memorable air displays and fast Jets are boring...

Anyone else find modern air displays boring. modern militery jets are tedous to the last' and heres an F16', For a real display of power then you cant beat piston engined fighters giving it some.

I just dont get no impression of the speed or power with a modern jet and there all pretty much the same, Tornado, F16, blah, blah. I think the only jets that have made a mark on me where the Ligntening, the Vulcan and the Tomcat, prob all retired and nevet ofly again.

Nah give me the Sea Fury or a Griffon Spitfire or a Mosquito or a Mustang cranking into life. Spark plugs, valves!superchargers, crankshafts and laos od cylinders 2000 unsilenced Horsepower!

whatdoyerthink what floats yor boat?

Kev

 

Everyone's allowed an opinion and I respect yours because I also enjoy watching old piston engined aircraft showing what they can do.

But even their displays today are nothing compared to the displays that I used to watch as a child. That is mostly because of the restrictions imposed on display pilots today in the name of crowd safety. Now I agree with keeping the crowd safe, but that very crowd is enthusiastic and wants to be thrilled by the display and as such should be allowed to take a certain level of risk by choice. Nothing drastic, but a little more than the modern cotton wool covered displays of today.

By their very nature the faster and more powerful modern jets are even more restricted by the display rules with minimum altitudes, distance from crowd and areas to avoid. Making their displays only a shadow of that which could be shown if given a free reign. A very good display pilot will make the best of things and get the best out of the aircraft, but the restrictions will still make a marked difference to the show.

Don't blame modern aircraft for a boring display, blame the rules as anyone who has seen them in their 'natural environment' will testify.

That said I have to say that some of the most impressive displays are from rotary wing aircraft. Being slower and very manouverable, given a good display pilot they can really put on a very impressive display in the airspace allowed and with very little risk to the paying public.

 

As a lad my dad used to take me to two local airshows every year. Woodford and Barton. Both no longer run, but I'm hoping to go to Southport this year for a return to my youth.
I agree slightly with the original post, but only really as my interest is primarily the aircraft of both world wars. There's no denying the magnificence of a Vulcan thundering across the sky. As a young lad I thought my chest was about to explode!

 

Any plane can be boring its all down to the pilot. I have seen boring displays by F15's and F16's yet been amazed at what a top notch pilot has done in an Airbus at Farnborough.

There is a pilot who flies a corporate twin prop who puts on a simply astonishing display with the engines stwitched off. On TV I saw him pour a lemon tea while barrel rolling the aircraft and not a drop was spilt.

Its down to the skill of the pilot.

 

A

There is a pilot who flies a corporate twin prop who puts on a simply astonishing display with the engines stwitched off. On TV I saw him pour a lemon tea while barrel rolling the aircraft and not a drop was spilt.

Its down to the skill of the pilot.

Bob Hovver who was a former test pilot and flew chase from Chuck Yeager.

 

Any plane can be boring its all down to the pilot. I have seen boring displays by F15's and F16's yet been amazed at what a top notch pilot has done in an Airbus at Farnborough.

There is a pilot who flies a corporate twin prop who puts on a simply astonishing display with the engines stwitched off. On TV I saw him pour a lemon tea while barrel rolling the aircraft and not a drop was spilt.

Its down to the skill of the pilot.

That is indeed true, but even a good display pilot has difficulty making an aircraft look impressive to a crowd with some of the modern restrictions.

Yes I agree a good pilot can make a bad aircraft look good, but it's different doing that for a crowd. How many people in the crowd would be able to see that tea being poured? Impressive, yes, but a display? No.

 

As a lad my dad used to take me to two local airshows every year. Woodford and Barton. Both no longer run, but I'm hoping to go to Southport this year for a return to my youth.
God, wasn't Woodford fantastic? Was taken as a very small brat and loved every single second of it. And being under the main flight path i was watching formations of everything that could fly going over my home for days beforehand. I'll never forget those tri-planes coming up the valley. Or the fleet of chinooks and helicopters. Huge transports and of course the Spits and 109's roaring overhead. Then being deafened by a Shackleton making manouvres over the crowd, and being the first to hear the Phantom coming in fom behind and low down. Part of the show was being buzzed by aircraft. Ahh, the heady days of my childhood. Then some wassack at BAE decided it was too expensive and stopped the show. Git.

I agree slightly with the original post, but only really as my interest is primarily the aircraft of both world wars. There's no denying the magnificence of a Vulcan thundering across the sky. As a young lad I thought my chest was about to explode!
I bring good news! The last Vulcan capable of flight is nearing the end of her restoration, and should be flying soon. So long as they can raise the last bit of money. I think, off the top of my head, the address is www.tvoc.co.uk Go forth and drool over the pretty pictures. I did.
As to modern airshows being a watered down version, I cannot comment as i have not had the opportunity of going to one for nearly 20 years now. But after watching a team of stunt pilots over Chatsworth Game fair, i can fairly say the restrictions placed on them made the show somewhat bloody boring.

 

Yes I agree a good pilot can make a bad aircraft look good, but it's different doing that for a crowd. How many people in the crowd would be able to see that tea being poured? Impressive, yes, but a display? No.

So you believe a display involving loops, rolls, a very low pass followed by an Immelmann turn then a landing that involves swerving through the sky, touching down on one wheel, then the other, before completing the landing run so it rolls to a stop bang in front of the main stand WITHOUT ANY ENGINES ie PROPELLERS STATIONARY isn't impressive.

Damn, you must be hard to please, I will give you that.

 

So you believe a display involving loops, rolls, a very low pass followed by an Immelmann turn then a landing that involves swerving through the sky, touching down on one wheel, then the other, before completing the landing run so it rolls to a stop bang in front of the main stand WITHOUT ANY ENGINES ie PROPELLERS STATIONARY isn't impressive.

Damn, you must be hard to please, I will give you that.

No, that's very impressive. It was the 'tea pouring display' that I said might not impress the crowd. However, you try and get permission for any jet aircraft to cut it's engines during a display, let alone allowing it to try and land without them and that will impress me plenty. It is just that with the current restrictions, the pilots can't show off fast jet aircraft to their best without breaking the rules. They are left with fast fly-bys and distant high altitude manouvers.... no matter how good the pilot. :mellow:

 

In 1981, the RAF decided to have a families day in Belize.

My section was tasked by providing a mid august radio link to Santa clus to beat the christmas rush!

However, the highlight was a display by Sqn ldr Peter kennady a former harrier display pilot. To spice things up a bit, we had liknked up to a UHF radio and was broadcasting a commentary from the pilot, except at the crucial moment it went tits up!

The pilot brought into the hover just feet from the crowd and at ten feet it looked really impressive. Next thing the engine let out a great big bang and the aircraft bounced off the ground and went stright back up and the pilot took off in a mighty rush! The crowd went wild as this display of piloting!

Turns out, the engine had backfired and in the words of the pilot "I am glad the link had failed, as the air was blue"!

Today, the restrictions on pilots make it more and more difficult to put on a good display! i remember going to Leuchars and seeing displays over the crowd!

The airshow at Valley produced a magnificent display from the Vulcan. What happened was that a F15 Eagle had just completed his display and came up on the radio with a defiant call of "Follow that"! The Vulcan replied "What this"! and did his display.

I was wireless Op of the standby launch and as the show ended the vulcan came up and told us to stand by.

In it came at mast top height with its bombbay open! A cylinder flew out and landed very close to the boat. We quickly hauled it in to find a 40oz bottle of whisky and a birthday card! it was my birthday! Pity i do not drink whisky!


There is a photo which i want and it is of a vulcan standing on its tail just above the deck of the Soviet Aircraft carrier Kiev! You can the russkis who had been doing their PT scattered across the deck!

 

The tea pouring was in the cockpit for TV.

Re the sound. I was at Farnborough a number of years ago when the Spitfire did a slow roll at low altitude. Obviously Farnborough is a huge event with many thousands in the crowd, however when the Spit was upside down, the engine cut. Total silence from the engine and the crowd. He quickly rolled upright and the engine started again but it was a nasty moment.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBcapxGHjE

Bob Hoover doing his air display. it includes the tea pouring!

 

I can't argue the fact, some really impressive flying. But would he be allowed to perform that display in front of a paying crowd under normal display regulations? I didn't see a crowd on the video.

The fact stands that it is the rgulations, whether over restrictive or sifficient to ensure public safety, that lower the thrill factor of a display. The faster the aircraft the more the regulations restrict the display and the less exciting it is. So if you don't want to see a fast jet zipping past at high speed, yes, the older piston WW2 fighters can put on a much more impressive display, (and in my opinion the rotory wing aircraft even more so) but that's not the fault of the pilots or the aircraft, just the regulations.

 

I can't argue the fact, some really impressive flying. But would he be allowed to perform that display in front of a paying crowd under normal display regulations? I didn't see a crowd on the video.

The fact stands that it is the rgulations, whether over restrictive or sifficient to ensure public safety, that lower the thrill factor of a display. The faster the aircraft the more the regulations restrict the display and the less exciting it is. So if you don't want to see a fast jet zipping past at high speed, yes, the older piston WW2 fighters can put on a much more impressive display, (and in my opinion the rotory wing aircraft even more so) but that's not the fault of the pilots or the aircraft, just the regulations.

Ramstein and some of the other crashes at airshows on the mainland, put the kybosh on the whole thing.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBcapxGHjE

Bob Hoover doing his air display. it includes the tea pouring!

Bob Hoover was due to fly the x1 but I think lost out through injury or other, Chuck Yeager got the slot instead. If Bob Hoover flies like this it just shows the standard that Chuck Yeager was up against.

 

I do like watching classic aeroplanes, from Bleriots to Sea Furies: but I don't think you can deny the awesome power of a modern jet. I've seen a Sukhoi 27 Flanker take off and go straight into a loop. And the last time I saw a Vulcan, it took off, climbed vertically and did a wingover and roll-out - and that in something the size of a 737.

But one of the most skilled displays I've ever seen was by an aircraft I'd always thought of as boring, belonging to an organisation even more boring - an Alphajet of the Belgian Air Force. He stayed inverted the whole display, flying circles inverted (think how you have to reverse the controls and keep a positive angle of attack).

And its amazing what a modern aerobatic type such as a Sukhoi 26 or Extra can do - controlled tailslides in formation; loops in mirror formation (i.e one of the pair is bunting), the distance between them being less than the length of the aircraft.

The last display I went to, the Red Arrows weren't there but the Breitling Fighters were (six L39s). Now I know, if the Government pull the plug on the Red Arrows, private enterprise can still deliver the goods.

Adrian

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZBcapxGHjE

Bob Hoover doing his air display. it includes the tea pouring!

I think I've just reverted to being a 6 year old again at Woodford airshow. I mean WOW!

 

Anyone else find modern air displays boring. modern militery jets are tedous to the last' and heres an F16', For a real display of power then you cant beat piston engined fighters giving it some.

I just dont get no impression of the speed or power with a modern jet and there all pretty much the same, Tornado, F16, blah, blah. I think the only jets that have made a mark on me where the Ligntening, the Vulcan and the Tomcat, prob all retired and nevet ofly again.

Nah give me the Sea Fury or a Griffon Spitfire or a Mosquito or a Mustang cranking into life. Spark plugs, valves!superchargers, crankshafts and laos od cylinders 2000 unsilenced Horsepower!

whatdoyerthink what floats yor boat?

Kev

The romance was lost when the piston engine aircraft was replaced by the jet. Similar to the steam railway engine being replaced by oil powered engines.