Yes the “aeronauts”. (Crap) 😀

Just been rehashed as a French feature film, however they two pilots now fly Mirage 2000’s. Who says its just Hollywood that cannot think of anything original. 😉

The most beuatiful aircraft?? It is feline! The cat has always been easy on the eye. 😎 A couple on tasters, Jordan at 5:30 in the morning and some grumpy old bloke sitting in a t-bird, who’s day had been cheered up by dropping a lump of concrete from a mile up onto an abandoned car in the desert ( and didn’t throw either!)

Well Bro. I suppose its a better looking aircraft than any of the others you have worked on. :diablo:

Edit well, well, well this post = Three fat ladies

P.S. By the way Canopener Al was the other bloke who knew what an AW52 was back in 1983 😀

AW52…for me, being to able know what that aircraft was won my team an ATC aircraft recognition competition back in 1983 (Central and East Region) by one point (only two people got it right of all the contestants, and I was one of them, (other was my brother, on the same team). Beat the raining ATC and Air Britain Champions as well (by one point). Those Beautiful Wings was the title of the article in an Air Britain journal about the aircraft that I got at an ATC wing aircraft recognition competition the year before, very Beautiful wings indeed (The Journal was the first that I knew of the the aircraft, its just a pity that they had not got fly by wire sorted out first).

As for production types, Hunter, it makes a nice sound when cruising.

What an awful programme , a wasted chance. Who the hell decided to show all that parade ground practice rubbish.

That was my first though when I saw it on BBC1 when it was first shown early in the year, However that was because it was advertised as a History of RAF Coltishall. My comments on a early thread on the topic, result in an e-mail landing in my work account from Mick Jennings with an explanation of how the show came about. Originally it was just going to be about the last days of operations and it was Mick that pushed for the history aspects to be added. As for the parade practice rubbish, My Brother and about 400 hundred other servicemen spent 2 weeks doing that, as well as preparing for the move to Coningsby of the remainder of the Jaguar force. I’ve no problems with that being shown at all, In fact I spent that bit of the show looking out for mates that were on the parade (The Rock DI Cpl I know very well). The one thing you have to remember is that an Airfield is more than just aeroplanes, its more about people, and the closure of that Station will result in a lot of people chucking the job in, as it was without doubt on of the best postings in the RAF.

I though it was a well thought out programme. As an ex member of the RAF and having served on squadrons that have been decommissioned, the Parade is a final part of said closure and is relevant to the documentary.

There are people out there that are not “aviation enthusiasts” and the media have to cater for the majority not the minority. A225HVY

Agreed.

Only slight oversight was the lack of mention of Colt’s career as a PAF Station 1945-47 but can’t cram everything into 30 mins I guess

Lack of time was the reason, However to do the history of that Station would take at least 2 Hours, minimum. However RAF (Polish) Station Coltishall did get a mention on the attached.

The Venom is a NF3, is it not, (Could be a NF2A, but I think thats a Mk 3 radome on the front). The DH Night Fighter with the NF10 mark was the Vampire.

However these two were flying at a Woodfood display on 23th June 1973

Chipmunk T.10 WB470 32
Chipmunk T.10 WK643 39

(I cannot make out the Serial of the rear Chipmunk, is it WB470?)

Interesting line-up…..I wonder where it was, as the 11 Sqn F.6 has it’s overwing tanks fitted, and the all over dark green Lightning next to it looks like a RAFG 92 Sqn T.4, XM995. RAFG Lightnings didn’t often appear at UK shows in the seventies after being painted all green, especially the sole squadron T.4…… :confused:

Its part of the static line at Coltishall during the 1973 BofB at Home Day.

Aircraft are

XL165 Victor SR.2 543 Sqn
WJ630 E Canberra T.17 360 Sqn
XM995 T Lightning T.4 92 Sqn
XR724 K Lightning F.6 11 Sqn
XL621 81 Hunter T.7 4 FTS
PM631 AD-C Spitfire PRXIX BoBMF
XW372 87 Jet Provost T.5 RAFC(Royal Air Force College)