Leuchars 2011

Thanks Redsfan; and Jay, you tell it like it is. One more crack at it then down comes the curtain for good. I will miss it, even with the crap weather.

Brilliant pics… shame the weather was so awful though!

Thanks Anna.

Nice shots.

My sad sentiments too – maybe it will be a big send off though

Hi Der – my sad sentiments too – maybe it will be a big send off though and they may ceremonially stand up the new Squadron/s of Typhoons as they did last year with GR3/4 transition to 6 Sqn of Typhoons.

I take my own rolls and baguettes (£10 total worth of M&S ham, cheese, cocktail sausies, fruit bread and fruit – along with flavoured water) – it keeps my budget happy but I was tempted to have a Wild Boar burger:) and an ice cream which I did.

I noticed that the traffic flow was looking great as I walked to and back but wait for it. I normally am one of the last of the public to leave the site as I usually get chatting to the USAF crews and have had a deko inside the bomb bay of the B-52,etc and watch many of the departures. Then I walk up to the station and with a few people get a train sometimes even as late as 7/8 pm.
This time because the show seemed to end early I left around 5.30 pm. Oh wow did I not have a one hour stand in the three channel queues (they’d split up direct to Edinburgh & Haymarket train commuters from local Fife and those going Dundee and further) – it worked but boy since I did not want a repeat of last years drenching I took my wellies in my rucksack and sacrificed my collapsible stool. Usually as I finish my munchies the rucksack gets lighter – not this time the wellies couldn’t get lighter could they and I did not need them so didn’t want to seem a wally by wearing them.Too dear to discard. I had a 1 hour stand in one spot in the queue until we got the train at approx. 6.45 pm but it got me straight to Waverley only stopping at Haymarket and I was home by just after 8 pm.

Happy:) (no rain and I could have been happier:D) but exhausted yes as I left home at 6 am to get the 7 am train and only sat an hour each way on the train. Wellie boot fatigue. As the Big Yin would sing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SguYlpm3ffQ

Glad you liked em Jay and thanks for your full run down of the day. We were in the grandstand, coming out from under cover just in timje to get comprehensively soaked going for a burger! Its always a challenge getting the exposure and focusing to work just right at Leuchars shooting against the light. Had a great day, the traffic management worked great for us using park and ride. Shame we will only get one more chance at this.

Hi Der – Thanks for the pics – I was there 8 am to after 5.30 pm – albeit grey skies

Hi Der – Thanks for the pics – I was there 8 am to after 5.30 pm – grey background skies

I stayed 8 am to 5.30 pm and only got on train well after 6 pm.

The rain was off and on and although compared to last year when rain was torrential it was actually lighter over the airfield this year.

The surrounding skies though were grey and your pics show it. Thanks 🙂

I may get none as my battery pack had got wet and I still have to try later today.

What I did do was capture aircraft registrations though as overall the static displays were down (USAF contingent – no B-52, F-16, KC10) – may be good reasons for it currently in press.

Bad weather on no bad weather the SE5 amazingly arrived did a great display:) and left which was in contrast to many other more modern aircraft from England which simply did not make it.

The Vulcan although unlike usual did not land and take off – which thrills the crowd (those 4 Olympus engines) but displayed in grey skies very comprehensively including as usual bomb bay open.:)

The Blades and RV8tors did well and so did the Pitts (owned and flown by RAF GR3 converting to GR4 pilot – great guy, great display – Thks Flt. Lt Pargeter)

The two F-16 solos of RNLAF AM Tobias “Hitec” Shutte and Belgian MLU Michel Beulen were as usual fantastic. Got their signatures as usual.

The two Vampires (Norwegian Historic Flight) were also superb in very heavy rain.

The Catalina was quite at home in the rain.

The local Tornados (Lossie) and Typhoons (5 Sqn) flew safely as it was getting drier by then.

The Alphas of the Patrouille De France were good in their own unique way.:)

Sadly missed due to bad weather in England were the BBMF, Breitling wing walkers, Falcons Parachute display team.

For me the outstanding displays were –
– from the lousiest skies surrounding came Neil Geddes in the SE5a displayed fully and went back.:) It simply shows that ‘stringbags’ flying low seem safe (apart from pilot being wet) in very bad weather and it was a great tribute to the reality of the Great War
– Solo Jules Flemming in the Hawk T1 208 Sqn Valley (Anglesey) – great and she was so pleasant to talk to 🙂 when I got her signature and was disappointed that her display was shortened due to safe recovery of the Reds. Jules sat with her engine running along with all the 10 Alphas with their engines running right in front of me at right angles on the holding area beside the runway waiting patiently for the safe recovery of the Reds.
– The Reds albeit delayed arrival and eventually did not stay overnight (left after 6.45 pm as reported by a fellow passenger as we boarded the train – but not physically seen by me). This was disappointing as it was announced they would be at the “Meet the Pilots” desk after their display.
Their display was as usual superb and I was so pleased to hear the crackle over the announcement (with the commentator confirming) that Red 5 Kirsty Moore gave a exclamation of joy on the RT to her leader when she completed one of the most difficult roll manoeuvres. Good for you Kirsty (along with Jules you are flying a proud flag for women fliers in the RAF and in your case a very proud flag for your previous aeronautics degree earned at Imperial College London).:D

For me with real tears in my eyes (not ashamed to say it – I have been a pilot) was the safe recovery of the Reds following display and it was a recent reflection to the only currently publicly available video footage of the last few seconds of the “Eggman’s” (The late Flt. Lt Jon Egging) Red 4 at Bournemouth.
Someone whom I meet every year with no forward planning was asking if I had a clue what caused the recent tragedy and my only comment was “we may never know for sure as it is a MOD closed enquiry with no public obligations to disclose and I wasn’t willing to speculate, and only wished Jon ‘Blue Skies’ and his gracious wife Emma a psychological healing”.

Additional as reported by the Commentator who followed the French commentator during the Patrouille De France display was a thank you to the entire team at Patrouille De France for providing a very dignified fly past salute and tribute at the late Flt Lt Jon Eggings funeral during the weekend 3/4 September 2011. If this was the case a big thank you from me too as the close knit team spirit of display fliers lives on. They were a friendly crowd and the crews (pilot and mechanique) in the closest aircraft on the parking apron waved vigorously to all of us before they taxied off. Almost sad to leave.

IMO the Hawks appeared fine in the air and there was no fervent additional ground activity (on any) after they arrived and following display as I got as close as physically possible.

Thanks again Der for your pictures.:)

Thanks Portagee.

The weather was definitely worse than “iffy”

Nice catch with the “missile Launch”

I haven’t even had time to look at mine yet, but will get some on site later in the week.