Random aviation photos

a reply to: waynos

Apparently they've been rotating UK Hercs through a tiny airport in California for para training. This is just the latest. It's pretty, I like the scheme on it.

QRA Scramble from RAF Coningsby in 2017. The Typhoon on the left is ZK349 wich was repainted in the 1940 paint scheme of Fl Lt Nicholson's Hawker Hurricane. He was the only RAF VC winner in the Battle of Britain.

a reply to: Zaphod58

It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the RAF operating the Hercules, just in case you were wondering.

a reply to: waynos
Wasn't this at RIAT last year or the year before. I swear I have a pic of loads of statics lined up and this herc with its painted tail is in it. I would look through my pics but since I've moved I've still got no internet and no lap top. Hoping to have that sorted before RIAT this year

a reply to: ThePeaceMaker

Yes, I believe it was at RIAT

a reply to: waynos

It's hard to believe they've been around that long. Hell of an airplane.

I've always loved the Herc since seeing it as a kid at airshows, something you don't tend to see any more I recall a part of the display was the herc flying a high approach to the runway then all of a sudden nose dived at the last minute to make a landing. I think it was at waddingnton one year a herc done exactly that but a part of it display it would land, come quickly to a halt the ramp opened and out drove two jeeps and a few troops mocking some sort of attack. It amazed me as a kid the quickness it slowed down. After the jeeps were deployed the herc then proceeded to back up before taking to the air again. Then the C-17 arrived then that became my favourite transporter. Second place was the C-141 Starlifter loved seeing those at Mildenhall

a reply to: ThePeaceMaker

Back in the days of MAC, before the current AMC was created, they had two C-141A models left in the Air Force, and one with NASA. They still had the original length fuselage, and no in flight refueling capability. One was a general "we're keeping it around for the occasional test, but mostly because we're nostalgic for the A model". The second had a VIP cabin in the back and was used to transport the MAC commander around.

The NASA bird had an impressively sized IR telescope mounted in it.

a reply to: Zaphod58

red flag 01-03 c-141

red flag 01-03 c-141

Photos from the Power Line Overlook.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: waynos

Apparently they've been rotating UK Hercs through a tiny airport in California for para training. This is just the latest. It's pretty, I like the scheme on it.

Yeah, the jump school is out at YPG. Didn't we talk about this in another thread semi-recently? Haha

a reply to: RadioRobert

That was when the first one was spotted. They've rotated at least three through there now, including this one.

Was at the rest area outside Edwards today, and saw a retro white T-38 doing pattern work. Old school USAF and stars and bars on the wings. I think I got a couple good shots of him in a knife edge pass going by the rest area.

Got a Japanese Osprey on its first flight yesterday in Amarillo too. Will post them when I can get the laptop online.

a reply to: Woody510

Nice image. I love Hanger 7 art. It must have been a pain in the back side for any pilot to do this for real, pushing their spitfires or Mosquito to the limit to get wingtip to wing tip of a V-1 going 400+mph in thick air, all while under a time restrain to get it to crash before it reaches it's target and not crashing along with it.

a reply to: Sammamishman

Thanks mate I came across it on twitter before so thought I'd share it on here. Some of the stories you read about from pilots in Ww2 are just amazing and really makes you realise just how big their balls were. I got to meet George Johnson last year the last surviving Dambuster didn't really know what to say to him other than just be in awe of his service for the country.

a reply to: Woody510

They absolutely deserve the "strongest generation" moniker. My Grandfather was an engine mechanic on a PT boat in the Pacific, then became a ferry captain for a prison boat here in WA state and he lived up to that.

a reply to: Sammamishman

My Grandad was I the Navy on a minesweeper but he never really spoke it about and I never pushed him to either. My Grans house when she was in Liverpool got bombed. She said they'd routinely wake up in the shelter with water up to their knees. She was evacuated shortly afterwards to Wales.
Her father was also in the merchant navy and was on two ships that got torpedoed but luckily managed to survive.

a reply to: Sammamishman


Sorry its not really related but if you get a chance I highly recommend this documentary.

Just thought I would join in with this image of a A-4M. I had just read the story about the marine lance corp. mechanic who took an skyhawk on a joyride after hearing he would never be ever to fly again because of a health issue he developed. The story really resonated with me because I suffered a rare disease in my teens keeping me from ever flying.

sauce

....In the early morning hours on July 4th, 1986, 21-year-old Lance Corporal Howard A. Foote Jr. climbed a ladder leading into the cockpit of an A-4M Skyhawk. He started the jet up, taxied to one of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro’s runways—which was unlit at the time—and pushed the throttles forward. Moments later, the Lance Corporal would realize his dream to fly a tactical military jet, albeit just once and illegally.

As news reports at the time recount, Foote flew out toward San Clemente Island, executing loops, rolls and high-speed maneuvers before turning back to MCAS El Toro after about 45 minutes to attempt a landing. This time, the runways were all very well lit and the base was buzzing with activity due to his “borrowing” of the jet.

After several landing attempts, the Skyhawk maintainer put the A-4M down safely and was quickly detained after exiting the cockpit.

There was little doubt that the whole stunt was extremely dangerous, but it was also an amazing accomplishment although Foote was no novice to flying. He was an accomplished glider pilot who set world records at a very young age.

Just months prior to his Skyhawk caper, he tried to set a glider altitude record that resulted in an aerial embolism. Due to the nature of this injury, he was told he would never be able to fly for the military. The news crushed him, so he became a fast-jet pilot on his own terms just days later....

a reply to: spctr

We had an A-4 land in Honolulu, coming out of Korea, gear up. Slid in on all three externals, barely touched the aircraft on the runway. They jacked it up and towed it back to Hickam. A couple days later after they cleaned up the tanks, they pinned the gear, and flew it to Kaneohe, to let them look at it, since the Marine unit there was an A-4 unit.

They took a good two days going over it, swinging the landing gear, and couldn't find anything that would have kept the gear from dropping. About that time, the guys interviewing the pilot came back and said he told them that he had landed in Korea the week before or so, and the nose gear collapsed. When they got to Honolulu, he was afraid it would happen again, so he didn't even try to put the gear down.