The General Airplane Thread

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I saw reports of "ran off the runway." I haven't seen if that was over the end or to the side. Wind gusts in the 20-25 mph range, which is strong, but I don't think excessive for the aircraft.
 
So the list of aircraft participating in the RIAT 2017 is about finished, and it looks pretty damn good. Lots of historic aircraft as well as new.
It's not yet confirmed by the RIAT team, but various Ukrainian outlets have reported that the Ukrainian air force is participating with SU-27 Flankers. I can't stress just how much I want this to be true, especially given that the Polish air force has failed us this year, and so we don't even have MiG-29's to look forward to. I want some Russian fighters dammit! :P

Hype intensifies.
 
Old news I know but I just downloaded one of these flight scanner apps... Its remarkable just how many aircraft are in the air these days. I wanted to see how many letters of the alphabet I could see in an hour and remarkably I was able to see 18 of the 26 (Zathanykos to EMA was the Z!) letters.

Only e, j, n, o, q, u, x and y were left.

I'm guessing to see q, u, x and y would take about a month?
 
It makes me sad hearing that people are scared of regional turboprops and would only fly on jets. They're just as safe as jets and sometimes even more efficient than them. The only difference is one has props and the other doesn't.
 
They're small, they fly at a lower altitude which is sometimes rougher, and anyone can tell that they're more dangerous just by looking at them! :-)

The first two items relate to comfort, not fear, and the third is just as irrational as being afraid of them.

EDIT: Ooh! This was my post #4096. 4K!!!!!! :)
 
wfooshee
They're small, they fly at a lower altitude which is sometimes rougher, and anyone can tell that they're more dangerous just by looking at them! :-)

The first two items relate to comfort, not fear, and the third is just as irrational as being afraid of them.

EDIT: Ooh! This was my post #4096. 4K!!!!!! :)
Click to expand...

The only thing people need to worry about in... let's say a Dash-8... is the landing gear collapsing (ahem), but other than that, they're fine.
 
wfooshee
Well, it only collapses when you're already on the ground, so it's a big So What? isn't it????
Click to expand...

True, and I guess it's not really a turboprop issue. Just a Dash-8 one.

---

People need to chill out when they see props.
 
I'm not a huge fan of 757s (they just look strange IMO), but this is the best one I've ever seen. Meet TF-FIU, IcelandAir's "Hekla Aurora" B757-200 with an Aurora Borealis-inspired livery and interior lighting scheme.

Promo video #1:


Promo video 2:


TF-FIU in action:
 
"...A Hind-D? What's a Russian gunship doing here?.."


Mil Mi-35M by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Mil Mi-35M by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Mil Mi-35M by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Mil Mi-35M by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Mil Mi-35M by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Mil Mi-35M by RageRacer48, on Flickr

The second, solid dark green one, seems to be an export version (it has some technical notes written in English, like "Loading", "Open", "Close" etc).

Later I'll share some more photos from my recent trip to Zhukovsky Airfield.
(There are some on my Instagram already.)
 
Remember my post about the restored Il-2 on the previous page? So, I've seen this plane close now. It even flew on the airshow.

Ilyushin IL-2M by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Ilyushin IL-2M by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Somebody wanted Russian fighters? I've got some.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29KUB by RageRacer48, on Flickr
MiG-29KUB - the trainer (twin-seat) variant of 29K - the carrier-based version (used on Admiral Kuznetsov aviation cruiser).


Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29SMT by RageRacer48, on Flickr
MiG-29SMT - an upgrade of MiG-29SM, which was a multipurpose version of the 29, with capability of ground strikes.


Sukhoi Su-35 by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Sukhoi Su-35S by RageRacer48, on Flickr
This one was doing crazy things in the air. Try searching "Su-35S MAKS 2017" on YouTube (or insert "Су-35С МАКС 2017").


Sukhoi Su-30SM by RageRacer48, on Flickr
Su-30SM. Easily recognizable by the canards.


Sukhoi Su-34 by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Oh, there are some more choppers.

Mil Mi-28N by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Mil Mi-28N by RageRacer48, on Flickr
The "Night Hunter". Battle-proven in Syria and Iraq (by the Iraqi Air Force).


Kamov Ka-52 Alligator by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Kamov Ka-52 Alligator by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Mil Mi-8AMTSh-VA by RageRacer48, on Flickr
Long name. :D This is the Arctic version of the Eight, developed for operating under extremely low temperatures, bad visibility, and polar night.
(The yellow writing on the nose says "CAUTION! MICROWAVES!")


Mil Mi-8MTV5-1 by RageRacer48, on Flickr
Multipurpose (transport & attack) helicopter.


Mil Mi-26 by RageRacer48, on Flickr
The world's largest mass-produced helicopter.


Beriev A-50U by RageRacer48, on Flickr
AEW (airborne early warning) plane. A flying radar.


Tupolev Tu-22M3 by RageRacer48, on Flickr
Supersonic missile carrier mostly used in maritime role.


Tupolev Tu-95MS by RageRacer48, on Flickr
This one doesn't need an introduction, I guess.


Tupolev Tu-160 by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Tupolev Tu-160 by RageRacer48, on Flickr
The "Blackjack" as it's called by NATO and Beliy Lebed ("White Swan") as the Russian pilots call it. This particular one is named "Nikolai Kuznetsov" (as written on the fuselage). The Defence Ministry announced that the production of Swans will resume in 2023.

There are some more photos, but I'll post them later, this post is already big. To be continued...
 
...meanwhile, in Alaska
20430063_1414040582008467_16835270852707952_n.jpg
 
Rage Racer
Remember my post about the restored Il-2 on the previous page? So, I've seen this plane close now. It even flew on the airshow.

Ilyushin IL-2M by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Ilyushin IL-2M by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Somebody wanted Russian fighters? I've got some.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29KUB by RageRacer48, on Flickr
MiG-29KUB - the trainer (twin-seat) variant of 29K - the carrier-based version (used on Admiral Kuznetsov aviation cruiser).


Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29SMT by RageRacer48, on Flickr
MiG-29SMT - an upgrade of MiG-29SM, which was a multipurpose version of the 29, with capability of ground strikes.


Sukhoi Su-35 by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Sukhoi Su-35S by RageRacer48, on Flickr
This one was doing crazy things in the air. Try searching "Su-35S MAKS 2017" on YouTube (or insert "Су-35С МАКС 2017").


Sukhoi Su-30SM by RageRacer48, on Flickr
Su-30SM. Easily recognizable by the canards.


Sukhoi Su-34 by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Oh, there are some more choppers.

Mil Mi-28N by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Mil Mi-28N by RageRacer48, on Flickr
The "Night Hunter". Battle-proven in Syria and Iraq (by the Iraqi Air Force).


Kamov Ka-52 Alligator by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Kamov Ka-52 Alligator by RageRacer48, on Flickr


Mil Mi-8AMTSh-VA by RageRacer48, on Flickr
Long name. :D This is the Arctic version of the Eight, developed for operating under extremely low temperatures, bad visibility, and polar night.
(The yellow writing on the nose says "CAUTION! MICROWAVES!")


Mil Mi-8MTV5-1 by RageRacer48, on Flickr
Multipurpose (transport & attack) helicopter.


Mil Mi-26 by RageRacer48, on Flickr
The world's largest mass-produced helicopter.


Beriev A-50U by RageRacer48, on Flickr
AEW (airborne early warning) plane. A flying radar.


Tupolev Tu-22M3 by RageRacer48, on Flickr
Supersonic missile carrier mostly used in maritime role.


Tupolev Tu-95MS by RageRacer48, on Flickr
This one doesn't need an introduction, I guess.


Tupolev Tu-160 by RageRacer48, on Flickr

Tupolev Tu-160 by RageRacer48, on Flickr
The "Blackjack" as it's called by NATO and Beliy Lebed ("White Swan") as the Russian pilots call it. This particular one is named "Nikolai Kuznetsov" (as written on the fuselage). The Defence Ministry announced that the production of Swans will resume in 2023.

There are some more photos, but I'll post them later, this post is already big. To be continued...
Click to expand...
We never see these things in Australia, so they are quite interesting to me. I'd love to see them up close, it really would be a unique experience.
 
So I completely forgot to post a little review of my experience at RIAT 2017, which also served as my first airshow. And what a show it was!

Sadly, as I was staying in London and had to travel by train and then bus to the airfield, I missed the first 40 minutes, which included the French 2X Mirage 2000 display. A real bummer, as I was looking forward to seeing that aircraft in action. We arrived just as the Swedish Gripen was flying, and damn that thing can move. I view that plane in a completely different light after seeing both the Swedish and the Chechzs (spelling ,wut?) perform a flying display with it. Aside from the Swedish Gripen, the first planes that greeted me after the entrance were the Thunderbirds F-16's (hype!) and a pair of F-22's looking incredibly mean. It's hard to believe just how Sci-fi the F-22 still looks. I had been at the show for only 2 minutes, and I was already taken aback at how cool these aircraft are up close. The rest of my post would probably be better suited for bullet points appearing in no order in particular.

Thunderbirds - RIAT 2017.jpg


  • The French Rafale solo display had me in complete awe. It practically never flew in a straight line, and looked absolutely fantastic in the sky.
  • The F-22 display was cool, although to be honest, I thought it was somewhat overshadowed by the Rafale. Granted the thrust vectoring allows the Raptor to pull some incredibly tight turns, the Rafale display was just more dynamic and consistent.
  • The Red Arrows get a lot of love, especially from the British, but the Hawk just doesn't do it for me in terms of excitement. Que the Thunderbirds and their beautiful F-16's. I absolutely loved their display, and while the music could be a bit cringy at times, the display never got boring. Frontline fighter jets are just more interesting than trainers IMO. The Thunderbird F-16 livery is amazing too.
  • The Swiss F-5 Tigers were the other highlight where group display are concerned. A cool, and very nimble aircraft that will soon disappear from the skies. I really like their livery as well.
  • The Airbus A-400 looked very impressive doing a near vertical climb after take-off. Considering that this thing is around 50% bigger than a C-130, that is just plain ridicules. Clearly it can't be bothered adhering to the laws of physics ;)
  • the Army Air Crops performed really nice flying displays with both a WAH-64 Apache and a Chinook, although the pyro techniques felt somewhat underwhelming. They didn't really do the Apache justice. On a fun little side note. At one point, when I came across the Apache in the static park, I saw them giving a cockpit tour to some people. I couldn't believe it. This would be my chance to perhaps sit in the cockpit of one of these babies. Sadly, when I asked if I could join, I was politely told that they were family and friends, and that it was a special one off for them. It broke me a bit on the inside, but such is life :(:D
  • A very nice WW2 themed flight featuring the Lancaster flying with several Spitfires and Hurricanes.
  • Cool Heritage flight featuring the F-22 flying alongside the P-51.
  • The Ukrainian SU-27 looked and sounded so damn good, but tbh, the display was kind of disappointing. The pilot didn't perform any of the maneuvers that the Flankers are known for. One cool thing, however, was when he turned the tail towards the audience with the afterburner on. I swear, you could not only feel the heat coming out of those nozzles, but you entire body rumbled from the power of it. Awesome!
  • While I wanted to see as much as the flying display as I possibly could, I also wanted to chat to various pilots, and so, half of my day was spent in the static park. I had a bunch of very informative chats with crews of the Danish Challenger VIP plane, a Swedish Gripen pilot, as well as a technician on the Gripen, and lots and lots of helicopter pilots and crew members. I really wanted to have a chat with an F-16 pilot, but couldn't find any.
  • Talked to the crew on an American HH-60 Pavehawk, primarily about how CSAR missions are done, and what they intend to do if the USAF gets their way and retire the A-10 early. Also got a nice tour of the helicopter, and some pictures of me sitting in the cockpit :D
  • Talked to the crew of both a British Royal Navy Wildcat as well as an Army Air Corps Wildcat. Pretty cool to hear about how differently they operate. For instance, on the Navy's variant, the gunner for the door mounted gun is actually the co pilot, who doesn't have provisions to fly the helicopter. If needed, he slides the seat back and mounts the gun while in flight (crazy!). The Army's variant can be flown from both pilot seats. We also compared the new Wildcat to its previous incarnation, the Lynx. Also got a tour of the cockpit as well as some photos.
  • Talked to the crew of the ultra modern NH-90, and learned that it is designed to be able to perform all its missions even with one engine out. Pretty impressive stuff. Also asked if all of the many kinks had been worked out, as the NH-90 has experienced many delays, and the answer was a resounding yes. The pilot seemed very pleased with the helicopter.
  • The Gripen pilot, formerly a Viggen pilot, was just awesome. We talked about the F-35 and stealth in general. It's cool to have some of your own thoughts on the matter confirmed by someone who's actually a fighter pilot, and he agreed that the F-35 relied far too much on stealth, and that stealth in general would likely be rendered somewhat superfluous within long. He seemed confident that the radar going in the new Gripen E would be capable of picking up even the F-35 at decent ranges, and that a small sized aircraft, like the Gripen, can, and has done so in several combat exercises, sneak up on opponents undetected despite not being designed with stealth characteristics other than small size and RCS reduction methods around the intakes, ect. I also wanted his take on how the Gripen stacked up against other fighters, such as the F-16 and SU-35. On the F-16, assuming the latest V model, he thought it would be all about pilot skill. The SU-35 he hoped never to face in battle with a grin on his face. Not surprising, because that thing is damned impressive.
  • On a final note, one of the coolest, and entirely unexpected moments, was when the announcers said that they had a special surprise for us in lieu of the USAF 70th anniversary. And off in the distance, you could see a B-2 Spirit flying in. I couldn't believe it. Only 20 of these still in existence, and I get to see one! This thing looks completely out of this world, and cemented my experience of the show as unforgettable.

So, that was quite a wall of text. Sorry about that, but the essence of it all is that I absolutely loved the show. Amazing experience, and I fully recommend it to anyone, especially if you already reside in England. I'll finish the post off with some pictures of me looking like an idiot inside the cockpits of the HH-60 and Wildcat respectively, as well as mounting an M134 onboard the NH-90.


HH-60 Pavehawk - RIAT 2017.jpg


Wildcat cockpit experience - RIAT 2017.jpg


NH-90 mounted M134 Minigun - RIAT 2017.jpg



@Rage Racer

I love how Russia has such a diverse selection of aircraft that they could host an airshow only with their own aircraft, and still have it be a larger rooster than what most countries can manage in airshows comprising several countries. I'd love to visit that show too some day. I've seen a video of the SU-35 performing at MAKS 2017, and it was just pure insanity. The way it can essentially stop in mid air, do a couple of spins and then fly off in any direction that it wants is absolute madness. Love that fighter.



You see it at 6:30 and onwards in this video. Gravity means absolutely nothing to this steel bird.
 
Last edited:
Carlos
Thanks for writing that up, was nice to read @Jawehawk . What stopped you from showing us your other photos?
Click to expand...

I don't have a dedicated camera, and as I quickly discovered, a phone is entirely inadequate for taking pictures of the planes during their performances. I have a few pictures of the static park, namely the Greek F-4 Phantoms, a P-51 Mustang, a profile shot of the HH-60 Pavehawk, a line of helicopters, the WAH-64 Apache and the Ukrainian SU-27. Other than that, and a few phone video recordings that mostly aren't very good, I have nothing but my memory of the event. I prefer to fully live the experience, rather than see it through the lens of a camera ;)

But I'm glad that you enjoyed the post. Was worried that it was a tad too incoherent.
 
Jawehawk
I don't have a dedicated camera, and as I quickly discovered, a phone is entirely inadequate for taking pictures of the planes during their performances. I have a few pictures of the static park, namely the Greek F-4 Phantoms, a P-51 Mustang, a profile shot of the HH-60 Pavehawk, a line of helicopters, the WAH-64 Apache and the Ukrainian SU-27. Other than that, and a few phone video recordings that mostly aren't very good, I have nothing but my memory of the event. I prefer to fully live the experience, rather than see it through the lens of a camera ;)

But I'm glad that you enjoyed the post. Was worried that it was a tad too incoherent.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely right! I have ruined some experiences for myself like that. If it's not too much trouble I'd like to see some static shots 👍
 
Jawehawk
Anytime. I'll keep the desire for pictures in mind for the next airshow I attend, but RIAT will not be my last.
Click to expand...
While nice, I'd say just enjoy yourself instead. Pictures are welcomed but I hope you don't feel obligated. Anyways nice set, and glad you enjoyed the show 👍
 
I'm not sure I've shared this here, but if so, forgive an old man's senility.

A replica Spanish galleon called, oddly enough, "El Galeon," came to my home town last summer, and the local photo club was invited on board, for free, and hour before they opened to the public. Lots of cool shots, no crowds in the way, blah blah blah. The marina downtown is under the approach to Tyndall AFB, and I snapped this as I followed an F-22 overhead, covering a 500-year span of fighting technology in the shot. :)

25745099555_36eaa59401_o.jpg
 
wfooshee
I'm not sure I've shared this here, but if so, forgive an old man's senility.

A replica Spanish galleon called, oddly enough, "El Galeon," came to my home town last summer, and the local photo club was invited on board, for free, and hour before they opened to the public. Lots of cool shots, no crowds in the way, blah blah blah. The marina downtown is under the approach to Tyndall AFB, and I snapped this as I followed an F-22 overhead, covering a 500-year span of fighting technology in the shot. :)

25745099555_36eaa59401_o.jpg
Click to expand...
Looks like it was a F-35 =)
 

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