Brilliant…

Poor little fluffy bear…been wandering all over the Ice cap looking for a tree to **** a leg against, getting desperate, then up pops this big black thing. Its got no leaves but what the h*ll !.

PS. wonder who got stitched to go and clean up the mess afterwards ?

Re: Brighton – 1980 – Red Arrows Display

Originally posted by Seafuryfan
(You know what’s coming!)

The Syncro Pair did their first crossover. I watched the one going west, heard a ‘BANG’ (of the ejection), looked east, and saw the other one rolling 360 to the right right as it flew towards the Palace Pier.

At the same time, I saw an ejection seat going from 20 degrees below the horizontal, change direction, to head about 30 degrees above.

The chute had just opened as the pilot hit the water, and the Hawk continued rolling as it cleared the pier and did a spectacular nose dive into the sea beyond.

Premature end to my first Red Arrows Hawk display….

Turned out that his wingtip hit a boat mast 35 ft agl.

Yes they do fly low dont they…check his smoke trail !!!. Took this last year from my boat . watched the whole practice display just off the Akrotiri peninsula…no crowds, blue sky and unlimited vis…absolutely brilliant !

Before I moved out here, I used to wortk at was then called RAF Rudloe Manor. Now the station was split into two sites then with the work area on one side of the road that went into Bath and the other at the head of a valley. Now this site (No2 site) was where the Officers mess was sited and as a civvie of a certain equivilant rank to Officers I was a mess member.

Now to those of you who have never been in that mess, I can only assure you that you have missed a spectacular vista.
The mess windows…bladdy great panoramic things they where… looked straight down this valley onto the city of Bath. We where high up and Bath was down below.

One day, there I am working (for a change) when the ‘phone goes off..

“Gary, its the Station Commander here, are you busy ?”. Tricky question that when the big boss rings you personally !!!

“Get over to 2 site NOW”

“No problem, whats the matter ?” says I.

“Stop talking and GO NOW!!!”

Its not often you get a call like that so I thought it must be pretty important and hoped that some-one would let me in on what the panic was when I got there. I jumped on my bike and peddled off round to the site.

Got to the site and there where loads of cars in the Mess park and the Mess was looking very busy indeed. A lot of people in wheelchairs and walking around with sticks.

Then I heard it.

I should mention at this time that the weather was a beautifull, balmy, summer afternoon, all sort of goldeny in colour with now wind and it was very pleasant and peacefull….for a few moments more.

It was getting louder.

Looking straight out over the valley towards Bath, I saw a sight I will never, ever forget until the day I under.

Coming out of the sun, heading straight at the Mess at eye level, materialising out of the golden haze over Bath was two Spitfires in absolute perfect Line abeam wingtip to wingtip formation. Did I forget to say at eye level ?.

They pulled up before going through the Mess windows…but only just… and proceeded to put on an absolutely unforgetable five minute lets see if we can turn these things inside-out aerobatic display brefore dissapearing back over towards Bath into the sun wagging their wings.

You could have heard a pin drop !

It was then that I found out about a re-union for a Squadron that was held in that Mess every year and the display was a special due to the mess closing down. And I am totally embarrased to admit that I cannot for the life of me remember the Squadron details, except that there was a large scale model of a Typhoon with a pilots log book on display in the Mess. I’m going to have to find out now!….259 Sqdn ‘Burma’ ?…probably wrong I will check up though.

Totally unforgetable experience

8 seconds to download…45 to listen to….just how many fingers do you actually have while playing that track ?.

Makes me sweat just listening to it and I cant even play a guitar

Nice one

“a part of the song For The Love Of God”…is that what the first guy to play it said when he’s finished the run through ?

Hmmmm…Merlin soundtracks ?

Get the Aero Sounds cd. Mass scrambles of Spit’s, Hurri’s, Warbird formation flyby’s, Mossies, 109’s, …tell you mate it makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck !!!!…especially when you turn up the bass on the HI FI and crank the volume up abit….actually quite a bit…just enough so’s the windows are rattling and you cant hear the neighbuors banging on the wall

Face it….nothing, but nothing beats the bellow from a Merlin on full song !!!!!!!