare)
• RAF Dominie T1
• BBMF - Lancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota (Dakota departed)
• French Army TBM-700
• Rollason Condor (departed)
• Danish F-16 x 2
• CzAF L-159 ALCA
• CzAF JAS-39C/D Gripen x 2
• Luftwaffe Tornado RECCE
• RAF Tutor x 2
• RN Merlin x 2 (inc Display)
• German Army Bo105
• RAF king Air (departed)
• USAF MC-130H
• USAF MC-130P
• RAF Squirrel
• French Navy Falcon 10MER
• USAF F-16CG x 2
• Cessna Citation (Marshall Group)
• Strikemaster
• RAF Tucano T1 x 4 (inc Display + Spare)
• RN Lynx
• RAF Nimrod MR2
• Twin Otter
• Indian Hawk Mk132
• Hawk Mk128
• Luftwaffe UH-1D
• USAF C-21A (departed)
• CzAF Mi-24V
• DA-40 Diamond Star
• DA-42 Twin Star
• Grob 120A
• Grob 140TP