The plane enthusiasts thread

[figbat]

To be honest, I'd just be happy with flying a glider, never mind anything else.

I’ve done that (sort of). My only solo flight was in one of these, a so-called “powered glider”.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I’ve done that (sort of). My only solo flight was in one of these, a so-called “powered glider”.

View attachment 777104

I'd need the money to be fair

 

[DaveReading]

For me, Concorde or the Vulcan, not to mention several other types, but seeing as none are now flying, it's kinda' a moot point.

Having been inside a Vulcan (on the ground, alas) I can vouch for the fact that unless you're one of the pilots, you'd be sitting in the bowels, facing backwards, with a tiny porthole that you can barely see anything out of.

Oh, and only the pilots get an ejector seat!

 

[wiggydiggy]

I visited the National Museum of Flight recently in North Berwick, if you go I'd allow for at least 4 hours to fully explore everythiing.

The big attraction is Concorde G-BOAA. This plane was grounded just after the Air France disaster and never flew again. It was transported from Heathrow to East Fortune and has a wonderful display. There are several short films that tell the story of the plane, and it's struggles to keep flying. Worth the entrance fee alone.

Cockpit. Its amazingly small, an so very almost WW2 era in its dials and analogue controls.


Rear passenger section. Although the plane was all '1st Class' there was an unwritten rule that the most important people sat at the front so Royalty, Major Celebrities, Heads of State etc. The rear was for those mere mortals that could still afford to fly. This is also where a man who spent £800 on a biscuit promotion to get a flight would have sat, apparently after flying he decided to lose 11 stone down from the 21 he was!


Avro Vulcan XM597 - The plane that was forced to divert into Brazil after their refuelling nose broke, but not before they had succesfully attacked and destroyed an Argentinian Radar Station


Sea Harrier AV-8A
Although this plane did not see service during the Falkands conflict, the short film 'Air Combat' in the museum contains a story from a Harrier pilot describing how he saw 4 Argentian planes on a attack run on a British Landing Craft, and his subsequent retaliation on them shooting down 2 planes.


English Electric Lightning F.2A XN776
Possibly only second to the Vulcan as my favourite aircraft. An amazing machine and another plane is connected the Concorde in that it remains the only military plane to intercept the Mach 2 Airliner Lightning vs Concorde.


Restoration Shed
I finished the day with a short talk about some of the planes they are preparing for display. A big task awaits to restore the Bristol Beaufighter (Wing and tail are visible) which is what East Fortune Base was most known having fly from in WW2.

 

[midlife]

Looks like a top place to visit .

Round the corner from me is Solway Aviation Museum. . It has a Vulcan too that you can book cockpit visits for.

I’m in the middle of building an Airfix F2A Lighning in that livery.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Looks like a top place to visit .

Round the corner from me is Solway Aviation Museum. . It has a Vulcan too that you can book cockpit visits for.

I’m in the middle of building an Airfix F2A Lighning in that livery.

It was really good. The day before they had a Lego weekend and had 1000s of kids descend upon them, when I was there all the staff seemed slightly tired after that!

I'll look into Solway, I've seen a Vulcan fly (Doncaster) and had several up close visits but never been in one.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I visited the National Museum of Flight recently in North Berwick, if you go I'd allow for at least 4 hours to fully explore everythiing.

The big attraction is Concorde G-BOAA. This plane was grounded just after the Air France disaster and never flew again. It was transported from Heathrow to East Fortune and has a wonderful display. There are several short films that tell the story of the plane, and it's struggles to keep flying. Worth the entrance fee alone.

Cockpit. Its amazingly small, an so very almost WW2 era in its dials and analogue controls.


View attachment 777204

Rear passenger section. Although the plane was all '1st Class' there was an unwritten rule that the most important people sat at the front so Royalty, Major Celebrities, Heads of State etc. The rear was for those mere mortals that could still afford to fly. This is also where a man who spent £800 on a biscuit promotion to get a flight would have sat, apparently after flying he decided to lose 11 stone down from the 21 he was!
View attachment 777205

Avro Vulcan XM597 - The plane that was forced to divert into Brazil after their refuelling nose broke, but not before they had succesfully attacked and destroyed an Argentinian Radar Station
View attachment 777206

Sea Harrier AV-8A
Although this plane did not see service during the Falkands conflict, the short film 'Air Combat' in the museum contains a story from a Harrier pilot describing how he saw 4 Argentian planes on a attack run on a British Landing Craft, and his subsequent retaliation on them shooting down 2 planes.
View attachment 777207

English Electric Lightning F.2A XN776
Possibly only second to the Vulcan as my favourite aircraft. An amazing machine and another plane is connected the Concorde in that it remains the only military plane to intercept the Mach 2 Airliner Lightning vs Concorde.
View attachment 777208

Went there a few years ago, but it was with only about an hour to closing time

 

[wiggydiggy]

Went there a few years ago, but it was with only about an hour to closing time

It's deceptive. I spent nearly 2 hours just in the Concorde hanger, plus they have a children's play building adult puzzle centre I had to explore

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

It's deceptive. I spent nearly 2 hours just in the Concorde hanger, plus they have a children's play building adult puzzle centre I had to explore

The Vulcan & Lightning took most of my time

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

For me I got to see inside the Comet, which was interesting, Concorde also. I would have liked to have seen inside the BAC 1-11 and I see there are also others, including a Viscount (in what state I don't know as I have not seen it recently).

Military stuff is all well and good, but most of us will never really get to experience it, so I prefer the Civil side of things.

 

[figbat]

For me I got to see inside the Comet, which was interesting, Concorde also. I would have liked to have seen inside the BAC 1-11 and I see there are also others, including a Viscount (in what state I don't know as I have not seen it recently).

Military stuff is all well and good, but most of us will never really get to experience it, so I prefer the Civil side of things.

I did get a ride in an RAF VC-10 (backwards-facing seats) and saw the inside of a Hercules and Chinook. I also got to fly a De Havilland Chipmunk (this was all thanks to being in the Air Cadets in the mid/late 80s). My dad was in the RAF too so I lived near air bases most of my childhood, which no doubt fuelled my interest in aviation.

 

[wiggydiggy]

For me I got to see inside the Comet, which was interesting, Concorde also. I would have liked to have seen inside the BAC 1-11 and I see there are also others, including a Viscount (in what state I don't know as I have not seen it recently).

Military stuff is all well and good, but most of us will never really get to experience it, so I prefer the Civil side of things.

The Comet they have flew there, which I find nicer in a way than it being transported. Exploring the insides there is no middle escape doors was something I noticed.

They also show also a film about the Boeing 707 (which came after, but was ultimately more successful than than the Comet), all the people interviewed (crew) were very misty eyed about how magical aviation transport was, something I think is lost today.

 

[gbb]

Son is a gas engineer and visits peoples houses and occasionally comes across some of my dads works, he was a prolific aviation and marine artist)
Yesterday he came across, probably a mile from where dad used to live, so these havnt travelled far..
A (i believe) Suoermarine Stranraer)

And the inevitable favourite, Lancaster in the twilight

 

[Badger_Boom]

Last week, we saw a couple of Eurofighters, as we were up in the Dales,


Plus, daughters b/f studied (can't remember exactly how he phrased it, but) 'Aeronautical Engineering' at University, so I had to point this out, as we drove back from York, along the A64, on Monday evening
(I might even have featured it myself, earlier in this thread?)

https://www.westernfrontassociation...raf-hangar-and-the-story-of-rfc-bramham-moor/

I drove past that for years thinking it looked more like a hangar than a barn. I was mind boggled when I found out about the history of the site.

 

[Badger_Boom]

I visited the National Museum of Flight recently in North Berwick, if you go I'd allow for at least 4 hours to fully explore everythiing.

The big attraction is Concorde G-BOAA. This plane was grounded just after the Air France disaster and never flew again. It was transported from Heathrow to East Fortune and has a wonderful display. There are several short films that tell the story of the plane, and it's struggles to keep flying. Worth the entrance fee alone.

Cockpit. Its amazingly small, an so very almost WW2 era in its dials and analogue controls.


View attachment 777204

Rear passenger section. Although the plane was all '1st Class' there was an unwritten rule that the most important people sat at the front so Royalty, Major Celebrities, Heads of State etc. The rear was for those mere mortals that could still afford to fly. This is also where a man who spent £800 on a biscuit promotion to get a flight would have sat, apparently after flying he decided to lose 11 stone down from the 21 he was!
View attachment 777205

Avro Vulcan XM597 - The plane that was forced to divert into Brazil after their refuelling nose broke, but not before they had succesfully attacked and destroyed an Argentinian Radar Station
View attachment 777206

Sea Harrier AV-8A
Although this plane did not see service during the Falkands conflict, the short film 'Air Combat' in the museum contains a story from a Harrier pilot describing how he saw 4 Argentian planes on a attack run on a British Landing Craft, and his subsequent retaliation on them shooting down 2 planes.
View attachment 777207

English Electric Lightning F.2A XN776
Possibly only second to the Vulcan as my favourite aircraft. An amazing machine and another plane is connected the Concorde in that it remains the only military plane to intercept the Mach 2 Airliner Lightning vs Concorde.
View attachment 777208

Restoration Shed
I finished the day with a short talk about some of the planes they are preparing for display. A big task awaits to restore the Bristol Beaufighter (Wing and tail are visible) which is what East Fortune Base was most known having fly from in WW2.
View attachment 777209

We went there several times when my brother and I were kids. We must have spent hours each time, and back then (mid 80s) a lot of the static exhibits were accessible and seemed to be totally unsupervised. I have fond memories of trying to work out what all the switches did in the Buccaneer.