B1-B question

[witchdoctor]

Just seen some piccies of the RIAT on another thread and it reminded me of the time I saw this a/c disply at Mildenhall several years ago.

I don't know if it was simply my eyes deceiving me, but after take-off the Lancer pulled into a vertical climb to an altitude of what seemed to be 5 - 7000'+ , proceeded to complete what looked like a half loop with a roll off the top before disappearing from view into some cloud.

It later gave a very impressive display, but no inverted manouevres, so can it actually do what I thought I saw. It's bothered me for years.

Thanks in advance.

[treadigraph]

At a RIAT style show at Boscombe Down a dozen years back, the B-1B took off and pootled round for a bit with its wings forward... then disappeared off to the west and a Let 610 displayed. "Bit boring" said a friend, "you'd think they'd have swept the wings back and given us a high speed pass".

I said nothing, watched the 610 land and observed a patch of brown smoke way out to the west... few seconds later the B-1B went past just this side of supersonic, pulled up and went pretty much vertical and punched a hole through the thin layer of stratus at around 7000ft so you could see some blue... and, yes, he did a couple of rolls on the way up! Best B-1B display I've ever seen! :ok:

[Wycombe]

....the double rolls over RIAT at Cottesmore in 2001 were definately not an illusion (although there were lots of men in growbags rubbing their eyes in disbelief as they watched :D ...most impressive)

The "Bone" can really move at LL of course, but is more often than not displayed in quite benign fashion (albeit, with lots of noise :O )

[Fox3snapshot]

At the absolute disaster of an airshow at RAAF Amberley due to record rainfalls in the late 90's, two B1's full fuel were departing for home. After departure they conducted an instrument approach so the could find the place again for the beatup, having cleaned up prior to the missed approach subsequently proceeded to smoke the joint and went verticle with a nice vertical roll to boot. Definately worth having the anorak on that day (apart for the rain of course hyuck hyuck!....spotter joke).

Have seen the B1 boys out here in the desert doing some good poop as well after an exersize a few years ago prior to the Afghan ops. Cranked up they sure do rattle the teeth! (and some presidential villas in Baghdad too me thinks)

:8

And before you say anything "Douglas Driver" or I "Want My Hud Back" I am allowed one spotter post a month to get it out of my system!
:p

[jungly]

Kangaroo Valley - Ahhh, I remember some of it well. Thanks for the use of your bed!
Tried to email you but address is wrong? :ugh:

[Fox3snapshot]

Of course it must be stressed here that the said bed was occupied by a young Kiwi lass at the time.....just to clarify things before anyone gets the wrong idea.....

:\

Check your PM's mate....that's Personal Messages not a reference to any social diseases.

:E

[Magic Mushroom]

During the height of the Afghanistan anti terror ops during 01-02, if guys on the ground requested air 'presence' to deter the reagheads from coming too close, we'd often task a supersonic flypast by any suitable CAS asset. By far the most effective was the B-1B whose sonic booms, noise and size would cause the local populace to leg it back home ASAP. Quite a few rapidly deteriorating situations were stabilised like that, removing the need to employ ordanance, enabling exfil of friendlie without dramas and therefore saving lives on both sides.
Regards,
M2