Display Team Videos: Black Arrows & Firebirds

[cheddar cheese]

Very very nice!

Make me proud to be Italian.

[plan_D]

I'm sure it would, if you were Italian.

[Royzee617]

The magnifiicent Patrouille de France.

One of the few things I find to criticise is the Alpha Jet's single engine smoke. It gives an asymetrical appearance. Same for the F18 in the Blue Angels - great team but US teams disfavour coloured smoke.

I like the way the Euro teams can paint their national flag in the skies.

[Royzee617]

I have never seen these guys but I wish I had.

They represent the polar opposite of your TBirds etc., usually with turboprops there is a risk of being too much the same as the representatives from the many other air forces equipped with such planes. Mind you it takes some skill as you will see here. But are they sexy enough to serve as a recruitment ploy?

I like the Polish Orliks and will get a vid clip of them up soon.

Meanwhile, I must find something a bit more vintage like the Yaks or Moths.... the Breitling Fighters? Argh awesome.

[evangilder]

Cool stuff. In some ways, this is more of a challenge. Jets give you lots of power to get you out of trouble, but with props, you need to finesse it. Nice clip.

[Royzee617]

Here's another of those specialty acts - The Aerostars - some dedicated fellow plane owners got together a few years ago to thrill the crowds. I saw this team a few times and was always impressed.

One time I saw them was while we were at IWM Duxford. They were in the distance heading East. It scared me when they dipped lower and disappeared behind the hills. I waited to see them pull up but they didn't. I feared the worst. But all was well. I suddenly realised they must have been returning to their base, North Weald, a few miles further down the M11 which skirts the edge of IWMD.

I think I have a bit of it on video but I mucked it up and had not pressed the record button. Shows how preoccupied I was!

My worries were well-founded as one of the only times I have nearly seen a crash was at IWM D. And it was a Russian plane. We were waving au revoir to the Yak as it flew by on its way to a show in France. To our consternation, and the pilot's no doubt, it began spewing flame and smoke! Popping and banging the machine ended in the field just over the M11. This is where the Bf-109 and Firefly ended up I think.

As we were leaving the forlorn-looking Yak was being towed down the approach road from the M11 on its wheels. Muddy but intact it was a testament to the ruggedness of this plane. It was soon back flying I recall and probably still is.

[Royzee617]

Not really a display 'team' but certainly some nice formation flying in this clip.

It is from a defunct BBC prog 'The Ear Show' I call it that because of the accented bint what introduces this. This poxy pixy obviously knows nowt about planes and was just on her way to sports commentating. Urgh.

I put this up because we will likely never see repeats of this series. It had some good bits and I will post some of them. Too vox pop most of it though.

I think of all the crap they repeat and this is left mouldering in the archives along with tons of other good plane stuff.

[Royzee617]

Not had a chopper team on here yet. Not that there are many. I recall seeing the RNAF Grasshoppers and being amazed. Would have loved to see the Hind team. Meanwhile, here is the British Army's contribution to the genre, the Blue eagles. I recall seeing them at the inaugural Middle Wallop show, I think they were called the Silver Eagles back then to commem their anniversary.

[Royzee617]

An odd but nice choice for the over-Solent celebrations on the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar was this lot.... good old Sky News giving us the only airshow stuff I have seen love on the telly for yonks.

[Royzee617]

Divx zipped file - see my earlier post to go to URL for Divx player. It is worth the download as is this vid clip even tho it is around a minute.

[trackend]

Great vids The Vamp was my first model build as a youngster Roy always like them
sort of a jet P38

[ollieholmes]

has anyone any videos of the american display team flying their f-105s? it is proberably the hardest jet 2 imagine being aerobatic.

[Royzee617]

I have a video somewhere about the T-Birds but they seldom show the Thud era. When I saw them first they had F4s then later at the same venue - UH - they had F16s. But the Thud is one of my fave planes. Once had the luck to chat to a Wild Weasel pilot.... he was amazed that someone was interested in what he did in Vietnam. Sad to hear that... I was in near religious awe of him and his fellow WW crew.

[Royzee617]

Here's another Lightning pic or two.

[Gnomey]

Nice pic Roy.