Post-war fighters/Fighter-bombers

Discussion in 'Postwar' started by Gerard, Sep 17, 2008.

  1. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    My favourite has to be the Vampire, simply because they remind me of my Dad who worked on them.
    I'm sure I posted pics of his on here a couple of years ago but I can't find them anywhere.
    I thought they were on my hard-drive too......but they're not.
     
  2. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Saw what I assumed to be a Vampire being thrown about in the sky at an airfield we passed while heading west a month or two ago - beautiful, and a brilliant noise.
    Could have been a Venom or Vixen I suppose (sort of 'naval grey' colour) but my plane recognition skills aren't very precise.
     
  3. Gnomey

    Gnomey World Travelling Doctor

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  4. Warlord

    Warlord Veteran wannabe

    Did the Buccaneer ever see active service?? Gorgeous plane by the way.

    SAAF Bucs did a lot of fighting against the Cubans in Angola.
     
  5. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

  6. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    The starfighter was a beast of a plane to pilot but extremely capable. The Luftwaffe were one of its biggest users and it was in service for nearly 20 years with them.

    The aircraft was not have a designed specification for the European area of operations yet it was thrust on the Germans through pricing and some say, kickbacks,an accusation levelled at its use in the Royal Netherland Air Force.Some say the sales tactics were to prevent the introduction of the Saunders aircraft which was said to have a superior performance in the air and in pilot handling.

    The Luftwaffe lost a total a 270 F 104s while the aircraft was on charge to them with a loss of 104 pilots.The Meteor was also responsible for quite a large number of pilot fatilities and from all accounts was a difficult aircraft to master during emergencies.
     
  7. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Harry, which Saunders aircraft was this???
     
  8. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    I'm Guessing Harry's referring to the SR.177 Gott.

    The starfighter was oversold, & not called the widowmaker for nothing.
    A supersonic interceptor dubiously flogged as a multi role fighter bomber for the nato 'G' version.

    Still a beautiful thing, but is that the worst safety/crash record of any postwar plane?
    (Not many Jets have inspired a whole concept album based purely on their 'crashability'... )
     
  9. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I'll add this one as it is mentioned in the Jadotville thread.

    Fouga Magister - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    I see the Irish also had 6 of them.

    Ireland
    The Irish Air Corps operated six Fouga Magisters, four of which equipped the Silver Swallows display team.


    Which leaves 2 for frontline service??
    Ah, maybe not.
    Throughout its history the team was operated on a part-time basis, with the display duties of the team being secondary to the primary roles of the Light Strike Squadron

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Swallows


    YouTube - Silver Swallows - Fouga Magister - In cockpit
     
  10. Warlord

    Warlord Veteran wannabe

  11. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    The first Gulf War is all I know of.
    I sat in one when I was seven and to me it looked huge!!!!!
    Thanks for that Gage. Missed this post when last looking through this thread. I do remember vaguely seeing Buccaneers in Desert markings but thought I was imagining it. Now I know I wasnt! :D
     
  12. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    Thanks for that Gage. Missed this post when last looking through this thread. I do remember vaguely seeing Buccaneers in Desert markings but thought I was imagining it. Now I know I wasnt! :D

    No probs, mate.
    Being a seven year old, all I ever drew were Buccaneers. They had Buccaneers and Jaguars at Laarbruch and from just the sound you could tell which was which.
     
  13. karltrowitz

    karltrowitz Junior Member

    My present day favorite would be the Nimrod

    Nimrod, it's good at it's job but my god, it's a real b*tch to work on. I was at the Nimrod Major Servicing Unit at Kinloss for 5 years. Late 1940's aircraft design mmmmmmm............:mad:

    I also worked on Sepecat Jaguars for 4 years, now there's a relatively nice aeroplane.

    Here's a pic of what i'm working on now, something nice and simple, the Pilatus PC9.......
     

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  14. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Looking through a few old photos, came across these, taken at an airshow at Middle Wallop a few years ago.

    Arguably the most eye pleasing and graceful post war jet - The Hawker Hunter.
     

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  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Here you go a rather fine painting of a Buccaneer in GW1.
    [​IMG]
    12 flew from Bahrain and not sure how accurate the painting is as I thought they were used only to support the Jaquars and Tornado's by 'lighting up' targets with a laser.

    As for me I quite like Sea Harriers mainly because they have had a massive role in Britains military since the 80's and we sold a a version to the Americans which is a feat in itself :D
    Another painting from the Falklands when it proved its worth
    [​IMG]
     
  16. 4jonboy

    4jonboy Daughter of a 56 Recce

    Gloucestershire Jet Age Museum buys Gloster Javelin

    A museum in Gloucestershire has won a tender process to buy a rare aircraft, built in the county in 1956.
    The Jet Age Museum said the aircraft, which has no engine and is not airworthy, was the "world's only surviving" FAW 4 Gloster Javelin.
    It is expected to be transported to the Staverton base in the new year.
    The Ministry of Defence is selling the aircraft which has spent more than two decades at the gates of RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-30622904
     
    CL1 and Peter Clare like this.
  17. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    The former RAF Elvington museum has a good example of a F (AW) Javelin.... last flew in 1965...looks an awesome aircraft in the flesh.

    Remember its envisaged entry into RAF service....promised to be a world beater,the problem is that technology was advancing at such a rapid rate that these front line aircraft were soon obsolescent after 10 years or so.

    Pity that the TSR 2 did not leave an aviation legacy.
     
  18. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Harry,

    I could not agree more with your comment that I have highlighted.

    I started my apprentiship with BAC Military Aircraft Division shortly after the new Labour Government scrapped the plane.

    Certainly a bad day for the British Military Aircraft industry and also the RAF.

    Big mistake, but that's Politics for you.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  19. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery


    http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=Gloster%20Javelin%20FAW1&u=type
     
  20. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Yes Tom,

    The RAF had already set up a development unit for the TSR2,the cancellation of which saw the closure of a fine permanent RAF airfield of Bomber Command.As regards the envisaged production of TRS2,it never got beyond the prototypes,I think there were three......one is at Duxford but all the manufacturing jigs were scrapped.

    I think the cancellation of the TRS2 was to be followed by the ordering of 50 General Dynamics F111,the revolutionary variable swept back aircraft but this decision was also reversed.If I remember correctly the RAAF procured the 50 aircraft cancelled by the Air Ministry.
     
  21. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Harry,

    It was really a scandal as there were enough planes on the production line to equip a Squadron. All the bugs had been ironed out and the plane was a world beater at the time with Technology going into the Concorde.

    The F111 was a greater farse as there were so many defects that required attending to that the delivery time slipped and slipped and slipped until it too was cancelled.

    The Government had BAC build the McDonald Douglas Phantom as a stop gap and Preston produced the rear end section and also received jigs and fixtures to build the Massive Concorde Engine cowlings.

    I was extremely lucky to get an apprenticeship as a great many lost their Jobs that year and BAC was the biggest employer in Preston at the time.

    Regards
    Tom
     

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