Aviation

[firbeck 860]

Rog

According to the BBMF website, the Mk2 Spitfire was supposed to have an airtest out of Conno at 10:00 yesterday morning, apparently she's 70 years old on August 20th and as we all know, the last flying Spitfire to see action in the Battle of Britain. Let's hope they have a special event with Peter Teichmans Hurricane, not just the only flying BoB Hurrie, but one with 3 or 4 kills to it's name. I suspect that this will happen at the big BoB event at DX in September when every flying Hurricane and Spitfire in Europe is due to attend, not to be missed under any circumstances.

PT's Hurricane at Marshalls Airshow in September, it alleged to have it's original engine, cockpit instruments and gun fit.

Ian

You are keen, not a bad route to Valley though along the A55, very scenic, I bet it would have taken you twice as long to get to Scampton, did you have a paddle in the sea as well!!

Never been to Anglesey myself though I've been along the coast up there. A friend of mine down here comes from Manchester, when he was a kid, his parents booked a holiday cottage near Valley, they didn't realise there was an RAF airfield and that they were at the end of the runway. This must have been in the 60's and he said they were rudely woken up on their first morning by an incredible racket and went outside to find a Vulcan doing touch and goes and just clearing the roof, he thought it was cool, but not his parents. I gather that there were altercations with the holiday company.

[plantfit 7,638]

I remember holidaying in North Wales, must have been the early 80's, went to Shell Island for the day and sat overlooking RAE LLanbdre I spent the whole day watching "Jindviks"(sp) taking off (pilotless drones) also the black and yellow Canberra's flying out over Tremadog bay, , last year when we were climbing Snowdon we were buzzed a few time by a couple of Merlin helicopters quickly followed by some Hawks from Valley, nice part of the world

Rog

[Beefsteak 305]

Snowdon was really picturesque yesterday , bright sunshine, covered in snow, clouds below and in between the peaks, an absolutely fantastic sight. Shame I couldn't stop as I had to get back here sharpish !!!

[EileenH 496]

You aviating types might be able to help me with a vague memory I have - although it`s a bit historical.

In the late 50s my friend and I used to bike over to Syerston whenever there was an air display on. We didn`t go in - no money, still at school - but we`d park our bikes and sit on a fence eating our sandwiches having a free show.

Well, I have a clear memory of an occasion when we heard a great roar and saw a plume of smoke and a big plane had crashed.

My friend has recently died so I can`t ask her if she remembers this but I mentioned it to a group of contemporaries of mine and they all shook their heads and suggested that I was either imagining it or was making it up.

I`m not making it up.

I hope I`m not imagining it.

Any thoughts?

[firbeck 860]

September 1958, the Vulcan VX770 from Hucknall crashed during it's display, killing all on board and some on the ground, if you look at a thread called 'Avro Vulcan Protoype' you'll read all about it at the beginning of that.

I was lucky, I was at Cottesmore that day and missed it.

[Beefsteak 305]

'Ere you go Eileen. The normal youtube URL code seems to have dissapeared so I hope this link works instead

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGOY1jZGNHU

[EileenH 496]

Oh wow! Thank you for that. It brought a lump to my throat and I had to swallow hard and blink rapidly after I watched it.

The memory of the great plume of smoke was so clear and I remember that we rode the long miles home in a state of subdued shock.

And perhaps it was a little more than the crash that brought tears to my eyes. My oldest friend who was with me that day recently died from pancreatic cancer.

We used to go all over the place on our bikes without a moment of fear and not a care in the world.

Looking at the date - we were only 14!

Happy, happy carefree days.

(Tears again - what a wimp!)

[mick2me 3,033]

Tragit but interesting. The wing disintegrated!

I had no problem adding the youtube code to your post Ian, using the media button?

[Beefsteak 305]

There were no codes visible when I looked (I have posted that bit of film elsewhere so I know it's normally there !!)

[Beefsteak 305]

I don't know whats happened I've just scanned through a load of Youtube stuff and I can no longer see any URL codes whatsoever now !!!!!

[Fynger 841]

Is this the House that Beefy's having built in Cornwall.??

[littlebro 234]

Is this the House that Beefy's having built in Cornwall.??

Nah, thats just the outside toilet! !rotfl!

[firbeck 860]

And Limey fills up with petrol here:

Looks like he took the cockpit home with him though.

Oops....................

[Beefsteak 305]

Dunno about that but this "Typhie" must have overnighted at Liverpool!!!!!!!!!!

[littlebro 234]

Here is an account of the Board of Enquiry following the Vulcan VX770 crash

Vulcan VX770

[firbeck 860]

Another Spitfire came over at 11:00 this morning, unusually travelling west to east, given that it was Merlin powered with invasion stripes, I suspect it was Caroline Grace on her way back to Suffolk.

On the invasion stripe theme, we were also treated to a slow flying display by the D-Day vintage L-4 Grasshopper which is based at our local airstrip.

[Beefsteak 305]

I've been passed this, it's all the BBMF movements for this year.

http://www.raf.mod.u...159DBEFF247.xls

Hopefully you will be able to download it , just click on OPEN rather than SAVE , as that way it will be updated for you automatically rather than you having to track down a new copy every time .

[Beefsteak 305]

It's a facinating link (if you're in to that sort of thing!!) as it shows transit to venue times etc !! For instance, I wish I could do Coningsby to Northwich in 20 minutes !!!!

[firbeck 860]

Interesting list, many thanks for that, I notice no appearances around here, whereas home town Wollaton gets two!

Also note that for the so-called 'all singing and dancing every spitfire and hurricane in Europe show' at Duxford in September, only one spit and hurri are down for it.

Incidentally, have you seen the trailer for the new Dr Who series, Spitfires dog fighting with alien spacecraft looks to be unmissable, must be supercharged Griffon variants, those Merlins would never cope.

[firbeck 860]

It's good here, I was upstairs trying to get the internet connection working, when a low flying jet disturbed the proceedings. Running outside, I saw my friend the Venom flying low and fast into the distance, suddenly bank left and dissapear, travelling on the opposite course to his last adventure.

I think I have an explanation for all this, we have a local airstrip at Rayne, a couple of miles away, inhabited by some dignitaries in the aviation world, I think Peter Dennehey is one of them and of course that mob who supply all the fabric control surfaces live just up the road and I think own the L-4 that's based there.

We are right under the landing pattern for the airfield and as such, low flying is a neccessity over our bit of the town. I reckon that the Venom pilot has taken advantage of this and given his mates a flyby, again, probably why we get so many low flying warbirds over here, low flying zone, countryside out the back and mates at Rayne. There's also a green zone linking the conservation area, via the sports field into the town, however, there is a deceptive hill running up into the town from here, altitude can be unexpectedly lost I reckon.

[Beefsteak 305]

Just getting some bad news through,,,,,, There has been a serious incident with 'The Reds' out in Crete , it looks like the two singletons have collided, the first account I read said that there were casualties on the ground too , then I've read that one plane landed safely and the other pilot ejected and has a dislocated shoulder.

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/RAF-Red-Arrows-Collide-Over-Crete-One-Pilot-Ejects-Before-Plane-Crashes-Second-Makes-Landing/Article/201003415580343?lpos=World_News_Carousel_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15580343_RAF_Red_Arrows_Collide_Over_Crete%3A_One_Pilot_Ejects_Before_Plane_Crashes%2C_Second_Makes_Landing

Hope all is as well as it could possibly be under the circumstances.

[Fynger 841]

Red Arrows Crash

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20100323/tuk-red-arrows-collide-during-greek-trai-45dbed5.html

beat me to it.

[Beefsteak 305]

Sorry Kev !!

[Beefsteak 305]

I've just been getting some updates for Riat and Waddo

Waddo has a Spitfire/Typhoon formation display

But get this ,, RIAT ,, F-22 Raptor, F-18 Super Hornet, B-1 Lancer and B-2 Spirit.!!!!!

Still no more word on the Reds yet

[firbeck 860]

Also heard one pilot ejected safely, other one landed ok, no reports of ground casualties, practice normally carried out over the sea in Cyprus.

Must get dogs out for quick walk prior to 6 oclock news. I wouldn't be surprised if this causes problems with regard to the coming season, we'll have to see.