maqroll Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 Anyone on here have a pilot's license? Considering getting one? Any enthusiasts? Air show fans? Flight simulator participants? Crash reel watchers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 I hope this thread takes off 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 (edited) I used to go to Airshows with my dad when I was a teenager , he is a proper aviation nerd ( and has a PPL) . Duxford , Mildenhall, Biggin ,Fairford , Cosford, Farnborough you name it I've probably been to an air show there. Used to see a Gary Numan a lot flying his Harvard at some of the shows , the Spitfire was always the main draw , but the highlight for me was at Greenham Common as the SR71 flew there . fast forward 25 years and I used to take the kids to them .. mainly Farnborough as its on my doorstep , seeing the demo A380 almost doing acrobatics is quite a sight to behold , but we were also at Shoreham and saw a Hurricane crash into the hills from close up My daughter kinda lost interest in the planes , but my son regularly goes flying with my dad and he's logged a few unofficial hours where he's had the controls (under supervision).... for my sons 18th birthday , my parents booked him a flight in a Sopworth camel , months later and I still don't' think the huge beam has gone from his face not an air show , but back in 1983 , my dad wrote me a note for a day off school and took me to Stanstead and we saw the Space Shuttle Enterprise , it was piggy backed onto a 747 and we watched it take off .. that felt like real history in the making at the time .. no security back then , we just wandered onto the runway along with others and took some pictures of us standing in front of it , would never be allowed now I shouldn't think hang on , I might also be a nerd ... Edited October 9, 2023 by tonyh29 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 I remember years ago going to Donnington market and next door on the race track they had some superbikes race of some description. The real treat for us was seeing a harrier jump jet taking off vertically and spinning around like a helicopter. It was an amazing sight. The other sight I saw which I didn’t really appreciate at the time was taxiing to the runway at Heathrow and having a perfect view of a Concorde taking off. That’s as close as I ever got to flying on one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 (edited) 18 minutes ago, Genie said: The other sight I saw which I didn’t really appreciate at the time was taxiing to the runway at Heathrow and having a perfect view of a Concorde taking off. That’s as close as I ever got to flying on one. Concorde was a daily event living where I live , in the early days of its commercial flights you'd kinda stop what you were doing and go outside and look for it every evening just after it took off , As it was kinda now or never back in October 2003 I flew back from New York on it , was probably something like the 6th from last ever commercial flight of Concorde. I went to LHR to watch the last commercial ones come into land , it was like the end of an era ... The last ever flight was the one that went to Filton about a month after it stopped operating , it took off and then flew directly over my office , so I got to hear it one last time I kinda miss it setting off car alarms and hearing its distinctive engines in the sky Edited October 9, 2023 by tonyh29 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 When I want some peace and quiet, and I know no one else would want to go with me, I go to Manchester Airport Air Park. I look at planes and it's bliss. They have a Concorde there too. At some point I know a member of the family will say they will come "to keep me company". 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 6 minutes ago, tonyh29 said: I kinda miss it setting off car alarms and hearing its distinctive engines in the sky That’s one thing I remember, we were probably something silly like half a mile away but the sound and energy from it shook our plane. I’m surprised none of the super rich oil backed airlines never kept Concorde going just cos they didn’t need to worry themselves with a business case. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted October 9, 2023 Moderator Share Posted October 9, 2023 I've spent 41 years working on aircraft, so I've seen a few. On Concorde - back in the late 80s the paint bay hangar where I worked had some kind of issue with Asbestos, so was out of use, so one of our jets which needed painting had to go to Heathrow and a little group of us had to go with it to take the various kit out, before it could be painted, actually it might be it had been painted and we had to put the kit back in, but whichever...anyway it was in the hangar next to Concorde, so we could just wander up to it and go inside and stuff, as well as obviously watch it go out and take off. Which was nice. And back at base, though earlier, it came to one of our air days and the punters could pay something like £125 quid I think it was to actually fly in it, from our place, though I don't think it landed back - I think they had to get a coach back from London or somewhere. But i got to see it take off at close quarters. Here's a pic someone else took And Manchester Airport Air park has one of our old jets on it, and it makes me sad every time I see it (though I've not been to the park, just seen it from the windows of a taxiing airliner). I might go and have a proper look, at some point just for old times sake. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 19 minutes ago, Genie said: That’s one thing I remember, we were probably something silly like half a mile away but the sound and energy from it shook our plane. I’m surprised none of the super rich oil backed airlines never kept Concorde going just cos they didn’t need to worry themselves with a business case. I think beardy was sniffing around it for a while so BA made sure he didn't get one of theirs and Airbus removed all maintenance support in 2003 so I guess it just wouldn't have been feasible even if you were oil rich 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 I live near an airport. How do people with the money for an aircraft and lessons have so little imagination? Round and round and round they **** go, round and round the town, round and round. Clocking up the hours by flying in a circle for half a day round and round town. Here comes another one, like the world’s richest **** zombie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted October 9, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted October 9, 2023 1 hour ago, tonyh29 said: hang on , I might also be a nerd Can't find aviation on the nerd/geek plotter... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 (edited) seems i uploaded some landing footage from my flight ... taking into account how crap video footage was in 2003 , that (reverse thrust) noise is still pretty awesome ..and that's from inside the cabin Edited October 9, 2023 by tonyh29 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted October 9, 2023 Moderator Share Posted October 9, 2023 11 minutes ago, chrisp65 said: I live near an airport. How do people with the money for an aircraft and lessons have so little imagination? Round and round and round they **** go, round and round the town, round and round. Clocking up the hours by flying in a circle for half a day round and round town. Here comes another one, like the world’s richest **** zombie. Serious answer is that when they're learning they need to be close to an airfield in case they **** up, and they're probably paying for an hour's lesson, so can't go far anyway, and landing and take off are the tricky parts, so they might well do several circuits and bumps in their hour. Less serious answer - to annoy the locals 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 I had a flight “lesson” about 10 years ago as a birthday present. It went from Coventry airport. The instructor said usually people either wanted to fly over their house or down to Silverstone. I opted for Silverstone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted October 9, 2023 VT Supporter Share Posted October 9, 2023 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delboy54 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 Many, many years ago (this was late 1960's) I used to live near Filton and my Dad would take me to a suitable spot near the runway and watch concorde taxi and all but take off during testing. Now I live 40 mins from Duxford and there is one of the early Concordes as a non flying exhibit where you can go on board. Apparently the Concorde arrived before the M11 had been built, but now the M11 has sliced a bit of Duxford runway off, leaving the runway too short for Concorde ever to take off again, leaving Concorde effectively stranded. Highly recommend Duxford for a day out, even a non flying day. Bl##dy hell I just realised I sound like an aviation nerd...... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delboy54 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 11 minutes ago, mjmooney said: "Smoke me a kipper, I will be back for breakfast".......(acknowledgement from Blackadder 4) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seat68 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 A year or 2 back my wife booked a campsite in Freckleton, which is adjacent to an airfield. The reviews were complaining about the small amount of take offs and landings. It was the number 1 reason she booked it. She ain't a bad sort. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted October 9, 2023 Moderator Share Posted October 9, 2023 8 minutes ago, Seat68 said: A year or 2 back my wife booked a campsite in Freckleton, which is adjacent to an airfield. The reviews were complaining about the small amount of take offs and landings. It was the number 1 reason she booked it. She ain't a bad sort. Ha ha. Complaining not enough, or too many? That campsite is right next to the runway, too, and the end where (mostly) the jets start their take off runs from or touch down at. Did you take ear plugs? As a cyclist, when I worked on that side of the airfield, I obviously had to cross the runway to get to work, or home in the evening. They obviously put the barriers down when there's something coming or going and you have to sit and wait at the barrier, but I got to see Typhoons and Tonkas taking off on reheat from about 10 yards away loads of times, plus various other jets. No wonder I've got tinnitus. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 Just now, blandy said: As a cyclist you were doing so well in this thread until then ..... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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