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Anyone else like Birds AND planes? (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter wolfbirder
- Start date
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Paul - Herts
Paul Herts
Glad I spotted this thread - just bought the eBook on Google play for £3.99!
Cheers Paul
Edit: Under the Wire about the real life basis of Steve McQueen's Cooler King is an easy but interesting read
Cheers Paul
Edit: Under the Wire about the real life basis of Steve McQueen's Cooler King is an easy but interesting read
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Barred Wobbler
Well-known member
202 Squadron
A frequent sight over our area for several decades (below) an S&R helicopter of 'A' Flight of 202 Squadron, taken half a mile from my home a couple of days ago.
Sadly, it is soon to be a thing of the past and the familiar sound of the engines of a Sea King from nearby RAF Boulmer will be heard no more.
Search and Rescue helicopters have been operating in the area since the 1960s, firstly with Westland Whirlwinds at RAF Acklington which were replaced by Wessex, then Sea Kings in the 1970s, just about the time that Acklington closed and the flight relocated a few miles to Boulmer where they have operated since.
Boulmer is literally less than two minutes flying time from the Northumberland coast. When you're on the sea you can actually see the stand-by helicopter waiting outside its hangar. Its helicopters have been called out to countless local rescues as well as those further afield, such as rescuing fallen climbers in the Lake District.
It was also 202 Squadron that helped out at the Alexander Keilland tragedy in 1980. A very brave man that I used to play darts with was a winchman in that rescue and was awarded for his actions (as well as having a 'This is Your Life' programme dedicated to him).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_L._Kielland_(platform)
From 2016 the helicopter station will close and any fishermen getting into trouble off the Northumberland coast, instead of having to survive a short while awaiting a helicopter will have to wait about an hour longer for a helicopter from Prestwick, on the west coast of Scotland, 120 miles west of Boulmer, Lossiemouth on the Moray Firth, 170 miles north of Boulmer or from Leconsfield near Hull, about 115 miles to the south. The RAF role of S & R has been farmed out by the government to Bristow's, a private firm.
http://www.northumberlandgazette.co...nd-rescue-set-to-end-at-raf-boulmer-1-5529732
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/raf-boulmer-end-search-rescue-4420695
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-21939039
The government when it announced the closure claimed that these stations could provide cover over the whole area covered with the same average response time as Boulmer. When you're bobbing about in the cold North Sea, it's not the average response time that counts - it's the minimum response time that's crucial, but the accountants don't see it that way.
A frequent sight over our area for several decades (below) an S&R helicopter of 'A' Flight of 202 Squadron, taken half a mile from my home a couple of days ago.
Sadly, it is soon to be a thing of the past and the familiar sound of the engines of a Sea King from nearby RAF Boulmer will be heard no more.
Search and Rescue helicopters have been operating in the area since the 1960s, firstly with Westland Whirlwinds at RAF Acklington which were replaced by Wessex, then Sea Kings in the 1970s, just about the time that Acklington closed and the flight relocated a few miles to Boulmer where they have operated since.
Boulmer is literally less than two minutes flying time from the Northumberland coast. When you're on the sea you can actually see the stand-by helicopter waiting outside its hangar. Its helicopters have been called out to countless local rescues as well as those further afield, such as rescuing fallen climbers in the Lake District.
It was also 202 Squadron that helped out at the Alexander Keilland tragedy in 1980. A very brave man that I used to play darts with was a winchman in that rescue and was awarded for his actions (as well as having a 'This is Your Life' programme dedicated to him).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_L._Kielland_(platform)
From 2016 the helicopter station will close and any fishermen getting into trouble off the Northumberland coast, instead of having to survive a short while awaiting a helicopter will have to wait about an hour longer for a helicopter from Prestwick, on the west coast of Scotland, 120 miles west of Boulmer, Lossiemouth on the Moray Firth, 170 miles north of Boulmer or from Leconsfield near Hull, about 115 miles to the south. The RAF role of S & R has been farmed out by the government to Bristow's, a private firm.
http://www.northumberlandgazette.co...nd-rescue-set-to-end-at-raf-boulmer-1-5529732
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/raf-boulmer-end-search-rescue-4420695
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-21939039
The government when it announced the closure claimed that these stations could provide cover over the whole area covered with the same average response time as Boulmer. When you're bobbing about in the cold North Sea, it's not the average response time that counts - it's the minimum response time that's crucial, but the accountants don't see it that way.
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Farnboro John
Well-known member
I agree with everything you say. Accountants should be dropped into the North Sea and left to think about their fate for a while before being given important decisions to make about SAR. If after that they still come to the same conclusion, well, drop 'em in again.
John
crazyfingers
Well-known member
West End Birder
Well-known member
Indeed it is. I have flown in and out of Logan many many times (twice this year) do you remember the bar on the 17th (19th?) floor of the control tower? I believe it has gone now but what a great place for a beer!
crazyfingers
Well-known member
I vaguely recall that there was public access to an observatory/restaurant/bar area up in the control tower. (Logan's control tower has some record for it's height. It's certainly distinctive.) I went up once as a kid. Back in the 1960's and early 1970's my mother would take me to Logan so that I could just see all the airplanes at the gates. Recall the days when you didn't need a boarding pass to go to all the gates? That was back when there were 707s, 727s, L-1011s and DC-10's and DC-8s at the airport. My first flight as a kid was on a 707.
Attached photos from when I was a kid and went up the tower to look out.
Attached photos from when I was a kid and went up the tower to look out.
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crazyfingers
Well-known member
West End Birder
Well-known member
You'll have me and Farnboro John in tears soon! L1011 what a machine, first plane I flew to the US in courtesy of TWA.
crazyfingers
Well-known member
Just looking up the L-1011 the first ones went into service in 1972 with Eastern Airlines. Eastern Airlines was one of the dominant airlines at Logan at the time. That is an Eastern Airlines L-1011 so the plane was likely one of the first several in service.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
You're not wrong. I went to the Falklands and back courtesy of 216 Squadron's Tristars, and was very grateful for both flights!
John
West End Birder
Well-known member
First operators in the UK were Court Line with G-BAAA and G-BAAB, remember them well going over my house on their way to Luton in their wacky colour schemes
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...otos%2F52467480%40N08%2F6432696449%2F;640;433
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/0/1/2/1152210.jpg
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...otos%2F52467480%40N08%2F6432696449%2F;640;433
http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/0/1/2/1152210.jpg
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Managed to combine flying and viewing planes earlier this week with first a ground level and then an aerial recce of the USS Theodore Roosevelt moored in Stokes Bay, off Gosport. Always a treat to see one of these behemoths.
John
John
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crazyfingers
Well-known member
Very cool. How were you able to fly so near. Are you RAF?
Farnboro John
Well-known member
No. The exclusion zone was a lateral mile and a vertical 1500 feet. Easy with a DSLR. For the record the aerial shots are with a Canon 7d Mk i and a 100mm f/2.8, taken from a Piper PA-28 Cherokee registered G-BBKX, piloted by my brother David.
crazyfingers
Well-known member
Funny how a thing will catch your interest. Googled Piper PA-28 Cherokee and learned it was first introduced in 1960 and is still in production. The design of some things don't need much to improve.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
Indeed. The Cessna 150 is another aviation example.
Here are a couple of G-BBKX: one taken from the West end of Farnborough Airport, the other at a Duxford Flying Legends airshow that Dave kindly flew us up to: he and I have a running competition to take pictures of Kilo X-ray with airshow participants in the same shot!
John
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