Author Topic: Interesting or unusual planes? (Read 409431 times)

TimC · « **Reply #2250 on:** 12 May, 2024, 11:15:19 am »

Yes. There are some grainy phone videos of it somewhere. He barrel-rolled the aircraft on its last flight. I'm not sure who else was in the aircraft, but I suspect Martin Withers was in the right hand seat. Martin was chief pilot at VTTS, and flew the successful Black Buck 1 bombing raid in XM607 along with a mate of mine, Pete Taylor. Martin had been one of mine and Pete's QFIs on 25 Course Basic Flying Training at 1 Sqn, 1 FTS, RAF Linton-on-Ouse in 1977, on the Jet Provost.

Russell · « **Reply #2251 on:** 12 May, 2024, 04:37:23 pm »

IMG_20240512_114253139_HDR by Russell Wiles, on Flickr

My son's Christmas present from his partner was a flight in a Tiger Moth. When we got there they said that it was u/s but the good news is that they could offer this, which is a 3 seater so someone (me!) could go up as well. Only 3 remaining out of a conversion run of 19 so quite rare now.

Jurek · « **Reply #2252 on:** 12 May, 2024, 05:04:25 pm »

Quote from: Russell on 12 May, 2024, 04:37:23 pm

IMG_20240512_114253139_HDR by Russell Wiles, on Flickr

My son's Christmas present from his partner was a flight in a Tiger Moth. When we got there they said that it was u/s but the good news is that they could offer this, which is a 3 seater so someone (me!) could go up as well. Only 3 remaining out of a conversion run of 19 so quite rare now.

Nice!

matthew · « **Reply #2253 on:** 13 May, 2024, 04:45:51 pm »

I had three years working at an office in Frimley (2008-2011) and walking to the station in the lead up to, and during, the Farnborough Air show used to be fun. Watching the eurofighter practise it's display was just a change from quiet if flying towards me to loud if flying away. More impressive was watching an A40M being thrown around the sky as if it was a much smaller plane.

Russell · « **Reply #2254 on:** 13 May, 2024, 05:09:52 pm »

We live under the flight path and you can have too much of a good thing. $:-\$

Russell · « **Reply #2255 on:** 13 May, 2024, 05:12:49 pm »

Quote from: TimC on 12 May, 2024, 11:15:19 am

and flew the successful Black Buck 1 bombing raid in XM607 along with a mate of mine, Pete Taylor. M

Just read Vulcan 607 by Rowland White about Black Buck 1, a very good book about an amazing op. Highly recommended as are all his books.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #2256 on:** 15 May, 2024, 06:25:19 pm »

Was out the front of Larrington Towers massacring green things at lunchtime when some variety of twin-engined biplane flew over. I think it was a DH Dragon Rapide but can’t be sure.

Jurek · « **Reply #2257 on:** 15 May, 2024, 09:40:05 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 15 May, 2024, 06:25:19 pm

Was out the front of Larrington Towers massacring green things at lunchtime when some variety of twin-engined biplane flew over. I think it was a DH Dragon Rapide but can’t be sure.

I saw that!
I was taking some air outside (someone indoors was setting up a chocolate scent dispenser

and I had to leave to get some air), it was heading due south from where I was at Waltham Cross.
Doubtless from Duxford.
I think your Dragon Rapide contention is most likely spot on.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #2258 on:** 16 May, 2024, 01:19:45 am »

It was heading roughly NE when it passed over Larrington Towers some time shortly after midday. I may have heard it earlier too before going out into the Big Room.

Adam · « **Reply #2259 on:** 17 May, 2024, 12:10:17 pm »

Very likely doing pleasure flights from Duxford.

https://www.classic-wings.co.uk/dragon-rapide-flights/

I went on it years ago - lovely old thing with wicker seats!

Jurek · « **Reply #2260 on:** 18 May, 2024, 03:32:14 pm »

Quote from: Adam on 17 May, 2024, 12:10:17 pm

Very likely doing pleasure flights from Duxford.

https://www.classic-wings.co.uk/dragon-rapide-flights/

I went on it years ago - lovely old thing with wicker seats!

(My bold)
Just looking through all of 'flying days out' (for want of a better thing to call them), there's several ways available at Duxford of putting a serious dent in your wallet by flying or flying in vintage stuff.

Jaded · « **Reply #2261 on:** 06 June, 2024, 06:30:56 pm »

3 Apaches have just gone over at 800ft.

TheLurker · « **Reply #2262 on:** 06 June, 2024, 07:18:35 pm »

Quote from: Jaded on 06 June, 2024, 06:30:56 pm

3 Apaches have just gone over at 800ft.

Closely followed by a troop of the 7th Cavalry? IGMC

In other news. Two or three B-52s at Fairford as of a few days ago. Noisy buggers.

TheLurker · « **Reply #2263 on:** 28 June, 2024, 09:15:56 am »

Crikey! Two, yes *two*, numeral 2, A-400Ms in the air at the *same* time.

I hadn't thought about this before, but we used to see 2 or 3, very rarely 4, Hercs playing, "Follow the leader", on a regular basis and now and again we'll get a flight of 3 Chinooks wocca-ing over and I have seen flights of 2 or 3 Apaches, but, until today, I'd never seen 2 (or more) A-400Ms, nor C-17s, in the air at the same time.

TimC · « **Reply #2264 on:** 30 June, 2024, 09:10:06 am »

We used to regularly put up 12-ship C-130 airdrop streams, and once in a while we'd do the full division-level 36-ship stuff (which used to cause local climate change wherever it went). Nowadays 3 x A400s is the practical maximum possible. The A400 has recently been cleared for 4 x sim sticks of paras, so it can drop (IIRC) 90 troops at a time.* The C-130-30 could do 92, plus 2 x 1-tonne containers using the Wedge system.

*It can drop 116 using just the para doors, 58 out of each side. However, there are almost no DZs long enough to accommodate that.

Pingu · « **Reply #2265 on:** 17 July, 2024, 08:02:22 pm »

Flying over Furryboottoon this morning

IMG_6054_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

Captain Nemo · « **Reply #2266 on:** 17 July, 2024, 08:14:05 pm »

Quote from: Pingu on 17 July, 2024, 08:02:22 pm

Flying over Furryboottoon this morning

IMG_6054_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

104th birthday fly-by for John Cruickshank VC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ngvne7xlvo

Pingu · « **Reply #2267 on:** 17 July, 2024, 09:06:56 pm »

Hot Flatus · « **Reply #2268 on:** 17 July, 2024, 09:09:37 pm »

Canadian F-18 flew over today, then went north to Worcestershire, did a load of loops then flew back to Fairford.

Jurek · « **Reply #2269 on:** 17 July, 2024, 09:11:07 pm »

Quote from: Pingu on 17 July, 2024, 08:02:22 pm

Flying over Furryboottoon this morning

IMG_6054_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

Very cool.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #2270 on:** 17 July, 2024, 10:39:05 pm »

There was something about it on the distascope on the ferry at lunchtime but the sound was turned off.

Jaded · « **Reply #2271 on:** 18 July, 2024, 12:15:39 am »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 17 July, 2024, 10:39:05 pm

There was something about it on the distascope on the ferry at lunchtime but the sound was turned off.

A ferry with the sound turned off sounds perfect.

citoyen · « **Reply #2272 on:** 24 July, 2024, 04:00:44 pm »

Out walking the dog at lunchtime, I saw four planes flying in formation - distance and angle meant I couldn't identify them confidently but when one of them peeled off to do a bit of aerobatics, sure enough, I recognised the distinctive outline of a Spitfire. At least one of them was definitely not a Spitfire - looked like some modern light aircraft.

They seemed to split up after that and then went behind a cloud, but since I had my phone with me, I had the brainwave of firing up FlightRadar...

Two Spitfires:

And two Piper PA32s:

Google reveals it's something to do with Fly A Spitfire (the Piper in the pic on that site is one of the two I saw) - looks like fun. Or at least, it did until I saw the prices...

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #2273 on:** 24 July, 2024, 05:45:56 pm »

That DH Dragon Rapide passed over Larrington Towers again today while I was fettling the Perfectly Good Gentleman's Mountain Bicycle.

Hot Flatus · « **Reply #2274 on:** 24 July, 2024, 05:57:08 pm »

Had a little look on one of those flight radar websites today. Remarkable how much less is in the air on the borders with Ukraine compared to the first weeks/months of the Russian invasion. At that point there were rotating convoys of AWACs and Rivets running along the borders.

Today though, nothing in the south, but a French King air circling Kaliningrad, a US drone running along the souther border of Kaliningrad, and a Rivet going up and down the entire Russian border with Finland.