Anyone else like Birds AND planes? (3 Viewers)

Farnboro John · Apr 30, 2019

I have been modelling again.... do not be afraid!

Below please find the pix of the latest aircraft (promised last August) from the 633 Squadron collection: the original novel Squadron Commander's aircraft, A-Apple, mount of Roy Grenville before the unit converted onto Mosquitos for Operation Vesuvius....

John

633 Squadron Douglas Boston III X 4

crazyfingers · Apr 30, 2019

I saw the Concorde flying once. If I recall correctly it mainly or only flew into New York City. But once for reasons that I don't recall any more it had to divert to Boston, MA, USA. I saw it on approach into Boston as I was on my commute home form work.I'd guess it would have been 2-3K feet up at that point, about 6 miles from the airport.

PYRTLE · Apr 30, 2019

Great attention to detail FJ, even down to the wear and tear of the fuselage paint through to mission marks. You must have the patience of a Saint

Farnboro John · Apr 30, 2019

PYRTLE said:
Great attention to detail FJ, even down to the wear and tear of the fuselage paint through to mission marks. You must have the patience of a Saint

Um - I don't think so, not under all circumstances, anyway!

But you have it in a nutshell: the challenge of modelling is to produce something that looks like it could start up and go.... I'd like to think I'm getting somewhere near the effects that are easy to call up in my mind when I start each project. I'm pretty happy with this one I must admit. Thank you for the kind words.

John

Andy Adcock · May 2, 2019

PYRTLE said:
Great attention to detail FJ, even down to the wear and tear of the fuselage paint through to mission marks. You must have the patience of a Saint

Ditto, great work, lack of patience was always my enemy in these projects oh and fat, clumsy fingers......

PYRTLE · May 2, 2019

I used to get bored with the old Airfix models hanging from the bedroom ceiling, so to make room for a new one I would glue a safety pin to the top of a fuselage and attach the plane to a fishing line running from my bedroom down to the back garden allotment. Doused with lighter fluid and cotton wool, then set alight, the plane would slide down and crash with acrid black smoke and dripping molten plastic along the way.....my own reinaction of Thunderbirds.
Managed the "blue tail"heritage F15 taking off at Lakenheath yesterday and my first RAF Lightning II over Swaffham.

Andy Adcock · May 2, 2019

PYRTLE said:
I used to get bored with the old Airfix models hanging from the bedroom ceiling, so to make room for a new one I would glue a safety pin to the top of a fuselage and attach the plane to a fishing line running from my bedroom down to the back garden allotment. Doused with lighter fluid and cotton wool, then set alight, the plane would slide down and crash with acrid black smoke and dripping molten plastic along the way.....my own reinaction of Thunderbirds.
Managed the "blue tail"heritage F15 taking off at Lakenheath yesterday and my first RAF Lightning II over Swaffham.

When various models lost their interest to me, they would get 'shot down' by my .22 air rifle.......

Euan Buchan · May 15, 2019

I know it's the 50th anniversary this year of the Concorde and it made me realise wouldn't it be great to see it have a comeback even for just one day where it flew to different airports? For me personally I would love it as Concorde was my favourite plane when I was little though I only ever saw it once on the day it flew to Edinburgh for the last time. I'll be interested in everyone's thoughts on this.

Mike Crawley · May 15, 2019

I think I was about 14 at the time of Concorde's first flight - it was like watching a "live action" version of a comic or Thunderbirds.

It was always great to see Concorde on final approach to Manchester cutting through the skies above Stockport. You always knew when she was departing - that noise....didn't happen very often, unfortunately.

I took my daughter to Manchester airport to see the BA and Air France planes parked up together (I guess 1995/6 ?) when there was still a viewing platform on top of the terminal buildings.

I only know one person who flew on her, a lad I worked with was urgently required in New York and the company we worked for stumped up the fare. Sadly, he returned by 747.

I would love to see Concorde do a "lap of honour" around the UK.
Much beloved, like the Vulcan.

Andy Adcock · May 15, 2019

Mike C said:
I think I was about 14 at the time of Concorde's first flight - it was like watching a "live action" version of a comic or Thunderbirds.

It was always great to see Concorde on final approach to Manchester cutting through the skies above Stockport. You always knew when she was departing - that noise....didn't happen very often, unfortunately.

I took my daughter to Manchester airport to see the BA and Air France planes parked up together (I guess 1995/6 ?) when there was still a viewing platform on top of the terminal buildings.

I only know one person who flew on her, a lad I worked with was urgently required in New York and the company we worked for stumped up the fare. Sadly, he returned by 747.

I would love to see Concorde do a "lap of honour" around the UK.
Much beloved, like the Vulcan.

Driving through Lincolnshire one day in the late 70's and had three of these beasts fly right over us at very low level, incredible experience.

Owen Krout · May 15, 2019

The prairie Navy

Given the current tensions, we'll just leave it at in the middle of America today, May 15th, some rare "birds" overflew those of us out birding some wetlands. We're not treated to such sights much since the now long ago closing of the Navy Air Station . Shutters whirred as four Navy Grumman "Hawkeye" E2-C, or D overflew us. My camera was in the hands of another birder interested in my new toy, who had been playing with the settings, so by the time I got it back and the settings back to where I wanted, it was a parting picture.

Andy Adcock · May 17, 2019

A bit dated I know but some skullduggery in the replacement process for the UK's old AWACS with allegations that no other tenders or systems were considered other than Boeings.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...od-awacs-replacement-hard-hitting-letter-mps/

PYRTLE · May 17, 2019

andyadcock said:
A bit dated I know but some skullduggery in the replacement process for the UK's old AWACS with allegations that no other tenders or systems were considered other than Boeings.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...od-awacs-replacement-hard-hitting-letter-mps/

It's probably very much down to how we are servants to the USA following WWII. The argument is very much to do with " intergrated" airframes and our special handshake relationship with America. We've committed to the F35 both for carrier and land based, as France and Germany may go into partnership for 5th generation and above fighter / interceptor / light bombers. We have the 6th gen Tempest on the go ( RAF only ) but that is years away. The UAVs operated by the RAF are more or less American so we had to follow our friends over The Pond. We've already agreed the Poseidon ( maritime surveillance ) by agreement, operate another Boeing (RC135 " Rivet Joint") so it naturally follows we take the " Wedgetail" as operated by Australia and some European countries.

With other UK airbases being reduced whilst Fairford is growing, it is down to accountants rather than the commanders at the MOD.

However, all change if we get a Labour government. Then everything will have a Red Star if we have any hardware left.

PS. The Royal Navy have also removed the skipper of our new aircraft carrier due to his use of a service vehicle, even though he paid his own petrol.....the word dunderheads spring to mind.

Cheers Andy, I need a cup of chamomile tea now!

Farnboro John · May 17, 2019

andyadcock said:
A bit dated I know but some skullduggery in the replacement process for the UK's old AWACS with allegations that no other tenders or systems were considered other than Boeings.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...od-awacs-replacement-hard-hitting-letter-mps/

Also Boeing P8 for Nimrod replacement. In fact its a catalogue of political (not executive) incompetence with dogmatic austerity coming up against hard reality - the axing of Nimrod MRA4 when on the point of delivery and all the issues dealt with, followed by the sudden realisation that we are an island nation utterly dependent on command of its SLOCs, almost strangled by submarine warfare twice in the twentieth century and abandoning our long-range airborne maritime patrol capability was ludicrous madness.

Similarly the E3 fleet has been left in limbo with upgrades adopted by other users not applied and the airframes worked hard in the interests of political profile, with the obvious result of not only obsolescence but also little airframe life remaining, and an obvious capability gap rushing towards us.

Result, in an environment with "compulsory" competitive tendering for major projects (a policy imposed back in the day by the Tory party, lets not forget): two single tender off the shelf buys from the USA. Go figure.

John

MJB · May 17, 2019

Farnboro John said:
Also Boeing P8 for Nimrod replacement. In fact its a catalogue of political (not executive) incompetence with dogmatic austerity coming up against hard reality - the axing of Nimrod MRA4 when on the point of delivery and all the issues dealt with, followed by the sudden realisation that we are an island nation utterly dependent on command of its SLOCs, almost strangled by submarine warfare twice in the twentieth century and abandoning our long-range airborne maritime patrol capability was ludicrous madness.

Similarly the E3 fleet has been left in limbo with upgrades adopted by other users not applied and the airframes worked hard in the interests of political profile, with the obvious result of not only obsolescence but also little airframe life remaining, and an obvious capability gap rushing towards us.

Result, in an environment with "compulsory" competitive tendering for major projects (a policy imposed back in the day by the Tory party, lets not forget): two single tender off the shelf buys from the USA. Go figure.

John

As someone who worked in the E3 Sentry Project Office/Engineering Authority, I can assure you that the Nimrod AEW was a project that had lived too long, each part of the development (cooling the radars needed external airscoops; that produced additional drag and so reduced range; range was also reduced by an increase in empty weight of the airframe and by the engines having to work harder to deal with both problems; there were also power generation problems to run the AEW system).

The E3 Sentry was a good aircraft, but the UK Government's understandable desire for some of the electronic kit to be UK-sourced resulted in a curate's egg - much was good or adequate, but some was not even crap standard. My office managed to have the latter ditched, replacement items mostly being recently developed UK digital kit for other UK Service projects, moved sideways into the Sentry, but one system was purchased directly from the USN.

The Bosnian War required a new suite of specialist digital radios whose beams were electronically steered by a matrix of new fuselage top and bottom aerials. Mr Boeing quoted many millions and a two-year fast-tracked modification. Instead the RAF did it as a series of Service Modifications in six weeks and the new systems worked. Mr Boeing retrospectively cleared them to meet air safety regulations...

The RAF's Sentry aircraft were delivered on time and under budget. Unfortunately, the original number of aircraft planned for was reduced to the current number, which meant by the first year of operational deployment over the Balkans, we were well ahead of airframe consumption hours. So, the reduced purchase of aircraft was a home goal long-term, I'm afraid.

Your take on the ASW gap is spot on, I would say.
MJB

Andy Adcock · May 31, 2019

Who knew that the Osprey MV-22 had a 'Titling' engine.......see the image in this article.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48219557

PYRTLE · May 31, 2019

Get them over the house Andy, funny sounding things, when the small fleet of SAR Ospreys based at Mildenhall carry out practice manouvres. At night very low with no nav. lights switched on. POTUS have their own airframes in the distinct tlivery, probably with a few fully kitted out Marines, Navy Seals just in case anyone is seen carrying a threatening milkshake

Chosun Juan · May 31, 2019

andyadcock said:
Who knew that the Osprey MV-22 had a 'Titling' engine.......see the image in this article.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48219557

I've heard of this air[machine] referred to as "The Widow Maker"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidents_and_incidents_involving_the_V-22_Osprey

Chosun :gh:

Andy Adcock · May 31, 2019

PYRTLE said:
Get them over the house Andy, funny sounding things, when the small fleet of SAR Ospreys based at Mildenhall carry out practice manouvres. At night very low with no nav. lights switched on. POTUS have their own airframes in the distinct tlivery, probably with a few fully kitted out Marines, Navy Seals just in case anyone is seen carrying a threatening milkshake

Obviously the Titling engines......!

Has the typo gone over you head Pat!

Richard Prior · May 31, 2019

andyadcock said:
Obviously the Titling engines......!

Has the typo gone over you head Pat!

Hee hee, perhaps the journalist did it on purpose as a ( not too) subtle clue to his/ her opinion of the visitor from Washington......

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