Tornado – time for an aviation thread?

I remember a few Buccaneers and F111s and the occasional A10. Hercules were common but didn’t creep up on you quite the same.

We had A10’s as a kid (Cambridgeshire) a few times a year – what an odd, almost eerie sound they make.
Then there is the famous A10 at Galloway, Loch Ken who managed to actually capsize a sailing boat from the sailing school – it came around end of hill and seemed to have mucked up how low it was, had to go up and over the old railway bridge that another group were canoeing under. I was off that day (one of my first ever mtb days!) but the boss was not a happy bunny – complaints (and he was retired military may) all round…

*wavy lines*
My final summer camp as a space cadet (ccf) was at RAF Chivenor – then a Hawk Flying training base. I was senior cadet on camp (woo, go me) and had an RAF Flying Scholarship, 6th form scholarship and had just won a bursary for uni.
One (and only one) flight was on offer for one cadet – and this was always the senior cadet.
Guess what happened? The officers decided that, because I was such an RAF aligned dreamboat, they would give the **** flight to another NCO. So my “mate” whom I spent a lot if time mtb’ing with at the time ended up getting a jolly whirl around with a qfi for an hour. **** ****.
Anyway, we don’t talk about it anymore cos I ended up shagging his sister to try and exact a kind of revenge.
*wavy lines*

One (and only one) flight was on offer for one cadet – and this was always the senior cadet.

The senior cadet on camp at RAF Wittering sadly wasn’t me (I was 2 I/C) but she got a flight in a Harrier over the Lake District. I never did end up as Senior Cadet although my final year they did get me a few things like extra Bulldog flights (the Bulldog having just come in to replace the aging Chipmunk).
One kid got a flight in a Hawk one year.

I have to admit I have mixed feelings, but it was a very single minded design and I’m very glad it never had to be used for it’s design intent (knocking out as many Soviet nukes as possible on the ground come WW3).
And I remember seeing the odd one or two flying low in my youth, very impressive.

Grew up around RAF Lossiemouth with these and their predecessors hoofing about. Awesome sight but I would love to grab a time machine and join my dad as a youth when he was biking through the Speyside glens when a silver streak shot through the sky below him. Turned out to be an original Buccaneer in bare silver aluminium. Or so he told the story!

We get this silver beast flying over the village now and then,

Ejector seat tester for Martin Baker at Chalgrove.

matt

That second picture is unbelievable!

I wish I had a shot of a fly past from an airfield attack display at St Athan open day back in the 90’s.

They simulated a bomb run along the runway for the crowds.

The pilot went up to quite a height for his approach and down he came.

He arrived at a really incredible speed over the end of the runway. The supersonic shockwave had started to form around the fuselage.

Just epic. Noise and speed. He was within a whisker of Mach 1. Bit like that pic above, pilot trying too hard

No chance of getting the picture as I was too open mouthed to pick up the camera.

Actually, that entire airfield attack display was good. After the bomb run, some Apaches came in to take out the baddies (including pyroechnics).

Then a Herc lands in short order, on a six pence. Does a sort of j-turn on the runway i.e going backwards on reverse pitch. Then a Landrover with a massive gun drives down the ramp and heads off across the airfield firing the gun.

Finally, if I remember rightly, a Chinook lands some infantry and picks up a rescued hostage.

All home in time for beer and medals.

Actually, that entire airfield attack display was good. After the bomb run, some Apaches came in to take out the baddies (including pyroechnics).

Southport Airshow (right on the huge beach) does a good line in “airfield attack” demos. They did a strafing run with a Mustang once, the announcer said “look to you right and you’ll see him coming in”.

Next thing from the left a Mustang powered in really low and a whole load of pyrotechnics all along the beach went up in sequence.

Sadly airshows now are nowhere near as dramatic as they used to be although on the plus side you’re less likely to be killed…

JP233 ?

Next thing from the left a Mustang powered in really low and a whole load of pyrotechnics all along the beach went up in sequence.

Sadly airshows now are nowhere near as dramatic as they used to be although on the plus side you’re less likely to be killed…

Probably but you don’t think about that at the time. I was going to airshows from around 1974 after I passed my driving test & saw some crazy stuff with fast jets, like Leuchars for the Battle of Britain show 1976 or therabouts. Commentator says, ‘ladies & gentlemen, if you look to your right you’ll soon see the Jaguar coming in at 480 knots, he’s about 8 miles out & at 150ft & will be with us very very shortly’…..KABOOOOOMM!! as the Jag comes from the left doing just under mach 1 about 80ft right over the crowdline. Most people shat themselves.
The days of proper exiting airshows are long gone.

Maybe in South Africa, the CAA won’t allow fast jets in private hands, although maybe a big industrial operator might get permission, and, just as important, be able to afford to fly them.

I assume this is just for supersonic aircraft then, because plenty of Migs, Hawkers and Sabers are flown in private hands in the UK.

I remember a few Buccaneers and F111s and the occasional A10.

I remember watching all the footage of the first Gulf War on the news as a kid. Despite many saying they are ugly, I think the A10 is one of the most beautiful planes ever made. I probably shouldn’t think that of such a deadly piece of kit.

Whitestone, was that at Adam Oman, 30 miles south of Nizwa, if so was there 2 years ago setting the base up for RAFO. I took my road bike enjoyed myself around the Jebel Akhdar

The days of proper exiting airshows are long gone.

Yeah, last one I went to was Finningley. Took hours to get out.

I love the old brute. First tour as an Air Trafficker at Leeming with the slightly less loved F3 variant. Some hoofing breaks into the circuit and I’ll always remember the shock diamonds in the carrots out back on twilight departures, and the NOISE. The GR has been doing the business for us for nearly 40 years!

That JP233 was apparently like having a double decker bus strapped to the bottom, and necessitated flying down the centreline low and not too quickly, Peters and Nichol came a cropper with it in GW1.

I was always struck by the terrain following radar- low level in zero vis on 70s electronics 😳 Never went badly wrong I believe!

@bhill22 – no it was at Marmul east of Thumrait airfield down in the south west of the country. I also did two trips to Fahud which is halfway between Nizwa and the Saudi border – very hot, it got to 55C one day 😲

Even though the Tornados were pretty clean at slicing through the air, unlike the Vulcans, when they flew over we had to stop recording for half an hour as the geophones would pick up the vibrations they caused.

I was always struck by the terrain following radar- low level in zero vis on 70s electronics 😳 Never went badly wrong I believe!

…well, no one survived to make an adverse report! 🙂 🙂 🙂

It was amazing. It had an inertial nav aid too, derived from the Vulcan I think. Linked to the TFR it was like having Google Maps 40 years ago.

First tour as an Air Trafficker at Leeming with the slightly less loved F3 variant.

I was a space cadet with NUAS there in the early 90s. They once launched 20 F3s to get 16 to London for a flypast (queens 40th?) and we heard they had to beg/borrow/steal planes and spare parts from everywhere to get 20 together.
2 never even made it out of the circuit due to nosewheel retraction issues, but it was v impressive to watch (and hear!)

I was always struck by the terrain following radar

my dad helped to do some development work on the v early test models. He told me later that the terrain radar and the automated landing system would often squabble for control if the pilot didn’t actively shut off the terrain radar. Imagine coming into land; the terrain radar thinks it’s sinking towards the ground, it decides it’s not happy and opens up the taps and points the nose up. The landing system gets the hump, and tries to do the opposite.

The early solution before they established the proper system controls was literally to pull the fuse of the terrain radar before trying to land…

A friend of mine who is a local photographer was invited into RAF Mileham and took these pics:

https://www.paultibbsphotography.com/blog/2019/2/the-plane-thats-as-old-as-me

A friend of mine who is a local photographer was invited into RAF Mileham and took these pics

Thanks for that, some stunning photos there!

A friend of mine who is a local photographer was invited into RAF Mileham and took these pics:

Some mint shots there that could be of value to the likes of Harry the Spider, John Drummer & me!

Scud, thanks for posting that link, superb gallery and commentary. Awesome.

Brilliant pictures.

Thank you!

I agree, brilliant pics Scud.

Yeah, last one I went to was Finningley. Took hours to get out.

I lived behind the wire. Easier access!

I lived behind the wire. Easier access!

Did you see the Battle of Britain airshow, Sept 1977 CFH?

Wasn’t living there then.

Wasn’t living there then.

Unlucky!

Dates and locations are now up for the final flypast tour. 19th /20th /21st Feb.

See the RAF Marham page on Facebook.

I now live quite close to The Wash and RAF Holbeach but I’m early shift next Tuesday, so I’m really hoping the Tonka’s will be flying in the afternoon.

Great pics of a brute of a plane, I’ve got a GR1 and an F3 in the kit stash, might have to put one on the production line!

Thanks for the pics Scud, great album!

My sister lives near Leeming, tempted to go across to hers then ride over to Leeming. The other option is a drive out to Bangor and a ride around Anglesey to see it at RAF Valley.

Annoying doesnt look anywhere local.
At my parents every now and again a Tornado used to come by very low and not far past them use a farmhouse as a turning point. Stupidly impressive and I have a strong suspicion if I had been enough of a moron to report them they would have been given a bollocking.
Only thing which beat it for viewing jets was whilst in a French class in secondary seeing a bunch of fighters dogfighting. The teacher wisely decided to not to try and keep everyone looking at nouns or whatever.

Found the video of when i got buzzed at Glenshee. Does this work?

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1310553677516&id=1040840139

Love the B&W piccys of the Tornado with the access platforms attatched , very menacing and moody.
Someone needs to be better at washing the exhaust of the fusalage though..

By the way, if/when they release flypast times, can someone post them on here please? I’m out of the country at the moment so not picking up anywhere near as much news as I would do normally and I don’t want to miss the info!
Thanks.

Hoping to see the fly past at Cosford or Shawbury today

Tuesday 19th February
1.15pm – 1.30pm: Kendrew (RAF Cottesmore)-National Memorial Arboretum -DECA Stafford – RAF Cosford
1.30pm – 1.45pm: RAF Shawbury – DECA Sealand
1.45 – 2pm: RAF Valley
2.15pm – 2.30pm: BAES Warton – BAES Samlesbury
2.30pm – 2.45pm: RAF Spadeadam
2.45pm – 3pm: RAF Leeming – RAF Topcliffe – RAF Linton-On-Ouse
3pm – 3.15pm: RAF Waddington – RAF College Cranwell – RAF Coningsby
3.15pm – 3.35pm: RAF Donna Nook – RAF Holbeach – RAF Wyton

Wednesday 20th February
1pm – 1.15pm: RAF Honington
1.15pm – 1.30pm: Imperial War Museum Duxford – Former RAE Bedford – Cranfield Airfield – RAF Halton – RAF High Wycombe
1.30pm – 1.45pm: RAF Benson – HQ Land Forces, Andover, MOD Boscombe Down
2pm – 2.15pm: RAF Pembrey – MOD St Athan – Cardiff Airport
2.15pm – 2.30pm: Rolls Royce Filton – MOD Abbey Wood – MOD Shrivenham – RAF Brize Norton

Thursday 21st February
11.15am – 11.30am: Leuchars Station
11.30am – 11.45am: RAF Tain
11.45am – 12pm: RAF Lossiemouth

im less than a mile from sealand so will be listening out for it !