Tornado GR4 last flight
 

I assume that the out of service date for the GR4 is still March/April time? Does anyone know if there is a set timetable and will there be some sort of flypast of past and present Tornado bases or any other event planned to mark the end of this excellent aircraft's distinguished service?

Not many 'past' GR operating bases left. Bruggen, Laarbruch, Honington, & Cottesmore have all ceased flying. Even the peripheral GR hosts such as Bedford and St Athan have also wound down with only UWAS still flying from St Athan. So sadly, that leaves just Lossiemouth and Marham with perhaps a nod to Boscombe Down. .

RAF Marham have organised a photo shoot on January 25th. I would imagine that all the places have been allocated.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....dc1b59bae5.jpg

Just 16 F3s remain according to this list (out of a couple of hundred?)

ZE168 (N) Private Thorpe Wood, Selby
ZE204 FC, 25 Sqn marks Fire School Manston Fire School
ZE256 TP, also wears 'ZE343' Private Thorpe Wood, Selby
ZE340 GO, 9298M, 43 Sqn marks DSAE Cosford DSAE
ZE760 AP, 229 OCU marks Preserved, gate guard Coningsby
ZE836 36-12, MM7210 Museum Vigna di Valle, Italy
ZE887 GF, 43 Sqn marks Museum, inside Hendon, Barnet
ZE934 TA, 56 Sqn marks Museum, inside East Fortune, East Lothian
ZE936 (N) Museum Neatishead
ZE965 (N), 111 Sqn marks Private UK
ZE966 VT Preserved Hawarden - Chester Airport, Flintshire
ZE967 UT, 56/111 Sqn marks Preserved Leuchars, Fife
ZG751 Centre fuselage JARTS Boscombe Down
ZG795 (F) Stored Boscombe Down
ZH552 Preserved, gate guard Leeming
ZH553 RT, 56 Sqn marks Museum, outside Newquay Aerohub

List from Demobbed - Out of Service British Military Aircraft

As I stated, that was a list of F3s (NOT F2s or ADVs)

Errmmm, preserved isn't how I would describe all of those on the list

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/858/4...a1e3dc15_z.jpg
Panavia Tornado F3 - ZE204 by Liam Daniels, on Flickr

Understand the difference between F2 & F3 but both are ADVISED (Air Defence Variant).

ADVs were employed by RSAF and were essentially F3s with post Granby mods and AWSMDS selectable on demand.

It is difficult to overestimate the massive contribution that the Tornado has made to the UK as well as European air forces operations. Unfortunately for the UK it will soon fade into history.

I would therefore hope that the RAF will give this iconic jet a suitably respectful retirement and ensure that as many people as possible get the opportunity to say good by.

I reckon those hoping for a big flypast will probably be a little let down.

The final flight of the F3 was a 3-ship from Boscombe to Leeming via Coningsby and Leuchars. The final flight of a GR1 (ZA326) was a display role demo at Boscombe. The final flight of a F2 (ZD902,actually a highly modified F2A) was identified retrospectively when the Type Certificate was suddenly pulled one day! One pilot was involved in all 3 ....

nice skidmark though...and they all walked away....

Wow! how to have x tons land on your head without even thinking about it.

How about Mach Loop, Thirlmere, OLF Selkirk- Moffat pass, Spadeadam, Tain, Cowden, Donna, Wainfleet and Holbeach

....and finish it all off by slapping a few live 1000lb's into Garvie?

In Oct 1986, I visited Bruggen on a sort of ATC camp without cadets, just a few adult staff the excuse being a looksee to see what the cadets would be doing the following summer. The last RAFG Jaguar Squadron stood down and was replaced by a Tornado Squadron that very week.
Seems such a short time ago now but please excuse my ignorance; what are the GR4s being replaced with?

Typhoon FGR4 is being updated to take on the Tornado role.

I spent some time at RAF Bruggen and Laarbruch. It was an extremely busy flying operation with (I think) four squadrons at each base and close to 100 jets.
Typhoon has extremely big boots to fill once Tornado is retired.

So the present Typhoon is emulating its namesake, the Hawker Typhoon ie originally designed to be a fighter but making its name as a useful tactical attack aircraft.
I believe it may have been 31 Sqdn at Bruggen but I can't positively be sure.

add a few more : Amble (Croquet Island), Jurby range , WD 8, MC 6, MC 9 - all back in the day

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f3d2b90b99.jpg

Nice to see the old girl back in her original colours.

Is it a full repaint or just the fin to save a few quid?

Yes please thank you please.

Personally, I think this is the best scheme.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....5ce54343f1.jpg

That 17(F) aircraft looks terrible! I hope that the 'final' GR4 looks rather better.

Had my back seater in CZ when I left 17(F) - Bill Hartree was the pilot. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Proper bomber. Under the Weather-Under the Radar...none of this poncing about at mid, :E get down until you see the fear in their eyes as the swept wing nemis outruns it's own sound...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....2842fddac2.png

Ok, the gauntlet is a bit manky but, this harks back to the interwar years.

Come on then, what's your pick of the GR schemes?

I think the scheme that TEEEJ posted above with the crests of all the sqns who operated her is fine. Other than that, perhaps the lovely E for Emma but I might be biased because my name was painted on her side.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....4c6ec58b1c.jpg
Image copyright Squadron Prints.

My thanks to the GR4 crew for the flypast near Masham, North Yorkshire yesterday.

You can see from the image that it is more than just the fin.

Looks more like light and shade on one shade of grey, on the curved contour of the fuselage.

yep - I spent many an evening listening to Mission and Rafair flights on the scanner, routing back home from their nightly lowfly in Wales and the Lakes.

"Rafair 500, flight of 3 Tornadoes, exiting low level 20m South of Shawbury, looking for the Lichfield 180 then climb 270 direct MC6"

happy days

It can't leave without visiting Warton and Samlesbury, we made it!! Thankfully the other users are keeping it flying for many years.

And Bristol I would hope where Rolls-Royce built and repaired many many hundreds of RB199 engines.

Rumours from the spotters, that there will be no more low level training flights before retirement.

Just had a GR4 over the house there. Ah, sounded great.