Clear blue skies were the backdrop for the Red Arrows’ vapour trails as RAF Coningsby thanked its personnel, their families and friends at Station Families’ Day (Friday 25th July).
A regular, and fun, feature in the calendar of most RAF Stations, Families’ Day is an opportunity for hardworking personnel to relax and enjoy themselves for an afternoon with their families, spouses and partners.
Months in the planning, Families’ Day is a huge project and around 10,000 tickets were issued for the event. Squadron Leader Kat Janes was the Project Officer for the event. She said: “It’s a big project, but it’s a big project for a good reason. Our aim is to make sure that we say thank you to as many of our personnel and their families as possible, and to give them a memorable and fun day. Our team of volunteers did just that, they were brilliant.”
With fairground attractions, classic vehicles, artisan food stalls, historical re-enactors, and some stunning air displays, there was no shortage of interesting things to see and do. The weather up until Families’ Day had not been promising, but the clouds broke on Friday, and the Lincolnshire airbase was bathed in warm weather.
The Red Arrows opened the event with their usual flair; captivating the crowd with a spectacular display of precision flying. They were followed by a host of interesting and historic aircraft, and of course the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. A member of one of the service families said: “Honestly, that was absolutely brilliant; stuff for the children to do, air displays, it was everything we could have wanted.”
Group Captain Paul O’Grady is the Station Commander at RAF Coningsby. He said: “Today is our day to say thank you to our whole force and to their families. There is a very real link between life at work and life at home; families and friends are that vital link, and it’s only right that we recognise our service families for everything they contribute to the Defence of or country.”
The Typhoon Display Team stole the show with an awe-inspiring presentation of the Typhoon’s agility and power. With Squadron Leader Nathan Shawyer at the controls, the crowds were stunned into silence as he expertly demonstrated the speed and manoeuvrability of the UK’s leading operational combat aircraft.
Group Captain O’Grady said: “Firstly I would like to thank our project team and all the volunteers for all their hard work in making today such a success. You only get success like this through careful planning, lots of hard work, and dedication. They have done a fabulous job, and you could tell from the cheerful atmosphere, the conversation, the laughter, across the entire site that everybody who came had a great time.”
