Picture special: 1979 Greenham Common International Air Tattoo

In 1979 Greenham Common hosted an International Air Tattoo to mark two anniversaries.

The event celebrated the 30th anniversary of NATO with all members being represented in a ground display of aircraft and equipment.

It also marked the first Hercules flight – an anniversary celebrating 25 of the planes flew to Greenham from all over the world.

More than 100 aircraft from 21 countries were on show and 100 aircrafts took to the skies.

This was Greenham Airbase’s 4th tattoo since it took over as host in 1973.

The first International Air Tattoo (IAT) took place at North Weald in Essex in 1971.

It featured 100 aircraft and was the first of its kind.

Greenham hosted the tattoo between 1973 and 1983 following the build of the M11 motorway next to North Weald.

The show was organised by volunteers and the profit from the show went to the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund.

More than 200,000 visited over the weekend. The cost of a day ticket was £3.

In 2021 Greenham Control Tower mounted an exhibition celebrating its years at Greenham marking the 50th anniversary of the first International Air Tattoo.