Lancaster Flypast: Ladybower/Derwent/Howden, May 2013?

[dr_gn]

Mutley said:

Lloyd, we may be harsh on ourselves, but you set a good standard to try for

A couple more from me having sat and looked through them today


Climbing out after 2nd run

Nice pics - you must have been very close to where I was standing, but a bit higher.

Took some "crowd" pictures to post on here (most of the photos also seem to have been taken from Pike Low), but then realised that it might be illegal.

[dr_gn]

lloyd h said:

dr_gn said:

They're all awesome, Tornado included. I've said this before, but you're photos look like hi-res versions of everyone else's!

mcdjl said:

Your fluffed shots are far better than my good ones. Still thanks for letting the rest of us feel half good before you showed us up!

Thanks both I think you're far to hard on yourselves though, your shots are both great

Gonna get me one of these here Nikon D300S things. How hard can it be?

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lloyd h said:

dr_gn said:

lloyd h said:

dr_gn said:

They're all awesome, Tornado included. I've said this before, but you're photos look like hi-res versions of everyone else's!

mcdjl said:

Your fluffed shots are far better than my good ones. Still thanks for letting the rest of us feel half good before you showed us up!

Thanks both I think you're far to hard on yourselves though, your shots are both great

Gonna get me one of these here Nikon D300S things. How hard can it be?

You can have mine if you want, should be upgrading soon! (Hopefully!!)

When you say "have" it...

[dr_gn]

lloyd h said:

dr_gn said:

lloyd h said:

dr_gn said:

lloyd h said:

dr_gn said:

They're all awesome, Tornado included. I've said this before, but you're photos look like hi-res versions of everyone else's!

mcdjl said:

Your fluffed shots are far better than my good ones. Still thanks for letting the rest of us feel half good before you showed us up!

Thanks both I think you're far to hard on yourselves though, your shots are both great

Gonna get me one of these here Nikon D300S things. How hard can it be?

You can have mine if you want, should be upgrading soon! (Hopefully!!)

When you say "have" it...

I mean pay an extortionate amount of money because its had my hands on it

Just in case anyone didn't get it, I was being sarcastic!

It would be funny if it turned out that it was the only camera in the universe that gives results like that...and you sold it.

Sorry, my strange sense of humour.

[dr_gn]

Rogue86 said:

dr_gn said:

they probably open them when it's hot like a sunroof!

This, the crew use it effectively as 'air conditioning' as it gets very warm/fumey onboard!

Here's some of our rush footage from onboard over the Dams:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMrYqJYqeiE

We have more from the cockpit, as well as footage over Lincoln cathedral which is currently online (available on Defence Images FB page) although I'm struggling to find a youtube link.

Great pictures all, we were all humbled by the crowds and as ever by the reception the old girl receives wherever she goes.

Thanks for posting.

[dr_gn]

Sorry for the thread bump - I'm building a model of one of the 70th anniversary flypast Tornados:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Does anyone have a photo of the cockpit of either aircraft, and the inside of the canopy (or a photo of an equivalent aircraft) please? Reason I ask is that I've seen a picture of a canopy with a black internal frame colour, and one with light grey. Also, ejection seat / harness colours of these particular aircraft (or equivalents). Again I've seen slightly different squab/belt colours for GR.4 aircraft online. Just thought at this stage that it's as easy to paint them the right colours, as wrong.

Thanks in advance.

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mybrainhurts said:

Unless I'm dreaming, one of the pilots is among us.

I seem to remember Frodomonkey had some involvement, but not flying. I've tried studying LloydH's pictures of these aircraft, but can't make much out in terms of what I'm looking for.

No big deal, but worth asking.

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frodo_monkey said:

I'm a nav on 617... Can't do you a pic of the exact aircraft, due to being in sunnier climes, but I'll root through my pics or take you some new ones.

Thank you very much, obviously that would be perfect.

Another daft question is how are the belts left when the cockpit is unoccupied? Are they draped over the seat or are the different belts arranged in a certain way to make it easier/safer for the crew to get positioned in the seat?

The other thing I forgot to ask was if anyone knew of an online detail photo of the undersides of the empty fuselage ventral racks, and the empty missile pylons (the ones adjacent to the wing tanks).

BTW there's no rush for this stuff - I tend to work and think very slowly.

Thanks again.

[dr_gn]

frodo_monkey said:

From memory of yesterday, canopy internals are matt black and the harness/seat squab are both a sort of forest green.

Ta - I thought the canopy might be black. From what I can make out there is some kind of pipework along the lower edges too - maybe something to do with demisting?

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frodo_monkey said:

I can take you some pictures tomorrow, is on here best? Shoulder straps are normally draped in an X pattern over the headbox, lap straps on the seat, leg and arm restraint positions have changed recently but normally around control column in the front and on the nav hand controller pedestal in the back...

That would be great, thanks very much. I'm sure others on here would be interested to see the pictures too, or I can PM you if you'd rather send them direct.

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perdu said:

I promise you Frodomonkey, doc is not the only one who'd love to benefit from any pictures you may be able to show.

Likewise any other info such as the seat's strap stowage as you just posted.

Some of us want to soak all this stuff up, digest and then maybe some day later attempt to get nearly as good a model GR4 as doc gives us.

So I'd like to hang on his coat tails if you don't mind.



bill

I've got a spare Airfix GR.4 if you'd like it Perdu

[dr_gn]

frodo_monkey said:

I forgot to arrange the straps in standard fashion for the pics - imagine the QRF (i.e. the belt buckle) laid as in the front cockpit shot, and the shoulder straps lain over the top of the seat similar to the back seat shot (well, the left shoulder one anyway)...

They're great, thanks very much for your time. I think with these and the ones posted by ecsrobin on my model thread here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...

...I've got just about enough references now. Hopefully the model will do justice to the info.

One remaining thing is what do the undersides of the ventral bomb racks look like with no stores in place? Are they just flat or are there visible features for attaching the various types of stores?

[dr_gn]

frodo_monkey said:

There are a few brass-coloured lugs (recessed into the pylon) for the stores to attach to, but otherwise blank

Thanks very much. All info noted for reference.

[dr_gn]

Slight handbag fight is about to break out on BM, after I asked about colours. I've edged out of the room backwards without anyone noticing.

Can someone who knows (ie FrodoMonkey!) tell me what colour the wheels and gear bays are please? Presumably white originally, now off-white after years of hydraulic misting and brake dust.

Or were they always a light grey colour?

Or something else?

[dr_gn]

perdu said:

dr_gn said:

Slight handbag fight is about to break out on BM, after I asked about colours. I've edged out of the room backwards without anyone noticing.

Can someone who knows (ie FrodoMonkey!) tell me what colour the wheels and gear bays are please? Presumably white originally, now off-white after years of hydraulic misting and brake dust.

Or were they always a light grey colour?

Or something else?

Not an easy one G

I just did a quick Googley images and got this one

Have to say it looks LAG-ey to me, both main and nose gear

Thanks Perdu, that'll do: Light grey it is then.

[dr_gn]

Mutley said:

BBC did a piece on the last flights of the 617 Tornados this morning.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25951180

Doc, any help on colours?

Yeah, all good stuff, thanks for posting.

[dr_gn]

frodo_monkey said:

Centreline pylon area - DMS Brimstone on the left, Paveway IV on the right as you look at it:

Does anyone know what the thing is between the two fuselage pylons? Looks like a smaller pylon. Was it fitted for the Dams flypasts?

Also, just to confirm:

No Linescan unit under cockpit fitted (unless that's what the central "thing" is in the photo)?

Gun port removed from port side?

Thanks.

[dr_gn]

frodo_monkey said:

Hi again,

Can't tell you what it is I'm afraid - think it lives there permanently? And no idea if it would have been there for the flypast...

I'm not familiar with what you mean by the linescan unit? Presume you mean the recce kit that used to be fitted behind the faded red panel on the recce jets? Either way the recce kit is no longer fitted. No left cannon on a GR4, it was removed when the GR1 became GR4. No cannon at all on a recce jet!

Edited by frodo_monkey on Sunday 20th July 13:03

Thanks a lot for all that - very helpful.

The thing in the middle here is described as a "Linescan - GR4A only" :



Then again it says remove the gun port on GR4A only. Is the anniversary aircraft a GR4 or a GR4A ??

[dr_gn]

frodo_monkey said:

Both were GR4 - one trainer (dual controls), one strike. That linescan bit of kit is long-gone from GR4 AFAIK. GR4s have a cannon on the forward right hand side only, no cannon on a GR4A.

Thanks for that. Problem is I've only got the non-trainer cockpit, and decals for ZA492.

I've almost given up on trying to find out which aircraft was which via Google, but I think ZA412 is a GR4(T) which presumably is the dual control version, and ZA492 is a GR4, which would have the standard rear cockpit with the small central joystick? If this is the case than I'm OK.

[dr_gn]

frodo_monkey said:

I can confirm you have it correct - ZA412 is a T-bird, ZA492 is a strike. We have a flying stats program which tells me these things...

Ta very much.