With RIAT just over and Farnborough under way, I've dusted off a few old airshow pics and a couple of misc., for your interest. More available if requested. In no particular order:
I can remember seeing 905 and the shuttle overflying central London from adjacent to Tower Bridge, can't remember which year it was though. I think I was with CarryOnLuggage, and we no doubt trolled around central London drinking beer afterwards, which is probably why I can't remember which year or definitively, who I was with!
Mr Grubby's got it, the route definitely rings a bell, which means it was a sunday, so therefore we wouldnt have been in the pub! There were stacks of people there to watch it and it was quite an overcast day with quite low cloud too as I recall, got the Metar Mr_G?
Sorry ! I may have a lot of records and recolections going back a few years but I draw the line at keeping Metars !!!
From what I recall the 'Combo' came up from Paris and overflew Stansted at FL70. Then Heathrow approach took it towards BNN and turned it onto an easterly heading to take it downwind right for 27 L/R. It flew down the Heathrow Approach before overshooting and dissapearing into the murk. Not sure where it went to.
Maybe the Heathrow Director was working that day. Any thoughts Bren ??
Mr_G, again sounds spot on, we were north side, and it passed left to right on the south side of the river, can't recall it being any lower than the usual LHR aproaches. Still theres probably some dusty cupboard in Bracknell full of scribbled tomes of Metars!. As a particularly useless piece of info, I did my Met Observers practical at LHR, and it snowed!
I remember it well... Ruth and the kids came up and I stayed long enough to work it before tearing over to the car park to get up there and take a few pics. Unfortunately I dunno where they are!
The Sandringham pics brought back memories. It was lurking around the London CTZ and a colleague offered it an approach to 09L. I was the Air Arivals man and it did a run and then turned left over the M4 towards Leavesden. Took me a while to find it, it was so low - about 10 ft off the deck. The AFS rang up saying they wish I'd belled them so all of them could see it. God knows what it must have looked like on the M4 - it went over there at about 100 ft! Wish I knew what date...
Rhino11- Where did the picture of the big lot of A-7s ( I think they are, could be F-8s ) come from?
The Enterprise shuttle is now inside at the Smithsonian Annex at IAD and getting some well earned TLC before the big space stuff gallery is opened for closer public inspection.
My apologies for not getting back to this thread sooner but I am working away from home and have had no internet connection this week!!!
The shuttle was shot on its visit to Fairford - wonderful way to spend a lunchtime.
Iron City - they are indeed A-7s from the Portuguese Air Force. The 16 ship flyby was part of the 1987 Tiger Meet show at Montijo, just outside Lisbon, the aircraft were operating from their home base at Monte Real.
Rhino 11- thanks for the ID on the A-7s. That must have been the whole lot of Portugese AF machines. Believe they got about 24 plus a couple 2 seaters delivered about the same time or right after the A-7Hs for the Hellenic Air Force to Souda Bay. Same as the USN A-7E except the Big 8 system modified a little and they may have had Air Force type air refueling fitted a la A-7D for those not skillful enough for the probe and drogue.
Yes well spotted all - there is a second aircraft breaking left. There was meant to be a third rolling up and through the gap created by the break but he had a minor delay which resulted in a standard take off.
Clint - yes Tiger Meet '86 at Cambrai.
When the picture first hit the Internet there were many cries of foul, people assumed it was a Photoshop fake. Fortunately there were many eye witnesses who remembered the event who were able to confirm it happened. It was shot using a 400mm lens which has possibly made it look hairier than it probably was!!! Although what would I know?
TWR: " opposite traffic 1 mile, report in sight" Well, if he told me that he was passing by in 100 ft I might have been able to spot him a little bit earlier..
As I only shoot slide film I very rarely get my films developed in time to impress with my shots from the latest Old Warden airshow.
Below is a picture that I took during the DHMC day at Old Warden. It was a beautiful sunny day early in the summer which gradually clouded to produce a wonderful backdrop of storm clouds. I only got the film back today (eventually got around to sending off all the films in my camera bag) and the following shot stood out as though it was from a posh manufacturers brochure. Thought I would share it with you.
Would be nice to see it restored but a few years work there I feel. I was involved with the Anson restoration at Newark many moons ago.
Looking at the cockpit interior don't you just get the feeling the crews were often not too familiar the manual.... I love one the "Avoid collisions...."
