Seen at the airshow today

[PR19_Kit]

I was fortunate enough to get to RIAT yesterday.  For anyone planning on going, you are in for a treat!  Never seen a raptor in the flesh before and their demonstration was amazing.

Which is more than can be said over the WELL OTT commentary from a member of the 'USAF Raptor Demonstration Team'. He went on and on so much that I'd lost interest before the F-22 even started its take-off roll! 

The flying was excellent though, and the dual flypast by the F-22 and the F-35A looked like a 1/72 and 1/48 scale pairing of the same aeroplane from side view! 

[Captain Canada]

Lovely ! That sure looks like a great show. One of these days !

[RAFF-35]

Happy to report that it was spectacular  the cheesy American commentary was made all the funnier when he was boasting how reliable and lethal the F-22 was, shortly before the weapons bay malfunctioned and the display was cancelled 

[PR19_Kit]

Some more of my Friday RIAT pics.



My first sight of an F-22 in the composite. I STILL think they're ugly compared to an F-23.




The weapons bays worked on Friday, and very quick acting they were too!




This pic was taken maybe 1.5 secs after the previous one and the bays are shut already.




The Rafale was impressive, specially at slow speed, but it was LOUD too.




The Dutch Apache did things I thought were aerodynamically impossible, but no-one had told the crew that....




An interesting formation, the Red, two Typhoons and an F-35B. Sorry, I just can't think of it as a Lightning.




Everyone was getting into the formation flying act. They're out of focus as they were so close to me!




One of my best ever Reds pics. 




There were Typhoons everywhere.




I think this one was German..........




A time-warp participant, what a LOVELY looking aeroplane!




Is this the ugliest engine nacelle in production? An RAF A-400M Atlas.




An interesting re-fuelling pod aboard an RAAF Voyager (or a KC-30 as they insist on calling it)
The pod has its own cargo hatches and wings too!

[RAFF-35]

I thought that about the atlas nacelles too.... What's going on there???    and you thought there were a lot of eurofighters, what about F-16's? There were more of them than there were Ford Focus's in the car parks 

[PR19_Kit]

I thought that about the atlas nacelles too.... What's going on there???    and you thought there were a lot of eurofighters, what about F-16's? There were more of them than there were Ford Focus's in the car parks 

I have a mental block when it comes to F-16s, unless they're Dutch ones doing STUPID things up in the sky, and I just don't see them. It's the same block that stops me reading about models in scales larger than 1/72............ 

[RAFF-35]

Hmmmmm.... Interesting  I do love the Dutch one though, but most displays are very same-y with them. Love the noise though  I have a similar scale block and then my brother goes and gets a 1:24 spitfire for me 

[TomZ]

My Riat pics part 1:





















Pictures taken on Friday.
More tomorrow.

TomZ

[NARSES2]

F22/F35 combo looks like mum out for a quick flight with it's newly fledged chick  Seriously I never noticed the similarity before, but with computer aided (or should that be controlled ?) why am I surprised. Nice looking combo in flight, just wish they didn't have that "needs a coat of paint look" but that's a function of the stealth bit I suppose ?

A400 looks good in the air as well. I won't appreciate it's size until I see one close up I suppose but it always looks a little small to me, and yes I know it isn't it just looks that way.

[PR19_Kit]

F22/F35 combo looks like mum out for a quick flight with it's newly fledged chick  Seriously I never noticed the similarity before, but with computer aided (or should that be controlled ?) why am I surprised. Nice looking combo in flight, just wish they didn't have that "needs a coat of paint look" but that's a function of the stealth bit I suppose ?

A400 looks good in the air as well. I won't appreciate it's size until I see one close up I suppose but it always looks a little small to me, and yes I know it isn't it just looks that way.

Exactly my thoughts over the F-22 paintjob. If you did that on a model it wouldn't get ANYwhere in a competition on the grounds that you hadn't done it properly!

The A400 is a BIG aeroplane, more toward the C-17 than the C-130 end of the spectrum. I went aboard the static RAF one at RIAT and it was suitably huge. The cargo area is amazingly smooth inside, large panels covering the ribs etc, and nothing like a Herk or a C-5, and pretty darned impressive I thought.

[kitnut617]

The A400 is a BIG aeroplane, more toward the C-17 than the C-130 end of the spectrum.

It's about right in the middle of the two Kit

[Hobbes]

A time-warp participant, what a LOVELY looking aeroplane!

A Hunter with an AMRAAM under the wing?

[Captain Canada]

Great shots guys ! Love the one of the 22 and 35 ! Very cool.

[PR19_Kit]

A Hunter with an AMRAAM under the wing?

I think it was a data pod, according to the guy who was fielding questions by the rope.

[PR19_Kit]

The A400 is a BIG aeroplane, more toward the C-17 than the C-130 end of the spectrum.

It's about right in the middle of the two Kit

I was quoting the crew aboard the aircraft. There's differences between the three types depending on their volumetric capacity or their lifting capacity.