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Dowser
I love the old vintage stuff, are there many Tiger Moths still airworthy? I flew model airplanes in my teens and always wanted one.
Interesting helicopter markings.
GBZYD - G-BZYD, Westland Gazelle AH.1, heading NE, just E of Portsmouth from Isle of Wight. This is a 1977 ex-Army Air Corps machine, still marked with military reg., XZ329, and full camouflage paint scheme. Nice finish though.
(that reminds me, I used to have some camouflage, but I put it down in the garden, now I can't find it........)
GBZYD - G-BZYD, Westland Gazelle AH.1, heading NE, just E of Portsmouth from Isle of Wight. This is a 1977 ex-Army Air Corps machine, still marked with military reg., XZ329, and full camouflage paint scheme. Nice finish though.
(that reminds me, I used to have some camouflage, but I put it down in the garden, now I can't find it........)
Clear blue skies bring out the most reluctant fliers.
This is a little rare and interesting -
GAVLO - Just E of Isle of Wight, a Bolkow Bo-208c Junior, making a full 105 knots. This is an unusual-looking Swedish design from the 1960's, originally built by Malmo Flygindustri. The wing structure appears to transect the cockpit canopy. Its hard not to conclude that the designer might have trained in the coffee table manufacturing sector.
This is a little rare and interesting -
GAVLO - Just E of Isle of Wight, a Bolkow Bo-208c Junior, making a full 105 knots. This is an unusual-looking Swedish design from the 1960's, originally built by Malmo Flygindustri. The wing structure appears to transect the cockpit canopy. Its hard not to conclude that the designer might have trained in the coffee table manufacturing sector.
Got it, spot of the day!
GASJV - Spitfire ICB, SE of Cambridge, appears to be headed to land or pass low over Duxford, prob, home airfield. Beauty in flight. Not the Battle of Britain Spit, its a later model, but nevertheless, a beauty.
GASJV - Spitfire ICB, SE of Cambridge, appears to be headed to land or pass low over Duxford, prob, home airfield. Beauty in flight. Not the Battle of Britain Spit, its a later model, but nevertheless, a beauty.
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Murky weather today, not much private interesting flying going on over the UK. So what's happening just across the Channel?
This one's interesting if not rare.
FBTDN - F-BTDN, a Mudry CAP-10B, bobbing around Morlaix on the N coast. Very smart little two-seater, actually these were built as trainers for aerobatics pilots as well as regular training duties. Talk about specialisms.
This one's interesting if not rare.
FBTDN - F-BTDN, a Mudry CAP-10B, bobbing around Morlaix on the N coast. Very smart little two-seater, actually these were built as trainers for aerobatics pilots as well as regular training duties. Talk about specialisms.
The Sunday fliers are up.
This is another Luscombe but I couldn't resist this one -
GBTCH - Just N of Portsmouth. G-BTCH is a Luscombe 8E Silvaire Deluxe. Slightly more powerful (at 85hp I'm not sure powerful is the right word) model than James May's old 8A. What a paint job: love the reg.
This is another Luscombe but I couldn't resist this one -
GBTCH - Just N of Portsmouth. G-BTCH is a Luscombe 8E Silvaire Deluxe. Slightly more powerful (at 85hp I'm not sure powerful is the right word) model than James May's old 8A. What a paint job: love the reg.
Already posted today but couldn't resist this one.
CBXZB - G-BXZB, heading W over Southend, from Rotterdam, a Nanchang CJ-6A. This is quite a rarity in the UK, its a Chinese trainer. It was designed in 1958 and somewhat resembles the North American Harvard, though its heritage is via the USSR, its predecessor being the Russian Yak-18. Unusual for its tripod landing gear arrangement, not easy to see at first in this pic. As can be imagined, its a rudimentary but rugged airplane, and apparently quite affordable.
CBXZB - G-BXZB, heading W over Southend, from Rotterdam, a Nanchang CJ-6A. This is quite a rarity in the UK, its a Chinese trainer. It was designed in 1958 and somewhat resembles the North American Harvard, though its heritage is via the USSR, its predecessor being the Russian Yak-18. Unusual for its tripod landing gear arrangement, not easy to see at first in this pic. As can be imagined, its a rudimentary but rugged airplane, and apparently quite affordable.
Amazed to see an AN-2 (no this one but VH-YNT flown from MKT Darwin NT) the other day down on the beach at Lee Point in Darwin Australia. It chugged overhead at about 1500ft with the side door open. Lovely, rugged aircraft, can land and takeoff on virtually anything.
This is a modest little thing but quite unusual -
GBACE - Just overflying Weston-super-Mare south-westwards, G-BACE, a Sportavia-Putzer or Fournier RF-5.
This has a manually-operated retractable centre undercarriage, which must make for landings and take-offs rather like a glider or a very fast mountain bike. Its semi-aerobatic, whatever that means. I'm guessing its owned by a pretty hot pilot, you don't buy one of these for a leisurely trip to Cheltenham Ladies' Day.
GBACE - Just overflying Weston-super-Mare south-westwards, G-BACE, a Sportavia-Putzer or Fournier RF-5.
This has a manually-operated retractable centre undercarriage, which must make for landings and take-offs rather like a glider or a very fast mountain bike. Its semi-aerobatic, whatever that means. I'm guessing its owned by a pretty hot pilot, you don't buy one of these for a leisurely trip to Cheltenham Ladies' Day.
Pretty, vintage and functional. Seen this chap once or twice before but this is a good opportunity to post him up here.
N123SA - Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, N-123SA, just N of Ipswich. This is a beautiful example of a US recconnaisance light aircraft. This design is the 1954 variant, the prototype of the line having first flown in 1949. Unusually fat tyres, as this type as widely used for bush flying from rough or waterlogged airfields. The aircraft pictured was built in 1954 and was used in French Army service until decommissioned, and has been painted up as a US Army example. Nice finish. Weird tyres.
N123SA - Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, N-123SA, just N of Ipswich. This is a beautiful example of a US recconnaisance light aircraft. This design is the 1954 variant, the prototype of the line having first flown in 1949. Unusually fat tyres, as this type as widely used for bush flying from rough or waterlogged airfields. The aircraft pictured was built in 1954 and was used in French Army service until decommissioned, and has been painted up as a US Army example. Nice finish. Weird tyres.
Well done! G-ILDA is rarest of rarest.
Appears to be a two-seat Spit, SM520, built in 1944 for training purposes, spent a long time in South African air force service, now back in the UK and used for air displays and pleasure experience flights.
Appears to be a two-seat Spit, SM520, built in 1944 for training purposes, spent a long time in South African air force service, now back in the UK and used for air displays and pleasure experience flights.
I'm in Camberley and we normally get a steady trickle of Chinooks and Apaches going over, however they are a constant sight all hours of the day and night at the moment. Not sure if it is training flights or something else. A Chinook went directly overhead very, very low at about 11pm two nights ago and I thought the house was going to fall down. I've tracked a few of the flights and I think they obfuscate the exact take off and landing spots, however they seem to come from Norfolk, fly south to pick up and follow the Thames through central London, south of Heathrow then pick up and follow the M3, buzz my house, then off down to Salisbury. However, a few Apaches look to have actually landed at Farnborough Airport.
We get a fair bit of AAC traffic being in between Sandhurst and Deepcut. Trump's visit to Sandhurst stands out a couple of years back when his entourage landed in a couple of Ospreys surrounded by a fleet of Apaches. We also get some interesting sights during practice week for the Farnborough Airshow.
However, all trumped by seeing B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman regularly going overhead when I used to live in Kansas.
