I have worked on most of them between 1975 and 2004, enjoyed every minute of it. Best memory was walking from the Sgt's mess at Scampton back to the hangar, I was repairing a Red Arrow at the time, when a Vulcan appeared from behind a hangar going almost vertical. The noise was great. There is nothing like the smell of burning Avtur in the morning!
Not a jet but.......... My father in his shk glider taken in jaca Spain , he trailers it there and flies the Pyrenees . The shk was built in 1966 and has an eighteen mtr wingspan and is equipped with oxygen. My father was the ulster gliding club cfi and this year although being seriously ill will be seventy seven. Up to being diagnosed at Christmas he was still working full time as a plumber.
I just love this Mach loop, Wales I was fortunate enough as a kid to see the navy sea harrier trials on board HMS Eagle, always had a thing about fast jets since
Thanks for all the contributions, nice to see the photographs and video As for you @johnv :Rage: When working at Keadby power station , near Scunni 20+ years back, things were hotting up for the lead into (eventually) the second Iraq war (operation Desert Fox I think) Anyway the RAF boys loved nothing better than to come roaring at the site at VERY low level & close to the speed of sound (you couldn't hear them approach and they were usually well past before you knew anything) in their Tornados using the power station as a target. They came in pairs usually and as they turned set off all the car alarms in the cart park, hundreds of cars, it was a fairly big project. One day one of them took it just a bit too far, there's always one isn't there. He flew what looked like between the stacks, from where I was and later a few guys had to go up and help a guy down off the stacks as he froze with fright.
A fast jet overhead always gets my attention and I have had a few memorable "close encounters" in the hills. I also looked up into the very close underbelly of a Jaguar whilst flying a hang glider some years ago :Wideyed:
I have always been interested in aircraft. My favourite ride is from home down over the Humber bridge caistor Horncastle to Conningsby watch the Typhoons for a bit then back up to Waddington then Scampton then home. I'm 62 now but when I was at school I remember being on the playing field and for several weeks flights of V bombers passed over in the afternoon. They were practising for some display but I cannot find out what it was. They took 30 mins to pass over. My interest stems from my dad. He had 2 cousins in the RAF. One was killed on 14thSeptember 1940. He was always talking about him. Somebody unknown to the family put a potted history of him on the internet. Google William Burley Higgins if anybody is interested. I started an oil painting for my dad for his Birthday of his cousin based on that history and a bit more research on the internet but he passed on before I finished it. I did finish it and it's on my kitchen wall now I hope the thread keeps going got loads of piccys I could add
I'll Google your dad's cousin thanks for passing it on................sorry to hear about your dad. On another story the better half's father sadly also deceased, was a flight engineer in Lancasters. He was a rather Ahem!! large fellow. Anyway they got shot down and 3 or 4 of the crew were killed. The thing was that Stan ended up in the Dortmund Emms canal & if he hadn't he would have have been seriously injured or worse as the parachute was not an XXXL. He had the Irving caterpillar tie pin with green eyes. Apparently he got the offer of either, green for water or red for land. Please post any pics doesn't have to be jets I love the Warbirds too
