View Full Version : Air Shows What tickles your fancy?
Hi, me again just got to ask this one,
As most of us are Airshow enthusiasts I thought I might ask the question, What do you enjoy seeing at airshows?
I dont know about you but I love the sound of a roaring jet, whether its an airliner, miltary transport jet or a fighter screaming across the sky its the plane that has the most power and the one that makes the most noise I enjoy to see. Secondly I enjoy seeing a bit of sport flying in aircraft such as SU-29 and other aircraft that defeat the laws of aerodynamics.
What's your point of view?
wowie
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if your gonna die, die in a kingswood
Most unusual, at least, must be the time in 1998 that I walked out of my office at DERA Farnborough, looked up and saw a MiG29 coming backwards down towards me, mid tail-slide. Certainly memorable, and bl**dy worrying - Russian fighters never crash at airshows, do they. Can't fly over the crowd, can't fly over the runway, so fly over DERA instead.
Discovered later that staff working for Air Systems had been 'strongly advised' to work at home during the airshow. Didn't tell the rest of us http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/eek.gif
Never been to an airshow, but Farnborough was one of the perks of working at the RAE/DERA. Best memory, probably EFA, the SU-30 flipping above my office and the time Concorde came visiting. Landed 100 yards away from me while I sat on the grass next to the main runway :)
BigJETS
3rd Jul 2001, 21:35
Saw a JATO (jet assisted take off) performed by the C130 which was quite spectacular.
I know the safety concerns about overflying the crowd but I miss those days when it was practiced alot more. You get an ENTIRELY different sensation when a stearman does a 90 deg roll and stall directly over your head as opposed to a 1/2 mile away.
Id also like to see alot more commercial aircraft perform. Sure the F15 is awesome but you never see the airliners at shows---at least the ones ive been to in the US. Id love to attend Farnsborough!
MikeSamuel
3rd Jul 2001, 22:36
C-130 is THE best airshow aircraft ever ever ever! Especially at Mildenhall cause I was there :) :) :) :) :)
Must go to a non-military one some day...any suggestions/recommendations
Mike
aviatrix
4th Jul 2001, 00:18
Not a sight, but the sound of a Pobjoy engine. :)
Dagga_dagga_dagga!
4th Jul 2001, 01:29
Having the same number of aircraft at the end as at the beggining!
Tarek Nor
4th Jul 2001, 17:55
The Italian G222 doing wingover's then a
barrel roll at Mildenhall was pretty
impressive http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/cool.gif
MikeSamuel
4th Jul 2001, 22:45
That was amazing, but by then I had fried myself in the sun, so was spoilt a bit my the sound of my arms sizzling away :)
I'll be there next year :)
Mike
Mycroft
4th Jul 2001, 23:18
Not strictly at an airshow but I still remember the time about 20 years ago when the FAA station 5 miles away had a display. Didn't go on this occasion, however the poplar tree in the next garden turned out to be the ideal turn marker for the display; and a Spitfire turning so tightly that the wings are vertical is impressive. Was still bemoaning the missed photo opportunity 10 minutes later when the manoevre was repeated by 2 A10s in close formation!!
Airbanda
5th Jul 2001, 01:24
Nothing beats the Vulcan!
but the F-27 troopship at Fairford in 85 was a tour de force, making the most of the a/c performance and giving the illusion of doing even more.
Airbanda-proud to be an anorak
Seeing an AJ-37 Viggen perform a short field landing, full reverse with standing water on the runway, a while ago was quite something. It sort of disappeared behind a smokescreen... :)
What else? Big, tight formations do look nice, sweeping overhead.
And you NEVER get tired of seeing fighter jets doing their routines, pulling G's. I see it a couple of times at work most days and still spend my coffe breaks in the window.
Airshows when the dewpoint is high is fun. Seeing mist form over the entire wings of fighers turning. Or that C130 I saw taking off with a tunnel of mist from each propeller, getting entirely shrouded on rotation. Wow. Magical. Not at an airshow but saved another work day. :)
Cheers,
/ft
Jim lovell
5th Jul 2001, 14:42
Avalon airshow in Melbourne Australia was AWESOME in Feb. FA18 Super Hornet put on a great display and was my fav a/c of the show. The super hornet is 30% bigger overall than the standard FA18A model is has a lot more thrust-more noise! The last fly-by involved the super hornet doing a very high Alpha low speed fly-by with flaps and gear down, then when reaching the end of runway applying full burning and going into a vertical climb to FL300 in about 15 secs!!!
Hagbard the Amateur
5th Jul 2001, 15:24
Has to be the Vulcan for me - majestic.
Still the best individual experience for me was at Barton show 11 years ago standing well within the enclosure as part of a camera crew filming a Harrier doing all its hover and pitch tricks around fifty feet up. We were close enough to feel the wind from it on our faces. Magic.
The vulcan is very impressive - have never heard so many car alarms go off at one time.
Also looking forward to a PBY catalina again soon :)
tiger burn
8th Jul 2001, 01:47
Nothing beats Warbirds over Wanaka! Seeing the AFC's Hurricane & Spitfire flying wingtip to wingtip last year was special & the aerobatic adventures of the Polikarpovs against the rugged alpine landscape of Wanaka & Luggate just can't be matched over here in the Northern hemisphere. I'd certainly recommend a visit to WOW 2002. ;) ;) ;)
Gotta agree with Hagar - the Vulcan is the one! Closely followed by the Lightning.