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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Anyone else like Birds AND planes? (2 Viewers)

Trailer just now for a series called Fighter Pilots, the real Top Gun. ITV starting in August. Clip showed RAF F35s.
 
Just found this photo that I took at the airport in Riga, Latvia a few years ago, Antonov species I presume?
 

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Just found this photo that I took at the airport in Riga, Latvia a few years ago, Antonov species I presume?

Ilyushin is the other big player and the correct answer in this case: an IL76, NATO reporting name Candid. Cold War classic still in service in large numbers in e.g. Ukraine.

Nice photo to share!

John
 
I know it is out of service:C but despite the high-tech and compound angles the F117 Nighthawk had lightweight refactory bricks to absorb the heat signature from the engines:eek!:

Locally a raucous ‘throaty’ Strikemaster went over last Saturday, or was it Friday, these Cold War jets have a distinct sound imo:t:

Laurie -
 
I was working in the garden a few minutes ago and looked up to see two of these going over. Had to run in for the camera to get a couple of shots before they were gone. Makes a change from the normal F15's from Lakenheath.
 

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Luckily you had blue skies, I will just have to settle for a pair of F35s low over the house returning to Marham (1555hrs).
 
Had 2 B2’s locally a few years ago outside a pub supping a B :) after birding, they were turning and waiting for a refueler from Mildenhall - they were enroute back to the US from Diego Garcia and taking on gas to get over the pond:t:

Laurie -
 
An ID required on this one.

I was on the beach near the naval base at Rota in SW Spain a couple of weeks ago. A Cessna 650 Citation VII with standard Armada markings passed over several times with its wheels down on the approach, presumably doing 'touch and goes'. When I saw this come in from the sea I thought it was the Cessna on another approach. It's superficially similar, but the cockpit profile is different and it has wing tip winglets and a high tail.

Not an ID marking or even national marking or registration to be seen apart from the three-digit tail number 151.

Any ideas?
 

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An ID required on this one.

I was on the beach near the naval base at Rota in SW Spain a couple of weeks ago. A Cessna 650 Citation VII with standard Armada markings passed over several times with its wheels down on the approach, presumably doing 'touch and goes'. When I saw this come in from the sea I thought it was the Cessna on another approach. It's superficially similar, but the cockpit profile is different and it has wing tip winglets and a high tail.

Not an ID marking or even national marking or registration to be seen apart from the three-digit tail number 151.

Any ideas?

Its a US Navy Gulfstream G-IV. Google 165151 gulfstream and you should get photos.

John
 
Its a US Navy Gulfstream G-IV. Google 165151 gulfstream and you should get photos.

John

Thanks John. Strange that it's not carrying any other identification.

EDIT. Done some research. Its call sign is Catbird 1 and it's the transport for the Commander in Chief of the US Navy in Europe (and Africa)
 
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Thanks John. Strange that it's not carrying any other identification.

EDIT. Done some research. Its call sign is Catbird 1 and it's the transport for the Commander in Chief of the US Navy in Europe (and Africa)

If you would like some total speculation, I should think US Navy exec jets frequently have to land at civil airports - especially port cities - throughout the world to carry out transfers of (mostly senior) personnel, and prefer to do it without advertising the ownership too obviously.

Pre-publication edit: I think the CinC's personal jet fits the speculation!

John
 
Looking at photos from only a few years ago it had the full tail number and national identification. Now all it has is the 'Catbird' logo next to the door on the side facing away from me.
 
An ID required on this one.

I was on the beach near the naval base at Rota in SW Spain a couple of weeks ago. A Cessna 650 Citation VII with standard Armada markings passed over several times with its wheels down on the approach, presumably doing 'touch and goes'. When I saw this come in from the sea I thought it was the Cessna on another approach. It's superficially similar, but the cockpit profile is different and it has wing tip winglets and a high tail.

Not an ID marking or even national marking or registration to be seen apart from the three-digit tail number 151.

Any ideas?

Certainly weather research aircraft have been known to have fewer windows than standard models, but then, so did some of the aircraft used to transport 'extraordinary rendition' suspects who ended up in GITMO...
MJB
 

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