Interesting or unusual planes?

[Jaded]

2 B1s this morning. Loud.

[TheLurker]

2 B1s this morning. Loud.

Yes.  I am very pleased that the wind is now westerly because with the wind in east they'd been taking off over us; which was fine at 0730-0800, but not so much fun for the odd take-offs at 01:00/02:00

In other news; Sunday, 2 autogyros (one white, one dark - blue?)  seen from Faringdon Folly heading roughly NE towards Brize / Witney

[Hot Flatus]

P51 and a Spitfire just went over

[JonBuoy]

A guy I vaguely know flew this into Husbands Bosworth airfield this afternoon where they are holding the national gliding championships:



Apparently it is a 1948 Percival Proctor 5.  It sounded nice.  Not loud, just nice.

[TheLurker]

RIAT This weekend so today we've had various anonymous (to me) jets* zooming around, but on the plus side a nice view of a Spitfire, possibly a Mk IX, but I wouldn't swear to that, trundling over the house while I was watering the pot plants.


*They're a bit like modern euroboxen cars to my eyes. All come out of the same wind-tunnel/CAD software.

[Jaded]

Two Dutch F-16s have just roared over.

[GdS]

RIAT This weekend so today we've had various anonymous (to me) jets* zooming around, but on the plus side a nice view of a Spitfire, possibly a Mk IX, but I wouldn't swear to that, trundling over the house while I was watering the pot plants.


*They're a bit like modern euroboxen cars to my eyes. All come out of the same wind-tunnel/CAD software.

RIAT had F15 16 18 and 35 4 Harriers (2 Italian 2 Spanish they are the US built versions) Typhoons an Italian Master Saab Sk60 and Gripen a Greek Phantom Tornadoes Rafale Meteor Me 262 Alphajet also Hawks Aermacchis and Casa c-101s from the 4 aerobatic teams

The only ones that look vaguely similar are the Typhoon Rafale (which started as the same design) and Gripen although it's single engine.

[TimC]

The Typhoon and Rafale did not 'start as the same design'! The Eurofighter Typhoon project did originally include the French as a partner, but political and industrial disagreements saw them leave the programme in the early 80s and go their own way. No part of the design of the Rafale is inherited from the Typhoon. Their only relationship is that they started from the requirement to replace 3rd-gen fast jets (Tornado, Mirage F1/2000). As the roles are similar, it's not surprising that the solutions found are also similar.

[TheLurker]

Meteor NF11 WD686.  Croome Park / RAF Defford.  Spent most (all?) of its useful service as a pack-horse for the TRE.  Seems it was the last aircraft to fly out of RAF Defford.

[GdS]

The Typhoon and Rafale did not 'start as the same design'! The Eurofighter Typhoon project did originally include the French as a partner, but political and industrial disagreements saw them leave the programme in the early 80s and go their own way. No part of the design of the Rafale is inherited from the Typhoon. Their only relationship is that they started from the requirement to replace 3rd-gen fast jets (Tornado, Mirage F1/2000). As the roles are similar, it's not surprising that the solutions found are also similar.

apologies; I should have said the same programme / concept

from Wiki

In 1983, Italy, Germany, France, the UK and Spain launched the "Future European Fighter Aircraft" (FEFA) programme. The aircraft was to have short take off and landing (STOL) and beyond visual range (BVR) capabilities. In 1984, France reiterated its requirement for a carrier-capable version and demanded a leading role. Italy, West Germany and the UK opted out and established a new EFA programme. In Turin on 2 August 1985, West Germany, the UK and Italy agreed to go ahead with the Eurofighter; and confirmed France, along with Spain, had chosen not to proceed as a member of the project.[15] Despite pressure from France, Spain rejoined the Eurofighter project in early September 1985.[16] France officially withdrew from the project to pursue its own ACX project, which was to become the Dassault Rafale.

[TimC]

Meteor NF11 WD686.  Croome Park / RAF Defford.  Spent most (all?) of its useful service as a pack-horse for the TRE.  Seems it was the last aircraft to fly out of RAF Defford.

My dad flew the Meteor NF11 while training for the then brand-new Javelin - the NF11 was, at the time, the only two-seat radar-equipped aircraft in fighter command and was being replaced by the NF14 and the aforementioned Javelin.

[Jurek]

Warbird fuselage markings.
Why, on the Spitfire I flew in 2019 (for example) do the fuselage markings on the left side, almost 'reflect' those on the right side.
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=40516.msg2433483#msg2433483
F'rinstance: Left side is 9G'roundel'Q
Whereas Right is Q'roundel'9G.
Why aren't they the same on both sides?
Wossat all about?

[Tim Hall]

Can't answer that, but it does remind me I saw a Spitfire last week in Devon. From its altitude it was either strafing some cows or had taken off from Dunkeswell.

[spesh]

Warbird fuselage markings.
Why, on the Spitfire I flew in 2019 (for example) do the fuselage markings on the left side, almost 'reflect' those on the right side.
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=40516.msg2433483#msg2433483
F'rinstance: Left side is 9G'roundel'Q
Whereas Right is Q'roundel'9G.
Why aren't they the same on both sides?
Wossat all about?

Here, LMGFY...

Type of Marking	Detail	Location
(ii) Code letters to indicate squadrons and identity of individual aircraft.	(i) Two letters to indicate number of squadron.	Either forward or aft of the national marking on both sides of the fuselage.
	(ii) One letter to indicate individual aircraft	On the other side of the aircraft national marking on both sides of the fuselage

https://www.rafweb.org/Squadrons/Sqn%20Markings/sqn_codes.htm

9G was the code for No. 441 Fighter Squadron, which was the designation for a Canadian unit while it was based in England during the latter part of the WW2.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_RAF_squadron_codes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._441_Squadron_RCAF#History

[Hot Flatus]

Achtung!

[Jaded]

We haven't had many of these, but there have been high level passes by 3 or 4 F35s. Much noisier...

[Jurek]

Anyone on the Isle of Sheppy sticking their head out of the window should see the Avro Lancaster fly over in the next 20 minutes or so.
ETA - He's turned and heading for the Medway Towns.
ETFA - Now landed along with 2 x Hurricanes at Southend Airport.
On their way back from Eastbourne Airshow.

[Jaded]

Not a plane, but interesting...

We went off to see minke and dolphins and other stuff in The Minch.

However we had a more exciting visitor! Some Coastguard action.

[Jurek]

Was someone being airlifted?

[Jaded]

It was all done quite seriously, but in the end was shown to be an exercise (by some waving by the whinchman)

Mrs J wondered why the ferry kept on going, I thought it was because of the heli rescue lift failed, they were that much nearer to Ullapool, which made more sense than stopping.

Was fascinating to see the Coastguard heli keeping an exact position to the ferry. Was impressed.

[Jaded]

To add, if it had been an actual airlift, I think they would have cleared everyone off the open decks.

That’s what happened when I was on a ferry when a body was recovered. 

[philip]

Helicopters can hover but they work better when moving forward, so larger boats are usually asked to maintain a steady speed in a straight line into the wind. Small boats might be asked to stop because that might work better when no part of the boat is visible to the helicopter pilot overhead.

[Jaded]

Helicopters can hover but they work better when moving forward, so larger boats are usually asked to maintain a steady speed in a straight line into the wind. Small boats might be asked to stop because that might work better when no part of the boat is visible to the helicopter pilot overhead.

That’s pretty much exactly the scenario, thanks!

[mrcharly-YHT]

It is mandatory for them to do x practices per month of different types of rescue.

The loch across from us is one of their fav exercise areas, so we see them a lot.

Must be one of the busiest coastguards in the country. They are constantly on the go, mostly ferrying sick people to hospital.

Just last week they picked up a sick passenger from a cruise liner, so the need is real.

[Tim Hall]

Yesterday I saw, in no particular order:

Avro Lancaster
Spitfire x 2
Hurricane
A quiver of Red Arrows
Typhoon
BAC Strikemaster x 2
Vampire
A Very Modified Jet Pitts
Slingsby Firefly
Hawker Fury
An unkindeness of RaVens.
A perfectly serviceable Cessna out of which eight people did jump while it was A Several Thousand of Feet Up in the Air.

Eastbourne Airshow, innit. I will see if any pictures I took are in focus.