Sadly, with the cancellation of the RNAS Yeovilton Airshow 2020, I decided to look back through my archives to reflect on what may have been the best show I have photographed in recent years. I go back a long way, to Danish F-100s and more, all in Black and white, taken on a Kodak Brownie.
The trouble with life is that you just become so old.
I decided on the airshow!
Twenty-five years ago! 1995, RNAS Yeovilton, and what a fabulous show it was, too, with flight lines of mixed aircraft types, squadrons, and units, many of which are decommissioned or scrapped today.
For all of us paying our £1 to stand in the field to the left of Pyle Lane, who will ever forget that Coningsby F.3 nearly took us with him? So tight was his launch that he passed over the Fleet Air Arm church tower! That's like flying up Pyle Lane at no height on full re-heat! And the smell of JP-9, those were the days!
The trouble with life is that you just become so old.
I decided on the airshow!
Twenty-five years ago! 1995, RNAS Yeovilton, and what a fabulous show it was, too, with flight lines of mixed aircraft types, squadrons, and units, many of which are decommissioned or scrapped today.
For all of us paying our £1 to stand in the field to the left of Pyle Lane, who will ever forget that Coningsby F.3 nearly took us with him? So tight was his launch that he passed over the Fleet Air Arm church tower! That's like flying up Pyle Lane at no height on full re-heat! And the smell of JP-9, those were the days!
ZE732/AS Tornado F.3 56 (R) Sqn RAF.
89+67 Sea King Mk. 41 MFG5.
Underneath in the downdraft, you can see the three 4 Gruppo SH-3D's MM5015N/6-13, MM5008N/6-06, and MM5016N/6-14, and Seaking HC.4 of 845Sqn RN.
XE601 Hunter FGA.9 A&AEE, from Boscombe Down.
The RNLAF 'Grasshoppers' with their Allouette helicopter team are seen behind.
One of the two privately owned Sea Herons can be seen taxiing behind. Can I trust memory? Were N-34 and N-36 both on static display?
XX450/D Gazelle AH.1 3CBAS.
85-0155 RC-12K, 1st MIB, from the US Army.
38+18 F-4F JG-71 GAF.
ZA143/D VC.10 K.2 101Sqn RAF.
R-01 AB.412SP SAR RNLAF.
101 SA-321G 32F FN approaches for its landing at Yeovilton.
101 SA-321G 32F FN preparing to shut down.
ZD789/AM Tornado GR.1 9Sqn RAF.
It is seen in front of the two F.3s from the RAF solo display team at RAF Coningsby and the pollution control DC-3C G-AMHJ from Coventry Airport.
595 SU-27P and 158927/LF-927 P-3C VP16 USN can be seen beyond.
598/353 and 595 SU-27P TPS
Side by side, Hunters!
ZE790/AO Tornado F.3 56 (R) SQN RAF.
ZE732/AS Tornado F.3 56 (R) SQN RAF.
The solo RAF Tornado F.3.
What a display it was, too!
XZ107/H Jaguar GR.1A 41 Sqn RAF.
XX752/EQ Jaguar GR.1A 6 Sqn RAF.
45+41 Tornado IDS MFG1 GN departs RN Yeovilton.
MT14 CM-170R 33Sm BAF and MT36 head home.
C-8 F27-300M 334Sqn RNLAF, gear up and display on.
N167B/BC-602 A-26B Invader ex 43-4602 from the Scandinavian Historic flight.
XV252 Nimrod MR.2P RAF flying from and back to RAF Kinloss in Scotland.
As XV252 departs for its home base at RAF Kinloss, I cannot help thinking of the song Lyric,
On our way home, growing old?
What about that Commando assault?
Look at the next post; I decided on 2016 as the year, with a transition mixture of Merlin's from the CHF, as all of the Sea King 'Jungelies' had been retired.
On our way home, growing old?
What about that Commando assault?
Look at the next post; I decided on 2016 as the year, with a transition mixture of Merlin's from the CHF, as all of the Sea King 'Jungelies' had been retired.
Well, that's what happened twenty-five years ago; let's roll on to 2021.
Rock and Roll, those were great times.
Happy Days.
