A thought, and I don’t think this has been discussed before.

With F-35B cancelled by UK, there could be a risk that the -B could also be cancelled by the USMC.
If this were to happen – leaving only “conventional” F-35A and F-35C aircraft – how much has their performance been compromised by having to take some degree of commonality for the V/STOL variant?

Without having to have consideration of a V/STOL variant, the -A and the -C perhaps could have been lighter? Could have been a more streamlined design for faster/higher altitude operation? Perhaps there are other design features that the -A and the -C have been disadvantaged with?
This could be a big issue, considering the number of air forces that have all their eggs in the JSF basket.

Wow, thanks for sharing Pioneer. They look great.
Well done to the Dassault PR people.

No.2 engine – large bits of cowling found on the ground. Damage to leading edge of wing as well, so could be an engine explosion of a blade flying loose.

I briefly thought I was going mad and had got some artwork wrong without noticing but upon checking, during the early years the blue was at the front on the port side but at some point before 1939 it changed to red being at the front.Therefore what was the date when it officially changed over and did French markings have an effect on it?

Yes, it was to differentiate from the French. I believe RAF changed in August 1930. In Australia, we followed RAF markings, and the RAAF changed to red leading edge in October 1930, with all markings to be changed by the end of that year.

Rudder striping in the RAAF (presumably RAF) was discontinued in 1934 as aircraft performance improved.

Check out this site:

http://www.oldrafrecords.com/index.php

ORBs for WWII for some sqns – I think mainly fighter sqns so far, but keep an eye on it, as it appears to be expanding.

No barrier. This is Kiwiland.
We use commonsense instead.

ZK-VNM/1 was ex-Swiss J-1634 and a Venom Mk.1
Came to NZ in 1986, Cr on t/off Ardmore 17Nov91.

What happened to VNM/1 – did it hit someone walking across the runway??

The differences are in the cockpit instruments and avionics fit. The Hawk 128 has a modern glass cockpit with 3 large MFDs and only a couple of backup steam gauges, whereas the older Hawk 100s have a very 80s style cockpit with a mix of analog displays and MFDs. Externally they are nearly identical.

That’s right. The Mk 128 was a copy of that designed for the Aussies, the Mk 127. The RAAF demanded a modern cockpit suitable for F/A-18 LIF with HUD and 3 MFDs. This has led to the Mk 128 for the RAF, Mk 129 for Bahrain, and the Mk 132 for India. (I am unsure of the avionics fit for the Canadian Mk 115, and South Africa’s Mk 120 – they probably are not as advanced.)

Next, ask me why it was designated the 127?