Or something that hasn’t surfaced yet (they are the user. They know).

I really doubt that the raw user requirements had much input into the selection. Much more likely to be some political posturing, or a redundant second-source ‘insurance’.

Still if they want to stand-up an entirely new supply chain for a single-digit fleet it’s their money to burn. The Thai Air Force model if you will.

It wasn’t just BEA, seniority issues were rife in the industry and there were only a few small independents who didn’t follow ‘the scheme’.

In most British airlines of the time there was no direct correlation between ability and seniority; it was based purely on length of service, and if the pilot dared leave then he had to start again at the bottom of the ladder elsewhere. So few dared. Which led to a lot of deadwood blocking the upper echelons; this came clear when BEA started simulator conversion training for Trident captains and had a horrendous ‘chop’ rate amongst the seniors.

Little wonder that the juniors were discontented, they felt they could fly the new jets ‘better’ than the old guard but their career progression was stunted by the system.

The first day was a good effort despite the weather, it felt like they were trying to put some sort of show on; flypasts, formations and the fighters. I was content if not happy at the end of Tuesday.

On the second day, there was much standing around feeling confused and many people had to leave and miss the Big Departure after it was delayed by over two hours so as to coincide with a “VVIP” getting into position somewhere south. Daks were just starting-up at 16:00 local instead of 13:40. The whole day was more like a general aviation fly-in and a complete waste of my time and money. Not even an effort to entertain the crowd except for the 30 mins of fighter flying in the early afternoon.

I’ll not be attending a Duxford show again if that’s the level of disorganisation and disdain they show to paying customers. I’ll be writing to complain and request a refund of 3x £25 for the Wednesday, I haven’t a hope of receiving it but at least they’ll know that people weren’t happy.

Why didn’t the Germans buy large numbers of A-10s from the US?

The A-10 did anti-tank one-at-a-time. With several thousand T-tanks pouring through the Fulda Gap you need ten-at-a-time, even if those are only mission-kills with submunitions.

Isn’t it odd that battlefield helicopters are roughly where aircraft were in the late 1940s, rushing to fit radars. I suppose we’ll have a few years and then there will be an equally rushed effort to reduce their battlefield radar signatures once SAMs get secondary radar homing…

Isn’t this the only rigid rotor targeted for the civilian market (since the 80’s)?

If you disregard the EC-135 as a variant of the Bo 105.

It is a Turkish G-class frigate

At 0.34 the Ashton can be seen by the hangar. Are we talking about two different aircraft in the background?

*cough* that’s a Comet!