Farnborough 2010

Another weekend and yet another air show, phew they are coming thick and fast. This time it was Farnborough and I had not intended to do this show as it is not quite as interesting as the others because it is really designed for the Aviation Industry. I decided to go because Boeing had sent its new 787-8 Dreamliner and I wanted to see it, how ever this proved to be a disappointment as the plane was only there for a couple of days during the week and had gone by the weekend. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 had also gone by the weekend so it was left to the usual range of aircraft that I had seen over the previous two weekends, with addition of the Airbus A380 and a Catalina. Any way here are a few photos to share.

Royal International Air Tattoo 2010

Another weekend and another airshow wow, I really am lucky and spoilt for  choice. This time it was RIAT and the one airshow I always look forward to. It was an enjoyable occasion last year but what I was looking forward to was seeing the USAF Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor for the first time, it was due to fly at RIAT two years ago but that airshow was cancelled due to weather and flooding.
This year the the weather has been a lot better and I think we are actually going to have a summer this year but the day started out a bit overcast but got brighter as the day wore on and in fact by the time the Raptor displayed it was fine.
Also for my first time was a flight by a real Messerschmitt Me109G-4, the He 1112 Buchon was also there but it just doesn't look right with a Rolls Royce Merlin Engine!!
Compared to last weekend this time there were lots of jets where as last weekend everything was propeller and piston engines.
Another first at this show was the UK début of the Airbus A400M airlifter and the Sukhoi Superjet 100-95 regional airliner prototype No:3 which did a fly past.
The RNZAF once again was represented by Being 757-200 NZ7572 which did a very spirited display for such a big aeroplane.
The flying display went on for 8 hours so there was something for everybody, I did get a bit carried away with the camera and took 1400 photos but I won't bore you with too many.

Back in the UK

The first two days after returning from NZ went o.k. a bit jet lagged I managed to crawl out of bed and get to work on time and achieve quite a bit so it was all good.  We did manage to see Les Miserables and although I couldn't fault the performance I think I would have preferred a story that lifted my spirits given the events of the last few weeks. Then I started to feel a bit unwell (at 3.45 on Wednesday I got a sore throat while sitting at my computer writing a paper) and have spent four days in bed feeling very sorry for myself. I have been generous Harry is now beginning to feel that sore throat coming on.  However, it wasn't a bad time to be sick because Le Tour de France and the golf open at St Andrews were on - I got hooked on the cycling.  Saturday it was another air show and I left Harry to drive off down the motorway at 7.00 on a Saturday morning while I continued my snooze in bed.  No doubt there will be more aeroplane photos (2000 over the last two weeks isn't quite enough is it?) but I was glad I decided on a slower start to the day.  11.00 I opened my eyes, had breakfast and then went for a long walk around Redland - a suburb not far from here.  Previously we had only cycled or driven through it and it isn't quite the same because you don't have time to look into gardens, over school gates, through hedges to see people playing cricket and bowls and so on.  I found a nice park which I sat in for a while watching children and their parents buying treats from the ice cream van and then walking back to the play area.  I felt better than I had done in days.
The week has had some highlights ...  Sharon and Aaron moved into their new home in Mount Vic, and Mike and Rebecca got engaged in Sydney.  No photos of the new home, but here is one of Rebecca being swept off her feet in the North Sydney park.  I felt excited (quite tearful actually) and couldn't resist showing some of my workmates how 'they do things in the southern hemisphere'.  I'll update the photos when I get more.  Mum is also doing well which is great to hear - it would be nice to be a bit closer but I am sending her lots of letters so she knows we are thinking of her heaps.

On Sunday afternoon we took a drive to Painswick Rococo garden.  It was built around 1730 by Charles Hyett who decided to take his asthma to the country in the hope of getting better.  He named his house 'Buenos Ayres' - not sure if he had been to Argentina - but I think he might have as it seems that even now this city has little air pollution from spring to autumn because it is on the flat and away from the mountains.  But winter is a different story - and I guess Mr Hyett knowing the English climatic conditions probably stayed inside during winter so it didn't matter. Unfortunately the name of the house didn't help much and Charles didn't have enough time to finish his garden but his son Benjamin did. Since then it has had long periods of 'natural growth' which led to an overgrown jungle and if it wasnt for a painting of the garden in 1748 by Thomas Robins the original layout and planting would have been lost with the weeds. In 1970 or so  Garden Historians began to restore the garden to its glamorous past where frivolous garden parties were held - ie the Rococo period.  We enjoyed wandering around the garden - lots of lavendars, holly hocks, thistles, water lillies, sunflowers, veges, apple and pear trees and flowers I couldn't name.  What's more we enjoyed the second wander around when I discovered during our picnic I had left my camera case somewhere along the way.

And just a little story I read about this week.  In Christchurch six little kune kune piglets were born to proud parents Hercules and Minnie.  For some reason which I am not sure of I quite like kune kunes - probably because they are rare, fat and have a cute smile.  Did you know they can be toilet trained – so when we get back to NZ perhaps I could have two as pets.

Duxford and Battle of Britain 70th anniversary

Although we had to rush back to NZ, I had returned a week earlier than Denise, this left me with a weekend to fill before picking Denise up from the airport. Originally this weekend was supposed to be a visit to Manchester, which I had to cancel as it was going to be a long drive from Manchester to London when Denise arrived at 11:00am.
So what to do, well an inspection of the air show calendar showed that there was an air show at Yeovilton to celebrate 70 years since it opened or go to the Imperial war museum at Duxford for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Duxford won as there was going to be lots of WWII vintage aircraft whereas Yeovilton would have a mixture of props, helicopters and jets, any way RIAT is on this weekend and most of the things at Yeovilton will be there.
Duxford turned out to be a fantastic day and everything that flew had piston engines and propellers. The weather was great with temperatures in the high 20's.
There were:
RAF 8 Spitfires as well as one of those Bouchon 109's.

Naval Skyraider x 3, Seafire, Sea Fury, Fury, Bearcat & Corsair
German Ju-52, Me-108, Jungmeister x 2 & Jungmann
USAAF Ryan x 2, TF51 x 2, P51D x 4, P40, B17 & L4 x 2
RUSSIAN Yak 3 x 2, Yak 9 & I-16
CLASSIC BRITISH Mew Gull, Magister, Arrow Active, Hind, Gladiator, Lysander, Nimrod & Demon
BBMF Lancaster, Spitfire & Hurricane
BREITLING WINGWALKERS Stearman x 2
TRANSPORT DC-3
FRENCH Morane 406

BALBO FINALE Bearcat, TF51 x 2, Sea Fury, Corsair, Skyraider x 3, P51D x 4, Me109, P40, Yak 3 x 2, Yak 9, Seafire & Spitfire x 8 

As can be seen from the line up it was a great show, and there were some that I had not seen flying before, the Morane 406, Bouchon 109, B17G and Bearcat.

All that is left to do is let you see some photos.

Then to finish the day off I went for a flight in a DeHavilland Dragon Rapide as it was an airplane I had always promised myself a flight in.