A big 'BZ' for the formations, Tucano and Hawks. From the pics I have seen it was SUPERB!

Marching Bands

An excellent display - Both parade and air formations - It was also a relief to see that the RAF band at long last appear to have scrapped their weird busbies for more appropriate headgear.

...

Well done to all those who paraded today. I was so proud to stand along side you all and represent the Royal Air Force. There was a lot of pressure today to get that parade right and much credability to be lost in front of our sister services. However, the pride and the will of the team to get it right was overwhelming through out the whole of the RAF contingent and we pulled off an amazing public display after a long, tiring week. The Cheers were very well deserved! Well done!

A very well done to the guys and girls on parade and in the air today, but lets not forget those who were at the home stations preparing, dispatching, and controlling too. Seeing Her Maj's smile with a short clap was priceless... Again Well done!

GW

Excellent fly-past - typically crap coverage from the BBC , sadly

They seem to be too interested in arty farty views and miss the real imagery

Airspace
 

For NOTAM timing, there were 2 weather ships planned to recce the route so a weather call could be made before hand (plus I heard the Albert boys doing a bit of weather checking too). The Typhoons needed to set off about 15 mins before ToT along the route. The weather check ac were slow movers too so the airspace needed to be clear I guess to allow the time to explore the whole area. Sorry for the airspace denial, hope it was worth it.

Having had a tool around Lincs in really grotty weather at 100kts and 1,000' murk base today I take my hat off to the pros who get there on time and walk the walk. (Or fly the fly if you like) Well done to all involved. Magnificent, although I do miss Raymond Baxter.

quite right "thing". Heard one of the Typhoon pilots post flypast saying he wouldn't like to be doing that Tucano flypast as it was very marginal in those conditions.

V. impressive and well worth all the hard work I'd say.

Question for those in the know.

Why is Princess Anne not saluting in the photo half way down this page
when everyone else is.

Diamond Jubilee: Queen watches Royal Navy, the Army and RAF march through Windsor | Mail Online

Rossian, dear thing, you’re too kind. In answer to your question, airsound was sitting in front of the telly feeling a touche discombobulated.

As it happens, I’ve been trying since autumn 2011 to persuade the Beeb to treat this problem seriously for their Jubilee coverage.

This isn’t the first time the Beeb and I have had these conversations. Indeed, I’ve done quite a lot of this sort of stuff for them before, including with the aforementioned and fantastic Raymond Baxter - my commentary mentor.

But my powers of persuasion turned out on this occasion to be rather less than I had hoped.

I’m still trying to persuade the Beeb that I want nothing more nor less than to have aviation portrayed accurately on telly, especially when it’s involved in big and significant events.

But I don’t seem to be doing a very good job.

airsound

Odiham Review
 

Jujmping back to the earlier discussion of the Coronation Review/Flypast, did anyone point out that it can be seen in moving pictures here?
R.A.F. CORONATION REVIEW ASTRA GAZETTE - British Pathé
Plenty of other aviation nostalgia stuff on the Pathe website if you search for it.

Just watched it on the iPlayer. Outstanding. Well done to all those who took part.

pr00ne, march yourself off to the Tower. :mad: :ugh:

Keep at them airsound! And name some names. Who are these people in the BBC who think that today's pathos of a commentary was a satisfactory performance? The rest of us can help by writing to their masters.

Nowhere was the inadequacy of the BBC commentary better illustrated than by the question, as the Hawks flew overhead: "Is that ER?"

"It's E II R" was the reply from the poor squadron leader who had to support this hapless BBC soul in his monumental lack of situational awareness.

"So that's what they were practicing when I visited RAF Valley!" said Snow. What was he doing at RAF Valley if he wasn't getting to grips with their exact contribution to the forthcoming flypast? Exploring the limits of the Mess entertainments account? Perhaps schmoozing with Royalty. He should by today have been au fait with the difficulties of all aspects of mounting that formation, the sightlines in the line abreasts, the IMC operation today, the lot. The airborne camera could barely pick out the formations in the murk. One sentence reflecting those was all that was required from him. And, as he has before, he failed.

So keep at them, airsound. Show them this. Everybody else, for Heavens sake write.

The ignorance of the BBC's reporters about anything to do with the RAF and aviation was irritating.
What I found unspeakably cringe-inducing, embarrassing, vomit making was the interview by the delectable Ms Bruce of the two poor squirming decorated soldiers, VC and GC.
"And what exactly was going through your mind when you threw yourself on top of the grenade ......" Ugh!

Watching the various reruns with immense pride here in the States! Has to be said when we put our minds to it, we really show the rest of the world how things should be done. I shall return to work with the Spams a proud member of HM Forces. As someone said here on Friday 'the US just doesn't do this stuff'.

A real shame the Beeb could not devote as much effort and pride to the show as the troops, and all servicepeople, involved in the ceremony clearly did. Awful camera work, p**s poor commentary (YET AGAIN. It's not difficult to read an E, two Is and an R or is it???) and sloppy fact finding.

Dan Snow has done enough of these to know better by now.

DS,

I can understand where Beagle is coming from here, aside from the two signature formations, the only thing to be said about the flypast is that it is yet another marker of a country's spiralling decline. It wasn't impressive because of the degree to which the R.A.F. frontline has been dismantled to pay for the time set conflict in Afghanistan. The display teams and trainer formations were fine, but everything else was way under represented for what one would expect of an air force which is often reported as a beneficiary of the largest defence budget in the West save the U.S.A.

FB:)

FB,
I can't understand where BEagle is coming from, and I think he should apologise. I wouldn't put it in quite such strong language as the previous poster though.
However, to describe it as an 'insult' was way off the mark. A lot of my colleagues in a services gave up their day to take part and time to rehearse beforehand to make it what it was.
Comments about aircraft numbers from some 'has been' should be seen for what they are.

high spirits, I consider that the components of the flypast were well constructed and very well flown in less than ideal conditions.

However, I remain of the opinion that the meagre content of the flypast was indeed pathetic. Indicative of the run down state of the operational strength of the UK Armed Forces:

No C17s
No Sentinels
No E-3Ds
No TriStar
2 Tornados
2 C130
1 VC10

As for the BBC commentary, where do they find these people...??

A fantastic effort and BZ (is that the correct expression and could the gentlemen in the Press Gallery please make a note of my comment?) to all involved, whether marching or flying. This was a tribute from the people the Queen admires above all others to their Commander in Chief, for 60 years of unrelenting duty done. I should just like to add mine, thank you Ma'am!
As to what I think of the Beeb's coverage, it spelled out succinctly the corporate attitude of disdain it has for the military and Royalty; absolute rubbish! No amount of script writing or informed "helpers" will ever turn that around. How have we got ourselves into the position where the broadcaster charged with covering the great national events of this country has such contempt for its traditions and values? I would genuinely prefer Sky or ITV be given the job. At least they would simply bring a commercial attitude with them instead of all the insouciant baggage displayed by the Dimblebys and now, it seems, the Snows. So much more interesting going back indoors to hear what inanity Fiona is about to utter than simply listen to the bands and watch the parade. Grrr!

Must have been a heck of an Inadvertent IMC plan! Great job by all concerned though, marching, flying and backroom staff. Made me proud, so thank you!

:ok: