(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653698709_tx2gH-M.jpg)
Hellcat, biznitches! :D
I got more....
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653709676_Sod8o-M.jpg)
Rare Bear (Bearcat)!
Riff Raff! Hawker Sea Fury??? Yeah, it's British.
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653699201_gjKeN-M.jpg)
Love the paint on this one!
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653699813_Pdd9X-M.jpg)
ahhhhhh the Reno Air races. Lived in Reno 8+ years and had to work thru every damn one. Never saw them cept from a distance.
And you left for Texas? The riding around here is far superior, IMO. :lol:
Beautiful planes. Just love the pics -- got more?
i almost made it this year, but am out of vacation. next year i'm havin some beer's with you in the vally of speed. eric
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653698131_adXjC-M.jpg)
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653697517_7zogk-M.jpg)
P-38 Lightning (The one recovered from the glacier in Greenland, Lost Squadron)
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653702409_FQspF-M.jpg)
Miss America P-51
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653703632_WSmhZ-M.jpg)
Another Bearcat
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653706078_A9H2q-M.jpg)
Crew works on Voodoo, Unlimited Gold Class P-51
(http://jetdoc.smugmug.com/photos/653701393_XRSmX-M.jpg)
Staging
Just love the planes of this era. I think there is a similarity between motorbikes and how planes work - the power, the lightness, how they get painted / customised, how they are quite stripped down / basic etc
I think the Supermarine Spitfire is the most beautiful thing man has ever created, but the have to say P51 it ain't too bad either!
I'm partial to the Sea Fury. :D
I saw a Spitfire out there, but wasn't fast enough with the camera or was too far into the afternoon rum, hard to say which. :lol:
Cracking pics JD, quite fancy a "Bad Kitty" tat for somewhere on the Tiger.
I grew up with a love of of the old Eglish Electric Lightning, I believe it only recently lost the title of the fastest vertical climbing aircraft.
There was a brutal efficiency about it that appealed to the engineer in me, huge engine - check, cockpit - check, wings - err excuse me Mr. designer can you tack some wings onto this thing. :lol:
I'm with Nick on the planes form this era... They went from being incredibly fantastic machines of wood and wire and string to being the sorts of machine we see here...
Actually this weekend here there was a Battle of Britain Memorial flypast and show at a local field. Not quite like Reno, but worth going to a high point to watch the action... and hear the thunder...
After I got out of the NAvy I worked at installing missle warning systems on F-4's headed for Israel .... the hanger next to us has about 6 P-38
some guy had just bought and he was headed over seas with them in
late 1960's..... where I don't know. They were all painted black.
I guess I need to go to the Reno Air Races .... very cool!
Quote from: "TigerTrax"I guess I need to go to the Reno Air Races .... very cool!
The riding around here does not suck, also. :wink:
Quote from: "Sin_Tiger"Cracking pics JD, quite fancy a "Bad Kitty" tat for somewhere on the Tiger.
I grew up with a love of of the old Eglish Electric Lightning, I believe it only recently lost the title of the fastest vertical climbing aircraft.
There was a brutal efficiency about it that appealed to the engineer in me, huge engine - check, cockpit - check, wings - err excuse me Mr. designer can you tack some wings onto this thing. :lol:
Also had the worst glide angle short of a brick, great plane though, there's a guy in South Africa who will take you up in one if you have the money.
Quote from: "John Stenhouse"Also had the worst glide angle short of a brick, great plane though, there's a guy in South Africa who will take you up in one if you have the money.
Not surprising with those stubby wings, makes me think of a jet propelled penguin. I saw a program on Discovery with Martin Shaw with a lightning, remember something about having to be specifically qualified on it.
Don't get me started, Vulcan, the sexiest looking bomber ever :shock:
A couple of months ago I saw a vulcan bomber flying over Kemble whilst riding the tiger up to the Cotswolds. (What a brilliant combination!) Fantastic looking plane and loud too. Even miles away, on a bike, with a helmet on, and earplugs it could be heard... Akrapovic exhaust system perhaps?
As for the lightning, I remember making airfix models of them as a kid and struggling to glue the wings on successfully, don't think I've ever seen one in the air sadly. Maybe the wings fell off the real thing too!
Bet you guys would like this....
http://www.airtattoo.com/airshow
I can recall when they retired the Vulcans with some kind of farewell tour... I was probably about 10 and delivering newspapers afterschool.
It was a nice day but then it just went Dark... and the biggest plane I'd ever seen eclipsed the sun as it did a low slow fly-by over the whole city. The first and last time I ever saw the leviathan...
(http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/61LMiXWvp-L.jpg)
Quote from: "oxnsox"I can recall when they retired the Vulcans with some kind of farewell tour... I was probably about 10 and delivering newspapers afterschool.
It was a nice day but then it just went Dark... and the biggest plane I'd ever seen eclipsed the sun as it did a low slow fly-by over the whole city. The first and last time I ever saw the leviathan...
They still have a Vulcan at Southend airport, been restored and you can go sit in it when they have the airshows.
You've just awakened a long forgotten memory from when I was a young boy living at RAF St Athen in Wales. Our house was right at the end of the runway and I can remember the windows rattling when the vulcans used to take off.I can also remember some huge bombers that I think came from west Germany that used to land there as well. They were even louder than the Vulcans. It must have been around 1971 ish. ah happy days :D
There is a Vulcan at Wellesbourne airfield up by Warwick, but the only flying one is run from Bruntingthorpe.
Still remeber Duxford when there was one doing display flying, wafted down the runway at fifty feet off the deck got to the end stood on it's tail and went straight up. Did the earth move for you darling? Yea Verily!!!
Oh dear, memories :)
JD sorry for the hijack :oops: , the Brits have camped out on your front lawn and broken out the tea and cucumber sandwiches :D
Quote from: "Sin_Tiger"Oh dear, memories :)
JD sorry for the hijack :oops: , the Brits have camped out on your front lawn and broken out the tea and cucumber sandwiches :D
No sweat! Post a picture of this Vulcan, please. I'm thinking a big fugly thing like the Vampire or something.... :lol:
or this:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/Spock_vulcan-salute.png)
Oh, and I prefer my cucumbers with whisky! :D
That is one wicked-looking piece of kit there!
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Avro_Vulcan_Bomber_RAF.JPEG/800px-Avro_Vulcan_Bomber_RAF.JPEG)
One question...why do you Brits refuse to put your engines on pylons????
You guys don't have them on pylons in the stealth bomber.... And this is a 60year old machine!! These large Delta's have plenty of chord so there's probably even room to climb in and change the oil... :lol: :lol:
One question...why do you Brits refuse to put your engines on pylons????[/quote]
JD - surely, by now, you must know that British engineers do things their own way for no logical reason whatsoever... It is not logical to 'build in' the engines, as it makes access and servicing difficult - therefore they do it. The same principle dictated the design and construction of our steamers!
Quote from: "nickcalne"The same principle dictated the design and construction of our steamers!
:ImaPoser
(http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs242.snc1/8930_137694316861_723571861_3139349_6442234_n.jpg)
Am I getting my threads confused? :icon_scratch
I was lucky enough to se XH558 at the bournemouth airshow recently. Awesome is the only word. See: http://www.vulcantothesky.org/ (http://www.vulcantothesky.org/)
If you want a good read try Vulcan 607 by Rowland White.
Boys own stuff about the Vulcan raid on the Falklands
Quote from: "Sin_Tiger"Quote from: "John Stenhouse"Also had the worst glide angle short of a brick, great plane though, there's a guy in South Africa who will take you up in one if you have the money.
Not surprising with those stubby wings, makes me think of a jet propelled penguin. I saw a program on Discovery with Martin Shaw with a lightning, remember something about having to be specifically qualified on it.
Don't get me started, Vulcan, the sexiest looking bomber ever :shock:
Now you're talking, I'm welling up....
As a young lad of 16 I was on an Air Cadet summer camp at RAF Wattisham in Suffolk. As I lay on the grass on a warm summer evening watching a pair of Lightnings light the afterburners, accelerate down the runway, lift, select wheels up and climb vertically with a tremendous roar into the night sky, I knew the RAF was for me. It was an awesome sight.
Rapid forward through seeing Jaguar into service, Lightning retire, Vulcan retire, Shackleton retire, Buccaneer (now that was a brick outhouse of an airplane) retire, Phantom retire, Tornado into service, Victor retire, Canberra retire, Typhoon into service and Jaguar retire, it's time for me to retire. 35 yrs, man and boy, I've enjoyed every second of it, and wouldn't have changed a thing. I served in 7 different countries ( 8 if you include St Athan in South Wales ). I'm a very, very lucky man!!!
I am envious :cry: I tried out for the RAF before leaving school and they told me they wouldn't take me as my accent was too thick to be understood over the radio. This was in the days before "cultural social inclusion" and other namby new labour psychobabble.
My mother promptly sent both self & sister to "electrocution" lessons as she called them. Now after 30 over years at sea in more countries than I care to remember, most people, besides other Jocks, have trouble placing my accent, :irony: .
Shackeltons! Tear wells in glass eye and retires to dig out 1969 (pre decimal) copy of the "Valiant" annual amongst some dusty moth eaten copies of "Commando" weekly.
oooow we've got an aeroplane thread..! 8)
heres a pic of a visit to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby on a wet Sunday morning by my local branch of the TOMC .. bit of a busmans holiday as I work on base, but nice to get a pic of the TBS in front of the Lancaster.. :lol:
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a119/GUZZINEIL/TRUMPET/BBMF/cb973ab0.jpg)
The front tyre on that is huge and I'm not talking about the Lancaster either.
I used to travel to Louth regularly for my Land Rover bits and stopped for a puff in a layby near the Linconshire showground just in time to watch the Red Arrows do practice right over my head.
One of those moments you couldn't plan, beautiful clear sunny spring day, Rangie full of "bits" for the run home and getting a free show :D
I've always thought both my 96 Sprint -- and to a lesser degree the Tiger of the same year -- have the look of WWII fighter planes like these. Last summer while riding through an area of I80 in Wyoming on the Sprint during a pounding thunderstorm (which I later found out had several tornado touchdowns :shock: ) I pulled into a campground and called it a day. Next morning I look over at the green monster with all its dirty streaks across the pipes, fairing and engine she looked like she'd been through the Battle of Britain.
Now the bikes all look so faceted, like Transformers toys. Nothing against the Roadies: I've not ridden one, but I've ridden the new Sprint ST and I must say it's better engineered in many ways than my old Sprint. But the look just doesn't grab me.
Quote from: "Colonel Nikolai"-- have the look of WWII fighter planes like these. with all its dirty streaks across the pipes, fairing and engine she looked like she'd been through the Battle of Britain.
That's an excellent description / analogy, I can picture it mentally, dead right. I'm going to spray paint some oil streaks down the sides of the Roadie when I get home :lol: but as you say with the angular looks it'll probably come out looking like a well worn Star Wars fighter. The Vara on the other hand looks like a Klingon Battle cruiser nomatter what I do to it :roll:
Sin_Tiger, right like the Millenium Falcon! I think I was channeling Han Solo when I put the Sprint away this year (first time storing it offsite) "I dunno Chewy, I got a bad feeling about this... like I might never see her again or something."