Sound Barrier Over London By A Lightning
I have mused as to why I don't get as excited at airshows as I used to, and I think it is familiarity breeding contempt.
I have been watching the Harrier, and development models, since the mid 60's. I still enjoy the display......... but it doesn't do anything new.
The F-16 was a breath of fresh air when it first arrived in the early 70's.......... but now it is old hat, the interest comes in seeing a new air arm displaying it.
Tornado is interesting, but again old hat, another 70's aircraft
The Typhoon was great in 2003, but very tame this year for reasons given elsewhere. I look forward to seeing it develop a good act in the next years.
The Hawk displays quite sedately really and doesn't really get the pulse racing, and it is another 70's aircraft.
The Jaguar was good because it rarely got let out of its cage.......another 70's design.
The Russian aircraft were a wow when they first came to the shows......rarity value and with the SU27 very agile and impressive.
Civil aircraft all look the same, are very quiet, and only the agility and size cause a murmur. I think the A380 will be impressive though.
Maybe it is just that I have grown up with these aircraft; maybe youngsters still get a tingle in their senses when they see them display. Is it a sign of getting older?
Certainly the big formations and the display teams with fighter a/c are rare and sadly missed.
I still go to shows, and I still take loads of photos at the shows, but I don't dash to the flightline anymore, I pick and choose what I want to see.
I have been watching the Harrier, and development models, since the mid 60's. I still enjoy the display......... but it doesn't do anything new.
The F-16 was a breath of fresh air when it first arrived in the early 70's.......... but now it is old hat, the interest comes in seeing a new air arm displaying it.
Tornado is interesting, but again old hat, another 70's aircraft
The Typhoon was great in 2003, but very tame this year for reasons given elsewhere. I look forward to seeing it develop a good act in the next years.
The Hawk displays quite sedately really and doesn't really get the pulse racing, and it is another 70's aircraft.
The Jaguar was good because it rarely got let out of its cage.......another 70's design.
The Russian aircraft were a wow when they first came to the shows......rarity value and with the SU27 very agile and impressive.
Civil aircraft all look the same, are very quiet, and only the agility and size cause a murmur. I think the A380 will be impressive though.
Maybe it is just that I have grown up with these aircraft; maybe youngsters still get a tingle in their senses when they see them display. Is it a sign of getting older?
Certainly the big formations and the display teams with fighter a/c are rare and sadly missed.
I still go to shows, and I still take loads of photos at the shows, but I don't dash to the flightline anymore, I pick and choose what I want to see.
Cunning Artificer
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Hmmm, yes Peter. I do see your point about British airshows. They're not much of a spectacle compared to those we saw in the fifties and sixties are they?
The Berlin show was very good though. Admittedly, most Brits wouldn't even know about it, let alone go to see it. Nothing went supersonic either, but the Typhoon was the most impressive piece of kit I've ever laid eyes on. Only digital fly-by-wire makes that kind of thing possible and I've no idea how the pilot remains conscious in those manouvres. (Perhaps he doesn't?)
The most impressive Harrier display I ever saw was when they beat up our local airport during a joint military exercise a couple of years back. They were supposed to be exercising the local air defence missile batteries but no-one saw them coming. Six aircraft from three different directions at five second intervals, they came over the hilltops and crossed the fence at about 10 feet AGL frightening the cr@p out of eveybody. Bl**dy brilliant!
The Berlin show was very good though. Admittedly, most Brits wouldn't even know about it, let alone go to see it. Nothing went supersonic either, but the Typhoon was the most impressive piece of kit I've ever laid eyes on. Only digital fly-by-wire makes that kind of thing possible and I've no idea how the pilot remains conscious in those manouvres. (Perhaps he doesn't?)
The most impressive Harrier display I ever saw was when they beat up our local airport during a joint military exercise a couple of years back. They were supposed to be exercising the local air defence missile batteries but no-one saw them coming. Six aircraft from three different directions at five second intervals, they came over the hilltops and crossed the fence at about 10 feet AGL frightening the cr@p out of eveybody. Bl**dy brilliant!
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Blacksheep.
I agree, some of the manouvres that aircraft like the Typhoon and Super Hornet do are great to watch, I just wish that they would put in a couple of fast runs as well, it would be nice to see again.
Your story about the Harriers reminds me of what happened at Biggin Hill one time in the late 60s or early 70s.
There was a Canadian Airforce team of five F-104s called the Red Indians displaying at Biggin, the commentator said over the tannoys that if you look to the front you will see the F-104s heading in to start their display, everybody started looking to the front to see them, I could not see them so I turned round and looked behind, there they were coming in so fast that you could not hear them coming and at about 30 feet high, 95% of the crown had no idea that they were coming from behind.
The noise they made as they went over the top of the crowd at such a high speed and low level was incredible, there was many a botty burp happened that day and all you could hear afterwards was kids screaming, brilliant, what a great stunt to pull, just so exciting.
Halcyon Days.
Peter.
I agree, some of the manouvres that aircraft like the Typhoon and Super Hornet do are great to watch, I just wish that they would put in a couple of fast runs as well, it would be nice to see again.
Your story about the Harriers reminds me of what happened at Biggin Hill one time in the late 60s or early 70s.
There was a Canadian Airforce team of five F-104s called the Red Indians displaying at Biggin, the commentator said over the tannoys that if you look to the front you will see the F-104s heading in to start their display, everybody started looking to the front to see them, I could not see them so I turned round and looked behind, there they were coming in so fast that you could not hear them coming and at about 30 feet high, 95% of the crown had no idea that they were coming from behind.
The noise they made as they went over the top of the crowd at such a high speed and low level was incredible, there was many a botty burp happened that day and all you could hear afterwards was kids screaming, brilliant, what a great stunt to pull, just so exciting.
Halcyon Days.
Peter.
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I remember going to the SBAC show at Farnborough in 1974 when an SR71 did a record breaking flight from the states. Whilst coocked up in the back of a Hillman Minx the radio announced that the aircraft had just departed the US.By the time we got there we were just parking up when it arrived. I think it did it in about 1.5 hours or so...
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Blacksheep:
I was at the Berlin Airshow for 3 days (static display pilot of all things!!) and saw the Typhoon do it's display. AMAZING manoevers but it did lack something wasn't very clean or smooth. The dutch F-16 display was by far the best and I told them so too, not forgetting the swiss F-5's droping flares at the end of their display which I've never seen before..wonderful. I agree with the others, a fast fly past is just amazing to watch.
I was stationed in Soest (Germany) with 3 Regt. AAC from 1981-1986 and we had an airshow every year for a while including a Buccaneer (see thread..wonderful reading). We had 2 F-16's from Spangdahlem (IIFC) do an amazing display. One came in so low and slow he scorched our grass strip and then the next one came in at high speed from the west. I remember mentioning to one of my mates "christ he's fast"..and then he shot past in silence and then came the double boom as he cracked the sound barrier! My hair stood on end and the cheer from all the aircrew and groundcrew said it all! It was THE most thrilling ting I've ever experienced at an airshow. Thank you chaps who ever you were
I was at the Berlin Airshow for 3 days (static display pilot of all things!!) and saw the Typhoon do it's display. AMAZING manoevers but it did lack something wasn't very clean or smooth. The dutch F-16 display was by far the best and I told them so too, not forgetting the swiss F-5's droping flares at the end of their display which I've never seen before..wonderful. I agree with the others, a fast fly past is just amazing to watch.
I was stationed in Soest (Germany) with 3 Regt. AAC from 1981-1986 and we had an airshow every year for a while including a Buccaneer (see thread..wonderful reading). We had 2 F-16's from Spangdahlem (IIFC) do an amazing display. One came in so low and slow he scorched our grass strip and then the next one came in at high speed from the west. I remember mentioning to one of my mates "christ he's fast"..and then he shot past in silence and then came the double boom as he cracked the sound barrier! My hair stood on end and the cheer from all the aircrew and groundcrew said it all! It was THE most thrilling ting I've ever experienced at an airshow. Thank you chaps who ever you were
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I can confirm Concorde made a series of super-sonic tests up the west coast of Scotland in the 60s. Our local newspaper used to carry warnings with the expected flight times.
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I remember one airshow - Southend? Brighton? - in the 80s where a Vulcan came zooming in from the sea, arrived at the beach and then went upwards with scant regard for gravity. Or our ears - presumably if the buckets of sunshine don't work you can persuade the enemy that the end of the world is indeed nigh just by flying overhead a couple of times.
My other abiding memory is either Mildenhall or Lakenheath, mid-80s, when the SR-71 made its first official appearance in front of the British public. Science fiction, mate, but manned by an impressively cheerful pilot who told me that yes, he liked England but he had to be back in California by teatime. Don't miss the traffic queues: do miss the burgers.
Haven't been to an airshow for around five years now - the last one was Duxford - although the Red Arrows and the BoBF fly over SLF Mansions in North London fairly often on their way to or from meetings with Brenda. I blame the Rooskies.
R
My other abiding memory is either Mildenhall or Lakenheath, mid-80s, when the SR-71 made its first official appearance in front of the British public. Science fiction, mate, but manned by an impressively cheerful pilot who told me that yes, he liked England but he had to be back in California by teatime. Don't miss the traffic queues: do miss the burgers.
Haven't been to an airshow for around five years now - the last one was Duxford - although the Red Arrows and the BoBF fly over SLF Mansions in North London fairly often on their way to or from meetings with Brenda. I blame the Rooskies.
R
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Ah yes. The supersonic flights over London by a Lightning. Was then a rather junior naval officer based at Greenwich. For some reason, I was around when it was to happen and I watched a ministry man who was taking recordings of the over pressure to see what damage if any was occurring to the fabulous ceiling in the painted hall.
Amongst his measuring kit plus obligatory oscilloscope, he had a standard aircraft UHF set screwed down onto a piece of plywood connected to a speaker plus a short piece of coat hangar wire attached to the aerial socket. Whilst reception wasn't brilliant, I heard the pilot calling "running in” and then two further calls that meant he had started being supersonic and stopped.
The boom was fairly muffled inside.
Amongst his measuring kit plus obligatory oscilloscope, he had a standard aircraft UHF set screwed down onto a piece of plywood connected to a speaker plus a short piece of coat hangar wire attached to the aerial socket. Whilst reception wasn't brilliant, I heard the pilot calling "running in” and then two further calls that meant he had started being supersonic and stopped.
The boom was fairly muffled inside.
