UKC

The Panavia Tornado is being retired and is doing a farewell tour of the UK this week. 

Its a little bit of a sad day for me, I grew up in awe of this plane. It was always one of the highlights of an airshow for me and my Dad. I was tempted to take the day off to go to Duxford to see it today. 

Here is the tour timetable for anyone who might be interested enough to try and see them 

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/raf-tornado-farewell-flyp...

and here is some great footage of some low level flying in Wales and Iraq

youtube.com/watch?v=4gQz-5HclDo&

youtube.com/watch?v=c3nhd5Qvy04&

Thanks for this info - we'll give it a wide berth. Hoping this means they'll stop flying over our house at about 300 ft, too. I reckon they gave our neighbour's toddler PTSD a few years back.

I would love to live in a house that regularly had fast jets flying low level overhead

House swap? 

Thanks for that.  I should be able to see the Duxford flypast from my back garden.

Presumably they'll just start flying something else over your house instead?

it gets tedious surprisingly quickly

Do you remember the Lakes farmer who got into trouble because he painted 'Bugger off Biggles' on the roof of his house after getting thoroughly sick of the low-level flights down his dale?

Not when you're lad! I grew up next to Church that seemed to be a turning point for just about every type of RAF and USAF cold war jet (and C130s and helicopters). My mum might disagree, but I thought it was pretty cool!

My dad was in the aviation industry, including a spell at BA working on Tornadoes, and much of my childhood involved visiting airfields and airshows. As a result the small boy in me still gets a visceral thrill from fast jets, despite being well aware of all the negative aspects.

I still remember them as the development MRCA. Bloody nosy, as anyone brought in Preston will tell you.

"What's a Biggle?"

https://www.targeta.co.uk/wheretogo.htm

There's a bit of conjecture as to if thats a composite photo. Shadow on the Hawk doesn't seem to match those on the buildings.

That would depend where you live. Can you see the Lakeland Fells from your house?

Can I have Tiger Moths and Dragon Rapides please?

When I was at pep school there was an operational RAF Base (RAF Odiham) near to the school and these used to fly over a lot

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Javelin

Very, very noisy. They were subsonic but appeared to make up for lack of speed by frightening the Soviets and the UK population through sheer noise, They were succeeded by the supersonic English Electric Lightning, although I don't remember that being so noisy apart from when it shook the countryside with sonic booms.

Thanks for that... shows my memory is not quite accurate anyway! Wales, not the Lakes, for a start, and 'P@*s off...' too!

I must agree cool vintage planes would be nice. 

I can. Occasional Hercules and Chinook too.

Lightnings were awesome in the true sense of the word. I once had the good fortune to see a Lightning tail-stand take-off. Hard to find good footage of this ridiculous manoeuvre, which involved reaching flying speed, getting the gear up and then pulling the stick back for an almost vertical ascent.  I think it was more of an exhibition thing as it wasn't efficient. 

This is the best I could find:

youtube.com/watch?v=_CDLbokf9sg&

youtube.com/watch?v=gOdIhu3OIsI&

Like this? I was there Have to say the Blackbird SR71 was the absolute highlight of that day (and up there as one of my greatest memories)

The Lightning was renowned for having the fastest climb-to-interception in the world at one time - I suppose that takeoff might have helped in the days of little warning

I believe so. But that vertical climb thing was more for show - the best climb path was less steep, presumably because there was more lift from the wings. Probably bloody good fun though... as in that video.

It does seem kind of absurd now that our nuclear defences actually involved some blokes running like f*** to their planes! So WWII...

Our air defences still kind of do involve that...

Based around early warning radar and quick reaction fighters, which is a typically western doctrine. Poorer, or historically Soviet influenced nations often go for an approach based primarily around surface to air missiles. Cheap, quick to deploy and effective, but easier to e.g. accidentally shoot down a civilian plane and less scope to escort another aircraft out of your airspace or give much warning before engaging. 

Yeah, very young me enjoyed living in a place that was near an RAF base that specialised in reparing Jaguar attack planes.  Come mid afternoons, we got a *lot* of low-altitude jet noise and sightings (I guessed that everyone wanted to be done by 5, so the "have we fixed it yet" shake out run was always going to be somewhere around 4)

We then moved to a place that was clearly under a way-point for the Upper Heyford B-52s: they'd do about a 90 degree turn right over us, with full lights on, which was surprisingly pretty at night.  Happily, they were higher up!

Growing up near Farnborough, we regularly went to the airshow. 1974 was a good year: MRCA and SR-71.

Dad was in the RAF so we grew up around planes. Buccaneers, jaguars, nimrods and Shackletons were the usual stuff but you tended to tune that out but really notice any visitors.

B52s- I can still remember the huge noise of one of them going over on its way to/from (I guess) Fairford during  the first Gulf war in the early 90s.

A cynic might wonder if this is what the RAF will eventually be reduced to anyway...

I remember being on a climb on Scafell when a pair of Tornados popped over Mickledoor at my eyelevel - could clearly see the pilots.

Without warning the noise was a bit sudden. They then shot down the flank of Lingmell, disappeared for a wee bit and reappeared going along Mosedale and then up over Black Sail Pass.

Was quite spectacular all in all

Gerry Anderson always envisaged people efficiently sliding down tubes into the cockpit as in Thunderbirds and UFO ("Interceptors - Immediate Launch") but isn't that because his people weren't so good at making puppets walk?   They did that better in Space Patrol.

Fond memories of Tornado's flying around the West Highlands. Very memorable encounter approaching the top of Glenfinnan from Mallaig just as a Tornado popped out from the glen, almost at eye level. Flashed headlight and got a wave back from pilot.

Another day on route between Glencoe and Kinlochleven as 4 B-52's at 1km intervals went up Loch Leven at low level, below the road at points and then a long climb up to clear Kinloch and head out over Loch Eilde Mor. Kinlochleven escaped a carpet bombing that day..

Only mildly preferable to the engine exhaust from the BUFFs.  One of the filthiest things I’ve ever seen fly.

What a shame.

It was pre Ice Factor so ideal target

At the Biggin Hill air show some time in the 1960s, my Dad had to put his hands over my ears when the Lightning took off because my own hands were too wee to keep the racket out!  It was actually painful - to a kiddy like me, anyway.

The current Typhoon is noticeably noisier than the Tornado.  I once described it as being "antisocial" and it was pointed out that sociability probably wasn't one of the key design criteria - likely the opposite, in fact...

I was still going through trade training at RAF North Luffenham when the Tornados flew off for the first Gulf War from various nearby bases - in formation. Multiple sets of aircraft heading off to war. It was quite a sight.

Grew up in RAF between '69 and '80. Was at Marham in the late '70s and the Tornados were there then. Waddington was always noisy due to the Vulcans. 

At least you get to say "When I was in 'nham..."

Never mind. Our friends just over the channel make the best fighter anyway.........