BOB.T

I spotted you today, 50 ft above the runway, nodding, I waved but you must not of seen me, I was next to a big bloke wearing bike leathers!

I also spotted a few Scoobs, an X reg DBM, tow bar but with ball removed, a white wagon with gold wheels and a P1 that appears to like eating things!

The Fiesta was parked up too, anyone spot it?

Bob

millband

Was it a good day then? I remember when Vulcans used to live there...

I've not been to an air display since the "Last Lightning Show" at Binbrook, I might make the effort this year though. I fancy going to one the open days at Bruntingthorpe, but they alway seem to clash with canoeing events.

Steve

millband

Dave Mackey

I was at Waddington yesterday in my P1 with a P1 number plate. 18 inch wheels and the worlds biggest crack in the windscreen. Was it me ???

BOB.T

Millband, you should go, I haven't beem since the last time the Vulcan flew at Finningly, I hadn't realised how much I miss the jet noise!!! There was some awesome totty too

Dave, are your 18's gold and does your plate involve U Y and O except in a different order, if so, yes it was you, woohoo

Bob

millband

If the guys at Brunty have their say, we'll get to see that big delta in the sky again.

Mmmm... Vulcan jet noise - I'm sorry, but there's no Scooby on earth which can make a sound that loud and deep, I remember the full power climb-out making my stomach vibrate!

Steve

BOB.T

Yep, hearing EVERY car alarm in a five mile radius go off is amusing too!

We saw the B1-B take off yesterday, truly awesome, we thought it must of gone home becuase it disappeared.Then about five minutes later...WHOOOOOSH, Jesus you've never heard anything like it, comparing it to the Vulcan is like comparing a Scoob to a Mini!!

Bob

millband

You sad lad! One of my regrets is missing the chance to see an SR-71 in flight, oh well.

I did manage to see both the last Lightning shows at Binbrook (I'll have to post some pictures of shockwaves round a couple of fast fly-by's ) - the sound of 10 Lightnings taking off and doing climb-outs one after another, and then a diamond-9 flypast was pretty damn cool.

Steve

[This message has been edited by millband (edited 03 July 2001).]

Neil Micklethwaite

Being an ex plane spotter ( 20 years before anyone starts ) I still remember some planes and the noises.

4 Vulcans doing a Scramble at Finningley ( 1977-8 )

Australian Air Force F-111 doing the torch bit at Finningley ( 1977-8 )

SR-71 at Mildenhall - plenty speed and then vertically upwards until he disappeared from view at 40,000 feet + in clear blue sky.

Any Lightning Anywhere except one that buzzed us at Binbrook @ 40-50 Foot.

B-52's going Saddam bashing @ Fairford.

F-14 at Yevilton with shock waves 'clouding' round plane

albob

neil,
i remember the aussie air force "torch" bit, my sisters comment was "he's melted my ice-cream"
i was also at the 'last laugh lightning show' --- soaked to the skin (it was so wet i was wearing two jackets!!) the noise and sight of ten lightning's in a mass take-off is probably the best air-show moment for me,
that is apart from the lightning at finningley one year -- came down the crowd line at 50ft, then went vertical, until all you could see was a tiny silver dot at about 30,000ft. that would be the year there was no clouds
chrs alan

Neil Micklethwaite

Steve.

It was 1987 when I kicked the hobby in to touch finally . Then in 1996 I discoverd the Scoob.

SR-71's I think I saw 10 or 12 in total.

Watched them numerous times down at Mildenhall when they had two based their with Det.4 but they did show it off at the shows ( One good one was the alternating of the engines to full power and the thing just yawed left to right and back again )

My old aviation society had two of the pilots come up to Leeds / Bradford and gave us a talk and film show.

They even called up the ATC at Leeds to see if they could do a flyby on their way back home to California. The ATC guys had to refuse as the airport was suffering from noise protesters.

Do Please post the piccies or E Mail 'em to me.

Alan

I was with the ATC ( Air Training Corps ) for the 1977 ( Silver Jubliee ) and we were directly under the thing and you could feel the heat

My only good flight from being in the ATC was a Jaguar T.2 from Lossiemouth. 500 foot Scottish highlands and upside down @ 400 mph + .

BOB.T

HUH HUH snigger, I was born in 1977

I missed seeing Lightnings fly, I've not seen an SR-71 fly either ( have seen one static though) I have seen the B1 fly, that was cool, it just doesn't look like it should work! I remember going on holiday to lossiemouth, we camped on the flight line, excelent! We walked accross the golf pitch to the very end of the runway and saw Buccaners, Jags and a Hunter.

Bob

albob

neil,
upside-down in a jaguar -- thats nothing ive been upside-down in a chipmunk !! not at 400mph more like 40
alan

kav

Seems to be some aviation nuts on here. Have a look at

SPJ

SR71, now that was some beast.
1984 I think I last saw it.At Mildenhall, the year the Thunderbirds were there.

I rememember it was last to display, and we had to leave.I managed to watch it through the car window as we were making our way home.(those were the days I had to rely on my dad to take me)!

Can't wait for my 9 month old nipper to get to the age I can take him to airshows and rallies.I just hope he doesn't prefer football instead

Good enough excuse to get out of weekend shopping trips, etc

DavidLewis

All time favorites:

Spitfire (or anything with a Merlin engine)
Lightning
F4 Phantom
Harrier (any variation)
Vulcan

Spent most of my childhood summers in Porthcawl (Welsh boys will know where it is ) I have no idea where the airfield was but Vulcans were always taking-off/landing. Couldn't help but watch everytime.

[This message has been edited by DavidLewis (edited 04 July 2001).]

Dyney

We'll Ive been backwards on Concorde!!!

I also get to some very wierd places inside B737's and Airbus's.

Iain.(Aircraft engineer)

BOB.T

Cool site Kav, cheers

Bob

merlin

Now you're talking - the SR-71 was the greatest plane of all time IMHO. Sadly I wasn't into planes when they were flying out of Mildenhall in the 80s. Then in 97 I heard one was going to fly at an airshow in Las Vegas so we dropped everything and made the trip. Finally to see that beautiful plane in the air was great... Sad I know but we had a great holiday in Las Vegas too

Duxford have a SR-71 on static display now. It's the only outside the US. Sad to think it will never fly again, although NASA have a few that might take to the skies one day...

Dave Mackey

BOB.T

Well I think it was me the REG looks ok but I think U need glasses 18" on standard wheels not gold.

As for everyone else the only aircraft that should be flying that aint is the Lightning they are FRINKING awesome saving my money for a flight on ones that are flying in South Africa.

The Vulcan comes a pretty close second.

Dave

gizmo71

Ah, Lightnings and Vulcans, those were the days.

I lived in Grimsby until I was about 12, my school was right under the flightpath for Lightnings going to and from Binbrook. We were even treated to the occaisional mock low level dogfight. Fantastic aircraft.

Then we moved to Louth and all we were left with was A10s.

millband

Gizmo - I'm dead jealous!

Do you think we could do a "group buy" for a flight each in the Hunter/Bucaneer/Lightning they have flying in South Africa?

I remember hols on the east coast - I too have seen 2 Lightnings dog fighting and that really was special. I spent days on the beach building sandcastles (I was only little ) and watching Bucaneers and F111's coming past one after another using the range just north of Mablethorpe.

Steve

PS This thread is long overdue for "Muppetization" - well off-topic!

Nimbus

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by millband:
<B>
PS This thread is long overdue for "Muppetization" - well off-topic![/quote]

I'm gone let it run a while longer.. It's a good thread . Maybe "Non-Scooby Related". Not really a Muppet thread yet coz Dave T-S has not posted..

Neil Micklethwaite

Alan - did that as well - you really find out how much crap is on the floor though

Bob.T - Thanks for that

Anyone do Deelen for the 75th Anniversary of the Dutch Air Force - 75 F-16's in formation.

Just remembered the best noise - F104 - When the Canadian Display team had them. 5 0r 6 at once.

BOB.T

When's the next air show then? I think we should all meet up and enjoy some jet noise I didn't realise there are some many plane nuts on here, I didn't think I'd ever be responsible for a good thread either! ( I spend a lot of time with the muppets!)

Bob

BOB.T

millband

Airshow Bob? Have to see what's left this year...

I've managed to dig out a couple of my Lighning pics from the Last Laugh show at Binbrook. The weather was sh*t so they are a bit dull





Cheers,

Steve

rsquire

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>I have no idea where the airfield was but Vulcans were always taking-off/landing.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Probably going into St Athan..

Best plane ride ever... B17

Every year in late June a B17 and B24 arrive here and rides are available.. Cost was $300 for 45 mins. Expensive yes but we're talking chance in a livetime opportunity..

Awesome.. You actually sit in the original crew positions, so only 8 or so pax at a time. After take off you can unbuckle and move around.. Can't get into the Ball Turret or the Tail Gunner position but Yes for all the other spots..

Favourite spot.. The Bomb aimer cruising along picking up all the Freeway bridges at 1500 ft.

Weird thing is the bomb aimer seat is like a cut down revolving typists chair..

Richard

Mike Burton

I ain't got a clue what this has to do with "Was it you".. but hey.

Living around Goole all of my life, we used to get some awesome sites and sounds when I was 'iccle. I remember the day I was at Middle School (10-13years old iirc), and the last Vulcan Squadron flew over. What a sight, what a sound. Used to get loads of A10 tank busters playing up and down the River Ouse. The used to weave up and down the length of the river pretending to shoot things I guess. Tornado's were ten to a penny. They used to practice dog fights as well. Not sure they are allowed to do that these days (or if they ever were . Used to get the odd Jaguar, and some foreign chaps now and again. I guess some of them came from Lindholm (now a prison) and Finningly.

But by far the best thing I've ever seen was a Lightning scramble from RAF Coningsby (Lincs). This was just a few weeks before Tornado's took over full time. There was/is a viewing area at the end of the runway. The guy took off, lifted to about 20ft, raised under cart... and kept coming. The thing then went vertical over the road and.... errr.... disappeared into the sky, although you could still hear the thing long after you lost sight. Awesome.

I guess the B of B memorial flight comes a close second, but sadly misses the Mosquito, which got binned a few years back.

As an aside from all this, you can actually book a flight in a Lightning, but you have to go to the states to achieve this. Some guy IIRC has setup some kind of flying museum and you can choose what you want to scare yourself silly in. Half an hours brief on the operation of an ejection seat, something like $2k dollers lighter.. and you too can do the fastest vertical climb to 40,000ft

millband

It's South Africa - they have the only airworthy Lighnings at present, although the ones at Bruntingthorpe are not far off...

If you want to have a go, visit here: