The Warthogs are back.

I want Polish sausage and a Bud for breakfast please.

Then Geilenkirchen is the airshow for you! Mind you that the local Dutch whinos and German regulations prevent any flying, but apart from a great static (including old modern stuff, like Greek A-7s, a B-52, Turkish Phantoms, a Polish Su-22, and old old stuff like the RedBull DC-6 and B-25) there is the… euhhh… ‘cultural twist’. Imagine all fifteen membership nations to the NATO Awacs program presenting themselves to their best abilities: beer, booze and food! Dutch herring and beer, Belgian waffles and beer, Greek gyros and beer, Turkish candystuffs and beer, Canadian bisonburgers and beer, Irish beer and beer, Norwegian smoked salmon and beer, Danish sausages and aquavit and beer…

I definately won’t be the designated driver next time around, mind you 🙂

The aforementioned best shot of the day, as fixed by RobAnt. Many thanks to him.

Is that a step ladder I spy in shot 4?

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Moggy

It would appear so. Presumably the cleaners were doing the fence.

Is that a step ladder I spy in shot 4?

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

Moggy

Similarly, I have a fairly basic Fuji digi camera….I could have been the first with Lakenheath Hogs.

I’ve got a fairly basic Canon digi and got mixed results on Tuesday (26th) due to fairly horrible grey cloud cover. A nice man over in Photographic Tutorial is tarting up my best shot for me but here’s a few I managed to get in frame and in focus. Not pro quality but then I’m still at the stage of learning to hold the damn thing steady…

Other action on the day included arrival and departure of a C17, a KC135 on landing practice (4 passes) and the arrival, late in the afternoon, of two German tornados who did a nice two way split over the field before circling back to land.

Had a good day today, did a survey at Stortford then shot up to Lakenheath in search of Hogs, and did I find them. The viewing area was packed, then on cue, 4 taxied out and lined up against the fence, waiting to go. I walked up the track and got right behind them. 4 F-15’s then arrived low over the top and from behind and landed, then a pair landed together, most impressive. Suddenly 2 Hogs came in to land, one did, but the other decided to do a low flyby on our side of the fence at about 50ft, amazing.
We then had a very noisy paired take off and that was that, except that I went up to the Warren and watched 2 land, they taxied over to my side and a hoard of blokes descended on the cannon area of the a/c, presumably they had been firing off at Holbeach. They then taxied with open cockpits to the other side of the airfield.
Great stuff.
I then went to the Hall but apart from the usual tankers and one Herc, the place was empty, never seen it like that.
Couple of comments, the F-100 has dissapeared from it’s pole on the gate, where’s it gone.
I took some nice vid shots but can’t find the lead to put it on here. Similarly, I have a fairly basic Fuji digi camera, but whatever I do, I can’t download anything on here, shame, I could have been the first with Lakenheath Hogs.

The F-100 is currently in the paintshop.

Try using a free host for your pics like www.imageshack.us just click on browse find the pic you want (and be sure it is under 1.5mb) to host set the size to 640×480 and then click on the ‘host it’ button, when the pic has uploaded copy the text entitled ‘for forums number 1’ into your post on here and that is it just repeat as needed.

I gave up trying to put pictures on the forum by using its contols as it did not always work or the page crashed while i was waiting (note to mods i am not knocking the site it just does not always work and i have tried it on multiple computers).

So bring on your hawg piccys.

curlyboy

Had a good day today, did a survey at Stortford then shot up to Lakenheath in search of Hogs, and did I find them. The viewing area was packed, then on cue, 4 taxied out and lined up against the fence, waiting to go. I walked up the track and got right behind them. 4 F-15’s then arrived low over the top and from behind and landed, then a pair landed together, most impressive. Suddenly 2 Hogs came in to land, one did, but the other decided to do a low flyby on our side of the fence at about 50ft, amazing.
We then had a very noisy paired take off and that was that, except that I went up to the Warren and watched 2 land, they taxied over to my side and a hoard of blokes descended on the cannon area of the a/c, presumably they had been firing off at Holbeach. They then taxied with open cockpits to the other side of the airfield.
Great stuff.
I then went to the Hall but apart from the usual tankers and one Herc, the place was empty, never seen it like that.
Couple of comments, the F-100 has dissapeared from it’s pole on the gate, where’s it gone.
I took some nice vid shots but can’t find the lead to put it on here. Similarly, I have a fairly basic Fuji digi camera, but whatever I do, I can’t download anything on here, shame, I could have been the first with Lakenheath Hogs.

Would they know about the fishing boats?

Not Russian trawlers were they ?:D
Be lucky
David

I want Polish sausage and a Bud for breakfast please.

Pete, just be sure of your company before wishing for such things nowadays….some plumber friends of Dorothy could take it an entirely different way!:eek:

I remember getting into famillies day at Alconbury in 91, when all the Gulf War veteran A-10’s were on show. I was actually allowed to sit in the cockpit of the chiefs A-10, had more markings on the side than the Hendon Lancaster.
To finish off, I was given a full tour of the C-141, Galaxy, F111 Raven, and crawled into the back of a KC-135 and taught how to operate the refuelling boom.
Happy days, lighten up USAF, we are your pals, are’nt we?
I want Polish sausage and a Bud for breakfast please.

It was familes day for RAF Northolt and Uxbridge on Saturday. I was able to get ticket as my employers are a “corporate user” of the airport. Very interesting static line up, historic highlights were Martin Baker’s black Meteor T7 and a half, the DH Queen Bee, the AAC historic flight, and Hurricane PZ865 and Spitfire AB910 of BBMF. Also one of the resident Hawker 700’s of 32 Sqn, if you class that as historic – we do!

No real flying display apart from Belgian SAR Sea King doing a demo and the 146 doing pleasure flights (a remarkable thing in itself) with some interesting low approaches. BBMF departed just before 1500 and did couple of really great low passes before heading back to Connigsby.

Bit more relaxed than a civvy show, especially in crowd control. In fact people got worryingly close to the BBMF aircraft on start up.
V cheap beer as well! God bless the British taxpayer for subsidising this.

Believe all the aircraft moved out Monday morning as they weren’t accepting any civilian traffic until 1300 -unless you are Portuguese registered – allegedly!

Crikey…..MB Meatbox…….would have loved to have seen that going into and out of Northolt……..:D

Have fond memories of having my photo taken sitting on the wing of PZ865 at the RAF Northolt familes day way back in Sept 1980………:eek:

The A10 was definately still there when I drove past on Tuesday morning on my way to work, but was gone by the afternoon when I was on my way home…….perhaps the A10 driver was still in the bar on Monday……..:D

As for the A10 and historic……I was interested to see a while back that none other Hans Ulrich Rudel’s advise was taken during the design of the aircraft.

All we need now is a SR71 or two and we are back in the eighties 😮

And before anyone starts there is one at Duxford as well so if moggys A10 counts so does my SR71.

Still i used to see the A10’s about when i was a kid so maybe i will dust off my atari just in case.

curlyboy

Quite so, but the SR71 has been out of service for 10 years. The hog is still very much in service. I take on board entirely the reminiscing part and its relevance to the thread – I’ll let you off. They remind me of summer time in the Welsh marches and Lakes and Donna Nook range….aaahhh

All we need now is a SR71 or two and we are back in the eighties 😮

And before anyone starts there is one at Duxford as well so if moggys A10 counts so does my SR71.

Still i used to see the A10’s about when i was a kid so maybe i will dust off my atari just in case.

curlyboy

Does anyone know if they will be flying on a weekend??

It would be very unusual if they did.

Lakenheath mostly works office hours.

Moggy

I was thinking about this thread as I cycled this evening through the Norfolk lanes.

What really is historic about it is the stepping back in time to 15 years ago when the A10s were an everyday sight around here, now sadly they are not. (Well apart from the next five weeks that is) 🙂

Aah……….that explain’s the A-10 that’s sitting on the pan at RAF Northolt then when I drove past yesterday evening and again this morning………..:eek: 😉

I think it may have been familes day there on Saturday, but still a bit gobsmacked to see an A-10 there at the time………

It was familes day for RAF Northolt and Uxbridge on Saturday. I was able to get ticket as my employers are a “corporate user” of the airport. Very interesting static line up, historic highlights were Martin Baker’s black Meteor T7 and a half, the DH Queen Bee, the AAC historic flight, and Hurricane PZ865 and Spitfire AB910 of BBMF. Also one of the resident Hawker 700’s of 32 Sqn, if you class that as historic – we do!

No real flying display apart from Belgian SAR Sea King doing a demo and the 146 doing pleasure flights (a remarkable thing in itself) with some interesting low approaches. BBMF departed just before 1500 and did couple of really great low passes before heading back to Connigsby.

Bit more relaxed than a civvy show, especially in crowd control. In fact people got worryingly close to the BBMF aircraft on start up.
V cheap beer as well! God bless the British taxpayer for subsidising this.

Believe all the aircraft moved out Monday morning as they weren’t accepting any civilian traffic until 1300 -unless you are Portuguese registered – allegedly!

A braver man than I might venture over to Mod-Mil and ask that question. 😮

Moggy

There are fourteen of them and they are due to be there until july 20th I believe.

Lakenheath was dead when I passed by there yesterday, I got there as four F-15s landed and then nothing for an hour! Went to Mildenhall and saw one KC-135 land in the hour I was there as well!!!

Was gutted I am missing out on the A-10’s but I gather they are here for a month. Hopefully I’ll get up there one day in the next couple weeks. Does anyone know if they will be flying on a weekend??

Richard

We stayed with my Wife’s Aunt and Uncle in Sacremento last year, he was an F111 Airframe fitter for many years (including stints at UH and Alconbury), but much to his dismay was switched to A10s just before the first gulf war. He said that he found it very hard trying to get to know a new aircraft under those conditions. He said it was a tough old bird and as everything was swappable left to right it made spares a bit easier.
(My Wife’s cousin is married to an ex F111 Airframe fitter who moved onto U2s and retired last year, he took us onto Beale, wow, that is a big base!)

Good to see them back in the UK, brings back memories of MATZ penetration when flying Ipswich-Norwich on my QXC!

It rather depends if they were taken by the Pakistani or Indian navy I would guess.

Moggy