I was at Brize Norton earlier this year. I had a brief chance to look at the ramp both as we taxied out and as we returned. A combination of A400Ms and Voyagers were about with some holding to depart as we came back and others awaiting their next mission. Here are a few shots of the residents.
The F-35 is in widespread service in considerable numbers with many more to come in due course. However, before the F-35, there was the X-35 – the Lockheed Martin contender in the JSF competitive fly off. Up against the Boeing X-32, two X-35s were built. One of them was initially used to demonstrate the proposed Air Force configuration before it was modified with the vertical lift system proposed for what became the F-35B in USMC service.
With the competition complete, the demonstrators were superfluous and the X-35B airframe made its way to the National Air and Space Museum. Here it sits on display. What is the most interesting part – at least to me – is that they have taken the propulsion system out of the jet and put it on display separately. You can see the main engine as well as the lift fan module, the shaft coupling the two, the nizzle that both have to direct the flow and the roll posts that are used to provide both additional lift and roll control in the hover.
It is a cool demonstration of the basic configuration that is now operational in the F-35B. it has certainly been developed since this design, but the basic principles remain the same. Unlike the Harrier that had the engine in the centre of gravity of the aircraft (not a very convenient location) and redirected all thrust through four nozzles, this configuration has a mighty engine at the rear which can be vectored down when required through a three bearing nozzle that is both simple and ingenious but then a shaft drive from the same engine to a fan module that sits behind the cockpit drawing air from above and directing it down with some ability to vector it too. This forward fan balances against the rear main nozzle. It provides a significantly higher amount of vertical thrust than the Harrier ever managed and allows a larger and more capable aircraft to land vertically at the end of missions. Quite a smart piece of design.
During the Cosford air show, the Royal Navy Swordfish was part of the display. While it might not be the fastest aircraft from that era, it still has a pretty meaty engine up front. Once started, time is needed to get the oil up to temperature and to run up the engine to check its performance before it goes flying. The ground crew needed to keep the plane anchored while this was done and the way they did this was to hang on to the tailplane. Watching them getting battered by the prop wash while the engine was cycled was rather amusing.
I shared some images of the Royal Navy’s Wildcat in formation with the Swordfish. The Wildcat also did some solo demonstration manoeuvres and, while the lighting was still a bit difficult, I quite liked some of the angles it was possible to get on the airframe. While the Wildcat is quite an evolution of the original Lynx, it is nice to see that it still has the agility that the Lynx was renowned for.
Photographing a helicopter, I am looking for a more dynamic angle on the airframe. Their ability to keep the speed low and have things close to the crowd line means you can get head on shots, underside shots and topside shots as they throw the helicopter around. The topside is the one I want the most. Things went pretty well and I am overall quite happy with the results. Oh, to have something like this on a summer evening with the light behind me.
We had a quick trip that we made to Northern Virginia for a family wedding. We were only in the area for a few days before heading back to the UK. Since we had an overnight flight back, we needed to head to the airport in the late afternoon. Since we were checking out of the hotel and going to the airport, it provided a little spare time to swing by the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven Udvar-Hazy facility which is located on the south end of Dulles Airport.
I have been to Udvar-Hazy once before but that was a long time ago and I was looking forward to seeing some of the exhibits again and also seeing what had changed. There was still a lot of empty space when I had gone before but I was expecting things to have filled up a bit in the meantime. This was indeed the case.
There is so much to see at this place, one post is not even going to scratch the surface. There will be a string of individual posts about specific exhibits that will come in the weeks to come. This is more a quick overview of what we saw. The time we had there wasn’t enough to do everything that was available. Putting aside the IMax theatre which would only have been something to do if I had been there for a full day, there is the tower that they have which overlooks the airport. No time to get to that.
We didn’t have time to go to the café, and the shop was a quick pass but was also abandoned. The later parts of the exhibits were a really rapid run. I didn’t even get to fully explore the elevated walkways. We were there for a while, but it still wasn’t enough.
I have no idea when/if I will ever get back there so I was keen to get as much as I could and minimise how much Nancy was getting dragged around. I think we did as well as we could. I hadn’t seen the restoration space in my previous visit so having a look through the windows to see what was down there was good. Here are some shots that give an overview of the place. Now you know that there will be plenty more to come.
I recently shared some images of a Spitfire two-seater that was providing rides at Compton Abbas when we visited. It wasn’t the only plane providing rides (although it was definitely the most expensive). There was also a de Havilland Tiger Moth taking people up. I might not have quite the nostalgia that some have for old de Havilland types (let’s leave the Dragon Rapide out of the conversation at this point), but I have developed more of an interest in older types as I have similarly become an older type myself.
I did wonder whether the gusty conditions might make it a bit difficult for a tail dragger but they seemed to be coping just fine. It did look in fine condition and had a more sedate pace that didn’t test my panning skills quite as much as the Spit. I have had a flight in a Tiger Moth once in my life and that came courtesy of my friend Eric. I know how much I enjoyed that and I imagine that the passengers at Compton Abbas had a great time too.
It seems that equipping display teams is becoming rather difficult for some countries. The RAF has taken the Red Arrows down to seven jets because of engine issues and a replacement has not yet been selected. Meanwhile, the RCAF has selected the PC-21 to replace the Tutor with the Snowbirds, but they won’t arrive for a while. In the interim, the Tutor is being retired so there will be a hiatus for the team.
The Tutor was a strange little jet. Looking a bit like a Jet Provost but with a bit more oomph, the RCAF retired it from training duties a long time ago but kept a bunch of them running just to support the Snowbirds. I have seen them display on multiple occasions and really enjoy the display. The team also were a lot of fun when I got to spend time with them in Waukegan for the show there. Moose Milk is dangerous stuff.
This year is the last year that they have displayed with the Tutor and, since we have been gone for a while now, I didn’t get to see their last shows. My last year of seeing them display was filled with difficulties either with aircrew that had been injured or with unserviceability. In one show a jet went down and the pilot ran to a backup jet but couldn’t get that one to work either. I guess that was a sign of just how much the fleet was aging. Oh well, farewell Tutor. I hope I get to see the display with the PC-21 at some point.
I posted a bunch of crossing shots of the USAF Thunderbirds and, since I was doing that, I thought it might look like favouritism if I didn’t do the same for the Blue Angels. I saw a lot more of the Blue Angels in the second half of my time living in the US because Fleet Week in San Francisco and Seafair in Seattle always had them in attendance. That meant I got to see them after the transition to the Super Bug but the majority of shows I saw over the years were with the legacy Hornets. Anyway, here are a bunch of crossing shots for the Blues to balance things up.
One of the teams taking part at the show at Cosford was the Blue Eagles. The Army Air Corps used to have a team called the Blue Eagles and I saw them on a number of occasions but, apparently, the name went away for a while. It has returned and the routine is a combination of a pair of Apaches and a single Wildcat. This was my first time seeing an Army Wildcat display and that might not happen much more since the recent defence review announced the=at they would be phased out.
The coordinated manoeuvres of the two Apaches combined with the Wildcat doing its own thing. It kept something in front of the crowd at all times. The Apache is such an impressive machine with a menacing air about it. Meanwhile, the Wildcat has inherited the agility of the Lynx and so was thrown around with some vigour. I was happy to watch them perform and liked the synchronisation that they put into the planning. It is a good demo of the Army’s aviation capabilities.
When I was first seriously into aviation, the Wessex was in widespread use with the UK armed forces. The Navy had a load of them while the RAF used them for both troop transport and for search and rescue. The Sea King was in production and was gradually taking over the roles. As a fan of anything new at the time, I viewed the Wessex as rather old and uninteresting. The new Sea Kings were far more appealing to me at the time.
Two things have changed my perspective. First, I have grown to appreciate a load of stuff over the years that I didn’t care too much about when younger. Also, having had the fun opportunity of spending a load of time with Midwest Helicopters and their S-58Ts when living in Chicago, it reignited my interest in the type. I think Historic Helicopters have an operating Wessex, but I haven’t seen that myself. However, Cosford had a couple of examples on display – one in SAR yellow and one in camo. They looked immaculate and it was great to see them on the ramp looking just as if they could be ready to head out on a mission as soon as the show wrapped.
