Interesting or unusual planes?

[TimC]

I was there - sat on the top of my C130 when the bits fell all round us. We had to get the bus home to Lyneham while the engineers decided what to do about the damage.

[Hot Flatus]

Blimey, long bus journey back from Ramstein

[TheLurker]

Well.  Having waited over 40 (nearly 45) years to see _one_ F5 (which I saw on Friday - huzzay!) four have just flown over the house on final approach for landing.  Not two minutes after MrsLurker was doing her wifely duty by pretending to be interested as I showed her googled pictures of the same; very "Thunderbirds" is her considered opinion.

[TimC]

Blimey, long bus journey back from Ramstein

Fairford '93! The Belgian C130 took quite a lot of damage (I think it took a month or more to repair), but bits fell all over that part of the static park. No injuries - apart from the broken nose that one of the Russains gave the other - but a fair bit of minor damage.

[TimC]

Well.  Having waited over 40 (nearly 45) years to see _one_ F5 (which I saw on Friday - huzzay!) four have just flown over the house on final approach for landing.  Not two minutes after MrsLurker was doing her wifely duty by pretending to be interested as I showed her googled pictures of the same; very "Thunderbirds" is her considered opinion.

Well, the Thunderbirds did used to fly the T38 (2-seat training version of the F5), so quite appropriate!

[Hot Flatus]

Blimey, long bus journey back from Ramstein

Fairford '93!

I know, just my little joke.

I've just been idly googling and reviewed the footage from that horrific Mig crash in Ukraine in 2002. Horrific is an understatement.

The pilot will be released from prison in 2019, I believe.

[Steph]

Well.  Having waited over 40 (nearly 45) years to see _one_ F5 (which I saw on Friday - huzzay!) four have just flown over the house on final approach for landing.  Not two minutes after MrsLurker was doing her wifely duty by pretending to be interested as I showed her googled pictures of the same; very "Thunderbirds" is her considered opinion.

Well, the Thunderbirds did used to fly the T38 (2-seat training version of the F5), so quite appropriate!

Yup. Took some real talont.



Mine is the coat on the bangseat...

[Adam]

2 E3 Sentry AWACS landed at Luton this evening at about 6 pm.  Which stood out from the usual Easyjet/Ryanair/Wizzair/Monarch planes that fly over me.

[pcolbeck]

Unusual. I wonder why they didn’t land at a military airfield.

[TimC]

Whose were they? It's possible that they needed to land at a port of entry and Luton was convenient. There aren't many military airfields left, and those that exist don't tend to have a lot of spare parking space for large aircraft. Only Brize and Mildenhall are designated ports of entry, AFAIK, and they may be somewhat full right now.

[Exit Stage Left]

Maybe Luton's got a 2 for 1 offer on refuelling, or Green Stamps.

[Oscar's dad]

Maybe Luton's got a 2 for 1 offer on refuelling, or Green Stamps.

Back in the early 80s I used to work in a petrol, station and we used to give away soup bowls.

[clarion]

Whose were they? It's possible that they needed to land at a port of entry and Luton was convenient. There aren't many military airfields left, and those that exist don't tend to have a lot of spare parking space for large aircraft. Only Brize and Mildenhall are designated ports of entry, AFAIK, and they may be somewhat full right now.

I thought Northolt was as well, but I may be ridiculously wrong.

[TimC]

No, Northolt probably is a Port of Entry too (probably using Heathrow personnel), but it's not capable of handling an E3.

[clarion]

Ah, thanks.  That makes sense.

[fuzzy]

Friday's (or was it Thursday's?) good thing at work was a Hurricane that took off from White Waltham, did some 'minor' aerobatic manouvers then trundled off towards the general direction of North West. The sound of a Hurricane is 'kin lovely

Yesterday early evening saw a Spitfire growling east past Fuzzy Towers. It growled west about 45 minutes later. The sound of a Spitfire is also 'kin lovely

[pcolbeck]

On Sunday afternoon a  stream of ancient light aircraft flew over our house. This one looked like it was at about 100 feet ! (not my photo).



Others that I could identify included a Bucker Jungmann and a Tigermoth. I think it was the vintage air race  celebrating 25 years of the Real Aircraft Company.

[fuzzy]

P51 Mustang took off from White Waltham yesterday arvo- straight over the school, executing a starboard turn and circute before flying off. It was chuffing low as it overflew me

[Bicycle Repair Man]

Wednesday evening, sat with the barbeque sizzling nicely, glass of Chateau Nitromors in hand. The peace is shattered by a QRA Typhoon scramble (both of them). Downwind takeoff going like s**t off a stick, turning south as soon as clear of the airfield boundary and clearly in a hurry.
 Peace is restored !! an hour later both of them sighted at about 20.000 ft attached to a tanker heading north. Dashed to get the camera but they were lost in the haze in minutes. First one recovers to base at around 8 ish second one comes back about an hour later.
Apparently it was a Gulfstream told to change frequency, forgot what he was supposed to be changing to then could not regain contact. Next thing he knows is a Typhoon with lots of nasty missiles and guns appearing on his wingtip. Should he get the bill? answers on a postcard please to MOD London

Cheers

Dave Yates

[Hot Flatus]

Sonic booms heard. Denied by RAF.

[Bicycle Repair Man]

Sonic booms heard. Denied by RAF.

My source says that at least one of them went supersonic 

[TimC]

It's almost impossible to catch a high-mach susonic target (eg a G4 doing M.85) without going supersonic. QRA launches for non-communicating civil targets are authorised supersonic over land.

[TheLurker]

Between Walmer & Kingsdown early last week (Monday, 1400-ish).  Possible F-15* about quarter of a mile offshore heading towards Dover low and slow and then heading back towards Deal / Sandwich about 5-10 minutes later.  Anyone know if there are/have been any F-15s on the UK recently?


*Twin vertical rudder, main planes roughly same plan as Eurofighter/Typhoon.

[sg37409]

German Transport museum also had tons of interesting planes not to mention a brillant way of displaying them. You could feel them swaying in the wind !!

[Mr Larrington]

An autogyro flew across the Gravesend Cyclopark this afternoon, and back again a bit later.  Unable to point the camera in the right direction before it cleared off chiz.