Air Display experience

[Finningley Boy]

Hi all,

Could I ask any who are interested to post with any insight or anecdote regarding your air show memories from which ever perspective you have.

Again, as with the RAFG stories, many thanks in advance!

Best Regards,

FB

[OldnDaft]

I attended the show in 1986 whilst undergoing recruit training at Swinderby - we were employed on traffic control and car parking duties and such like. Some extremely impressive displays but the one that sticks in my mind is the Vulcan which, as it got off the ground, went what appeared to be near vertical. The ground shook, a few car alarms went off and every person looked skywards to see this majestic aircraft doing it's thing. The memory has stayed with me ever since. Coincidentally, it will be 32 years served on 5 Aug and other than my back seat ride in a Tornado which was exceptional, it remains the best aircraft moment I have seen or experienced.

[Fareastdriver]

Aberdeen Airport in the early eighties.

They used to have an open day where the spectators were on the East side and watched the normal take offs and landing plus what the local helicopter and fixed wing operators could organise. An essential part of the ground entertainment was a very large beer marquee which, in typical North Eastern Scotland fashion, was packed.

During the display ATC got a tip from London that a Concorde was doing a round Britain charter flight and Aberdeen persuaded it to do a fly pass. It was better than that, it did a roller.

It is the only time in history that a Scottish beer tent has been empty.

[pulse1]

Back in the 70's(?) RIAT was moved to Boscombe Down while they resurfaced the runway at Fairford. During the display, a couple of Tornados took off to intercept a pair of Russian aircraft which had flown non stop from Russia and lead them to Boscombe from the North Sea. Eventually these two Russian aircraft arrived on the approach. I can't remember exactly what they were but one was a smallish twin like a regional jet, the other was a MiG 29 (or similar). The MiG was flying echelon starboard to the airliner who was lined up in the centre line. This put the MiG heading between the runway and the crowd line which was much closer in those days. The commentator started to mutter questions about what this guy was intending to do. He got so low that I lost sight of him behind the crowd until I heard the commentator say something like "Oh, that's interesting". The Mig appeared with lots of noise, going vertical and then went into a typical MiG29 display. Absolutely amazing and it was claimed that it broke the record for the maximum distance flown to perform a display.

[taxydual]

Finningley (1976?) Battle of Britain At Home Day (remember them?). A couple of days before THE DAY, everyone was very busy as all the static and flying display aircraft were arriving using slot times for seperation etc.

The 'stars' were to be the Patrouille de France in their Magisters transitting down from having a look see at Leuchars where they were also to display.

The FY Local Controller had a steady stream of mixed traffic arriving when, up on frequency popped Patrouille.

Use your imagination (think 'allo 'allo) to the following:

PAT: Feeninglee, Good Moaning, Parouille de France.

ATC: Patrouille Good Morning, Runway 21 QFE blah. 4 aircraft ahead, 6 aircraft following. Straight in to land please. (or words to that effect)

PAT: Feeningley roger, 4 ahead, 6 following. Request 10 minewts display practisse.

ATC::Patrouille negative, circuit full. Report Finals for Full Stop.

PAT: 'Er Roger.(then various mumbles in French)

PAT: Finals with gear.

ATC: Patrouille Clear Land, surface wind blah

PAT: Clear land.

Then, coming over the northern fence line.

PAT: Overshooting.

and they did so, and broke into a display practice (complete with smoke) and buggered up the stream of mixed aircraft arriving.

OC Flying (watching in Local) went ape. Once Patrouille and finished and landed, he screamed across the runway in his Mini to confront the Froggies (er Frenchmen). He was met, at canopy lift, by a grinning French Air Force 2 star General lighting a fag.

Patrouille were never invited back.

Interestingly enough, Mon General had a nifty ashtray attached in the cockpit with a clip device to hold his fag!.

[TEEEJ]

Back in the 70's(?) RIAT was moved to Boscombe Down while they resurfaced the runway at Fairford. During the display, a couple of Tornados took off to intercept a pair of Russian aircraft which had flown non stop from Russia and lead them to Boscombe from the North Sea. Eventually these two Russian aircraft arrived on the approach. I can't remember exactly what they were but one was a smallish twin like a regional jet, the other was a MiG 29 (or similar). The MiG was flying echelon starboard to the airliner who was lined up in the centre line. This put the MiG heading between the runway and the crowd line which was much closer in those days. The commentator started to mutter questions about what this guy was intending to do. He got so low that I lost sight of him behind the crowd until I heard the commentator say something like "Oh, that's interesting". The Mig appeared with lots of noise, going vertical and then went into a typical MiG29 display. Absolutely amazing and it was claimed that it broke the record for the maximum distance flown to perform a display.

1992 - Tu-134 Crusty and Su-27 Flanker.

DiUH3aNPvjg

[Warmtoast]

These photos of mine of the Patrouille de France in their Fouga Magisters record the impressive display they gave at Greenham Common - not sure of the date but probably late 1970's early 1980's.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/800x532/img_0832_5d3ec7894c1307b6e98ec814d0e02c7529ca049e.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/800x532/img_0841_48332011b9c56fb927e65c1274b4f47ecf88733f.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/800x532/img_0889_zpskdmdj7ug_7bb560ed08cf057b7f760e61d200b0fff868703 6.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/800x532/img_0840_232f52093518b8675ba711bb5e0c43e7bddddf97.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/800x532/img_0837_ce6aaf5a5dedd17e2f63bd98838577feca4d5c3c.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.gmforum.com-vbulletin/800x532/img_0888_zps4iecfpph_a5b809bc25f397b6f5c51aaca5c71d9a0aaf091 c.jpg

One right way up - six inverted

[air pig]

Back in the 70's(?) RIAT was moved to Boscombe Down while they resurfaced the runway at Fairford. During the display, a couple of Tornados took off to intercept a pair of Russian aircraft which had flown non stop from Russia and lead them to Boscombe from the North Sea. Eventually these two Russian aircraft arrived on the approach. I can't remember exactly what they were but one was a smallish twin like a regional jet, the other was a MiG 29 (or similar). The MiG was flying echelon starboard to the airliner who was lined up in the centre line. This put the MiG heading between the runway and the crowd line which was much closer in those days. The commentator started to mutter questions about what this guy was intending to do. He got so low that I lost sight of him behind the crowd until I heard the commentator say something like "Oh, that's interesting". The Mig appeared with lots of noise, going vertical and then went into a typical MiG29 display. Absolutely amazing and it was claimed that it broke the record for the maximum distance flown to perform a display.

It was a Su 27 flown by Anatolye Kvochutur (sp) to his left was a TU 134. Amazing arrival, he flew a high alpha approach keeping with the TU 134 an as it lane an rolled out he carried on added power pulled up and rolled inverted and back into the circuit. It was 1992

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiUH3aNPvjg

[DeepestSouth]

1954, Dyce (Aberdeen) and I'm 3 years old, in my siren suit (a sort of early onesy!) and in the crowd at a brilliant display with my ex-RAF Dad. I was entranced by the Chipmunks balloon-bursting display. Anyway - all is going well until , over to the far right I failed to spot a small speck approaching very fast. It was probably very near to Mach 1 as there was almost no approaching sound and then suddenly the most almighty scream/roar and shock wave very close to the crowd line. Frightened me absolutely ****less and I burst into tears of fright to the amusement of my Dad and his ex-RAF friends. I can still 'see' the silhouette of the Swift as it turned away!

Didn't put me off, though - 17 years later I joined the RAF and had a great time for nearly 20 years.

DS

[SATCOS WHIPPING BOY]

I remember the Boscombe display very well, little did I know that within a year I would be controlling there.

Churh Femton late 70's. Crowd line marked by a piece of string on bamboo posts. About 30yds towards the runway were the stanchions holding the PA speakers. Just to our right a family were watching as we were but there was one lad, about 7 years old, who kept ducking under the string and running out to the speaker, round and back. He did this a few times until eventually RAF Police came and had a word with him and his folks. Discussion about "oh, he's only doing boy things, and no harm" etc. Anyway, told not to do it again.

5-mins later, off the kid scoots again heading out to the speaker; parents oblivious and not caring. What they hadn't seen though was the F4 coming in from the right in a very low and VERY fast fly-by. The kid dropped to the floor a gibbering wreck and his dad had to go and collect him. Last I saw was them leaving, dad fuming, mum nagging and the kid still trembling with distinctly urine-coloured patches down his trousers. :-) I bet that was an interesting journey home.

[ian16th]

Lindholme 'At Home Day' 1954, a Sunderland does a low pass.

Someone is heard to utter, 'Is it going to land?'

[India Four Two]

Someone is heard to utter, 'Is it going to land?'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu2qxgtFvW8

[Krystal n chips]

With hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to suggest destitute apprentices spend a day selling programmes at Biggin Hill one year..... although it's possible several local hostelries in Wendover may have subsequently become the grateful beneficiaries of this excursion.

Gaydon.....space cadet visit and the arrival into service of the Dominie at said Air Show or "At Home" ..cue much puff and promotional commentary as to the versatile navigational capabilities "best thing since sliced bread " style of said beast. The crowd gazed heavenwards in expectation, true it was a bit murky but nothing untoward as other flying had been taking place, and, in the distance, could be heard, just, the dulcet sound if two Vipers but then....silence. And, an even longer silence from the commentator , the sort that means, "this isn't going to plan " silence. before, in strangely much more subdued and muted tones, "erm, the Dominie has missed the airfield ".....thankfully, it found it "some time later ".

[sycamore]

#12,thats what you call a `skid-mark`...probably the crew had a few as well....!

[Octane]

That Sunderland was in NZ, looks like Wellington airport. MOTAT in Auckland has Sunderland NZ4115 ‘Q’ on display.

[pulse1]

Thanks to Airpig and TEEJ for the videos and for correcting my poor memory. Yes it was an SU27. That type is an important part of another air display experience I will never forget. The SU27 carried out the usual spectacular display at the Yeovilton Air Day some years ago. After it landed I wandered round to the visitors parking area to have a look at it. I took the pilot to be a very grumpy, scruffy sort of guy in a blue overall. He borrowed a ladder and leaned it against the leading edge of the port wing. He climbed the ladder and opened a hatch in the top of the wing and started tugging angrily at whatever was inside. He pulled out what looked like small supermarket bags and threw them onto the ground. Eventually, after a lot of tugging he pulled out a coiled up length of hose and, after throwing that on the ground he descended back down the ladder. It appeared that this hose was an adapter which enabled them to connect some vital service to the NATO system. Once the hose was finished with, he returned the hose and plastic bags the hatch and closed the lid.

He then placed the ladder under the nose wheel area and started another vigorous tug of war with something inside the nose wheel arch.It turned out to be a folded up tarpaulin, which he refolded and replaced. I couldn't get over the fact that all of these objects were in place during his extremely energetic display with lots of negative G.

Having replaced everything he got on board and taxied out. I set my scanner to the appropriate UHF frequencies and listened in to his various conversations with London Military. The last I heard was a frantic controller pleading with him to descend back down to the altitude to which he had been cleared.

Sadly you don't get anything like that at the Yeovilton Airday anymore.

[Finningley Boy]

Fantastic stuff everyone,

I'll Pm you all individually in due course!

Best Regards,

FB

[ShyTorque]

I previously wrote this here:

https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/428550-how-time-flies-f4-crash-abingdon-88-a.html

ShyTorque30th Sep 2010, 23:42I too watched the F-4 practice at Finningley the week before and was worried by what I saw during a loop. The pilot definitely appeared to push the nose up whilst inverted, without gaining height, or perhaps even descending a little. As the aircraft bottomed out, pulling a lot of G, it began wing rocking. I never flew the type but did know that this was a pre-emptor of the type departing from controlled flight.
I was very sad to hear the outcome of the BOI. :(

In my mind's eye I can still see that F-4 descending whilst the pilot attempted to gain altitude when it was at the top of that loop. The tragic accident occurred only a short time later, at RAF Abingdon and appeared to replicate the same error of judgement. A great shame that no-one with any clout realised what had happened and could have debriefed them. I was a mere observer and just a helicopter pilot so I would have been deemed unworthy to comment - but I wish I had been able to.

[treadigraph]

I watched the Phantom display at Duxford a week or two before the Abingdon crash and recall feeling extremely uncomfortable - the pull outs looked extremely hard to this then 24 year old civvy whose only expertise was a decade or so of airshow attendances.

[Skeleton]

The Abingdon accident still haunts me. I watched that display on many occasions as it was practised at Leuchars from the Runway Caravan and the tower. What sadly happened was predicted by more than one. At previous shows comment was also noted about the display, but they were allowed to continue. May they RIP.

[Fareastdriver]

The last I heard was a frantic controller pleading with him to descend back down to the altitude to which he had been cleared.

The first international air show at Zhuhai in 1998. Two Russian SU27s displaying for the week. On departing on the Sunday they took off for their base in Russia.

In a straight line, at their chosen altitude, without talking to anybody.

[hunterboy]

I guess the Su-27's knew that the UK didn't have anything that could intercept them at the time?

[teeteringhead]

A brief dit on what one might call part of the "social side" of the Display Circus....

I was involved in the Circus in the late 70s, early 80s (dates, locations and types kept obscure to protect the guilty!), and recall the "airshow groupies". As the name would suggest, in those days of fewer STIs and less security, the aim of these ladies (sic), who visited many shows, was to experience ..... err ... relations ..... in the cockpit of parked display aircraft. Ideally, but not necessarily exclusively, with the pilot.

In the year I recall, it was the first (European?) display season for the F-15, who were very much the stars of the shows. And of course, No 1 on the girls' "hit list". Not sure if any managed it, but if not, it were not for want of trying.

Despite being (a little) more roomy and comfortable, my rotary cockpit (sic!) was sadly not in demand ........

.......... or perhaps it was just me..........

[Tashengurt]

British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch circe '83?.
A fairly large air display was being held prior to the race.
I'd cycled some 10 - 12 miles from home and got myself a spot on an embankment to watch the show.
I can recall seeing a Vulcan but not much more.
I'll always remember a brown Lambo pulling up near me and the occupants calling me over to explain they had to leave suddenly and then offering me their tickets for free.
I declined. I was only there for the airshow.
They left looking very bemused with lots of head shaking.
I still kick myself from time to time.

[Tengah Type]

Airshow Rule One - Static Displays only. Flying disrupts the Social Life.

Rule Two - Prime any US or Canadian Airshows that you are in their vicinity at the time, and to ask the MOD Participation Committee if they have any RAF aircraft in the vicinity that can participate.

Rule Three - Arrive on the Thursday before a weekend Airshow. This is so that your big jet came be parked early to faclitate the parking of the little jets that arrive on the Friday. Likewise do not depart until the Tuesday so it is easy for the airshow organisers to clear the little jets away on the Monday. Also allows you first choice of the associated parties, as well as more of them.

Rule Four - It is essential to have ground power for the show "for safety reasons" also handy to power the fridge and HiFi.

Rule Five - Beware of inviting such as A10 pilots on board ( bearing in mind Teeteringheads post#23)

Rule Six - Whatever happens at the airshow stays at the Airshow!! https://www.pprune.org/images/icons/46.gif

[ShyTorque]

I guess the Su-27's knew that the UK didn't have anything that could intercept them at the time?

We could have sent Concorde up....

[Pontius Navigator]

TT, breaking rule #6

We were sent to Oldenberg as an intruder aircraft. When we were leaving we were invited back for an air show and "bring a Buccaneer".

The powers that be would not permit us to go the Air Show but permitted a long range n
Navigation exercise. On arrival we were greeting by dolly birds in Red Flying suits with can of beer. There was something wrong with their zips.

That might they organised a P Up in a hangar for air show and base personnel -2500 people. They next night another party with towns folk too - 4500. They could certainly organise a party . . .

[BFM]

British Grand Prix, Brands Hatch circe '83?.
A fairly large air display was being held prior to the race.
I'd cycled some 10 - 12 miles from home and got myself a spot on an embankment to watch the show.
I can recall seeing a Vulcan but not much more.
I'll always remember a brown Lambo pulling up near me and the occupants calling me over to explain they had to leave suddenly and then offering me their tickets for free.
I declined. I was only there for the airshow.
They left looking very bemused with lots of head shaking.
I still kick myself from time to time.

I was working that Grand Prix (I'm not a pilot) and remember the air show for several reasons. One was standing in the control tower and looking DOWN into the cockpit of one of the syncho pair of the Red Arrows as the planes crossed BELOW me. One the highlights of the show was a Harrier that had been in the Falklands and helped in recapturing them from the Argentinians. The plane came in, landed and parked on the oval that formed the centre of one part of the racetrack so it was on display to as many people as possible. . No protection from any errant racing car but fortunately none hit it. The pilot was likewise famous, having, if I remember correctly, invented the Harrier's method of evading incoming Argentinian planes approaching from behind by using its vectored thrust to jump straight up, let the Etendard fly underneath and then drop down again to be in optimum position to attack it.

He performed at the event by taking off, hovering at about 250 feet over the centre of the circuit (South Bank for those who know it) which was just across the track from the pits. The F1 teams were all set up with trucks, marquees, temporary shelters of one sort and another, and were preparing for a weekend blending fast racing with socialising as they set up temporary dining areas so their guests could watch the air display as well as the racing.

His display was sensational - huge noise (much louder than the F1 cars) as it spooled up and then went straight up before he lifted the nose to accelerate up and away. He performed various manoeuvres that no normal plane could do including flying backwards before ending his display by hovering at about 250 feet over South Bank, spinning slowly on the spot, gently dipping the nose for the now famous Harrier bow towards the pits and lifting the nose in an earsplitting blast, soaring away once more to circle before landing back on the oval in front of a now completely deafened crowd. The trees behind South Bank had flapped frantically in the downwash. I had never seen a Harrier before, let alone this sort of stuff and found it quite emotionally intense. Youtube has an excellent video of one performing at Eastbourne.

He did this routine on the Friday and Saturday. However, on the Sunday, the day of the Grand Prix he was performing a few minutes before the start of the race. I suddenly noticed something subtly different. While he still hovered over South Bank and bowed towards the pits he hadn't rotated the aircraft on the spot. He did so AFTER the bow, and the aircraft didn't quite rotate on the spot but seemed to slip very slightly towards the pits. As he lifted the nose to accelerate away, the massive downwash hit the pits, sending awnings, tables, bottles of wine, advertising leaflets, guest's hairstyles and hats cartwheeling around in the blast. Mechanics were hanging on to poles, gazebos were collapsing and general chaos ensued. Within moments he had lifted and calm returned but he didn't as he returned to base. The GP managed to start on time, but the confusion behind the scenes took a while to sort out.

I thought for a long time that this had been an unfortunate mishandling. I learned much later that it was nothing of the sort. Apparently, there had been a big F1 party on the Saturday night, and the pilot had turned up smartly turned out for it, only to be highly embarrassed to be turned away at the door. This had not gone down well. Moral of the story? NEVER upset a man with the keys to a warplane.

[Finningley Boy]

I recall being at Prestwick in 1972 when they had the bi-annual Scottish International Air Show. The Belgian Air Force 'Slivers' were in attendance, after getting airborne they disappeared off stage somewhere. I don't recall their being called in but I certainly knew all about when they re-appeared. Their opening pass was from crowd rear, side by side very low and very fast in full afterburner. As they arrived overhead I felt my spine jar as I reacted to the sudden impact on the senses! Luxury!:ok:

FB

[topgas]

As he lifted the nose to accelerate away, the massive downwash hit the pits, sending awnings, tables, bottles of wine, advertising leaflets, guest's hairstyles and hats cartwheeling around in the blast. Mechanics were hanging on to poles, gazebos were collapsing and general chaos ensued. Within moments he had lifted and calm returned but he didn't as he returned to base. The GP managed to start on time, but the confusion behind the scenes took a while to sort out.
I was working at one of the Grand Prix where the Harrier performed, possibly 1980 (1983 was Silverstone) - the carnage was spectacular and I seem to remember the organizers were walking round writing cheques to cover the damage. It was particularly the tents etc at the top of South Bank that suffered

[BFM]

I was working at one of the Grand Prix where the Harrier performed, possibly 1980 (1983 was Silverstone) - the carnage was spectacular and I seem to remember the organizers were walking round writing cheques to cover the damage. It was particularly the tents etc at the top of South Bank that suffered
No, there were two Grands Epreuves in England that year. Silverstone was in July and the race at Brands Hatch, called the European Grand Prix, was held at the end of September. Remember the Falklands War was in 1982!

[CoodaShooda]

Currently enjoying our biennial three week air show, known locally as Exercise Pitch Black.

They started back when the RAAF flew Mirages, the Kiwis still had Skyhawks and USAF B-52's were commonplace.

This is year we have RAAF Hornets, Growlers and Rhinos, Wedgetail, C-17, KC-30, C-130, C-27 and PC-9 (FAC).

Joining in are USAF F16's and FA-18's, USMC F-16's and Ospreys, Indonesian F-16's, Thai Gripens, Singaporean F-15's and F-16's, Indian Su-30's, French Rafales, Malaysian A400, Canadian C-130 and assorted others.

Last week included flypasts pasts by most types of our Mindle Beach Sunset Market, culminating in a sneak, low level high speed pass by one of the Classic Hornets. Shock and Awe was reportedly an understatement.

Saturday was was an open day at the RAAF Base with static displays only, sadly. OH&S has killed off the flying displays for now.

For or the next two weeks, we'll have two or three waves launch most days, with ops running to 2300 each night.

Large gatherings of spectators gather at the end of the runway to watch the departures and arrivals.

And it doesn't cost us spectators a cent. :ok:

[Doubletop_]

No, there were two Grands Epreuves in England that year. Silverstone was in July and the race at Brands Hatch, called the European Grand Prix, was held at the end of September. Remember the Falklands War was in 1982!
I was working that Grand Prix (I'm not a pilot) and remember the air show for several reasons. One was standing in the control tower and looking DOWN into the cockpit of one of the syncho pair of the Red Arrows as the planes crossed BELOW me. One the highlights of the show was a Harrier that had been in the Falklands and helped in recapturing them from the Argentinians. The plane came in, landed and parked on the oval that formed the centre of one part of the racetrack so it was on display to as many people as possible. . No protection from any errant racing car but fortunately none hit it. The pilot was likewise famous, having, if I remember correctly, invented the Harrier's method of evading incoming Argentinian planes approaching from behind by using its vectored thrust to jump straight up, let the Etendard fly underneath and then drop down again to be in optimum position to attack it.

He performed at the event by taking off, hovering at about 250 feet over the centre of the circuit (South Bank for those who know it) which was just across the track from the pits. The F1 teams were all set up with trucks, marquees, temporary shelters of one sort and another, and were preparing for a weekend blending fast racing with socialising as they set up temporary dining areas so their guests could watch the air display as well as the racing.

His display was sensational - huge noise (much louder than the F1 cars) as it spooled up and then went straight up before he lifted the nose to accelerate up and away. He performed various manoeuvres that no normal plane could do including flying backwards before ending his display by hovering at about 250 feet over South Bank, spinning slowly on the spot, gently dipping the nose for the now famous Harrier bow towards the pits and lifting the nose in an earsplitting blast, soaring away once more to circle before landing back on the oval in front of a now completely deafened crowd. The trees behind South Bank had flapped frantically in the downwash. I had never seen a Harrier before, let alone this sort of stuff and found it quite emotionally intense. Youtube has an excellent video of one performing at Eastbourne.

He did this routine on the Friday and Saturday. However, on the Sunday, the day of the Grand Prix he was performing a few minutes before the start of the race. I suddenly noticed something subtly different. While he still hovered over South Bank and bowed towards the pits he hadn't rotated the aircraft on the spot. He did so AFTER the bow, and the aircraft didn't quite rotate on the spot but seemed to slip very slightly towards the pits. As he lifted the nose to accelerate away, the massive downwash hit the pits, sending awnings, tables, bottles of wine, advertising leaflets, guest's hairstyles and hats cartwheeling around in the blast. Mechanics were hanging on to poles, gazebos were collapsing and general chaos ensued. Within moments he had lifted and calm returned but he didn't as he returned to base. The GP managed to start on time, but the confusion behind the scenes took a while to sort out.

I thought for a long time that this had been an unfortunate mishandling. I learned much later that it was nothing of the sort. Apparently, there had been a big F1 party on the Saturday night, and the pilot had turned up smartly turned out for it, only to be highly embarrassed to be turned away at the door. This had not gone down well. Moral of the story? NEVER upset a man with the keys to a warplane.
No, there were two Grands Epreuves in England that year. Silverstone was in July and the race at Brands Hatch, called the European Grand Prix, was held at the end of September. Remember the Falklands War was in 1982! It was 1980. I had been on 20sqn in the 70's so Harrier displays were nothing new to me, until this one. I was watching from the Bank at Clearways/Clark Curve and the return flypast down the lowest part of the circuit was below where we were siting. The GP was held at Brands Hatch every 2 years. Apparently, a Harrier did returned in 1982.
(I would post the reports from Autosport magazine at the time, but I don't appear to be able to as I'm being told I can't post URLs, which I'm not trying to do)

[T28B]

It was 1980. I had been on 20sqn in the 70's so Harrier displays were nothing new to me, until this one. I was watching from the Bank at Clearways/Clark Curve and the return flypast down the lowest part of the circuit was below where we were siting. The GP was held at Brands Hatch every 2 years. Apparently, a Harrier did returned in 1982.
(I would post the reports from Autosport magazine at the time, but I don't appear to be able to as I'm being told I can't post URLs, which I'm not trying to do)
Hello Doubletop, and welcome. :)
If there is a link to those reports, go ahead and try to type them in, or cut and past them in to your next post, but before you submit the post ("submit reply") first add spaces between the letters of whatever .org or .com or .net is in the link.
I can then make the link work via my mod powers.
Until you have 10 posts the system will not allow posting links. It is an anti spam measure that the forum owners prefer.
Once again welcome, and thanks for joining the discussion. :ok:

[english_electric]

Quite literally the most impressive display of a military aircraft that I have ever seen. The aircraft was immediately rolled on take off with seemingly feet to spare between the wings and the runway, followed by some very noisy, high speed and low level flying! It was absolutely spectacular!

I also saw a 16 ship Phantom flypast at Conningsby airshow in 1992, which was also very impressive!

[NutLoose]

Puma to Brize open day, with Gimpy mounted in doorway, crew and rest of us showing people around it, was getting lots of excited kids on board and showing them how to cock the Gimpy, aim it at the RAF Policeman and pull the trigger, much to the mirth of all around.. until my relief told me to desist :(

Later on about five or six RAF officer nurses turfed up in best blue asking to have a look inside, now as you know the steps on a Puma are not really designed for women in tightish skirts, so up they pulled them one at a time giving one an eyeful.. safely ensconced in the cockpit and front seats I was asked to take a photograph of them all. Happy to oblige they all said smile and think something, my mind forgets what... and then to me and think of what you are thinking off. :ooh:
Surprising how I was suddenly relieved after taking the pictures and having a chat as the crew reappeared like flies round sh*t.. A few weeks later back at work who should turf up but all the nurses having been invited for a flight.. as they all traipsed through the line office, they all smiled, say hello to me and ask how I am and came over to have a little chat... those on my shift were agog that I appeared to know all these lovelies :p.

[NutLoose]

Flying into Leuchars Airshow in a Fouga Magistair and getting cleared down to low altitude then being told to hold while the French practiced their airshow routine, not a happy chappy up front as the fuel burn went up and finally cleared to land or do a fast run in and break if we desired, offer declined as the the fuel low level warning lights were on as we were on finals.

[JMVR]

Quite literally the most impressive display of a military aircraft that I have ever seen. The aircraft was immediately rolled on take off with seemingly feet to spare between the wings and the runway, followed by some very noisy, high speed and low level flying! It was absolutely spectacular!

No Buccaneer displayed at Mildenhall in 1992. There was one the following year, but it was certainly not "immediately rolled on take-off".

[bspatz]

Two outstanding memories, first is watching in horror as a Vulcan disintegrates and crashes at Syerston and a few days later accompanying my mother on the YMCA van serving tea to the airman picking up the confetti which was all that was left of the aircraft. Interestingly the air display had continued although I found it hard to watch after the Vulcan. Second at an open day at Leconfield in about 1971, following a well judged display by our local lightning test pilot, getting my first view of a Phantom as it arrived in burner between two hangars scaring the wits out of most of the crowd leaving children crying and dogs barking - fantastic stuff!

[Marchettiman]

The 1977 Royal Pageant airshow at White Waltham was one of the most memorable of the many I have attended.
The sight of a BA VC10 settling into ground effect along the grass runway during it's first low pass is a never to be repeated memory.

[treadigraph]

The sight of a BA VC10 settling into ground effect along the grass runway during it's first low pass is a never to be repeated memory.

It was indeed a quite remarkable sight!

(The only other time I went to White Waltham, Richard Branson departed the airfield in the back seat of a Harvard - a bump in the runway and somewhat premature gear retraction almost led to an inadvertent belly landing, possibly ground effect saved the day!)

[WB627]

My first but sadly not my last air show fatality that unfolded before my eyes, Don Bullock Biggin Hill 1980. I was with my fiancée, now my wife, when the Invader came hurtling down the runway at very low level, pulling up into a barrel roll that went horribly wrong. It looked to me like the wings not half way round, had deformed into a u shape and I turned to my fiancée and said "he is never going to make it". I was so shocked by what I was seeing, I was rooted motionless to the spot and I did not mange to get my camera up to my eye to take a photo. He disappeared from sight into the valley below the road still inverted. There was silence and I hoped that he had managed to complete the roll and somehow fly down the valley. Sadly he did not and a large black cloud of smoke rose into view of those on the airfield. The Invader crashed into the rising ground on the other side of the valley. The following week a friend of mine who was a local copper, was tasked with helping the AAIB find the remains of the crew and passengers, who were on board the aircraft.

Both the fatal accidents I witnessed were at Biggin Hill.

Edited to say I do have good memories of air shows especially at Biggin Hill in the RAF VR enclosure with my Dad in the 60's. 1968 Harrier, Phantom and a Chocolate and Custard coloured Hercules :)

[chevvron]

Before I was posted to Farnborough, I attended the 1970 airshow there.
Pee Wee Judge flew the Wallis autogyro and pulled up then the aircraft started 'tumbling' and never recovered.
I was posted in to Farnborough as a controller in 1974 and was helping compile the daily flying programme when the S67 Blackhawk helicopter 'got it wrong' and crashed with 2 fatallities.
Some years later at another Farnborough Show, as I walked to the tower after finalising the next days flying programme I glanced up and saw the Buffalo circling over head gently descending. I went in the door and heard a muffled bang behind me which I thought was the door behind me shutting.
Then people burst out of doors and ran up stairs to the tower, so I looked out of the window to see the Buffalo which by then was on the ground with the flames dying down.

[DaveReidUK]

The sight of a BA VC10 settling into ground effect along the grass runway during it's first low pass is a never to be repeated memory.

There's an impressive photo of it which has been posted a few times on PPRuNe. Worth a search for anyone who hasn't seen it.

[Haraka]

Pee Wee Judge flew the Wallis autogyro and pulled up then the aircraft started 'tumbling' and never recovered.,
The slow speed of the ambulance driving back from the accident site confirmed the worst.......
.

[ShyTorque]

During the time I was at Shawbury for the first time (1979) I took my wife and her parents to a public flying display at Sleap. Don Bullock was warming up the engines of the B-17 “Sally B” at the end of the runway as we arrived. He then took off as I was parking my car. Immediately after lift off he made a very low level, 270 degree left turn then flew straight back over the crowd line at 90 degrees and immediately towards us.

As he crossed the runway, he had so much bank on that the port wing tip actually scraped the tarmac and the nose dipped. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. If that aircraft had gone out of control I wouldn’t be here because I had no way to escape. An RAF air trafficker colleague was a passenger on the port side of the aircraft and later confirmed what I’d seen, he said he thought the aircraft was about to crash and told me that there was metal missing after landing.

A classic case of a pilot not knowing his own limitations and those of the aircraft he was flying. I wasn’t too surprised when I heard of the accident at Biggin Hill. I was slightly surprised to learn of his medical history and the fact that he had no current medical certificate.

[Fargo Boyle]

There's an impressive photo of it which has been posted a few times on PPRuNe. Worth a search for anyone who hasn't seen it.
Video.... :ooh:

Low flying from a BA VC10 back in 1977 at White Waltham #lowflying#flying#lowlevel#vc10#britishairways#ba#flying#fyp #foryou#uk#british#aircraft (tiktok.com) (https://www.tiktok.com/@farnborough_flyer/video/6936968667410320646?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=6936968667410320646&lang=en)

[JEM60]

I remember the Brands Hatch Harrier very well. I was at Clearways, not far from it's pad. The pilot was David [or was it Dudley?] Carvell [ex Red Arrows I believe]. My memory is that he completed his display, blowing programmes and hats all over South Bank, then disappeared... He returned two minutes later from my right at Huge speed, as said below the level of the control tower, then a 90 degree right turn with massive 'G' slipstream etc. and it was this pass that caused all the paddock problems, including a pole going through, I think, the Tyrell transporter. Autosport described this pass as 'If you hadn't started smoking yet, now was the time to start.' The reporter was hugely impressed!. The pad was on the grass near Clearways, and during the race, Eddie Cheever had brake problems entering South Bank bend [it may have been called Surtees bend by then] and Cheever stopped not too far away from going underneath the Harrier. Seen many displays. This one was certainly in the top five that I had seen.

[Geezers of Nazareth]

Some of the earlier message about various air-show accidents and incidents got me thinking ...

Biggin Hill, 1970-something - Bell JetRanger doing pleasure flights takes-off into the undersides of a landing Tiger Moth - I was there
Mildenhall, 1979(?) - Italian Frecce Tricolori G91 crash - I was there
Mildenhall 1983 - T34C crash - I was there
Mildenhall 1986 - RAF 'Vintage Pair' crash - I was there
Fairford 1993 - two MiG-29s crash - I was there
Fairford 1997(?) - Italian G222 messes-up the landing and the nosewheel collapsed - I was there
Paris Air Show 1999 - Su27 crash - I was there

I think I'm cursed ... or maybe I am the curse!

[dixi188]

I remember the Don Bullock Invader at Biggin Hill.
I was walking down the valley to my car as I was on nights at Gatwick so had to leave early. The aircraft disappeared behind some houses at a horrible nose down angle and then a moment of silence before the explosion.
A woman near me asked "Do you think any one is hurt" I replied, " not any more". I think all on board were killed instantly.
I stopped going to airshows for many years after that.

[cavuman1]

During my squandered decade in Washington, D.C. I was a regular attendee at the Joint Base Andrews Air Show, the largest in the U.S.A. Literally hundreds of aircraft on static display and more than seven hours of non-stop air work each day for three days. I saw the F-117 and B-2 up close and personal for the first time, though each was heavily guarded and surrounded by a painted perimeter on the apron which stated "Use of Deadly Force Authorized." Types I never knew existed were there, and flying demonstrations of the AV8 Harrier, V-22 Osprey, F-14 Tomcat, F-15 Eagle, and F-16 Fighting Falcon were astounding. My five-year-old daughter and I were privileged to have front row show center box seats due to my then wife's position as Speaker's Liason to the Pentagon. Unforgettable to watch the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels during the same CAVU afternoon. The only casualty of the day was one of the 2,000 paratroopers launching from C-141 Starlifters; he landed on the ground control radar and had a few goes on a merry-go-round before his risers were cut. He waved at the crowd and I and my little one were relieved.

On the bus back to the Capitol, my beautiful little Fiona turned her sparkling blue eyes up to me, then she asked: "Daddy, can we go back tomorrow?" And we did!

[chevvron]

Pee Wee Judge flew the Wallis autogyro and pulled up then the aircraft started 'tumbling' and never recovered.,
The slow speed of the ambulance driving back from the accident site confirmed the worst.......
.
I saw two pilots who were manning the emergency helicopters run towards the crash. They stopped when a few feet away and didn't approach either the pilot or the wreckage obviously realising there was no way they could help him.

[JEM60]

GEEZERS. Very like my experiences, missing the G.222 and the SU.at Paris. I can add the P.38 at Duxford, and the Firefly at the same Venue.. and a fatal collision at Oshkosh. Sad days. My wife was trying to convince me that it was my presence that was causing them.. Awful moments, but seems much safer these days, though I dislike seeing very close formation work.

[mmitch]

JEM60. I was there too! He was Fl.Lt Dudley Carvell. The Royal Engineers laid a hard base at Clearways and cleared the crowd so that he could approach. Having landed he stayed to watch the race sitting on top! There was a second Harrier which did the fast run over the track taking photos. One was published in the racing press with thousands of faces looking up!

[Two's in]

In the 80s and 90s, the Warsaw Pact countries were allowed to send "observers" to certain stages of large scale NATO military exercises being conducted in Germany. Somehow our (AAC) Squadron was selected to put on a Forward Arming & Refuelling Point (FARP) demonstration, basically a couple of Lynx flying in, getting reloaded with TOW and fuel, and off to save the day again. The demo was briefed (but not rehearsed) and on the day, 2 bus loads of senior Warsaw Pact military turn up at the farm location to witness our military precision and derring do. The lead Lynx was flown by a Royal Navy exchange officer, crewed with an AAC Lieutenant. What Captain Pugwash had failed to appreciate, however, was the approach to the FARP was actually down a slight slope i.e. the ground beneath tail of the aircraft was closer than the ground at the front of the aircraft. Because they had added extra speed to make it more exciting, the flare required to stop level with the fuel bowser got steeper and and steeper, and as we all know, the Royal Navy have bigger flares than everybody else.

Just as they drew level with the fuel bowser with the Lynx by now about 45 degrees nose up, the tail rotor struck the ground, the tail rotor drive shaft immediately sheared, the Lynx began to spin towards the bowser, the AAC Lt in the left seat heroically chopped the throttles to stop the spin, the MAIN rotor blades sliced through a pressurized refuelling hose laid out on the ground ready for the refuel, just missing the Airtroopers who were positioned with the TOW missile reloads, but now spewing gallons of Avtur over the scene, the FARP commander rapidly chopped the bowser pump before everything was covered in fuel, and the aircraft dropped down on to a slightly bent set of skids.

There was an eery silence for a few seconds, as everyone realized just how close we had come to a major conflagration, and then about 100 Warsaw Pact officers started politely clapping! I'm still not sure if they thought flying a Lynx into a fuel bowser was part of the demo or not, but they certainly appreciated not being part of the fireball demo. As Lord Wellington once said, "I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me."

[Shaft109]

I was at Barton in 1996 as a Space cadet doing the usual program selling, and remember the Mosquito coming in low and fast over the 09 end on the other side of the tower before pulling up into a wing over. I looked away but back up a few seconds later as it was nose down 45* in a spin. I could see the vertical vector and instinctively knew there was no way they'd recover from there.

I was stood very close to whoever filmed this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag5ut3tP3ZM

Also saw the last Victor flight at Bruntingthorpe in 2009 - a very close call. if you watch the video carefully it leapt over a concrete plinth.

[cessnapete]

Video.... :ooh:

Low flying from a BA VC10 back in 1977 at White Waltham #lowflying#flying#lowlevel#vc10#britishairways#ba#flying#fyp #foryou#uk#british#aircraft (tiktok.com) (https://www.tiktok.com/@farnborough_flyer/video/6936968667410320646?is_from_webapp=v1&item_id=6936968667410320646&lang=en)


The Capt. in the video Bob Knights, honed his low flying skills flying a Lancaster on the Dam Busters raid. The First Officer Alan Harkness still hadn’t recovered when i last met him some years ago!!

[BEagle]

Fortunately I've never seen a fatal accident at an airshow, but some "That was v. close!" events:

September 1986 at RAF Leuchars. An RAF Jetstream included a steep descent to a touch-and-go in the display. All went fine except that the landing flare was rather too low and the aircraft smote the runway quite hard, bounced into the air and staggered off back to Finningley.
August 1987 at CFB Abbotsford. A CF-18 display nearly ended in tears after a max 'g' pull out resulted in a recovery well below 50ft agl. The rest of his display was cnx'd!
July 2003 at Hradec Králové. Two MiG 29s put on such an 'interesting' display that we christened them 'The Dangerous Brothers'! A week or so later they collided at RIAT.
August 1993 at RAF Alconbury. An F-111 came roaring in from the east with wings fully swept, rolled into a hard right turn and entered serious wing rock, almost departing. The Tornado mate with whom I was talking looked horrified. On the second display day the pilot used a more modest wing angle and didn't pull quite so hard!
July 2005 at RAF Fairford. That infamous RAF Typhoon event!

[212man]

The Capt. in the video Bob Knights, honed his low flying skills flying a Lancaster on the Dam Busters raid. The First Officer Alan Harkness still hadn’t recovered when i last met him some years ago!!
Not quite - he joined 617 Sqn after the raid.

[diginagain]

There was an eery silence for a few seconds, as everyone realized just how close we had come to a major conflagration, and then about 100 Warsaw Pact officers started politely clapping! I'm still not sure if they thought flying a Lynx into a fuel bowser was part of the demo or not, but they certainly appreciated not being part of the fireball demo. As Lord Wellington once said, "I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they frighten me."
Remember it well. We wondered how on Earth we could possibly beat that.

[Geriaviator]

Fantastic it was to see a Lightning streak across the airfield, go into a vertical climb and end his show by disappearing into the 10,000ft cloudbase while his afterburners still pulverised our senses. But my most memorable air show was as a 10-year-old, the Battle of Britain day at Binbrook where my father was stationed in 1949.

As well as normal activity from the station’s Lincolns, the week would be enlivened by a pair of Tiger Moths practising their ‘instructor and pupil’ routine, Dad said the pupil was often the better pilot as he bounced the TM from wheel to wheel if not wingtip. It was said that one ‘pupil’ had flown through a hangar which had been emptied beforehand but this could have been an RAF myth.

The Training Command slots would continue with a noisy Harvard and the quiet chuff of Cheetah radials in Oxford and Anson. Our excitement mounted as visitors arrived on the Friday, Spitfire 22 with its huge five-bladed prop, Mosquito with crew wriggling down through an impossibly small door in the side, Dakota like the one which gave me my first flight from Karachi to Bombay.

Saturday saw the arrival of three Auster Autocrats for joy-riding, at 10s 6d (52p) well beyond my pocket money reserves which had been depleted by purchases of balsa and cement for modelling pending the purchase of my own aircraft in the future. In fact it took 20 years which seemed like a millenium at the time but merely a few months today …

A big feature was the descent of a Horsa glider, released from a Dakota overhead the field. It seemed to approach at 45 degrees, so slowly that I could have hit it with my catapult. I still remember the Horsa every time I see a Jumbo, huge flaps and slats extended, descending so slowly that one wonders how it can stay in the air at all.

But the highlight was the arrival of a USAF Superfortress which parked on the grass east of the tower. Closer in was a line of 12 Lincolns demonstrating an operational takeoff, which my father told me to watch closely as I would never see another one (he was correct in this, as usual). The Lincolns started up in groups of three, groundcrew hauling the trolley-accs from one to the next as an AC2 climbed up on the mainwheels to close the starter contacts inside the engine nacelle.

Alas the show was stolen by the B29, as its huge DoubleCyclone radials barked into life with clouds of blue smoke that screened part of the airfield until they warmed up. One by one, the Lincolns waddled round the peri track as their ancestral Lancasters had done only a few years before. Each rolled down the runway as they were given their green light, but all eyes were on the silver monster which took off a few minutes later.

All very tame by today’s standards, but I wish I could see and hear it all again. Maybe I still can ... or maybe it’s this darned tinnitus.

[Not Long Here]

Abbotsford, Nimrod, CF-18, SU-27 and Snowbirds. I am sure there is a story there somewhere !!!

[cavuman1]

Beautifully described memory, Geriaviator!

- Ed

[Geezers of Nazareth]

GEEZERS. Very like my experiences, missing the G.222 and the SU.at Paris. I can add the P.38 at Duxford, and the Firefly at the same Venue.. and a fatal collision at Oshkosh. Sad days. My wife was trying to convince me that it was my presence that was causing them.. Awful moments, but seems much safer these days, though I dislike seeing very close formation work.
The G.222 at Fairford ... I'd got a press-pass for that event, and there was a press enclosure along the front of the crowd-line. There were tables, tea-and-coffee, places for the 'real Press' to camp out and conduct interviews, and so on.
I was sitting at a table and became aware of somebody going around all the nearby tables and talking with the people. When they got to me it was somebody from BBC local radio, who said they were about to do a live 'in-program' broadcast link-up, so could we keep the noise down for a few minutes (really, at an airshow!).
The young lady doing the broadcast was standing about 10-feet from me, but with her back towards the runway, and the engineer with the link-up equipment was head-down checking the signal. The lady was telling everybody what was going-on, all about the aeroplanes, massive crowds, good weather, yadda, yadda. The G.222 did its steep approach, landed badly nose-wheel first, bounced, and when the nose came down again the entire font u/c collapsed and the aircraft skidded to a halt just passed the press enclosure. In the meanwhile, the BBC lady was just finishing-up her broadcast to the world (well, Gloucester), still with her back to the runway and oblivious to anything going on! We heard the engineer say "... and we're clear"; a few of us pointed out to the lady that she'd just missed a crash as she was live on-air. She was not happy!

[megan]

Been to many an airshow and seen some dazzling performances, but the absolutely most memorable was at Oshkosh where the crowd line seemed impossibly close to the runway, stood there in awe as Concorde came thundering down and main gear lifted off right in front of where I was standing slack jawed, what a sight. They were giving joyrides, but I don't think you got the supersonic experience.

Mate got a posting from London to Washington and first class travel was the norm in those days, arranged with the wheels to pay the difference so went Concorde.

[english_electric]

No Buccaneer displayed at Mildenhall in 1992. There was one the following year, but it was certainly not "immediately rolled on take-off".

Ok - 1993 then! Well it was thirty years ago and I know what I saw! With all due respect, unless you were the pilot or connected with this display please refrain from suggesting that what I have seen is somehow untrue. And if you were connected with the display, I'd love to hear all about it. Recollections may of course vary.

Thank you and good day.

[Shaft109]

"August 1993 at RAF Alconbury. An F-111 came roaring in from the east with wings fully swept, rolled into a hard right turn and entered serious wing rock, almost departing. The Tornado mate with whom I was talking looked horrified. On the second display day the pilot used a more modest wing angle and didn't pull quite so hard!"

There's an interesting Aircrew Interview podcast with Jeff Guinn (sp?) about the F111 tendency to depart before a stall or even limiting alpha due to the length of the nose / fwd fuselage moment overcoming the vertical stabiliser. Also he mentioned that the same problem gave issues with the tailerons not being able to roll level after a ridge crossing, causing a few to crash. Spoilers inhibited with wing sweep angle I think.

[JMVR]

Ok - 1993 then! Well it was thirty years ago and I know what I saw! With all due respect, unless you were the pilot or connected with this display please refrain from suggesting that what I have seen is somehow untrue. And if you were connected with the display, I'd love to hear all about it. Recollections may of course vary.

Thank you and good day.

I am not connected with the display, but there is no variance of recollections in this instance. Your memory *is* simply untrue.

[212man]

I did my Flying Scholarship with Marshals at Cambridge in the summer of 1985. One Sunday, as we sat outside on the grass in the sunshine, we were treated to quite a spectacular A10 arrival and display. Cut short after Cambridge ATC got through to Duxford to tell them one of their ‘acts’ was misplaced! I had the opposite the following year at the Barton Airshow when we were told by the commentator that the F15 display was actually taking place at Woodford….

[chevvron]

Fantastic it was to see a Lightning streak across the airfield, go into a vertical climb and end his show by disappearing into the 10,000ft cloudbase while his afterburners still pulverised our senses.
Best Lightning display I saw was Farnborough 1964 when 74 Sqdn departed; I looked up and watched 7 silver arrows disappearing vertically into the clear blue sky.

[ShyTorque]

I did my Flying Scholarship with Marshals at Cambridge in the summer of 1985. One Sunday, as we sat outside on the grass in the sunshine, we were treated to quite a spectacular A10 arrival and display. Cut short after Cambridge ATC got through to Duxford to tell them one of their ‘acts’ was misplaced! I had the opposite the following year at the Barton Airshow when we were told by the commentator that the F15 display was actually taking place at Woodford….

I was at the Farnborough air show the year that a USAF B-52 display was announced as inbound, having flown across the Atlantic to display there. As the commentary began, we noticed a large vertical stabiliser in the distance as it instead displayed at Blackbushe.

[MAINJAFAD]

I did my Flying Scholarship with Marshals at Cambridge in the summer of 1985. One Sunday, as we sat outside on the grass in the sunshine, we were treated to quite a spectacular A10 arrival and display. Cut short after Cambridge ATC got through to Duxford to tell them one of their ‘acts’ was misplaced! I had the opposite the following year at the Barton Airshow when we were told by the commentator that the F15 display was actually taking place at Woodford….

Saw the same in 1989. Two A-10's doing a display scheduled to be at the Ulster air show at Newtownards airport. Problem was I was at RAF Bishops Court 20 odd miles to the south when I saw them (heard them first and told the guy I was working on one of the HF 200 radars with "That sounds like an A-10, what the F**K is it doing over here" ).

[reynoldsno1]

RAF Luqa mid-70's the Frecci Tricolori arrived late on a Friday afternoon for a display the following day - istr it was the opening of the new civilian runway. The pilots disembarked their machines and jumped on the bus to the O's Mess along with a small pallet of varietal Italian wines. These were immediately opened on arrival and passed around as happy hour started early. It was then mentioned that there was a degree of disappointment that an impromptu short display had not been carried out, as was the 'tradition' for incoming display teams. There was a brief pause, glasses were put down, before the team boss packed everyone back to the airfield (a very shore drivt away). Aircraft were fired up, and the 'traditional' impromptu short display was duly completed, before we returned to the 2nd & 3rd sentences above.

[megan]

Airshow at the home town base, was arranged for the photographer to be on runway edge a little beyond rotation point, photographer blown head over heals by the wash as the aircraft passed over him, pilot required to front and centre with base CO.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/640x480/img_2139_jpg_123faef6bea8891225d7f82ff5e62ef65d524fcd.jpg

[treadigraph]

Back around 1980/81, several school friends and I talked our way into the BAe Families Day at Dunsfold and having enjoyed the excellent airshow were poised by the barrier between the crowd line and runway end so we could belt over to the hangars for a quick look round the Harrier/Hawk production lines, then cycle back to school for dinner.

The late Stefan Karwowski closed the show in an earlier example of Dunsfold's hardware, Spencer Flack's immaculate red Hunter. For one of his last passes he arrived from behind the right shoulder of the crowd in near knife edge at high speed and very low - and just clipped the corner of the corner of the crowd line right where we were standing. I learned about wake turbulence from that!

[Senior Pilot]

Best Lightning display I saw was Farnborough 1962 when 74 Sqdn departed; I looked up and watched 7 silver arrows disappearing vertically into the clear blue sky.
The ground didn’t stop rumbling throughout that stream takeoff: one of my endearing Farnborough memories 👍😎

[Krystal n chips]

On the subject of "not quite where we should be " displays, could be wrong about the type, did not an F1-11 give a display to a "somewhat larger audience " at MAN rather than the intended audience but a few short miles away....at Woodford ...easy mistake to make really

[chevvron]

I was at the Farnborough air show the year that a USAF B-52 display was announced as inbound, having flown across the Atlantic to display there. As the commentary began, we noticed a large vertical stabiliser in the distance as it instead displayed at Blackbushe.
A common mis-quote.
What actually happened was that as the radar director turned the B52 onto final, it overshot the turn due to the fact they opened up all 8 engines at the same time and due to previous B52 display incidents, the angle of bank was limited. When my turn came up a few days later, I ran the B52 in on Runway 06 rather than 24 having already been told by the radar man what happened on the first flythrough
I think actually, my one was the one which arrived from across the ocean and the first one departed from Fairford where it had been on display and was due to fly back to the USA from there..

[treadigraph]

Dutch F-16 operating from Manston began his display at Kenley rather than Biggin Hill where he was supposed to be performing for the Battle of Britain Day show. Circa 2000 I think. After a couple of manoeuvres which we could see and hear in the distance, the mistake was rectified with a quick 5 mile skedaddle NE-wards!

[megan]

Airshow at Edwards earlier this month, is this standard for the B-1? You can settle one dispute perhaps, aileron or barrel roll?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a45U464NVGU

[itsnotthatbloodyhard]

Airshow at the home town base, was arranged for the photographer to be on runway edge a little beyond rotation point, photographer blown head over heals by the wash as the aircraft passed over him, pilot required to front and centre with base CO.




Didn’t stop said pilot eventually becoming CAF though :ok:

[megan]

How are the senior ranks to know who you are unless you advertise. ;)

[ShyTorque]

A common mis-quote.
What actually happened was that as the radar director turned the B52 onto final, it overshot the turn due to the fact they opened up all 8 engines at the same time and due to previous B52 display incidents, the angle of bank was limited. When my turn came up a few days later, I ran the B52 in on Runway 06 rather than 24 having already been told by the radar man what happened on the first flythrough
I think actually, my one was the one which arrived from across the ocean and the first one departed from Fairford where it had been on display and was due to fly back to the USA from there..

I’m not quoting anyone, but reporting what myself and a whole RAF contingent witnessed. We were spectating from the old Officers’ Mess.

[NickB]

I remember the Buccaneer display at Culdrose in 1984 (I think) quite clearly... the weather was overcast with low cloud (usually the way in Cornwall, especially for Culdrose airdays!), but flying continued. The display pilot will remain un-named (DS - he later went on to qualify as a TP and flying historics out of Duxford and other places and probably still does) went up and started to put on a flat, LL display. At some point, something went a bit wrong and he appeared very low, pulling hard right from behind the tall fir trees that used to be next to viewing enclosure. From crowd right to left, still pulling hard, trying to get on to the display line which he missed, he came right over the crowd, narrowly missed the old ATC tower (or so it seemed - he was v. low after all) and kept going. Overhead, vortices whished and whooshed and he left quite breeze blowing around the amazed crowds. Terrific stuff!
I've often wondered if he remembers that display, but not had the opportunity to ask him!

[212man]

Airshow at Edwards earlier this month, is this standard for the B-1? You can settle one dispute perhaps, aileron or barrel roll?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a45U464NVGU
I think it’s easy to say it’s not an aileron roll, but it’s an odd way of flying a barrel roll! Looks pretty messy.

[Geriaviator]

LONG ago -- better make that LONG long ago when I was still young and lusty -- I was enjoying the finale of an air display from the side of my Tiger Moth when I found myself gazing into two huge blue eyes. Under them was a shapely fuselage beneath a T-shirt bearing a picture of a biplane, above a tight-fitting garment which in those faroff days were known as Hot Pants, from which emerged a long and elegant undercarriage.

She wanted to be a pilot, her only flight had been to Majorca and back for package holidays. Her smile would melt the hardest of hearts. Well, I suppose she could sit in the Tiger Moth to have her photo taken. Yes indeed aerobatics were great fun… the display had short time to run, but perhaps after the airfield reopened… I borrowed a helmet and a pair of coveralls.

My briefing was even more longwinded than usual, as was the careful strapping into the front seat (Oh, those big blue eyes). There was no intercom so we agreed that one dainty thumb up would mean good, thumb down meant take me smoothly back to the airfield, please.

For those who have yet to enjoy it, an aerobatic introduction should not even need a seat belt as positive G should be maintained throughout, though of course the harness is always tightly fastened. A first loop should keep you gently pressed into your seat, like a bucket of water being swung over your head so it doesn’t spill. You might even enjoy a few moments of weightlessness at the top, before you see the horizon slowly descend from above your head.

I avoided negative-G manoeuvres such as the slow roll, when the crew hang in their straps as we go through the inverted position. I wanted novices to enjoy their first aerobatic flight so they would come back for more and best of all learn to fly themselves.

We began very gently with chandelles, then loops, then a barrel roll which produced both thumbs held high and a dazzling smile over her shoulder. The 90-deg stall turn and general tumblings went equally well, indeed so well that I decided she would enjoy a slow roll. Big mistake.

Turning upside down and falling into the straps was too much for my pretty passenger, who grabbed the handle which Mr. de Havilland had conveniently situated in the centre of the cockpit, pulled it back and held it tight. My first reaction was that something had broken, as the Tiger Moth fell out of the roll into a half-loop and started up the other side before the beautiful one remembered her briefing and released the stick just in time for me to avoid a tailslide.

In fairness she was very apologetic once back on the ground and gave me a big hug as I helped her down from the wing, thereby raising my heartbeat for the second time that day. Later my grizzled, fierce old CFI, who had 2000+ hours on wartime Tiger Moth instruction, said he had known one or two pupils freeze on the controls, and told me: “Be ready for the passenger or student who does something unexpected when they encounter something they don’t expect.” Then with a chuckle: “Never mind, lad, it’s the only time you want a girl to keep her hands to herself.”

And no, I never saw her again.

[Capt Scribble]

I think it’s easy to say it’s not an aileron roll, but it’s an odd way of flying a barrel roll! Looks pretty messy.
Dont think heavy bombers are designed to fly rolling manoeuvres! Hence an aileron roll becomes a mushed out barrel. Not the safest aerobatic I have witnessed imho.

[treadigraph]

B-1 at RIAT-related display at Boscombe 1990? (CAF Liberator was there) disappeared off to the west to wind up the elastic, caned down the display line at just this side of Mach 1 the went pretty much vertical, describing several rolls on the way up before punching a hole through some altostratus, how high? no idea, at leat 10000'... Great stuff! Also recall the Spanish F-18 pulling very hard out of some manoeuvre and appearing to stall at somewhere between 500' and 1000', lowering the nose and carrying on. The benefit of having a sensible base height, which I think was higher than RIAT's minimum 100'?

[ShyTorque]

Also recall the Spanish F-18 pulling very hard out of some nanoeuvre and appearing to stall

Is that like a manoeuvre, only much smaller? ;)

[treadigraph]

Is that like a manoeuvre, only much smaller? ;)

:D That's why he was pulling so hard!

[Chesty Morgan]

B-1 at RIAT-related display at Boscombe 1990? (CAF Liberator was there) disappeared off to the west to wind up the elastic, caned down the display line at just this side of Mach 1 the went pretty much vertical, describing several rolls on the way up before punching a hole through some altostratus, how high? no idea, at leat 10000'... Great stuff! Also recall the Spanish F-18 pulling very hard out of some manoeuvre and appearing to stall at somewhere between 500' and 1000', lowering the nose and carrying on. The benefit of having a sensible base height, which I think was higher than RIAT's minimum 100'?
Was that the same year the B1 dropped a little boomlet as it pulled up from its high speed run? It came back a few minutes later, a lot slower, and if an aeroplane could ever look sheepish...

[SASless]

Big airshow at my hometown in the 60's....in the heyday of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds flying F-4 Phantoms and putting on "competing" displays....and lots of static display of various military aircraft.

End of show....all the military iron are fired up and departing....radio chat being broadcast on the Public Address system.....US Navy S-2 "Stoof" is given taxi instructions for RWY 15...the long Runway with the ILS that landed on RWY 33.

Long Run-Up with Mag Checks and Props on the two big noisy...really noisy Radial Engines....then a bit of quiet and Takeoff Clearance on RWY issued.....more lots of noise as Throttles pushed against the stops.....Brakes held....and off he goes....and in very short order after Tower states...."That is Runway 18 which is closed!"....silence other than the squealing of brakes.

18/36 had been closed for decades and used for parking....and a Fairchild Aircraft Factory at the end of 18....a rather large red brick building of three stories with the Firm Name in huge letters on it.

Same show....Army OV-1 Mohawk roared off down 18....stayed low over the runway...pulled the gear up and accelerated to max warp and did an incredibly steep sharp pull-up,......and resulted in the Pilot blacking out.......to come to as the aircraft was about to turn itself into a Yard Dart.

He later recounted that experience in the US Army Aviation Safety Magazine.

[treadigraph]

Was that the same year the B1 dropped a little boomlet as it pulled up from its high speed run? It came back a few minutes later, a lot slower, and if an aeroplane could ever look sheepish...
Must have been as I think that was the only IAT event at BD, though I don't recall a boom but could have been the other day. Certainly was moving and there was a suspicion of a shockwave as it arrived just about coincidental with its noise - I was towards the eastern end of the airfield and had spotted a certain brown-ness in the air out to the west as it accelerated towards us, so it wasn't a surprise to me! The only other aircraft I can recall seeing travelling that fast was a Lightning at Biggin Hill in '76 - I'm not entirely sure but I think that didn't go vertical due to LHR restrictions so had to dissipate the energy out over Surrey - and before encountering Gatwick's zone!

[megan]

two big noisy...really noisy Radial EnginesMusic SAS, music, none of your whining turbines. Runway 15, 18, close enough for government work. ;)

[SASless]

Megan Lad.....I have twisted the throttles of some lovely old Radials....in the H-34 and H-37.....and indeed music to the ears and palpitations to the Heart...especially when they decided to skip a beat or two in a asthmatic fit of coughing,.

The Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Engine was a classic Radial Engine design.....and having two of them on the H-37 made for a lot of noise....exhaust fumes....and leaked oil.

[NIREP reader]

For me it’s the Boscombe Down air show/families day on 83 or 83. ETPS T5 Lightning did a display and I remember standing on the Apron with beacon hill to my left. Lots of noise and turning then for the final high speed run (clear blue day), it came from the beacon hill direction quite low with the halo just aft of the cockpit and then zoom climbed until you could see it no more.

Strange how some things stick with you.

[teeonefixer]

Mention of the B-1 reminds me of the departure day take off from RIAT at Cottesmore, when the spotters round the fence were blown away - literally ! There's a Youtube video which I can't find with a quick search.
As for airshow memories, Lincolns "bombing the fort" in the early 60's is a bit vague, but I do vividly recall being totally impressed by a Navy Phantom incredibly high speed run, pull up and disappearing vertically at Finningley 1971 BofB show.
RIAT and the SBAC shows have always brought some tremendous aeroplanes (wish I had seen the Tu-95 flying!) but in a different vein, the simplicity of the Harrier ski-jump demonstration at Farnborough was so impressive and the appearance of several Hungarian Mig-21's (RIAT early 90's) marked the end of the Cold War.

[chevvron]

the simplicity of the Harrier ski-jump demonstration at Farnborough was so impressive
The Pilatus Porter wanted to use it too but the request was refused.

[Stitchbitch]

Mention of the B-1 reminds me of the departure day take off from RIAT at Cottesmore, when the spotters round the fence were blown away - literally ! There's a Youtube video which I can't find with a quick search.
As for airshow memories, Lincolns "bombing the fort" in the early 60's is a bit vague, but I do vividly recall being totally impressed by a Navy Phantom incredibly high speed run, pull up and disappearing vertically at Finningley 1971 BofB show.
RIAT and the SBAC shows have always brought some tremendous aeroplanes (wish I had seen the Tu-95 flying!) but in a different vein, the simplicity of the Harrier ski-jump demonstration at Farnborough was so impressive and the appearance of several Hungarian Mig-21's (RIAT early 90's) marked the end of the Cold War.

https://youtu.be/iVdUi-8F8P0 'blown by the BOne'

[chevvron]

Why can't I see all theses attachments which people post, the latest being the one by 'Stichbitch'.
All I got was the quote then a huge blank space.
When are the Mods going to fix this?

[teeonefixer]

https://youtu.be/iVdUi-8F8P0 'blown by the BOne'

Thanks for that. I didn't realise it was during the display. I was probably head down in the aeroplane I was supporting so missed the actual display!

Chevvron - I use the "quote" button to see them

[BEagle]

On June 16 1978, a Vulcan flew down to RAF Honington to take part in a static display the following day. Now you have to remember that Honington was the home of the Buccaneer and that the Bucc mates had something of a contemptuous attitude towards V-force aircrew. Much needling about the age of the Vulcan and its vulnerability in any future conflict was a bit too much for the crew....

A polite request was made by the Vulcan crew to the Duty Pilot for 'a visual circuit and go-around' after take-off, which was duly approved.

XL319 took off, accelerated down wind, extending a little as it turned back in at around 350KIAS, descending to fly over the ASP at low-level between the hangars and the ATC tower....80ft a.g.l. according to the rad alt, before pulling up with full power and flying a wingover to depart back to RAF Scampton.

We had something of an 'Axminster Shuffle' when we got back from Offutt the following week..... But the flypast had been approved by the 'Duty Pilot', who was in fact OC Ops Wg!!

I gather some photos were taken, but I never saw them!!!

[NutLoose]

Late 70's walking across the Apron at an Odiham families day with Taff Walker, Wessex Master Pilot extraordinaire, when he spots the Mk 19 Spitfire sitting on the far apron... "Last time I saw one of those Laddie, it was on the secret list" :ooh:

[Chock Puller]

chevvron,

I am seeking an answer to your question and will advise you of what I find out.

[ShyTorque]

Late 70's walking across the Apron at an Odiham families day with Taff Walker, Wessex Master Pilot extraordinaire, when he spots the Mk 19 Spitfire sitting on the far apron... "Last time I saw one of those Laddie, it was on the secret list" :ooh:

When I converted to the Puma at Odiham, also in the late 70s, one of the retread crewmen I trained alongside was older than my father and had been a flight engineer on Lancasters. Perhaps understandably, bearing in mind he’d spent a lot of time sitting between four Merlins in his youth, he was partly deaf, too.

[chevvron]

chevvron,

I am seeking an answer to your question and will advise you of what I find out.
Several others on Pprune have reported the same problem.

[Chock Puller]

I checked and another Mod had notified Tech Support of the issue; https://www.pprune.org/pprune-problems-queries/648498-unable-see-url-s.html

[lsh]

When I converted to the Puma at Odiham, also in the late 70s, one of the retread crewmen I trained alongside was older than my father and had been a flight engineer on Lancasters. Perhaps understandably, bearing in mind he’d spent a lot of time sitting between four Merlins in his youth, he was partly deaf, too.

Bill Parry.
He had bailed out of a Lincoln (or Lancaster?).

lsh
:E

[ShyTorque]

Bill Parry.
He had bailed out of a Lincoln (or Lancaster?).

lsh
:E

Indeed. I also thought he’d fallen out of my Puma on one occasion. The story also involves a red Verey flare, but that story is best kept for the bar!

[condor17]

Teeteringhead , sorry to disappoint you ... To my certain knowledge a Sharks [ Gazelle ] pilot and his observer married their Airshow Groupies ..
Megan , my other half was there at Oshkosh . And reports well over half the cabin crew [ inc. her ] were in the wardrobe hanging from it's rail to watch their own display out of the window ,,, Concorde toilets and C/C seats not having windows .
First , best airshow memory .. RAF Coltishall BoB display '60 or '61 . Sat on Dad's shoulders watching 2 of 74sqns EE Lightning F1's do an opposition pass along the Rwy .
Diamond nine came from behind the crowd , low , fast with an afterburner pullup in front of us .
That started it all for me , memory still vivid after 60 + years . .. Flying for over 50 yrs .
And it looks like come January , I'll not be earning a living by flying after 49 1/2 yrs working in aviation .

rgds condor .