Flying. Everything planes.

[Gruntfuttock]

6 hours ago, Colonel Kurtz said:

I’m a big Vulcan fan. Best noise ever 

My brother is a aviation fan,so as a kid I got dragged off to the then RAF Finningley (now Doncaster airport) a couple of times in the mid 80's.At one visit,the Vulcan did the 'End of the World' (off to nuke Russia!)' take off.It thundered down the runway,lifted off,then went up almost vertical,so much so I thought it was going to flip over backwards and come down on us.Then the afterburners kicked in...

 

Never been back to an airshow since I saw the Ramstein disaster on TV in 1988.

 

I've never flown,never needed too,but I always think I'd be very uncomfortable due to been a long legged 6 foot 5 and reading of limited legroom,unless you pay lots of £s! 

[niallers]

Only the Russians 

[Guest]

I am quite local to Biggin Hill and the air show there is always spectacular, unfortunately there's been a couple of accidents during air stunts which have changed the way it's conducted but around that time of year, you see lots of planes in the air. The two things that boggle my kind is how such heavy things can float on water and fly in the air.

[General Dryness]

7 hours ago, Poster said:

I loved the Vulcan, I remember hearing it was being scrapped as I ate my lunch in the mess during my basic training. Years later one of the squadrons got hold of one and had it positioned outside their hangar. I spent hours underneath it sheltering from the rain one night while guarding two a10 tank busters parked up nearby. 

 

When I was in Northern Ireland I used to spend my rest days back home and had to fly to Speke with Manx Airlines on their Shorts 360s. The flight from Belfast City airport was rarely direct and usually entailed a stop over on the IOM to pick up passengers.

 

If I had any fear of flying the bastard winds over the IOM and those planes dancing about all over the place would have sorted that out. The landing (or should I say controlled crash) one time was so bad that the stewardess brought round free alcoholic drinks for us all while we waited for the passengers to board. A good thing as the take off was just as bad. 

 

I couldn't complain about the crazy trips on those Shorts 360s, I knew a few people that survived the Kegworth air disaster and a couple that didn't who were returning to the base. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm from the IOM, so I'm a veteran of some fun trips on the Shorts 360s. Great times.

[VladimirIlyich]

7 hours ago, Rico1304 said:

I’ve done emirates business and first class on an A380, it’s brilliant sitting at a bar watching football on the telly whilst on a plane.  The most surreal bit was having a shower though.  Weird.  The first lads tickets were cheaper than business class, something about it being easier to sell business class tickets as most firms won’t allow first class travel. 

Are you still with Air Fungus? It was one of their green liveried planes in a photo wasnt it?

[easytoslip]

8 hours ago, Harry's Lad said:

My Godfather was at Dunkirk, he told me that the noise was deafening. Even years later into the early 90's if he was watching a WW2 documentary or film and he heard a Stuka he'd visibly flinch.

He said they gave him the heebie jeebies.

Hardly surprising really.

Yes I could imagine, especially on that beach   hearing its approach and,  I think I've heard it called its death dive, it was just pot luck if you where hit or not. 

You would never forget that. 

[Davelfc]

5 hours ago, Shooter in the Motor said:

I am quite local to Biggin Hill and the air show there is always spectacular, unfortunately there's been a couple of accidents during air stunts which have changed the way it's conducted but around that time of year, you see lots of planes in the air. The two things that boggle my kind is how such heavy things can float on water and fly in the air.

I always had to work the airshows, hence they pissed me off. I even missed a certain sports team playing against Oxford one year due to having to work the Abingdon air show. Really annoying since I knew the plods at the ground and could just have walked in. Afterwards I either got posted or Oxford got relegated so that was that. 

 

One nice perk was that I also got to do customs on the planes that came from outside the UK to the airshow. Some of the pilots were brilliant, often loving the opportunity to show off the love of their life. Of course I had to search the plane and pretty much take their word. One pilot spent ages showing me around a Catalina aircraft and the crazy push in panels all over that you could have stashed things in. A plane spotters wet dream really. 

 

I did manage to get a free flight in one of the display planes for a rehearsal, the pilot I am sure thought he could make me sick but little did he know I'd spent enough time as an air cadet in chipmunks to not give a shite how crazy he went. 

 

I also used to spend some of my rest days going up with the Thames Valley Police in their helicopter as it was based there for a time. Now that was fun and sometimes dangerous, we nearly crashed into a microlight one day. 

 

 

 

[Bjornebye]

5 hours ago, Shooter in the Motor said:

I am quite local to Biggin Hill and the air show there is always spectacular, unfortunately there's been a couple of accidents during air stunts which have changed the way it's conducted but around that time of year, you see lots of planes in the air. The two things that boggle my kind is how such heavy things can float on water and fly in the air.

I used to live not far from Biggin Hill. We used to drive past it when coming off the M25 early to avoid traffic (Lovely drive through Westerham etc). Thats where all the mega rich land in their private jets isn't it? 

 

The Shoreham disaster was grim a few years back. 

[JohnnyH]

10 hours ago, Rico1304 said:

I’ve done emirates business and first class on an A380, it’s brilliant sitting at a bar watching football on the telly whilst on a plane.  The most surreal bit was having a shower though.  Weird.  The first lads tickets were cheaper than business class, something about it being easier to sell business class tickets as most firms won’t allow first class travel. 

Yeah it’s brilliant. A real perk of the job. I’d never done business or 1st class until I was in my 40s. Now I get to do it (well, I used to) 9 or 10 times a year with lots of different airlines. 

[Bjornebye]

6 minutes ago, JohnnyH said:

Yeah it’s brilliant. A real perk of the job. I’d never done business or 1st class until I was in my 40s. Now I get to do it (well, I used to) 9 or 10 times a year with lots of different airlines. 

Johnny I always expected you to look like your avatar. Now I'm confused, broken and just don't know what to believe in this world anymore. 

 

 

 

[Davelfc]

4 minutes ago, JohnnyH said:

Yeah it’s brilliant. A real perk of the job. I’d never done business or 1st class until I was in my 40s. Now I get to do it (well, I used to) 9 or 10 times a year with lots of different airlines. 

I've been lucky to have been upgraded a few times, it ruins you though because it's hard to go back to cattle class, especially when you are tall. 

 

I was due to fly to Australia last November on my favourite aircraft, the A380 with Emirates. Even changing flight times to get on the 380. Damned shame airlines are phasing them out, passengers love them but airlines love money more. The 380 apparently has suites in first class, bastards all I get is a screaming kid in front and an old bloke with a restless in the seat behind. Well that or a tard that punches the touch screen to type in my headrest. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Section_31]

10 hours ago, Harry's Lad said:

My Godfather was at Dunkirk, he told me that the noise was deafening. Even years later into the early 90's if he was watching a WW2 documentary or film and he heard a Stuka he'd visibly flinch.

He said they gave him the heebie jeebies.

Hardly surprising really.

I love the scene in the battle of Britain where they're doing their heinous shit and the rear gunner spots the RAF and he's like "SHPITFOIRE!!!" , next thing his goggles fill up with blood. Haha, fuck you blondie.

[Kepler-186]

10 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

I love the scene in the battle of Britain where they're doing their heinous shit and the rear gunner spots the RAF and he's like "SHPITFOIRE!!!" , next thing his goggles fill up with blood. Haha, fuck you blondie.

Don’t just stand there, get one up! 

[Brownie]

1 hour ago, Poster said:

I've been lucky to have been upgraded a few times, it ruins you though because it's hard to go back to cattle class, especially when you are tall. 

 

I was due to fly to Australia last November on my favourite aircraft, the A380 with Emirates. Even changing flight times to get on the 380. Damned shame airlines are phasing them out, passengers love them but airlines love money more. The 380 apparently has suites in first class, bastards all I get is a screaming kid in front and an old bloke with a restless in the seat behind. Well that or a tard that punches the touch screen to type in my headrest. 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not a big fan of flying but tend to have a couple of pints before any flight, which takes the edge off.

 

The A380 is amazing, especially in business class (flown to the Phillipines and India a few times in business with work).

 

On one flight me and my mate just sat at the bar chatting to a couple of girls all the way to Dubai. No idea how I was allowed onto the connecting flight I was fucking leathered.

 

Genuinely doesn’t even feel like you’re on a plane, the A380, it’s that big. Like when you’re on one of those big ferries and can’t tell that you’re on a boat.

[Harry's Lad]

28 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

I love the scene in the battle of Britain where they're doing their heinous shit and the rear gunner spots the RAF and he's like "SHPITFOIRE!!!" , next thing his goggles fill up with blood. Haha, fuck you blondie.

I love that film.

Can't understand Christopher Plummers character though. Why would you say to Susannah York "Are you really going to wear those ridiculous garments?" , leave them on surely!.

[Rico1304]

12 minutes ago, Brownie said:

I’m not a big fan of flying but tend to have a couple of pints before any flight, which takes the edge off.

 

The A380 is amazing, especially in business class (flown to the Phillipines and India a few times in business with work).

 

On one flight me and my mate just sat at the bar chatting to a couple of girls all the way to Dubai. No idea how I was allowed onto the connecting flight I was fucking leathered.

 

Genuinely doesn’t even feel like you’re on a plane, the A380, it’s that big. Like when you’re on one of those big ferries and can’t tell that you’re on a boat.

 

 

I fell in love with a stewardess called Eloise on the way back from Dubai.  The only other bloke at the bar fell asleep so she couldn’t escape. Drank a bottle of Dom Perignon and wasn’t making any sense by the end.  
 

On the same trip we did Vietnamese Airlines and Asia Air business, not a patch on Emirates. This year has been shite for my air miles - once again I’m the real victim of this pandemic. 

[Kepler-186]

This is at the museum at Hawkinge, in Kent, taken over last couple of days. 

[easytoslip]

56 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

I used to live not far from Biggin Hill. We used to drive past it when coming off the M25 early to avoid traffic (Lovely drive through Westerham etc). Thats where all the mega rich land in their private jets isn't it? 

 

The Shoreham disaster was grim a few years back. 

Yes tragic that, we used to go down that road everyday on our way to work at Shoreham on Sea. 

I've always wanted to go to the Farnborough Air Show. 

[JohnnyH]

55 minutes ago, Bjornebye said:

Johnny I always expected you to look like your avatar. Now I'm confused, broken and just don't know what to believe in this world anymore. 

 

 

 

I'm actually a 16 year old girl

[Bjornebye]

3 minutes ago, JohnnyH said:

I'm actually a 16 year old girl

Your PMs will be full by midday 

[elvis]

13 hours ago, Mike D said:

 

Funny as fuck them 

[Rico1304]

There’s some scary YouTube videos of fighters practicing low level flying through a valley in Wales.  Or landing on aircraft carriers.  Those fuckers must be mad.  

[tokyojoe]

Anyone ever actually flown one? I did a couple of hours in a Cessna (152 I think) years ago. Never pursued it though due to being stupid enough to get fucking married.

[easytoslip]

Our kid has got a 60 th birthday present to fly in a Hurricane, Biggin Hill I think, he's made up but it's on hold due to this Covid shit. 

Some of them YouTube videos from the cockpit on airliners are good. 

My favourite as a kid was my model of the Lockheed Star fighter and what I always think is a proper looking aircraft the DC3. 

[rb14]

11 minutes ago, easytoslip said:

Gorgeous planes. Works of art. 

 

23 minutes ago, tokyojoe said:

Anyone ever actually flown one? I did a couple of hours in a Cessna (152 I think) years ago. Never pursued it though due to being stupid enough to get fucking married.

Yeah. I have my PPL and a share in a Cessna 182 - the pic of the Garmin glass cockpit I posted a while ago, I took whilst flying to the Isle of Wight.