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Fantasy airshow


snibble

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We're all on lockdown aren't we, so no days out being deafened at airshows. So to invent a fantasy airshow. Supposing you could conjur up a live display of anything since the invention of flight what would it be? Slow flypast by the Hindenburg? Sidewinder launched from a Vietnam era Thud? Anything at all so long as once upon a time it actually flew. 

Let your wildest dreams out!

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I read the first post of this thread and immediate thought that I was going to see a range of pictures creating various possible airshow events, albeit verging on phantasy. Alas, no-one has actually followed through on that, more’s the pity.

 

Has anyone created anything that can be shown?

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I read the first post of this thread and immediate thought that I was going to see a range of pictures creating various possible airshow events, albeit verging on phantasy. Alas, no-one has actually followed through on that, more’s the pity.

 

Has anyone created anything that can be shown?

I thought the same but then I realised the thread was asking for thoughts not models  ..... but I'm more into ships than planes I'm afraid......Still it would be great if anyone could post pictures!

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I read the first post of this thread and immediate thought that I was going to see a range of pictures creating various possible airshow events, albeit verging on phantasy. Alas, no-one has actually followed through on that, more’s the pity.

 

Has anyone created anything that can be shown?

I thought the same but then I realised the thread was asking for thoughts not models  ..... but I'm more into ships than planes I'm afraid......Still it would be great if anyone could post pictures!

Would be nice to see a nineteenth century "74" under full sail.

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I saw this for real so its no fantasy: Leuchars airshow, probably about 1986-1988. Just as we got there, before we got onto the base we saw 4 bucanneers about 50 feet off the ground coming in so fast they were silent. As they passed over the base they detonated a load of pyrotechnics on the ground but that was drowned out by the sheer SCREAM of the jets ripping over. Never in a million years could you do that in the UK now. The end result wasn't much short of the sort of napalm strike you see in a Vietnam movie! 

I'd settle for seeing the sort of things that few alive have ever seen: an Me163 doing a takeoff or a B36 just flying low over the crowd. In fact these days I'd settle for an airshow! 

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Peter, you've reminded me about the time many years ago when I was at the met office at Luqa airport and we watched two F-104's taking off together with full afterburners .......the noise was so bad it made our teeth vibrate in their sockets!

Even that was nothing as bad as the day I was happily working on my sailing dinghy by the sea under a steel canopy when one of the red arrows flew by not more that 50 feet away from me.  I didn't hear anthing till it zoomed past ...... and then the sound hit me!!  It was terrifying!  I hadn't realised they were practicing that Saturday!

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Peter, that reminds me of shows a Gaydon. I remember lying next to the runway (beyond the rope to hold the crowds back) and Lighnings sweeping down the runway at what seemed like zero feet, going past and then the thunderous roar following them.

Also Vulcans taking off, going vertical and the awesome roar and plumes of black exhaust smoke - ah for the pre H&S days.

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Thanks! The Lossiemouth Buccaneer crews used to have a lot of fun. I really remember going on holiday to Islay on a CalMac ferry and they used us for a bit of anti-ship practice. Same deal. Small black dots at wave height trailing smoke and absolutely silent because they were so close to Mach 1, pull up and simulate a skip bombing toss at the last moment and the noise was ear splitting! Like ratch says too the Lightnings really used to show off. By the time I saw them they were almost all gone from frontline service but they knew how to show off.

I'd have been 5 and can barely remember it but we stopped for a toilet break at Housesteads roman fort on Hadrians wall. My dad shouted, "its concorde1", "its crashing!" then THREE Vulcans in close formation dived through the valley below the actual height of the wall. Sadly I can't remember the planes just the "drama"

My parents live in S.Leics now on a low level flightpath so get a lot of the transit traffic heading to Duxford etc. Seeing a spit or a B25 when you don't expect it is more fun that seeing one scheduled at an airshow for me. Its the difference between Safari and a zoo  😎

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 Viscount, Vanguard, Comet, Trident, 1-11, Britannia, VC-10, all the things I used to take for granted and now I'd go hundreds of miles to see again! Might need stronger binoculars  and an electric bike now though!

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Fantasy

Sitting on the dock at the summer cottage an Avro Arrow mk2 or a TSR-2 flys down the lake at Mach one 50 above the water. Now that is a fantasy!

The memoable occassions:

1959 Fiftieth Anniversary of the First Flight in Canada Airshow......Sabre 5's of the Golden Hawks doing their show and being out on the Tarmac and walking right up to and touching the spare Sabre during the show  

Early 1960's....a winter saturday morning ice hockey game on an outdoor rink is interupted by a local business man flying his Mk 9 Spitfire low overhead. What a sight and sound!

1967. Centennial air show. Catching something in my purifural vision as we were watching the jet aerobatic team depart at the far end of the airport. A CF-104 and a CF-101 approaching silently at about 100 feet off the ground breathing fire from their tailpipes. Then finally, when they are right in front of us on the flight line maybe  200 feet away we can hear them....what a roar!

Late 60's.....Many fall time Saturday afternoon's at my part time job at a seaplane base this show was repeated.  The single engine Otter on floats from the provincial government facility next door would come back late in the afternoon on a steep approach full flaps with ailerons drooped, big Hamilton-Standard prop slowly windmilling, the P&W Wasp rumbling in the exhaust collector tubes, appearing to be trimmed nose down.....then the perfect flare and a gentle kiss of the keels of the big EDO floats on the lake. 

2000 volunteering at the local Airshow in the grounds maintenance crew .... Cleaning up trash late on Sunday afternoon watching all of the aircraft leave. A CF-18 leaves but only gains about 1000 feet then starts a slow turn to port  I tell the high school exchange student from France with me that he will be back and challenge him to keep an eye on the 18. The CF-18 comes back and flies right over us "at the speed of heat and lower than a snakes belly". The exchange student and an EA-6B Prowler crew all jump in surprise. Really neat stuff 

The Snowbirds on countless occassions .... Hopefully they fly by on their current cross country Operation Inspiration .... Their part in trying to break the monotony of this COVID 19 thing. 

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Or the airshow comes to you! Took these pictures with my I-phone./media/tinymce_upload/735c3d3cef2b0eaaa5c8edace85f8f28.jpg

The Snowbirds on their current cross country Operation Inspiration flew by Monday afternoon .... Their part in trying to break the monotony of this COVID 19 thing. /media/tinymce_upload/4f25dec6b2828f03696cbcc0d83479bf.jpg

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