I fear their l33t sliderule skilz

Funny thing.
In a previous life I was Secretary to the RAF Participation Committee (probably non-existant today) whose prime role was to approve military aircraft participation at air shows. The Chairman would not even debate my suggestion that the Luftwaffe be invited to participate in the annual B of B at home days. Completely inappropriate, he spluttered.
So unless the 21st Century RAF has leaders of vision, I guess there's no chance.

ps. The same Committee also banned participation of the "Soviet Bloc" air forces at the first Greenham Common Airshow.:confused:

No airshow at Leuchars this year as there is a large number of JCBs etc all over the runway.
There is, in its place, a Charity Ball tonight that will be start with a fly past by BBMF followed by an F3 - no Bears though.

How Odd....
 

Funny thing.
In a previous life I was Secretary to the RAF Participation Committee (probably non-existant today) whose prime role was to approve military aircraft participation at air shows. The Chairman would not even debate my suggestion that the Luftwaffe be invited to participate in the annual B of B at home days. Completely inappropriate, he spluttered.

In my final year in the service, as per norm, the RAF Leuchars airshow Friday's practice coincided with the stations family's day.
So as the oldest daughter was happily terrorising herself on some extreme fairground ride, I and some other F4 relics, were watching entranced at the Luftwaffe F4 display, the bit he gets really close to the ground, 130 degree bank at @50' over our heads when a reheat blows out and we get to see the control surfaces (rudder etc) all being kicked in by the jockey as he continues his phab display with 1&1/2 engines....:D

Some things you dont forget!

Blinders, Backfires, Blackjacks (oh, allright, White Swan) amongst others, or do you mean other countrys?

Regarding the participation of "inappropriate" air forces, I omitted to say that, thankfully, "At Home Day" organisors thoughtfully failed to hear the words of the "participation committee" and went ahead with their Luftwaffe contacts. Likewise the secretary of said committee, arranged for "non available" assets to route through the original Greenham Common Airshows- not participate,as such - and it became the biggest military show outside of the States. Russian Bears, or whatever, at UK Military airshows need not be an impossibility.
Sorry for thread creep, I suppose I'm just a little jealous that I wasn't an air defender and never got the chance to look the "enemy" in the eye.:*

Civobs

18 September 1972, on JMOPS from the not-so-secret Fife airbase, we intercepted 2 x Bison and “escorted” them from somewhere north of the Shetlands as they flew south to about 30 nm east of Hull. They then turned north & politely dropped us off at Bell Rock. This was convenient as we had just reached joker (4h 20 min airborne) and this position was within the radius of action of the IAF Lightning which scrambled to take over the task.

Up north of Saxa we'd get Badgers if they came far enough south, plus they used to send Elint Coots down to gather data every now and then.

There was also a period, when they'd lost a Bear F and grounded the fleet for a while, that they used the May far further south than usual and we intercepted the odd one or two.

ORAC, was this fun day out during your time?

On 28 April 1970, from the same Fife airbase, we were tasked (non-IAF) to fly north & see if we could find any Soviet aircraft known to be on exercise. No AAR available, but I managed 2 x individual Bears & a formation of 12 x Badgers.

If its a Blackjack (White Swan) you never know who will be at the controls...

http://www.sme.sk/cdata/2350147/20050822001_MAKS.jpg

http://www.sme.sk/cdata/2350147/20050822002_MAKS.jpg

...anyone recognise him?:}

LJ

Isn't he the one that posed for some homoerotic photos in the great Russian outdoors a week or so back? Er......Boris Something......? Looks ex KGB to me....

http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/...c/start=0.html

BTW First class pilot badge? Is he a WALT?

- that's quite enough of that, Sir, or we'll have to meet behind the hangar.:)

FYI we could EASILY make Bell Rock and have 10 mins fuel in hand.

The RNorAF have taken some and released said Pics on the net. So I know there are some out there.

I can recall the case of the KC135 crew who mis-I-D'd a Blackjack as a Lancer - an easy mistake to make, given he was looking up his tail-pipes at the time :eek:

Caution, vortex wake, recommended spacing, ermm...:E

If anyone asks, I was never here... ;)

Dear Captain Ivan

Next time you come close to the UK in your Bear, see if you can find the top-secret location known only as "SJ 328150". No-one in the RAF can find it.

I'll give you a clue: N52°43’42” W002°59’48” (52.72842N 2.99677W).

Хорошее везение!

Photo in The Sun
 

Bear and F3 pic in The Sun, which also unusually gives RAF Boulmer a credit!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007410791,00.html

Also, I wonder if there will be a visit tonight, depending on the outcome of a certain football match?!

Bear and F3 pic in The Sun, which also unusually gives RAF Boulmer a credit!
Good for them,
However JOHN KAY Chief Reporter also wrote:
The Russian jets, flying in four pairs

Wellll, it could be argued that the turboprop is a jet (with a fan on the front) but I take your point. Mind you, if you told the average Sun reader that the Bear is powered by Dilithium crystals they would probably believe you .....

Aren't they?

Harrogate

Shhh, I thought I'd got away with that! And don't tell anyone that the JSF will have the new Infinity drive too. Walls have ice cream, don't you know, what!

Oh, that's interesting, a black Omega has just de-cloaked outside .....