They didn’t go back to the USA…….

The RAF still kep a few C3s – for Spec Ops use – flown by 47 Sqn.

In fact one flew over my house yesterday – and I’m only 15 miles from where you are.

There was also an Austrian AF example at Fairford this year…….

Ken

Many did go back to the USA. Approx 25 were traded in or disposed of. 2 were tarted up and sold to Austria, a few of the old tankers were scrapped/broken up in this country, Sri Lanka had a couple and i’m pretty sure the rest were sent to the desert back in the USA.

In fact when some spares turned up, they turned out to have been removed from ex RAF aircraft, so in effect they were buying their old bits back.
There was even a trip out to do a survey of all the old wings to see if they could have been bought up and overhauled.

The RAF only kept 6 short K models as special forces aircraft, they then found that the flying hours were being used up far too quickly so they had a bunch of MK.3’s (12 in total from memory) converted to almost full special forces spec to take the load off. these are called Mk3a’s.
A few of the original 6 mk1 special forces aircraft have been lost in accidents over the years, leaving them now with only 2 or 3.

I was groundcrew at valley at the time and actually saw the aircraft off on it’s journey. It went from Goshawk line.
When it was first shown the pragramme was an hour long, later when it was repeated it was only half an hour.
The other clue to the film being run backwards is the aircrafts shadow.
The camera was mounted under the fuselage on the centreline gunpod mounts.

I always thought the Delta scheme was quite classy.

I like this colour scheme as well…

http://www.airchive.com/airline%20pics/MOJAVE2005/STARGAZER-L1011.jpg

I know Vulcans did low level further south. I can remember looking down on them as they went through the valleys around Afan Argoed.

Yip, when I first heared I thought maybe a meteorite. But these pictures point to an internal cause.

Do you really think that even if it was hit by a meteorite (!!!!), or some other more plausible external force, that the metal would remain pushed inwards ?
The volume of air forcing it’s way through such a relatively small hole would blow the metal back out at best, at worst you’ll have a big hole like this as the cabin air rips away the skin.

So you’ve got a nice big fat glider full of stores that can’t manouvre much.
Do you not think this might be a little vulnerable to defensive fire?

I wonder where the electricity for their computers come from?
Those big nasty, filthy power stations, pumping out CO2 powering their computers so they can be all indignant and have a go at other people producing CO2… oh the irony!

The dumb thing was, that the BBC had hired an intelligent, properly (no doubt self-briefed) commentator in Sean Maffett. The only trouble was he was only on the ‘red button’ interactive service.

As far as camerawork and direction is concerned, I’m amazed that the director clearly hadn’t properly recce’d the flight line, nor did he properly brief his cameramen.

I’ve worked around TV outside broadcasts (mainly in motor racing) for most of the last 20 years. If I was involved in that one, I’d hang my head in shame!

Even Sean Maffett made factual mistakes though.

Having said that though, I thought it was a pretty standard level of coverage that we’ve come to expect. These days anything of a technical nature (motor sport, vintage cars and aircraft etc) is dumbed down for the mass audience. Those who have an interest and some knowledge sit there picking holes in the coverage and the vast majority of the audience go ‘ ooo, coloured smoke!’ 🙂