Falklands 25th Flypast

Err, can I be the one to put my head above the parapet to ask the obvious question?

How come a single engined military fighter maintained and flown regularly in active service might be considered less safe than a four engined aircraft which has not flown since 1993 and, with less than three months to go to the flypast, has not made it into the air yet?

i’ve no axe to grind either way, but it just seems curious to me.

Basically no matter how many engines you have all flights have to conform to the Rules of the Air regulations 1991. Unless given an exemption like those given to Police flights

Rule 5 govens height restictions and this says that you must be able to alight clear of congested areas ,city ,town or settlement in the event of a power unit failure. So to answer your question a SHAR losing an engine stands less chance of complying with these rules of the air than say a C130

According to the website they wont gurantee any air show appearnaces for 558 as she has not yet flown (which makes sense), and they dont want to rush her testing programme for the same reason.

All i can say i patience is a virtue (until a vulcan is involved), as someone who remembers the vulcan in its natural habitat i am willing to wait, and if she misses the falklands flypast it is a shame but if she is not 100% ready i would rather she misses it than anything happen due to it been rushed to please the punters (yes we have all contributed to getting her back where she belongs but i would rather have her flying for years than days).

curlyboy

On the subject of the Vulcan, I note that it’s down as a ‘TBC’ on the online Yeovilton Air Day participants list, for 7th July; if they miss the Falklands date, I wonder if they’ll make some later dates this year?

sheep v penguins

if i remember right theres a sheep on the falklands flag

mind in the play an ungentlmanly act the penguins gave the marines a run for their money marching.

well hissy fit over

gonna visit sunderland aircraft tip tomorrow see in the vulcan is still rusting and the pukara is still there

vixen

I might be a little ‘out of the picture’ here, But isn’t Bravo November still serving in Afgahnistan?

Yes she is still in Afghanistan, and she would have to be flown back to blighty then sent straight back as has been said the chinooks are worth their weight in gold (still).

And i dont think you can get a chinook in a C17 ? and hiring a AN124 for the job would be very costly.

So we have to resign ourselves to the fact that no aircraft in the flypast will have taken part in the war 😡 , or is this another excuse for the RAF to fly over London a great sight no doubt but without any type that took part in the war (like the vulcan) what is the point ?

Maybe they could just do a missing man with the red arrows for the vets and leave it at that as it is really their day more than anything else.

curlyboy

Hey Vixen,

Well as far as Im concerned you have earned the right to throw a wobbly. As a Squaddie Brat, you have my thanks, and as far as Im concerned, you rant away to your hearts content.

Bex

P.S: I thought the Penquins outnumbered the Sheep on the Falklands? :diablo:

flypast fury

Well I didnt get an invite to the big flypast or the the marching Ill be a quiet member of the public (now) watching all my friends fly by,
A long time ago I was in the RAF funny 25 yrs actually on a lil island in
the South Atlantic called Ascension, and I looked after aircraft from the Navy and RAF and how id like to see them in the sky again,

Hope fully 558 will be there if not they should hang their heads in shame the powers that be shes a beautiful lady.

And we should have some sort of Harrier there even if just painted for the day in the old school colours.

I lost friends both human and machine in that fiasco, long live the Falklnnds and the sheep who live on her.

Sorry for the flipancy but its the way I feel.

Vixen

Just wanted to say thank you for risking your life for Queen and Country.

Seconded.

Well said.

Moggy

Does anyone know what plans there are to celebrate the anniversary in the Falklands themselves? I heard recently that Typhoon’s will be sent down there soon to relieve the good old hard working Torndao F.3’s of 1435 Flt.

Have a look at this Falklands25 site, it updates fairly regularly:
http://www.falklands25.com/

I might be a little ‘out of the picture’ here, But isn’t Bravo November still serving in Afgahnistan?

Dunno about Harriers but the 558 crew are working hard to ensure she is right up there with the rest, And to prove it they have just upped the stakes by starting what will be a nine man night shift over the next two weeks or so to complete the corrosion repairs, undercarriage bay rebuilds and fuel line installations.

I’m going to be proudly marching that day, hopefully with a couple of thousand of other blokes who took part in liberating the Falkland Islands from the Argentine invader. I say ‘proudly’ because I am bloody proud of the fact we that we did our duty and did it well.

I will not react adversely to some of the ‘bizarre’ comments I have read here.

Regards.

A proud sailor of the South Atlantic Task Force 1982.

Just wanted to say thank you for risking your life for Queen and Country. This will truely be a time to honour those that will never return and a flypast over London in memory of the whole campaign is a fitting tribute.

Of course it will be great if the Vulcan does make it but with so many ‘kills’ being made by Sea Harrier’s, lets keep our fingers crossed that some of the spiritual successors to the SHAR FRS.1 – the Joint Force Harrier GR.9’s of No.800 Sqn, are allowed to fly ‘up’ the mail!!!!!

Does anyone know what plans there are to celebrate the anniversary in the Falklands themselves? I heard recently that Typhoon’s will be sent down there soon to relieve the good old hard working Torndao F.3’s of 1435 Flt.

The point I was making about a travelling exhibition would allow more of the general public to attend such events, not every body can get to Yeovilton or Duxford. Also why limit attendance to avitaion events? My local County Show attracts 10’s thousands people and these shows take place thorough the summer months, if a venue can provide the space why not use it.

No reason, apart from those you have already mentioned. To transport a Sea Harrier by road you would need to remove the (one-piece) wing so I cannot imagine that it would be very cost-effective and as you’ve said that’s what really matters.

Sadly the appearance of Chinook Bravo November is highly unlikely due to the high utilization of British equipment and the time and cost of transport back to UK.

Apparently Chinook ZA718 ‘Bravo November’ was at the Southend Airshow in May 2006 so she could still be in the UK.

ROFL Cypherus :diablo: Bex

The executive hereby and for always to be address as ‘The H & S’ after due deliberation, several meetings and a Pork pie feels that it is required to make a statement regarding the proposed but not yet agreed too celebrations, such statement should in no regard be taken as an agreement or understanding of an agreement, in fact or otherwise that may be construed to be an agreement other than the Pork Pie was stale.

The Statement.

All devices, whether powered by single or multiple power plants, will without the constant support of the medium know to all as Terra Firma, eventually return to said terra firma no matter how much maintenance, money and luck are applied to them, However it is the manner of that return that is uppermost in the minds of the H & S appointed wooden top brigade who state with conviction that said devices must arrive back on Terra firma at a point of their choosing and no other, any deviation from this edict will be regarded with grave suspicion and a very long winded and costly worded letter will be drafted too suitably admonish the drivers of the infringing devices for there total disrespect being paid to the office of the H & S by not arriving at the designated point on Terra Firma as dictated by the H & S. Such disrespect will be regarded as a Crash, while exhibiting respect for the H & S will of course earn the award of a Landing, it is hoped that all drivers of devices employed will strive to earn the award of Landing however it is also hoped that the drivers will not abuse this award and commit too many landings as the costs involved in awarding these awards may result in the H & S considering that a Crash is more cost effective than an award for Landing.

This statement is to be included in an as not yet agreed document which when agreed will constitute the rules in regard to the ‘Driving of Pork pies over urban areas’

Issued from the back office of the establishment hereby known as the H & S.

In 1986, a BBMF Spitfire Mk.XIX (or 19, if you prefer) was ‘allowed’ to fly up the Thames as this was an emergency landing zone… :rolleyes: The ‘rules’ may have changed since then, and civil and military operated aircraft, plus the pilot’s brief are, I suspect, all factors. Of course rules are made, bent and broken irrespective of real risk or sense, by those with that power…

Just about the entire BBMF was low over Buck House for the 50th BoB anniversary in 1990, including group of fighters in a gaggle -and one went round twice.

Griffiths911, Thanks for the Wessex Porn!

Bex, The Uraguyan Air Force fly a couple of HC2s, mainly on forest Fire-fighting. Tim Manna (Kennet) looked into restoring one, but the supply of Gnomes has all but dried up after the Dutch propensity for strapping 4 on a Tractor and pulling large concrete blocks through mud in some strange/mad sport:eek:

‘seaking 93. I am not surprized to hear that Yeovilton Museum has a Falklands display. But I am going to guess that the relavant aircraft are going to be well hidden behind the ‘information panels’ Yeovilton, like most museums, has many large exhibits which simply can not be appreciated in door ,let alone photographed’

Actually all the aircraft in the exhibition are positioned so that someone with a decent camera and who knows how to use it can get good images, just look at some of the photographs posted on UKAR etc from inside various museums recently to see what I mean.

RE: SE aircraft over London…
I saw a SE helicopter ( JetRanger) over the Houses of Parliment area during the Queen Mothers funeral event.
Special use permit for media or something?

In 1986, a BBMF Spitfire Mk.XIX (or 19, if you prefer) was ‘allowed’ to fly up the Thames as this was an emergency landing zone… :rolleyes: The ‘rules’ may have changed since then, and civil and military operated aircraft, plus the pilot’s brief are, I suspect, all factors. Of course rules are made, bent and broken irrespective of real risk or sense, by those with that power…

Err, can I be the one to put my head above the parapet to ask the obvious question?

How come a single engined military fighter maintained and flown regularly in active service might be considered less safe than a four engined aircraft which has not flown since 1993 and, with less than three months to go to the flypast, has not made it into the air yet?

i’ve no axe to grind either way, but it just seems curious to me.