Aircraft oddities.

[12th Monkey]

I was a bit of a plane obsessive when I was a kid, so have been interested to see this whilst on hols:



A V22 Osprey it seems, though it doesn't look like that are in service in this country.

Also saw what I am 97.865% certain was a Spitfire, doing loops around the area in very close proximity to another piston engine plane - looked radial-engined and yellow. Now given the value of Spitfires, they wouldn't be used for training, so we were wondering if it was to do with preparation for an air show. But then again, given the value of Spitfires, why be in such close proximity to another plane? Filming for something?

Aaanyway, so anyone else who is (or used to be) a plane nerd, favourites? You can have one piston and one jet.

I'll have a P51 Mustang and an F-15 Eagle, thanks.

 

[Al ears]

I was a bit of a plane obsessive when I was a kid, so have been interested to see this whilst on hols:

View attachment 3751

A V22 Osprey it seems, though it doesn't look like that are in service in this country.

Also saw what I am 97.865% certain was a Spitfire, doing loops around the area in very close proximity to another piston engine plane - looked radial-engined and yellow. Now given the value of Spitfires, they wouldn't be used for training, so we were wondering if it was to do with preparation for an air show. But then again, given the value of Spitfires, why be in such close proximity to another plane? Filming for something?

Aaanyway, so anyone else who is (or used to be) a plane nerd, favourites? You can have one piston and one jet.

I'll have a P51 Mustang and an F-15 Eagle, thanks.

Who doesn't like planes.
Mine are Chance Vought F4U Corsair and Lockheed SR71 Blackbird

 

[jjbomber]

Aaanyway, so anyone else who is (or used to be) a plane nerd, favourites? You can have one piston and one jet.

Concorde. Nothing comes close. Just the most beautiful plane ever. Neither America nor Russia could build one. The engineering was off the scale. When it flew into Vancouver 750,000 people turned up to see it.

I only flew on it once; over to New York. I was behind Captain Kirk at the check-in, though he was actually flying Business Class and not even on Concorde. Then into the Business Lounge, which has Concorde parked outside. You walk out of the lounge through the back door, straight into the plane. In the lounge I was sitting with Jerry Springer.

The flight itself is like being in a Cessna! It really shakes, rattles and rolls. You really know that you are flying. We pull back from the gate and every other plane has to give way. As we pass the other aircraft, you can see all the passengers with their faces at the window, trying to catch a glimpse of Concorde. Then we accelerate down the runway. It feels like a giant weight on your chest, such is the power. We get as far as Bristol and a message comes over the Tannoy 'We will shortly be over water and then I can put my foot down!' We are already over 600mph. About 3 minutes later, just as we've forgotten the message, he does indeed put his foot down. We are pinned in the chair. The force is such we can't even raise ourselves forwards in the seat.

After brunch and lunch, the flight is over far too soon. Upon landing I go in the cockpit to try and get the flight plans, but they don't have any as it's all electronic now. The crew run through the instrument panel and features of the cockpit. My time is up, as the crew must now shut everything down. I look for my fellow passengers but they are all gone. It is less than 10 minutes since we landed, yet my luggage is on it's own as everyone has already left. Amazing service.

So Concorde for me.

 

[abacus]

Spitfire & Vulcan

Bill

 

[Gray]

Concorde. Nothing comes close.

I agree. You were lucky

This was a highly exhilarating moment for me. Over all too soon - but I was standing next to the bloke filming this video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7mt6AKKhq4

 

[plastic penguin]

As a aviation researcher, I've many favs. If I was to pin my colours to sticking post.

WWII: Has to be the Sunderland Flying Boat. It was all things to all flyers. It had two crews, a kitchen; could fly for 12 hours without refueling, armed to teeth. So much so the Luftwaffe pilots nicknamed it "The Flying Porcupine".

And the second has to be Concord. Need I say more?

 

[12th Monkey]

Lockheed SR71 Blackbird

Went to one of the RAF museums, mainly to see their Blackbird. Loads of American planes in one gigantic room, with a B52 towering over everything and visible pretty much from everywhere.

 

[jjbomber]

This was a highly exhilarating moment for me. Over all too soon - but I was standing next to the bloke filming this video:

Just goes to prove how amazing that plane was. Hundreds of people would line up outside the fences just to watch it take off and land. I still have a recording of a few Concorde documentaries showing them, their faces aglow in appreciation. No other plane was a true rock star like Concorde.

There are several Concorde lookalikes in development at the moment. EON nxt-01, Lockhead Martin QSTA (X-59), Exosonic and the Boom Overture (which already has orders from United and Japan).

 

[doifeellucky]

As a aviation researcher, I've many favs. If I was to pin my colours to sticking post.

WWII: Has to be the Sunderland Flying Boat. It was all things to all flyers. It had two crews, a kitchen; could fly for 12 hours without refueling, armed to teeth. So much so the Luftwaffe pilots nicknamed it "The Flying Porcupine".

And the second has to be Concord. Need I say more?View attachment 3753

My Grandpa was a navigator on one. Originally from Norway he was a designer/engineer by trade. Sadly he died when I was very young.

 

[plastic penguin]

My Grandpa was a navigator on one. Originally from Norway he was a designer/engineer by trade. Sadly he died when I was very young.

Yeah, my dad was a nav on the Sunderlands and Catalinas. He served with Coastal Command for nearly two years.

There's a lovely Sunderland at RAF Museum, Hendon.

 

[12th Monkey]

My Grandpa was a navigator on one. Originally from Norway he was a designer/engineer by trade. Sadly he died when I was very young.

I guess you wonder what stories he could have told.

FWIW, the ones in this are hard (I should say impossible) to top: Wings on My Sleeve: The World's Greatest Test Pilot tells his story: Amazon.co.uk: Brown, Captain Eric: 9780753822098: Books

 

[doifeellucky]

Yeah, my dad was a nav on the Sunderlands and Catalinas. He served with Coastal Command for nearly two years.

There's a lovely Sunderland at RAF Museum, Hendon.

My Dads been there a few times. I must go and take a look.

 

[doifeellucky]

I guess you wonder what stories he could have told.

FWIW, the ones in this are hard (I should say impossible) to top: Wings on My Sleeve: The World's Greatest Test Pilot tells his story: Amazon.co.uk: Brown, Captain Eric: 9780753822098: Books

It’s a real shame I never knew him. My Grandma worked at Admiralty Arch so was privy to lots of information but she didn’t like to talk about any of it. Only about how useless our agents were at tracking my Grandpa when they first got together, as he was obviously deemed of high interest, but apparently regularly gave them the slip.

Thanks for the link, I’ll have a look at that.

 

[Friesiansam]

Also saw what I am 97.865% certain was a Spitfire

How did you measure your degree of certainty with such precision?

 

[doifeellucky]

I guess you wonder what stories he could have told.

FWIW, the ones in this are hard (I should say impossible) to top: Wings on My Sleeve: The World's Greatest Test Pilot tells his story: Amazon.co.uk: Brown, Captain Eric: 9780753822098: Books

‘A higher call’ is another.

 

[plastic penguin]

My Dads been there a few times. I must go and take a look.

Hendon is a great place to visit. Haven't been there for years. Must go back soon.

 

[12th Monkey]

How did you measure your degree of certainty with such precision?

My innate flippancy. I am 84.297454% flippant.

 

[plastic penguin]

My innate flippancy. I am 84.297454% flippant.

Flipping hell. 🙂

 

[Gray]

Over the weekend, The Red Arrows used Southend airport as a base for shows in Kent and Sussex.
Personally, I can never get enough - although I came close this time, watching multiple take offs / landings from both ends of the runway.

As an aircraft geek, my brother naturally has a scanner tuned to their frequency.
....The precision, right down to the 'Lights off' command to the team once on the ground....it's an emotional experience.

 

[12th Monkey]

Just had a Lancaster fly over the village. Pretty low, too - lovely sounds from the Merlins.

 

[Al ears]

Getting to see quite a few military aircraft around here as they use the valleys a bit like the Mach Loop in mid Wales.
Latest low-flyer was an Airbus A400M, the Hercules replacement, allegedly.

 

[Friesiansam]

Here, a few miles west of Taunton, we seem to be on a flightpath in and out of RNAS Yeovilton. We often have big helicopters flying low over us, including the extra noisy Chinook.

 

[Al ears]

Here, a few miles west of Taunton, we seem to be on a flightpath in and out of RNAS Yeovilton. We often have big helicopters flying low over us, including the extra noisy Chinook.

Probably the very same Chinooks that frequent the valley near me, on their way to Brecon

 

[12th Monkey]

Getting to see quite a few military aircraft around here as they use the valleys a bit like the Mach Loop in mid Wales.

Stayed in the Wye Valley a few years ago, and planes and helicopters used the river as a training ground. You'd hear them a long time before you saw them, and the sight of a Hercules emerging from beneath the trees is one I won't forget.

The occasional Chinook here too, noisy but surprisingly fast.

 

[plastic penguin]

When I was younger my dad used to take me over to Epsom Downs on the occasional Sunday to watch these RC aircraft flown.

The skill of these owners were amazing.