Brize Norton Typhoon flypast
I am in a good mood on this Fathers' Day - not just because I got some nice pressies from my 'kids' (including the Saw movie BS and Dave Morgan's SHAR book) but also because I am back from the Brize Norton Families Day. I had not seen the Typhoon (or Typhoon II as I prefer) before... and now like the proverbial London bus, 9 come along at once! We stood staring in awe as about a billion quid's worth of man and machine flew through the Brize pattern. Sadly it was one pass and no return for a run and break. Seems they couldn't spare even one for the static. Maybe next year.
What the Royals had enjoyed an hour before (or less) we got too - two more formations, first one of the locals, a VC10 and 4 Tornado chicks (dunno if they were GR4s etc) then a Nimrod and four more 'Tonkas'.
We were hoping for the BBMF but not to be - no Lanc but later we got nice displays from the RR Spitfire and BBMF Hurricane (I think) which were based there. Apparently earlier in the week Brize had been 'destroyed' by more 'Tonkas' in some mock attack. We were hopeful of a repeat but no go.
We saw various Tristars and VC10s come and go plus a Herc but no C17s flying. Only two on the base (half the RAF's complement) but must have been half a dozen VC10s and 4 TriStars including a grey one.
In the static was a nicely turned out VC10 tanker next to a Tornado also with commem tail art, a Merlin, a Slingsby Firefly trainer (?) a Tiger Moth, a C17 and a decapitated army Gazelle. You could go inside the VC10, C17 and Merlin and kids were sitting in the Tornado. The queues were rather long so I didn't bother.
Other flying included some aerobatic monoplane and other 'spam cans'. A Chinook came through then left south. The dull brown Herc took off - dunno what this was, maybe a C130J but it had some unusual bulges in the rear fuselage (viewing blisters?) - it was some way off to get a good look even with the zoom.
So a grand day and a big thanks to all the organisers.
Have some pix and vids of course so stay tuned.