One for the ' spotters' , notable event you have seen/attended

Davidth88

Guys

One for the spotters here really.....


Writing the bit in the A380 scrapping thread got me thinking.

What event/aircraft sticks out in your mind when spotting.

I have so many , all dated because through one thing and another I stopped actively spotting in the late 80s.

Attending Oshkosh , I have never seen so many aircraft ever !

Visiting AMARG ( Davis Monthan ) , although that was much later

Getting on-board The Ike ( USS Eisenhower ) .

Attending the French RSA fly in , again numbers , but also the wierd and wonderful aircraft, great laugh camping there and bagging flights in various aircraft .

My first visit to O'Hare back in the 80s, the local police thought we were odd sitting on top of the car-park but arrived the second day with cold drinks , wouldn't happen now I bet.

A couple of the big cold war excercises ( Priory ) , early morning buzzing around East Anglia seeing places like Coningsby/Binbrook ( Lightnings !! ) ' bounced ' by A10 and all sorts, they were amazing you used to see half of the NATO forces out , even the French joined in .

Although helicopters are not my thing , I did visit Aberdeen during the north sea oil rush , seeing basically queues of helicopters first thing in the morning was pretty mad.

The Sunday afternoons spent at Mildenhall watching C5/C141/KC135 and on occasions the SR71, unlike the RAF the USAF flew over a weekend.

Comhrá

I was at both Greenham Common Air Tattoo and Farnborough Airshows back in the 80s. Both very memorable events. First time I saw a Lockheed Galaxy C5 up close. Security was fairly relaxed back then.

Irish Steve

The best day I had over many years of spotting was the first time Exeter was opened up for the first Bay of Biscay trip with Concorde. It came in from London, changed passengers, went down the Biscay run, came back and changed passengers again, and took off for the return to London, but did a big circuit followed by a low approach and go round before climbing out to go back to Heathrow.

What made it special was that the airfield was open in a similar way to an airday, and I managed to get a prime position, inside the main runway taxiways, at the western end of the main runway, abeam the PAPI's, about 100 Yds from the runway edge. I didn't get there for the first landing, as I'd made a flying visit home to get my video camera and recorder, the first departure was to the west, so I was about 150 FT below and not far from a Concorde with everything turning and burning, at that range, you didn't HEAR it, you FELT the ground vibrating! Awesome departure, but the icing on the cake was the return an hour or so later, by that time, the wind had changed, so it landed in an easterly direction, effectively immediately in front of me, and I was in the perfect position to get an incredible video of the entire approach from about 10 miles, very much an eagle descending on the prey, beautiful sight and sound, right down to hearing the reverser mechanisms deploy as it came over the threshold for the touchdown.

The departure an hour later, again Easterly, was also spectacular, afterburners on as the brakes were released, a huge cloud of black smoke, and another ground shaker of a departure. It went round a very large orbit of the area, at about 2000 Ft, and then came back in again for a missed approach and overshoot, before going for a full bore climb out to FL200 to join controlled airspace for the return to London.

It's a video that is guarded very carefully, and one of these days, I must get it transferred on to digital media, while I still have the hardware that can do the job.

It was an unforgettable day, partly because of the aircraft involved, and partly because of how close I was able to get to the action, under normal operations, there was no way that it would have been possible to get that close to the active runway, there were over 7000 people at the airport that day to see this one flight. Completely different, but at the end of the tape, I have another aircraft that was doing pleasure flights around the local area, Atlantic Aviation had brought on of their DC3's to Exeter to do short pleasure hops, and I also have a very evocative few moments of a DC3 waffling it's way across the threshold and on to the runway, right in front of me, completely different, but no less enjoyable.

That was over 30 years ago, and a day like that will never happen again, partly because Concorde has been retired, and partly because the changes after 9/11 mean that airfields are not open in the same way, and unlikely to ever be so again.

Davidth88

Comhra wrote: »

I was at both Greenham Common Air Tattoo and Farnborough Airshows back in the 80s. Both very memorable events. First time I saw a Lockheed Galaxy C5 up close. Security was fairly relaxed back then.

Yep in those days you were allowed to walk through the C5 , they used it like a bridge from one area of the static to the other .

Davidth88

Cool stuff on the Concorde !!

I remember being on a double decker ( 140 for you bus spotters ) on the northside of heathrow one evening and Concorde took off

The bus just shook , it was amazing

One thing I forgot was a tour I did of Czechoslovakia/Hungary and DDR, seeing all the Interflug 134s etc

Inquitus

I went to the Mildenhall Air Fete a number of times in the 80's and 90's. SR71 flying, Stealth Fighter, A10's, Vulcan, Harriers, Lightnings, F14's, F15's, F16's, F18's it was an awesome event.

L1011

Boeing factory tour when the 787 rework queue was still blocking half the airport. And 747s still in production - much as this is still done, its going to end soon

smurfjed

The latest ones that i attended was being in Farnborough for the Vulcan fly over, or visiting chateau de savigny-les-Beaune in France to view the personal collection of a very old and interesting French man

artanevilla

Not really spotting per se, was working on the ramp the day before the Berlin airshow one year, all the aircraft were arriving in/practicing. Some noise off the Eurofighters.

Irish Steve

Not spotting as such, a few years back at Portrush, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, accompanied by a vistor from Canada, did a display overpass with 2 Lancasters and a mix of Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft. The crowd was very quiet after they'd gone over the first time, the sound of 12 Merlin engines working hard took some beating, and was clearly for some present a very emotional moment.

ednwireland

Farnborough airshow on trade day when i worked at RR aerospace

Church fenton airshow several years when i was a kid

Walking round RR test beds

testing a pitot tube in freezer room at hucknall

most notable miss was the aviation museum in krakow a couple of years ago didnt realise it was there (would have been better than the schindler museum)

EchoIndia

I've been to many events over the years but the 2019 D-Day-themed gathering of C-47s/DC-3s at Duxford, with up-close action and a stream take-off to Caen, is one that will be hard to surpass. https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/albums/72157708960100183

BeardySi

RIAT 2009, B-52 and Vulcan together.

Prestwick 2014(?) the two Lancasters together and up close and personal with the Vulcan on the ground.

Portrush 2016(?) final Vulcan display over Ireland. I'll never forget the sight of her coming in low over the Causeway hugging the coast.

Falcon Field AZ 2001. I got a walk round of the CAF B-17 Sentimental Journey from the museum staff and got to watch engine tests and ground runs from airside.

2013(?) USAAF Memorial dedication Belfast. Flyby by B-17 Sally B at the Lisnabreeny memorial in the Castlereagh Hills. Flypast en-route to Dublin she made a few passes and figure eights overhead at what seemed extremely low level - the memorial is on the side of a large hill to the south of Belfast, approaching from the city side she was at eye level. I don't know how high she was but you could easily feel the exhaust heat and the noise was thunderous!

Oh and Baldonnel 2000(?) got a spin in the Air Atlantique DC-3 for half an hour or so around the Dublin mountains. That's bucket list stuff right there....

Chris_5339762

Irish Steve wrote: »

It's a video that is guarded very carefully, and one of these days, I must get it transferred on to digital media, while I still have the hardware that can do the job.

Get that onto Youtube. Not just for us, but for all Concorde fans on there.

mr.anonymous

Used to do a good bit at Dublin years ago.

A cargo 747 did a low approach and go around to allow ground crew to inspect the gear. It flew down the length of 28 at about 500ft then went around. Landed without any problems. Even back then 747s were quite rare.

Another time the patrol jeep got stuck in the mud beside runway 28. The driver sounded so embarrassed reporting it to the tower; he just replied "don't worry it could happen to anyone." They switched to runway 16 within a few minutes. Always eager to see the A330s take off for the US, I went to the spot at the 28/34 threshold. The A330 rolled for take off facing me, rotated literally across the road and the gear doors opened as it went right over my head. One of those take offs you could feel in your chest. Wonderful stuff

Dohvolle

I was at Fairford when the 2 Mig 29s had a mid air collision.(1993 I think) I missed it, busy taking photos of an RAF Regiment Drill Display, looking in the other direction (I had seen their display earlier that day).
Fairford was always a great show. Campsites near the threshold, got woken to the sound of a B52 landing. The serious spotters had camper vans with chairs on the rooftop for an uninterrupted view of events. I can safely say in 2 years visiting that show I saw every military aircraft then in service, and have about 20 photo albums to confirm it. Arrive 2 days before the show, Be in your tent to watch the arriving aircraft from early morning next day, Stay on the airfield until the RAF police kick you out. Wake up on day 2 ready to see what you missed on day 1. Depart campsite next day and head south for Chivenor, who's airshow usually followed a few days later. A smaller affair, more RAF centric, but you got to get much closer to static display. Have a photo of myself siting in the Martin-Baker of an RAF Hawk around the parents house somewhere.

Another smaller show I was at was when Cork Airport was celebrating some birthday, Irish Helis were giving flights over the city in an S61. I paid my money and got my flight. On landing though, on the light aircraft ramp, I paused to take photos of some Air Corps Fouga Magisters, and a Maritime Patrol King Air 200s. Their crews were chilling out there, having just done a display for the event. (Pre Silver Swallows) Have some great interier shots of the Fougas, and got a nice look inside the Kingair. While there, the Old Govt Jet, (HS125-700) arrived, bringing with it some technicians to look at the Kingair which had developed a fault of some sort.
Once I had taken all my photos, I tried to leave the ramp. The Gate I had come in, to get on the S61 was now closed and unattended.
So I went into the open doors of the fire station, where an exasperated Airport Police and Fire service gentleman quietly ushered me landside.
Some years later I relayed the story to the father of my then girlfriend, who was Airport Police.
"Never happened" he confidently assured me.

Pat Dunne

The Air France Concorde at DUB in 1983, was a stand out.
A close second was the B17G at the Baldonell Air Spectacular in ‘87.
Got absolutely scorched that day.

Oscar Bravo

Abbeyshrule many years back at a fly in/Air show. a Ryanair BAC One Eleven did a low,very low, pass down the runway. lifted the place

b318isp

For me, there were a few:

- F111s at the Fairyhouse Air Spectacular: the loudest noise I've ever heard. Anyone got their registrations?
- The flip of this was the fatal crash of the Polish Wilga, which I witnessed
- Air Spectacular in Baldonnel in 2000: The last really international and varied airshow in the republic, with a number of types flying that are memories now (including a Nimrod, Meteor, Twin Pioneer) and some great ground displays (Mirage F1, An26).
- Farnbourough 2019: just to be there. And to see a Hercules do a loop, and see the scale of the A350-1000 on take off, and sit on an An124, and see a Biman 787 do a high AoA take off...
- Newcastle 2013/14: Seeing the Vulcan fly...twice
- Flightfest 2013: How an airshow over the Liffey was orgainsed, I'll never know. However, full marks to whoever was behind it - while the total number of aircraft was low, it was excellent for what it was
- Bray and the Italian Tricolore: as much as I've admired the Red Arrows, I thought the Italians were a notch better
- Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show 2018: 19 Spitfires in the air - 1 soloing, and 18 in formation; apparently the largest non military assembly ever
- Finally, Eddie Goggins and Richard Goodwin are always enthralling, no matter where they display

EchoIndia

b318isp wrote: »

For me, there were a few:

- F111s at the Fairyhouse Air Spectacular: the loudest noise I've ever heard. Anyone got their registrations?
- The flip of this was the fatal crash of the Polish Wilga, which I witnessed
- Air Spectacular in Baldonnel in 2000: The last really international and varied airshow in the republic, with a number of types flying that are memories now (including a Nimrod, Meteor and Noratlas) and some great ground displays (Mirage F1, An26, Hansajet).
- Farnbourough 2019: just to be there. And to see a Hercules do a loop, and see the scale of the A350-1000 on take off, and sit on an An124, and see a Biman 787 do a high AoA take off...
- Newcastle 2013/14: Seeing the Vulcan fly...twice
- Flightfest 2013: How an airshow over the Liffey was orgainsed, I'll never know. However, full marks to whoever was behind it - while the total number of aircraft was low, it was excellent for what it was
- Bray and the Italian Tricolore: as much as I've admired the Red Arrows, I thought the Italians were a notch better
- Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show 2018: 19 Spitfires in the air - 1 soloing, and 18 in formation; apparently the largest non military assembly ever
- Finally, Eddie Goggins and Richard Goodwin are always enthralling, no matter where they display

I agree about the Baldonnel 2000 show but I think the Noratlas was in 1986 and the Hansa Jet 1993. Some photos to be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/groups/[email protected]/

Pat Dunne

Another one I recall was to see the two C5 Galaxy transports leave Dublin in the 70’s with all the Defence Forces kit for the UNIFIL mission to South Lebanon.
They were in the old grey and black livery as opposed to the later green scheme they have.

Dohvolle

Was the 2000 Baldonnell show the one that was an absolute scorcher?

Dohvolle wrote: »

Was the 2000 Baldonnell show the one that was an absolute scorcher?

1987 one.

b318isp

EchoIndia wrote: »

I agree about the Baldonnel 2000 show but I think the Noratlas was in 1986 and the Hansa Jet 1993. Some photos to be found here:
https://www.flickr.com/groups/[email protected]/

Yeah, I'm probably mixing them up. Thanks for link.

Tenger

b318isp wrote: »

........
- Flightfest 2013: How an airshow over the Liffey was orgainsed, I'll never know. However, full marks to whoever was behind it - while the total number of aircraft was low, it was excellent for what it was
......

The guy who organises Bray was involved in Flight Fest. Im not sure as an instigator or was invited to organised on behalf of the IAA.

I had previously met and got chatting to one of the ATCOs who was co-ordinating on the day. Its a shame the Vulcan had the tech issue the week previous as its display was planned to be great. 2 passes planned, one upstream then closing the show with a downstream pass and full power climb over Dublin Port.

The absence of the Vulcan in Dublin prompted my 1st visit to Fairford that summer.

Psychlops

b318isp wrote: »

- Air Spectacular in Baldonnel in 2000: The last really international and varied airshow in the republic, with a number of types flying that are memories now (including a Nimrod, Meteor, Twin Pioneer) and some great ground displays (Mirage F1, An26).

Eh, Salthill Airshow! Salthill had it all & was free, 3 hours of brilliant flying & usually a practice the day before.

BeardySi

Oaklyn Many Conductor wrote: »

1987 one.

Wasn't at 1987, but 2000 was most definitely a scorcher.

I got savage sunburn and pulled a sickie from work with "sunstroke" the following Monday...

Davidth88

b318isp wrote: »

For me, there were a few:


- Bray and the Italian Tricolore: as much as I've admired the Red Arrows, I thought the Italians were a notch better

Utterly agree...... they have a certain way about them , they are the best display team around TBH

BeardySi

Davidth88 wrote: »

Utterly agree...... they have a certain way about them , they are the best display team around TBH

Plus, their announcers are always so excitable you can't help but enjoy their displays!

Turbulent Bill

Davidth88 wrote: »

Utterly agree...... they have a certain way about them , they are the best display team around TBH

Saw both teams at Bray. The Red Arrows were impressive, but strangely not that exciting. The airmanship was almost too perfect, and the routines were samey, so it seemed a bit dull.

The Frecce, on the other hand, chucked the planes around like their lives depended on it. That's entertainment!

Tenger

I've had the opportunity to attend the Chicago Air & Water show a few times. Have seen the USAF Thunderbird and the US Navy Blue Angels.
Have to say the Thunderbird are a better visual spectacle.
The Angels are extremely technically impressive but those flat passes with 18 inch separation are a bit "dull". Sounds very unappreciative.

My last time there was 2019 when the Red Arrows were far more impressive to watch than the Angels.

Seeing a B1 doing a low pass over the water was a highlight from about 8-10 years ago.