Anyone else like Birds AND planes? (1 Viewer)

[wolfbirder]

Used to love Fairford, with the Russian stuff especially.
But have to say the best flypasts were either the Lightning or the Phantom - what a noise!!

Favourite modern era fighters are F15, F16 or Typhoon.

 

[Farnboro John]

Used to love Fairford, with the Russian stuff especially.
But have to say the best flypasts were either the Lightning or the Phantom - what a noise!!

Favourite modern era fighters are F15, F16 or Typhoon.

Well, you'd have enjoyed the Romanian MiG 21 Fishbed and Ukrainian Su 27 Flanker this year: also the RAF and Italian Typhoons (depending on the day), the USAF and Belgian F16s and the NATO flypast including the aforementioned and 3 F15s from Lakenheath.

Other highlights included RAFAT with G-BYGC the British Airways BOAC 747 retrojet; RAFAT with the Patrouille de France both showing their Concorde formations on the 50th anniversary of the first flight; and statics including a Norwegian F16 two-sticker painted in 1944 Spitfire colours as a D-Day celebration - about 10,000% more effort than the accountant-ruled RAF put in.....

Photo report when I've been through 5,000 RIAT pix!

John

 

[rollingthunder]

I also miss it but it’s a shadow of its former self imo:C

We used to camp for the arrivals to the departures at the farm overlooking the airbase for the last 4 years of our attendance and had a great experience each time. In addition there was a gravel pit adjacent that was used as the turning and burning area for the fast jets it also yielded excellent birding with breeding Wheatear and LRP’s plus other migrants:t:

Laurie -

 

[Euan Buchan]

Just a reminder Planewatching Live starts tonight at 8pm on BBC4 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00071fm

 

[rollingthunder]

Military stuff - i will certainly give that an eyeball:eek!:

Thanks for the heads up:t:

Laurie -

 

[Euan Buchan]

Anyone watch Planespotting Live tonight? Very much like Springwatch

 

[PYRTLE]

https://news.sky.com/story/flyboard...ta-fails-in-bid-to-cross-the-channel-11770047

What type of permissions or licences would this inventor need in terms of CAA, Marine agencies and other departments require? I appreciate the thrill, science and adventure but what if he collided with another airborne mode of flight along his route. Also, the financial cost of his rescue and recovery but probably by his rendezvous platform vessel rather than French or UK Coastguard.

 

[rollingthunder]

It’s a bit more novel than a Rubber dinghy.....

Laurie -

 

[Farnboro John]

https://news.sky.com/story/flyboard...ta-fails-in-bid-to-cross-the-channel-11770047

What type of permissions or licences would this inventor need in terms of CAA, Marine agencies and other departments require? I appreciate the thrill, science and adventure but what if he collided with another airborne mode of flight along his route. Also, the financial cost of his rescue and recovery but probably by his rendezvous platform vessel rather than French or UK Coastguard.

Make your mind up.... he either needs permission from the CAA (how far out does their writ run?) or whatever Marine agencies, but surely not both!

Anyway, how do you suppose he stands in relation to say, kite surfers (who use a board at sea but I've seen them many feet up!), jet-skiers, motor-boatmen or yachtsmen/dinghy sailors: all of whom are perfectly entitled to use the English Channel from one side to the other without licensing? I don't see any need for anything here.

John

 

[MJB]

Make your mind up.... he either needs permission from the CAA (how far out does their writ run?) or whatever Marine agencies, but surely not both!

Anyway, how do you suppose he stands in relation to say, kite surfers (who use a board at sea but I've seen them many feet up!), jet-skiers, motor-boatmen or yachtsmen/dinghy sailors: all of whom are perfectly entitled to use the English Channel from one side to the other without licensing? I don't see any need for anything here. John

Maybe that's why the AD&KSM is being developed...?:eek!:
MJB

 

[PYRTLE]

I guess he was planning to be below 500 feet for the attempted crossing so wouldn't be interfering with any fixed wing or rotary aircraft, whilst not showing up on radar. No different to powered parachutists or hang gliders then, apart from good practice.

 

[Farnboro John]

I guess he was planning to be below 500 feet for the attempted crossing so wouldn't be interfering with any fixed wing or rotary aircraft, whilst not showing up on radar. No different to powered parachutists or hang gliders then, apart from good practice.

Quite a few aircraft show up on radar less well than you think and particularly low down the coverage is not 100%. When up with my brother we've quite frequently encountered traffic of which the radar information service has given us no indication. You have to keep your eyes peeled and your head turning!

John

 

[Owen Krout]

Starhopper

Did a drive by of the SpaceX Starhopper at Boca Chica, Texas on July17th after the flameup the night before. And a few more shots from the beach less than 500 meters away. Only other people on the beach when we were there was the Border Patrol and the Turtle Watch.

Thought the Turtle nesting season sign was good. Note that the chain link fence only extends across the immediate front.

 

[rollingthunder]

The RAF allegedly tracked F117 Nighthawks in heavy rain using radar although the information was classified until the type went out of service.....so i heard.

Laurie -

 

[PYRTLE]

I remember some talk about this whilst the Nighthawk was operational Laurie. The only one brought down by enemy fire was just pure luck I believe through blanket AAA . Heard that although the type is retired, they are stored in a state of readiness if needed. One seen flying recently by some enthusiasts.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...FjAAegQIBBAB&usg=AOvVaw28T2fYXpyiEc_y-askXT-P

Guess the RAF Lightning II performance and stealth capabilities are also affected by weather conditions ( underneath cloud and precipitation ).

 

[rollingthunder]

Shot down over Bosnia iirc by a ‘Golden BB’ and i think pilot taken prisoner. One crashed and burnt at an airshow in the States...

I remember seeing a pair on their first post-Gulf showing in the UK at Fairford:eek!: The Yanks went over the top with security. One was the flying display plane and the other was the visual display one. There was 4 armed guards inside the metal barriers surrounding it wth prominent signs stating ‘Use Of Deadly Force Authorised’:-O

A far cry from the previous couple of years when you could walk under the bomb bays of B1’s and B52’s and talk to the crews. My son even handled a 30mm cannon round from an A10. Nowadays they hardly send a Jet:-C

I had to laugh at one of the shows (in the days when you parked on the base:t we used to stay when the event was over and listen to the band whilst revisiting some of the aircraft as the traffic cleared - we generally left when our B ran out:-C I had a good bimble with the Dog and even took her inside a fantastic C5 Galaxy that had both ends open. In the meantime my son got a guided tour of a Nimrod from the crew:t: I was approached by RAF Regiment types and told i was lucky as dogs are not allowed on base but here we were:-O

Halcyon days -

Laurie -

 

[Euan Buchan]

On Saturday I attended Scotland's National Airshow in East Fortune. Sadly it wasn't the best Airshow with lots of aircraft cancelling due to the poor weather we had it was wet but still had a fun day. Hope next year will be better weather I still enjoyed being on The Concorde (my favourite) and The Comet. It was rather strange seeing Star Wars characters walking about. I’m glad despite the weather it stayed dry I don’t think I would have stayed long if it was wet all day but I did see a few Swallows flying about.

 

[PYRTLE]

Shot down over Bosnia iirc by a ‘Golden BB’ and i think pilot taken prisoner. One crashed and burnt at an airshow in the States...
Laurie -

Rescued before capture by USAF S&R team, amazing story.

Also remember sitting outside in a nearby pub garden close to Fairford when the 2 Nighthawks overflew the runway and broke left directly overhead to make final landing approach. They sounded so different to anything else I'd ever heard.

 

[PYRTLE]

He's giving it another go.......

https://news.sky.com/story/hoverboa...s-channel-again-after-failed-attempt-11776748

 

[PYRTLE]

On Saturday I attended Scotland's National Airshow in East Fortune. Sadly it wasn't the best Airshow

Just seen photographs of a Mig 15 that flew, fantastic colour scheme. Now that's a proper fast jet of my childhood, though never seen by me.