RIAT 2007 (56k warning)

Post by **DaveB** » 17 Jul 2007, 21:45

Here's a couple of the Heritage Flight (RIAT version).. and one of the T-Birds for those that don't know what they look like underneath. Rather smart if I do say so

Apologies for the poor light but thats an English summer for you!

ATB

DaveB :tab:

kit · Post by **kit** » 17 Jul 2007, 21:52

I can't recall ever seeing the 'Birds flying F-16s, I must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But I saw them in their F-4Es at Upper Heyford in the early 80s, around the same time as I saw the Blue Angels in their F-4Js at Hucknall. Precise and accurate both teams surely were, but you could see why the F-4 didn't make a good aircraft for an aerobatic team, the turning circle was so large they must have been in the next county at times!

But they surely were impressive, LOTS of noise, LOTS of smoke (just the J-79s on their own did that.....) and close-in LOTS of presence too.

The Reds impress by their sheer skill and precision and in some ways because there are so many of them. The Frecce give the same overall impression, with added Italian brio of course

so maybe the 'Birds should think about adding a few more aircraft to the team?

Tomliner · Post by **Tomliner** » 17 Jul 2007, 22:09

Dave.Favourite shots the Tricoliri and the last one in your second posting of the Red Arrows.superb lighting and composition.Are you sure you didn't fake the cloud pattern ?Well done EricT

Chris558 · Post by **Chris558** » 17 Jul 2007, 22:13

I remember first seeing the Frecce at IAT 91 (my first IAT). I was very impressed and thought they had the edge on the Reds.

The tragic thing about these days is that safety has gone a little too OTT, meaning that the Reds are no longer able to fly over the crowd. I don't mean the risky-looking manoevres - that's fair enough - I'm talking about on their arrival, from behind the crowd (unique to them, I think) and when they used to fan out over the crowd, and the Bomb-burst.

As one Team leader once said, flying nine Hawks in formation over the crowd is no more dangerous than an Airliner flying over the middle of London.

Post by **DaveB** » 17 Jul 2007, 22:19

I dunno Kit to be honest. They're actually a 6-ship display team with the majority of the diplay being broken into a 4-ship and 2 singletons. It's difficult to fault what they did as they did it very well. Perhaps more aircraft would help as even the Red's/FrecceT would be less inspiring with only 6 aircraft :think:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Post by **DaveB** » 17 Jul 2007, 22:38

Here's a couple more.. not particularly good shots but both give an impression of speed, something I'm fond of from time to time

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Post by **Garry Russell** » 17 Jul 2007, 22:57

Those certainly work for me Dave

Garry

DispatchDragon · Post by **DispatchDragon** » 18 Jul 2007, 09:40

Nice Shots Dave

They call it the Heritage flight here too

Just half asleep this morning.

We were fortunate because the Raptor OCU lives at Nellis which makes an
F22 an easy lead ship now - last year there were three F86s to chose from
and a ramp full of 51's - the 16 was I believe one of the Aggressor aircraft,

Anyway your right they do seem to fly a tight steady formation . The speed
shots - well IF the humidity ever got above -8 here maybe we could have shots like that

Oh yes thanks to a certain Mod here - there will be some VC10 in bluer climes shots appearing shortly

Leif

mayagrafix · Post by **mayagrafix** » 19 Jul 2007, 17:42

kit wrote:I can't recall ever seeing the 'Birds flying F-16s, I must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But I saw them in their F-4Es at Upper Heyford in the early 80s, around the same time as I saw the Blue Angels in their F-4Js at Hucknall. Precise and accurate both teams surely were, but you could see why the F-4 didn't make a good aircraft for an aerobatic team, the turning circle was so large they must have been in the next county at times!

But they surely were impressive, LOTS of noise, LOTS of smoke (just the J-79s on their own did that.....) and close-in LOTS of presence too.

so maybe the 'Birds should think about adding a few more aircraft to the team?

The first aircraft selected for the Thunderbirds demonstration team was the straight wing F-84G Thunderjet built by Republic Aviation in May 25, 1953

Mindful of their mission to show the Air Force's best aircraft, the Air Force selected the swept wing F-84F Thunderstreak as their second aircraft in 1955

With the move to the F-100 Super Sabre in 1956, untill 1969, 13 years! almost a footnote in the history of Thunderbird aviation, the Republic-built F-105B Thunderchief performed only six shows between April 26 and May 9, 1964

The Thunderbirds started the 1969 training season still in the F-100D's Thud's but in the spring of 1969 the team received the first of the new McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II's.

1974 brought with it a fuel crisis and as a result a new aircraft for the team, the sleek, swift and highly maneuverable Northrop T-38A Talon, the Air Force's first supersonic trainer. Economically, the T-38 was unmatched. Five T-38's used the same amount of fuel needed for one F-4 Phantom, and fewer people and less equipment were required to maintain the aircraft.

In 1983, the team returned to the tradition of flying a premier fighter aircraft; trasitioning to the General Dynamics, later Lockheed Martin's F-16A Fighting Falcon. Remaining true to ist character to showcase the latest advancement in America's fighter technology, in 1992 the team transitioned to Lockheed Martin's advanced F-16C, the team's ninth aircraft.

Post by **DaveB** » 19 Jul 2007, 18:09

Tks for that matey

ATB

DaveB :tab:

Classic British Flight Sim

RIAT 2007 (56k warning)

T-Bird history