There were two King Heirs on the balcony watching the flypast.

The crew would have been Captain, co Pilot beside him with the flight engineer just behind him. The normal nav is standing behind the captain (normal practice). It is clear that there was also someone in the bomb aimers position - almost certainly another nav. What a sensible precaution given the very iffy weather. On normal deployments a number of ground crew are also present but they would not have been necessary on this occasion. Some may have wished to be there, however. And why not?

BBC framing of element 2 rather disappointing.

I thought the 'head' in the bomb aimers position was an RAF photographer.
He leaned forward at the palace. I expect the 'mini cams' they use were operated from one position. Nice work.
mmitch.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm the biggest HRH fan one could meet. I viewed the 'fly past' but in my gut, I felt there was something missing/lacking. I don't know how to put this prospectus in words, I'll try, RAF could have done better. I'm ready for flaming. The lack of a flypast lasting less than five minutes leaves something to be desired.

I presumed our helicopters (Thames Mil) could operate in all weathers? I don't want to turn aggressive to our fly boys, WTF if you lot can't do a flyby over the Thames in bad weather, what hope do we (UK) have you guys looking after the battle grounds where we are fighting now?

I'm sorry if I've offended, just my thoughts.

Daz

How appropriate. :) The video camera was on the PR XIX.

With you in spirit at least Daz

I thought the whole point of these things was to inspire a sense of pride

What, with no fast jets? Not even so much as HRH Wills' Sea King present.

Sad to say, but a tad lame

IIRC the Vulcan was originally going to be in this flypast? I know that they blew a couple of donks the other week, but was there anything else that stopped it being pencilled in? (apart from the money grabbing b@ggers that are running the Trust!).

CPL Clott

It was scaled down a little from Her Majesty's first official flypast.....

CORONATION FLY-PAST - British Pathe

I'm not so sure it ever was 'going' to be in the flypast, I think it was never more than repeated heavy hints and a 'hope for inclusion'/invite noises eminating from the Trust, even before they wrecked two of the donks the other week....... ????

Just had my own fly-past. A Spitfire about 750' overhead my house in Farnham, heading North-West for the Odiham/Farnborough MATZ. Anyone got any more info. Looked like a later mark, maybe the PR XIX??

Wonderful sight - fantastic sound!!!

dazdaz1 wrote

Seriously Daz? Are you referring to the Royal Navy flypast for the river Pageant? Are you seriously comparing operational missions to a peacetime flypast? The safety constraints are there for a reason. A tough choice but someone has to make that decision in regards to the weather and a formation over a populated area.

The Fleet Air Arm 'Diamond Nine' was cancelled.

Royal Navy Stage Spectacular Flypast for River Pageant Finale | Royal Navy

If the weather yesterday had been as poor as the day of the river pageant then the decision would have been made to cancel the flypast. See following for references to weather decisions.

Diamond Jubilee: Rain could force cancellation of RAF flypast planned as climax of weekend's celebrations - Telegraph

I thought that the flypast was just right and very fitting and well done to all involved. Look at all the hard work and effort that went into the main flypast the previous month with 70 plus aircraft.

RAF - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Tribute

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafcms/mediafi...6AE8198BD6.pdf

Vulcan was due to open the River Pageant by flying past The Spirit of Chartwell just before HM set off downriver.

It was ironic that, an hour or so after the double engine failure six days earlier, the CAA finally gave clearance for Vulcan to overfly London - something the team, with great support from the CAA, had been working towards for a very long time.

airsound

airsound (or others)

Genuine question.

What is the difference in getting permission between the Vulcan and say the Lancaster or another older ex mil jet over flying London ?

Is it that it is low level, noise, not RAF owned and maintained ?

Thanks

pontifex
 

Why do they need so many Navs to get a Lancaster to Buck House in 2012. Fit a GPS, RAIM check on my IFR approved GPS showed accuracy of less than 100 metres today!!

Basically, Vulcan's a civil aircraft on a permit to fly. Lanc is still a military aircraft.

Although she's always referred to as XH558, she actually has a civ reggie - G-VLCN

airsound

When the Lanc did the flypast for the unveiling of the Bomber Harris statue, the nav was in the bomb aimers position with the London A to Z!

"When the Lanc did the flypast for the unveiling of the Bomber Harris statue, the nav was in the bomb aimers position with the London A to Z!"


Isn't that (using a paper based map) called Period Authenticity ?:O

Would be more accurate than a Baedeker

:p:p

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/...b_2240144a.jpg