Military Aircraft

[happypig]

I'm currently visiting my partner in Newcastle, and on Monday he is going to drive us to Robin Hood Airport at Doncaster for a 2 hour premium tour of the Vulcan.

I went in one at Norwich Aviation Museum. Presented quite a challenge for someone as portly as I am.

 

[easynow]

 

[Algernon]

=

 

[Frutos]

Wow - being that close to the Vulcan really is incredible.

 

[Hillian1]

Pics?

 

[Frutos]

Pics?

Only just left, and have other stuff on the itinerary before we go back to Newcastle tonight - we took loads though, so look for some uploads tomorrow.

 

[Frutos]

EDIT: Ignore - couldn't work out how to post photos

 

[Frutos]

 

[clippedgull]

Thanks for the pics of the Vulcan [MENTION=4675]Frutos[/MENTION]

A beautiful aircraft.

 

[Frutos]

Thanks for the pics of the Vulcan [MENTION=4675]Frutos[/MENTION]

A beautiful aircraft.

You're welcome.

It was really great to see her up close and talk to the volunteers and engineers who have such an obvious passion for her.

 

[Frutos]

Two dates that may be of interest:

- Saturday 15th August: Eastbourne Airshow. The Vulcan will only be appearing at Eastbourne on the Saturday.

- Sunday 23rd August: Shoreham Airshow. The Vulcan will only be at Shoreham on the Sunday.

She's being retired after this 'season' so you might want to take one last chance to see and hear her.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Two dates that may be of interest:

- Saturday 15th August: Eastbourne Airshow. The Vulcan will only be appearing at Eastbourne on the Saturday.

- Sunday 23rd August: Shoreham Airshow. The Vulcan will only be at Shoreham on the Sunday.

She's being retired after this 'season' so you might want to take one last chance to see and hear her.

Excuse my cynicism, but the Vulcan only ever shows up at half of the shows booked (technical issues etc) and has been on its' last season for about 5 years? Great way to sell tickets.

 

[Dr Q]

Excuse my cynicism, but the Vulcan only ever shows up at half of the shows booked (technical issues etc) and has been on its' last season for about 5 years? Great way to sell tickets.

Last year it had 100% attendance at shows booked. The previous year something similar, although that may have been the year it ingested two big bags of silica gel (left accidently post-service) which ****ed two engines.

Usually, it does the saturday at shows so if there it a small tech issue, or more likely bad weather, it can do the sunday instead.

It has been officially announced now that this is the final year. Catch it while you still can.

 

[Frutos]

Excuse my cynicism, but the Vulcan only ever shows up at half of the shows booked (technical issues etc) and has been on its' last season for about 5 years? Great way to sell tickets.

"Half the shows booked"? Utter, utter rubbish. Of course she has missed some displays due to assorted technical problems over the years (bearing in mind it is a near-60 year old aircraft) but others have been simply due to bad weather conditions at the time - nothing they can do about that, and the overall amount of displays missed is probably not even close to a quarter, far less a half of those scheduled.

As for your second point I can understand the cynicism to a degree, but given that the reason is that the technical support partners (chiefly Rolls Royce) have confirmed the withdrawal of their support for the aircraft, meaning that under CAA rules it simply will not be legally allowed to fly beyond this year, I think we can take this one as signed and sealed.

 

[AmexRuislip]

B17 - 'Sally B' in London today.
Flypast a bit of a wash out

 

[Norman Potting]

Red Arrows (I think) flew over our bit of Crowborough around 13:15 - on the way back from/way to the Birthday flypast??

 

[Bombadier Botty]

Other half and I were cycling out in the country near Staplecross recently and a black military looking helicopter with some kind of radar dish above the cockpit flew low over the fields. Any ideas?

 

[doogie004]

Other half and I were cycling out in the country near Staplecross recently and a black military looking helicopter with some kind of radar dish above the cockpit flew low over the fields. Any ideas?

Apache

 

[Bombadier Botty]

Apache

Google Images tells me you are on the money fella. It must have been military green, but looked 'black' due to overcast skies.

 

[jakarta]

Red Arrows (I think) flew over our bit of Crowborough around 13:15 - on the way back from/way to the Birthday flypast??

It was the Red Arrows and they were appearing at the Biggin Hill Festival of Flight (which I was at) & Birthday Flypast (which I wasn't). Their display was as impressive as ever. They also did a joint flypast with three Spitfires and two Hurricanes from the BBMF. One set of aircraft at the lowest end of their performance envelope with the others at their maximum I would have thought!

For anyone interested there is another event being held at Biggin on August 18th to commemorate the 'Hardest Day' (i.e. maximum RAF losses) of the Battle of Britain when eighteen Spitfires and six Hurricanes will take off from and then return to the airfield.

Twenty Four Merlin and/or Griffon engines taking off and landing - plus you get to access the Aircraft Enclosure and Flight Line - The Jakarta Company Jolly for 2015 has just been well & truly sorted!