duxfordhawkI am glad everything turned out ok and your Dad was unhurt thats the most inportant thing.
The modern world and this forum means news travels fast,Sometimes too fast.
This forum is much better at sensitivity and accurate information than most forums i have seen and i hope we keep up that standard and not cause any distress to anyone involved in the Airshow scene.
duxfordhawkIn my heart I knew this. But the show yesterday confirmed it. There are a lot of superb display pilots.
Then there’s Ray Hanna 😀
Moggy
Sadly i could not make this show so i guess i have to wait until Ray closes Biggin Hill in September.
Some pilots make a Spitfire talk Ray makes it sing theres nobody like him,a Legend enjoy the show people.
duxfordhawkSeems very strange that the Catalina is not on the list.
Has it displayed at Duxford since it arrived in the UK?
Septic
Was not at Legends so guess not display at DX yet i only know of Southend and that its due at Biggin Battle of Britain show.
duxfordhawkNot Mountbatten’s finest hour.
Apparently the chase Lightning once stated that it had to climb to a higher altitude as it couldn’t cope with the turbulence. Bee Beamont said “what turbulence?”.
I understand even as originally built, it was superior to the Tornado.
The RAF and Ministry, whatever, just pulled figures out of thin air to say what they wanted. Amazingly, they got (or didn’t) the lot.
Awesome aeroplane.
I have a feeling this move will always be seen as the biggest mistake in UK aviation and the start of the rot that means we can not build our own fighter these days(personal oppinion).
TSR2 even looks fast on the ground as anyone who has seen the examples we have left will vouch for.
Yeah she would be ending service now but doubt it would have been Eurofighter replacing her do you?.
duxfordhawkRe the Battle of Britain sixtieth, and numbers of Spitfires / Hurricanes airborne, I’ve done a mental tally of how many were up at that time. I seem to recall we had the BBMF five ship displaying in front of the crowd while the Big Wing formed up to the north (led by Rod Dean I think?). The Big Wing comprised two ‘Squadrons’, each consisting of three ‘Flights’ of three.
So nine per ‘Squadron’, plus Rod Dean leading, therefore a total of 19 in the Wing, plus BBMF’s five which were still airborne, gives a total of 24 Spitfires / Hurricanes airborne over Cambridgeshire at that moment in time.
Of course, if anyone knows any different, please do correct me, because I’m just going by what’s locked away in the old grey matter… 😉
It sounds right to me all i know is at the time numbers seemed not to matter it was something hugely special.
I do remember the BBMF with Me109 Black 2 and Black 6 I remember running to see Mark Hanna taxi Black 2 in,i not got any flying photos sadly.
duxfordhawkThe BBMF were part of the Big Wing at end of the show and led the formation somewhere i have phto’s of this show mainly statics but since moved 2 and half year ago i not seen them.
duxfordhawkThere was a show, about 3 years ago, that included a flypast by the ‘Duxford Big Wing’, from behind the crowd (for which special dispensation was obtained from the CAA), comprising Spitfires and Hurricanes. I believe that the numbers involved exceded those of the Spitfire Show a couple of years previously, but am not sure of the exact number.
I was there and i can not remember the numbers involved but it was one of the most emotional things i have seen at a show.,And BBMF fighters to part in that big wing.
duxfordhawkIts good to be back in bussiness i say.
duxfordhawkYet when the organisers can pull something as ‘simple’ yet stunning as the six-ship Rapide formation out of the hat.
A magic idea, I’d certainly never have thought of.
Moggy
Could not agree more its special things like that which make Airshows worthwhile.
duxfordhawkIt can not be easy for organisers these days with insurance costs etc,Shows do have a general sameness about them and i tend to think its not really the orgsanisers fault,You have only got to see how the crowd are for the Red Arrows and the gasps they make for the syncro pair or the wows Will Curtis gets for his routine while chatting to a commentator the Utt Butts also wow the crowd and Airshows need these things with the exeption of Legends,RIAT and Farnborough who can normally give the crowd something special and different and are generally more shows for the ‘Fans’.
I think Biggin Hill always makes a good effort to please both the normal public and us too,There line up this year including two Connie’s a DC6 and plenty of Warbirds should be commended especially as we came close to having no Airshow at Biggin Hill recently and they have had a hard time coming back from what occured dueing the 2001 display and with September the 11th as well its not easy times for organisers really.
For me Airshows still entertain and we are lucky we have so many Warbirds on the curcuit to choose from as well as Vintage Jets its just getting the happy mix to please us and joe public really.
Maybe the heyday of shows has gone maybe we are just waiting the next big thing?who knows?.
duxfordhawkTigercat…
I was thinking the same the Tigercat just does something for me,If not a Tigercat then a Bearcat.Abviously i would’nt turn down the chance of a ride in any warbird.A ride in my all time favourite Aircraft the Spifire would not go a miss either.
duxfordhawkI have been trying to keep out of this debate and sit on the fence but the splinters are hurting now so here i am.
I really hope she does fly and feel if she is operated safely she could open up the chance of getting more exotic jets flying on the curcuit,She could be a real bench mark.
Kev i see your point but would argue as others have that aircraft such as the B17 could do as much damage but are operated with the highest of standards.
We should not forget that we have had on the Airshow scene 2 Canberra’s operated safely and that type is not exactly small either.
I agree the press would rip the Airshow scene apart if anything happened they tried this locally here in some newspapers with the accidents that happened at Biggin Hill in 2001,There was also people at the time saying the Sea vixen should not be operated in private hands but gladly she still is.
I think the Vulcan will be operated with more care than even in her RAF days mainly because the CAA won’t let it be any other way nor would any of the people involved in the project want to take chances and they will have the world media watching them with this project.
Theres plenty of information on records which will also help make sure any past mistakes that happened while Vulcans flew the the RAF will not happen again,This project has a lot going for it safely wise.
I really think we should get behind this project and hope we see the Vulcan in the skies where she looks at her best.
The press will do there worst no matter what and accidents can and do happen but due to safety standards we can limit the risk and bring back something special to our skies.
duxfordhawkAs I believe it Asbestos is safe unless disturbed or damaged resulting in spores becoming airborne.
Had some scares at some places I’ve worked and have filled a form stating I may have been exposed to it (held at Doctors and I think personnel file).
OAW
I believe this to be true also,Its the spores that can do harm not anything else,Also i think there is two types of Asbestos Blue and white i seen to remember Blue being worst type but its been long time since directly dealt with it.
As a youngster i grew up with asbestos in a house where builders used asbestos almost everywhere and was exposed to it in broken up form at least twice once in the loft which was very unpleasant but touch wood no ill effects.
My Mum still lives in the same house and none of the Cupboards that include asbestos have been removed mind you with the amount of paint on them i doubt a bullet would go through them let alone any spores be released.
On a end note it was odd a few years back to see contractors workingg on houses near my mums removing asbestos facias on council ones they just knocked them down no netting or any other safety equipment to deal with it ,But on privately owned ones they had netting they sealed windows the lot funny world eh
duxfordhawkF1 is suffering from the fact that Schumacher and Ferrari are head and shoulders above the rest.We are experencing a true legend in Schumacher,The trouble is noone else can compete against him leaving it a race for second place.
One horse races are no fun no matter what sport it is and every now and then they do happen.
I think Jenson Button has a shed load of potential and maybe a champion in the future,He is still young and in a improving car.
I rarely watch F1 due to the boring factor that leaves you knowing Mr M.Schumacher will be on top of the podium when the race is done,Instead i have been to Legends and Farnborough and had a better time.
duxfordhawkI like the idea maybe you could have a list of current and past display pilots to choose from to fly the Aircraft and pilots could gain ratings bit like in Football management games,The more types they fly the higher they rated sort of thing.
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