Military Aircraft: airshows, operational, whatever, lets see what you have!

[Coldhands]

Last month was the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, in England. I went for the first day, and although the weather wasn't ideal, I managed to come a way with some decent shots. Thought I'd share a few of them here.
High Alpha by Colin Whittaker, on Flickr
Untitled by Colin Whittaker, on Flickr
The Spirit of Great Britain by Colin Whittaker, on Flickr
Untitled by Colin Whittaker, on Flickr

 

[Click]

Last month was the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, in England. I went for the first day, and although the weather wasn't ideal, I managed to come a way with some decent shots. Thought I'd share a few of them here.

Great series. I especially like the first picture. Well done Coldhands.

 

[dhr90]

This isn't my video, but I thought some of you would appreciate the content! If this is an annual event, it will be on my bucket list of airshows just to watch, let alone shoot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bEiW_L1Jg

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Folks.
I just wanted to give my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives in the tragedies connected with air shows this weekend, possibly eleven at the Shoreham Airshow accident where a Hawker Hunter crashed on a busy road, and at least one somewhere in Switzerland.
Having just enjoyed a fabulous Airshow at Bournemouth it kind of brings home the risk the pilots take to bring enjoyment and awareness of our aviation history to us.
Thanks guys.

Cheers, Graham.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi dhr90.
Hells bells, some of those look like they would have been higher if they'd had their undercarriage down

Cheers, Graham.

This isn't my video, but I thought some of you would appreciate the content! If this is an annual event, it will be on my bucket list of airshows just to watch, let alone shoot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-bEiW_L1Jg

 

[dhr90]

Hi Folks.
I just wanted to give my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives in the tragedies connected with air shows this weekend, possibly eleven at the Shoreham Airshow accident where a Hawker Hunter crashed on a busy road, and at least one somewhere in Switzerland.
Having just enjoyed a fabulous Airshow at Bournemouth it kind of brings home the risk the pilots take to bring enjoyment and awareness of our aviation history to us.
Thanks guys.

Cheers, Graham.

Terrible weekend for it. Condolences to anyone effected by the events of the weekend.

How was the airshow? I hoped to get along to it, sadly though my niece wouldn't play ball and was born 4 days early rather than a week late so I was in the area 10 days ago instead. Hope you'll be posting many shots of the Vulcan, Spitfires and the night display too!

 

[zim]

Hi Folks.
I just wanted to give my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives in the tragedies connected with air shows this weekend, possibly eleven at the Shoreham Airshow accident where a Hawker Hunter crashed on a busy road, and at least one somewhere in Switzerland.
Having just enjoyed a fabulous Airshow at Bournemouth it kind of brings home the risk the pilots take to bring enjoyment and awareness of our aviation history to us.
Thanks guys.

Cheers, Graham.

Indeed, well said.

 

[bluemoon]

D-Day reenactment in Conneaut, OH yesterday.


pierre

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi dhr90.
Congratulations on a new niece, commiserations on being in Bournemouth 10 days early for the Airshow for the foreseeable future (about the next 18 yrs)!
The show was great, the weather played ball pretty well, staying dry just the right times, did rain quite hard but mostly during the break between day and evening, I'm sure a lot of people got (very) wet, but at least the flying was only cancelled on the Thursday.
Yes hope to find a few shots of some of the aircraft, after last year (my shots were not very good) I decided not to carry a camera to night air, if you want to know what this year looked like see the pics of last year! Veeerrrry similar!
I know, I should have taken the camera for the practice!

Cheers, Graham.

Hi Folks.
I just wanted to give my sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives in the tragedies connected with air shows this weekend, possibly eleven at the Shoreham Airshow accident where a Hawker Hunter crashed on a busy road, and at least one somewhere in Switzerland.
Having just enjoyed a fabulous Airshow at Bournemouth it kind of brings home the risk the pilots take to bring enjoyment and awareness of our aviation history to us.
Thanks guys.

Cheers, Graham.

Terrible weekend for it. Condolences to anyone effected by the events of the weekend.

How was the airshow? I hoped to get along to it, sadly though my niece wouldn't play ball and was born 4 days early rather than a week late so I was in the area 10 days ago instead. Hope you'll be posting many shots of the Vulcan, Spitfires and the night display too!

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Pierre.
Great shot, beautiful pair of Mustangs.

Cheers, Graham.

D-Day reenactment in Conneaut, OH yesterday.

pierre

 

[Click]

D-Day reenactment in Conneaut, OH yesterday.


pierre

Very nice shot, Pierre. Well done.

 

[dhr90]

D-Day reenactment in Conneaut, OH yesterday.


pierre

Excellent shot!

Hi dhr90.
Congratulations on a new niece, commiserations on being in Bournemouth 10 days early for the Airshow for the foreseeable future (about the next 18 yrs)!
The show was great, the weather played ball pretty well, staying dry just the right times, did rain quite hard but mostly during the break between day and evening, I'm sure a lot of people got (very) wet, but at least the flying was only cancelled on the Thursday.
Yes hope to find a few shots of some of the aircraft, after last year (my shots were not very good) I decided not to carry a camera to night air, if you want to know what this year looked like see the pics of last year! Veeerrrry similar!
I know, I should have taken the camera for the practice!

Cheers, Graham.

Thanks! I may have to make a long holiday of it one year to get both in. She has made me want a nice prime lens now.

Looks like it was a good display from the pictures I've seen on flickr. I'll be going to Clacton airshow this week, to drown looking at the weather forecast :-\ It'll be worth it so long as the Vulcan appears.

I guess if a day is cancelled due to weather its unlikely to be reorganised for the next couple of weeks?

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi dhr90.
I sincerely hope the restrictions on historic jets imposed today by the CAA don't affect the Vulcan, in so much as her routine is not what I would call aerobatic, but is somewhat more than a fly by display which is the limit they are imposing. It will be such a shame if her last few displays of her last flying season are curtailed by what would appear to be a knee jerk reaction to the events of the weekend.

Cheers, Graham.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Folks.
The first few of mine from the Bournemouth Air Festival, the Chinook, these guys flew this thing like a child flies a toy around the living room, by which I mean well outside of the normal flight envelope!
I have more to follow, and I'm being quite disciplined at the moment and going through and selecting some to PP straight away. This years shots will be done long before last years! I was also quite disciplined on the shutter button too, only 1500 shots over 3 days as opposed to 3000+ over 2 days last year. ;D
Hope you guys enjoy these as much as I've enjoyed all that are posted here by others.

IMG_5708_DxO by Graham Stretch, on Flickr

IMG_5709_DxO by Graham Stretch, on Flickr

IMG_5711_DxO by Graham Stretch, on Flickr

IMG_5717_DxO by Graham Stretch, on Flickr

Cheers, Graham.

 

[Click]

Hi Folks.
The first few of mine from the Bournemouth Air Festival, the Chinook, these guys flew this thing like a child flies a toy around the living room, by which I mean well outside of the normal flight envelope!
I have more to follow, and I'm being quite disciplined at the moment and going through and selecting some to PP straight away. This years shots will be done long before last years! I was also quite disciplined on the shutter button too, only 1500 shots over 3 days as opposed to 3000+ over 2 days last year. ;D
Hope you guys enjoy these as much as I've enjoyed all that are posted here by others.

Cheers, Graham.

Hello Graham,

Very nice series. I really like the 2nd picture. Well done Graham.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Click.
Thank you for your kind comment, I was amazed how well the tip vortices showed up, and how long they lingered.

Cheers, Graham.

 

[dhr90]

Hi dhr90.
I sincerely hope the restrictions on historic jets imposed today by the CAA don't affect the Vulcan, in so much as her routine is not what I would call aerobatic, but is somewhat more than a fly by display which is the limit they are imposing. It will be such a shame if her last few displays of her last flying season are curtailed by what would appear to be a knee jerk reaction to the events of the weekend.

Cheers, Graham.

I was thinking that today. Would a climbing turn (quite steep) be called aerobatic? Fortunately for me the display line for Clacton is over the sea so no restrictions on its display. I'm in two minds as to whether it is a knee jerk reaction, if it is temporary until the cause of the crash is known, then I think it is a somewhat reasonable restriction to be in place. Not at all surprised at the grounding of the other Hunter aircraft.

Does anyone know what the definition of a vintage jet is? Is it just the age? Is there a list of jets by the CAA containing vintage jets? I wonder what else might be restricted by this rule. A Mig 15 is listed on the display, very excited for that! Will be my first time seeing one fly.

Nice shots of the chinook, did it do a full loop the loop? Wasn't aware it could do that...

 

[Hesbehindyou]

Hi dhr90.
I sincerely hope the restrictions on historic jets imposed today by the CAA don't affect the Vulcan, in so much as her routine is not what I would call aerobatic, but is somewhat more than a fly by display which is the limit they are imposing. It will be such a shame if her last few displays of her last flying season are curtailed by what would appear to be a knee jerk reaction to the events of the weekend.

Cheers, Graham.

The Vulcan to the Sky peeps are saying their display will be unaffected. From their newsletter:

"Following last Saturday’s tragic accident at the Shoreham Airshow, our thoughts are foremost and uppermost with all those affected by the accident, their families and friends.

As investigations into the cause of the Hawker Hunter accident commence, the extent of the incident has made national and international headlines. The details have been a great shock to all.

Despite a previously excellent safety record, due in great part to a world-leading safety culture, it’s already clear that there will be some significant changes to the way airshows will be run in future.

Yesterday, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which regulates UK airspace and its users, imposed, with immediate effect, certain restrictions on displays by vintage jet aircraft at all airshows over land. High-energy aerobatics are, for the time being, no longer permitted.

Operations Director and Chief Pilot of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, Martin Withers, has spoken to his contacts at the CAA, and has released this statement:

“I am pleased to report that I have received assurances from our contacts at the CAA that XH558's 2015 display routine is not classified as aerobatic, and so consequently, we are hoping to continue to fly on through XH558's last season with minimal changes to our display.”

XH558’s next scheduled display appearance remains unaffected at Clacton Airshow this coming Thursday."

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi dhr90.
The MiG 15 is quite special, a real treat to see. Just occured to me we watched the MiG 15 which first flew in 1949 from a steam driven boat, the Shieldhall, built in 1955 with two triple expansion engines, what a juxtaposition of the old and the new.
No the Chinook did not do a full loop, as far as I know there are only two choppers capable of that, the Westland Lynx which entered service in 1978, and one American attack chopper of much newer design, can't find its name, might be the Cobra? The Chinook went to about a verticle attitude as far as I recall.

Cheers, Graham.

Hi dhr90.
I sincerely hope the restrictions on historic jets imposed today by the CAA don't affect the Vulcan, in so much as her routine is not what I would call aerobatic, but is somewhat more than a fly by display which is the limit they are imposing. It will be such a shame if her last few displays of her last flying season are curtailed by what would appear to be a knee jerk reaction to the events of the weekend.

Cheers, Graham.

I was thinking that today. Would a climbing turn (quite steep) be called aerobatic? Fortunately for me the display line for Clacton is over the sea so no restrictions on its display. I'm in two minds as to whether it is a knee jerk reaction, if it is temporary until the cause of the crash is known, then I think it is a somewhat reasonable restriction to be in place. Not at all surprised at the grounding of the other Hunter aircraft.

Does anyone know what the definition of a vintage jet is? Is it just the age? Is there a list of jets by the CAA containing vintage jets? I wonder what else might be restricted by this rule. A Mig 15 is listed on the display, very excited for that! Will be my first time seeing one fly.

Nice shots of the chinook, did it do a full loop the loop? Wasn't aware it could do that...

 

[dhr90]

Hi dhr90.
I sincerely hope the restrictions on historic jets imposed today by the CAA don't affect the Vulcan, in so much as her routine is not what I would call aerobatic, but is somewhat more than a fly by display which is the limit they are imposing. It will be such a shame if her last few displays of her last flying season are curtailed by what would appear to be a knee jerk reaction to the events of the weekend.

Cheers, Graham.

The Vulcan to the Sky peeps are saying their display will be unaffected. From their newsletter:

"Following last Saturday’s tragic accident at the Shoreham Airshow, our thoughts are foremost and uppermost with all those affected by the accident, their families and friends.

As investigations into the cause of the Hawker Hunter accident commence, the extent of the incident has made national and international headlines. The details have been a great shock to all.

Despite a previously excellent safety record, due in great part to a world-leading safety culture, it’s already clear that there will be some significant changes to the way airshows will be run in future.

Yesterday, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which regulates UK airspace and its users, imposed, with immediate effect, certain restrictions on displays by vintage jet aircraft at all airshows over land. High-energy aerobatics are, for the time being, no longer permitted.

Operations Director and Chief Pilot of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust, Martin Withers, has spoken to his contacts at the CAA, and has released this statement:

“I am pleased to report that I have received assurances from our contacts at the CAA that XH558's 2015 display routine is not classified as aerobatic, and so consequently, we are hoping to continue to fly on through XH558's last season with minimal changes to our display.”

XH558’s next scheduled display appearance remains unaffected at Clacton Airshow this coming Thursday."

Interesting. Thanks!

Hi dhr90.
The MiG 15 is quite special, a real treat to see. Just occured to me we watched the MiG 15 which first flew in 1949 from a steam driven boat, the Shieldhall, built in 1955 with two triple expansion engines, what a juxtaposition of the old and the new.
No the Chinook did not do a full loop, as far as I know there are only two choppers capable of that, the Westland Lynx which entered service in 1978, and one American attack chopper of much newer design, can't find its name, might be the Cobra? The Chinook went to about a verticle attitude as far as I recall.

Cheers, Graham.

Good to know it will be a special thing to see. Envious of that, lived about 60 seconds walk from where the Shieldhall was docked for a year at university, never got round to going to have a look sadly. Hoping to get some good photos tomorrow, I expect my panning won't be up to scratch, my excuses in advance will blame the weather, the sea and a gull