Tornado question

[Eddie M.]

I took this photo in New Jersey back in 1987 at an airshow there.  My question is what variant is this and more importantly, why would such an aircraft be in ....New Jersey. The reason I'm asking is you fine folks can save me a lot of time scouring the net to find out the things I'd like to know.
   Eddie

[Iranian F-14A]

Well,since it was 1987 and its RAF,its a stardard vanillia GR.Mk1. As to what it was doing there,I'd say possibly on transit to an exercise in either the western US,such as Red Flag or Canada.

[SimonR]

It's 14 Squadron GR.1 which would have, in 1987, been based at RAF Bruggen.

EDIT: I see a IX Squadron GR.1 behind it. It looks like it was a technical stop for some Bruggen wing Tonkas almost certainly on their way to California.

[XV107]

The GR1 in the foreground is from 14 Squadron, and the one to the rear from 9 Squadron. Both were based at Bruggen in 1987, and I doubt that RAFG units had dedicated display aircraft then - so Iranian F-14 is almost certainly right.  Most likely that the aircraft had been out in the US on ex and attended the airshow while transiting to or from the ex location.

Edit - that's what happens when you go to the kitchen between completing the post and pressing send!

[P1127]

Didn't the RAF have an almost-permanent rotating deployment of Tornados at Goose Bay at that time? They were quite common(ish) at Upper East Coast airshows.

[Jennings]

It's 14 Squadron GR.1 which would have, in 1987, been based at RAF Bruggen.

EDIT: I see a IX Squadron GR.1 behind it. It looks like it was a technical stop for some Bruggen wing Tonkas almost certainly on their way to California.

More likely Nevada...



J

[Jschmus]

In the late 80s and early 90s, foreign aircraft were fairly common at airshows in Virginia, especially the Azalea Festival show in Norfolk.  At my first show in April 1990, there was a Canadian CT-133, a Dutch Atlantic and a Nimrod MR. 2 from 120 Squadron out of Kinloss, plus assorted rotary wing assets.

[anthonyp]

In the late 80s and early 90s, foreign aircraft were fairly common at airshows in Virginia, especially the Azalea Festival show in Norfolk.  At my first show in April 1990, there was a Canadian CT-133, a Dutch Atlantic and a Nimrod MR. 2 from 120 Squadron out of Kinloss, plus assorted rotary wing assets.

Yeah, around that time, we had a bunch of foreign birds at Selfridge.  In addition to the visiting Canucks, we had a bunch of Luftwaffe planes at one (2 Tornados and 2 F-4F's).

[B777LR]

Its a RAF tornado!  

 

[nev]

Didn't the RAF have an almost-permanent rotating deployment of Tornados at Goose Bay at that time? They were quite common(ish) at Upper East Coast airshows.

Yes, but I don't know when it started, or if they wore squadron markings.  IIRC the planes stayed there all the time (6-10 of them) and the aircrews rotated in and out)

[GeorgeC]

Didn't the RAF have an almost-permanent rotating deployment of Tornados at Goose Bay at that time? They were quite common(ish) at Upper East Coast airshows.

Yes, but I don't know when it started, or if they wore squadron markings.  IIRC the planes stayed there all the time (6-10 of them) and the aircrews rotated in and out)

The RAF 'exported' a great deal of its low flying noise to Canadian forests until about 2004, with Goose Bay having a permanent, small RAF Unit there supporting the rolling dets.  The Canadian goverment rather priced Goose bay out of the market and I understand the Germans and Italians have now terminated their trg from there.

There is still a semi-permanent presence in North America from late winter to mid spring, participating in the complex Nellis exercises, the 'Flags' of old, and use the range facilites.  About the only places the RAF now drop air to ground ordnance are the US, Iraq and Afghanistan - there is a symmetry about that dont you think .  

Dets like these 'roule' both the aircrew and the aircraft, but on different cycles. Most of the crews spend about 2-4 weeks on det doing their training tasks. The aircrafts' maintenance cycles allow them about 6-8 weeks of operations before they have a signifcant, home-base inspection and repair period.  Thus, you will tend to get one 'wing' from a base deploy ac which have just completed periodic maintenance, often from a number of sqns, and the various sqns then 'roule' through using the same aircraft. Hence the appearance of 2 different sqns ac in the picture, quite possibly crewed by a 3rd sqn.  I think all RAF combat aircraft have worn sqn markings since the end of the QRA role for V Bomber wings.          

[Shasper]

Marinefliegre 'Fins' are common at the Blues homecoming show at NAS Pensacola  

Shas B)