The 2004 Cognac-Châteaubernard Airshow at Air Base BA709 featured sunshine A-4 Skyhawks and Mirages galore.

One of my first Cognac 'Meeting National' was the airshow of 2004, and how fortunate for me to be just an hour down the road, hidden away in this corner of Southwest France, amongst the rows of "Cognac" and "Pineau" vines, just like Base aérienne BA709, Cognac-Châteaubernard itself. So, it was time to venture out, enjoy fabulous aircraft, and catch up with good friends.  

The Armée de l'Air always put on a good display of aircraft types at their airshows, and no less at this 2004 Air display.

909 TA-4SU 150 Sqn RSiAF.

Sadly, these and all the RSiAF A-4 Skyhawks have been withdrawn today.

933 TA-4SU 150 Sqn RSiAF.

220/30-QK Mirage F1CT EC01. 030 'Normandie Niémen' special marks.

Status: It was retired to the Châteaudun storage facility before being transferred to active service in Excenevex.

22/5-ND Mirage 2000C EC01. 005 'Vendee' special marks.

Status: This aircraft was sold to the Brazilian Air Force as 4945.

89/AZ N.262D 00. 065 'GAEL' arrived from Villacoublay. It was withdrawn from use in 2004. And today, it can be seen in the Châteaudun Museum.

15/315UN TB-30 Epsilon from the home team at Château-Bernard EPAA00. 315.

Status: This aircraft is in storage.

45/315VR TB-30 Epsilon.

Status: Wfu.

The 32/315VE TB-30 Epsilon is wearing the grey paint scheme that was relatively new at the time.

Status: This aircraft is today stored at Alenco/Valframbert.

MT-13 CM170 11sm BAF.

Status: Stored at Antwerp for the Stampe and Vertongen Museum.

J-655 F-16BM 323 Sqn KLu ECATS marks.

Status: Passed to the Chilean Air Force as 735.

45+20 Tornado IDS AG-51 GAF.

Status: Still active!

603/3-IM Mirage 2000D EC01. 003 'Navarre'

313/4-CR Mirage 2000N EC03. 004 'Limousin.'

685/3-XZ Mirage 2000D EC03. 003 'Ardennes'

F-ZBEY/07 Turbo Firecat (Sécurité civile).

Status: Wfu.

F-ZBEG/39 Canadair CL-415 (Sécurité civile).

Status: "Active"

E101/8-NQ Alpha Jet A ET002. 008 'Nice'

E134?8-MA Alpa Jet-A ET001. 008 'Saintonge', both arriving from their home base at Cazaux.

515/2-FT Mirage 2000B/-5 02. 002 'Côte d'or'

Status: This aircraft was stored at Châteaudun on the "German runway".

61/CH Mirage 1VP 01. 091 'Gascogne' up from Mont-de-Marsan.

Status: I believe this aircraft is located at Saint-Dizier Air Base.

MM6286/46-51 C-130J Hercules Itaf. Support aircraft for the Frecce Tricolori.

The aircraft is active.

61/CH Mirage 1VP burners are lighting up.

61/CH Mirage 1VP powering down  Cognac's runway 05.

933 TA-4SU RSiAF lineup for taking off.

909 TA-4SU RSiAF moving alongside 933 for departure.

685/3-XZ Mirage 2000D departs for its Nancy-Ochey base.

220/30-QK Mirage F1CT of the distinguished "Normandie-Niemen" Special marks.

In 1942, De Gaulle ordered the"Normandie-Niemen", led by a group of its pilots and mechanics, to the USSR. Upon arrival at the Soviet airfield in Ivanovo, they were offered either La-5s or Yak-1 aircraft; they chose the Yak-1M and departed for the Western Front.

They flew 5300 combat missions in Russia, engaged in 869 dogfights and shot down 273 enemy aircraft. In early 1944, they were involved in the liberation of Lithuania, and later that same year, they upgraded to the Yak-3.

Four pilots received the title of "Hero of the Soviet Union", with a total of 76 pilots being decorated with both Soviet and French decorations. The "Normandie-Niemen" air regiment was awarded the Red Banner and the Alexander Nevsky order for performance in battle.

In 1945, the Soviet government presented the pilots with their Yak-3 aircraft, and on June 20, 1945, they witnessed the incredible sight of 40 Yak-3s landing at Le Bourget airfield in France.

The "Normandie-Niemen" were home.

Today, they operate the Rafale B/C from their base at Mont-de-Marsan.

  

A Yak-3 can be seen in the museum at Le Bourget.


What a story!

Happy days!

A&AEE Boscombe Down photo's from the 1990's.

In 1992, the A&AEE at RAF Boscombe Down became known as the Aircraft and Armament Evaluation Establishment, formally known as the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment; following the name change, the Experimental side of operations passed to the Defence Research Agency.

Only one year later, in 1993, the Defence Test and Evaluation Organisation (DTEO) took control of the airfield. After that, it was passed on to the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), headquartered in Farnborough.

The photographs shown below are from the 1990s and early 2000s.

To conclude, in 2001, DERA was split into two parts, with one becoming the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) and the other a civilian British multinational defence company, QinetiQ. Photographs from this era will be shared later.

Tales around the runway caravan. 

ZA267 Tornado F.2 (Second ADV prototype) Used by BAE as a Trials and development aircraft.

It later passed to the RAF Marham Fire section before being transported to RAF Syerston as an Instructional airframe.

 

XV292/292  C-130K C.1 Hercules LTW 

 

XS235 DH.106 Comet 4C 'Canopus' A&AEE

XS235 DH.106 Comet 4C 'Canopus' A&AEE.

ZA195 Sea Harrier F/A.2 British Aerospace Dunsfold operating out of EGDM.

XS606 Andover C.1 ETPS

ZA326 Tornado GR.1 There appears to be a problem.

ZA326 Tornado GR.1 aborting! Not for the first time in its operational life. This 8th production Panavia Tornado was to have entered service with the TTTE, but after a devastating fire, it had to be rebuilt; following the rebuild, the RAF refused to accept the aircraft, and it later passed to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Bedford in its prominent 'Raspberry Ripple' colour scheme.

Its final years' flights were made from here at Boscombe Down.

It was the last flying Tornado GR.1. 

XW987 Blackburn S.2B Buccaneer.

XL564 Hawker Hunter T.7 EPTS.

XX830 Sepecat Jaguar T.2 ETPS.

It had been a British Aerospace 'Trials' aircraft.

XX341/1 Hawk T.1 ETPS.

XZ103/FP  Jaguar 41 Sqn RAF.

ZD745/DA Tornado GR.4 31 Sqn 'Goldstars'.

ZD745/DA and XZ103/FP are operating multiple paired missions.

ZE432 BAC-1-11-479FU after returning from AIM Aviation at Bournemouth 'Hurn', where it had received this final colour scheme. 

It started its operational flying back in 1973 when it was ordered and delivered to Air Pacific as 

DQ-FBV, later to the ETPS, but sadly soon after this photo, was found to have corrosion, leading to its scrapping; the cockpit was saved and now resides at the Bournemouth Aviation Museum.  

 

ZJ647 Alpha Jet ex 98+71 German Air Force, in total 12 arrived from storage at Furstenfeldbruck in Germany, 6 airframes were initially non-flying, two were destined for the Test and evaluation facility at DERA Llanbedr, seen here, one of the four early flying examples still in    

 a GAF colour scheme.

 

XW175 VAAC Harrier was the only fly-by-wire Harrier.

The XW175 Harrier was a remarkably impressive aircraft; not only was it fly-by-wire, but it was also the longest-serving Harrier, in service from 1969 to 2008, spanning forty years. It was the last fixed-wing aircraft to take off from HMS Invincible. 
It was stripped of its American technology at the end of its service, returning it to a Harrier T.4A.

ZB615 Jaguar T.2A ETPS.

ZD285 Lynx AH.7 Defence Research Agency. 

ZD285 Lynx AH.7 Stored by 2003 at Boscombe Down.

XL612  Hunter T.7 ETPS's primary use with the ETPS was demonstrating how to recover from an inverted spin. Its status is with the civil register, currently at Swansea airport. 

XX105 BAC-1-11, with its unique colour scheme, operated from RAE Bedford (Thurleigh) for 21 years with the Blind Landing Experimental Unit (BLEU) and transferred to Boscombe Down in 1994 in a similar role.

ZH654 Harrier II T.10 (DERA).

ZH654 Harrier II T.10 (DERA). 

Sadly, on the 24th of August 2000, whilst landing back at EGDM,

It was slightly higher than this photo when the crew ejected; both suffered back injuries, and the aircraft was written off, damaged beyond repair. The investigation found an inaccurate fuel gauge reading.

XX342/2 Hawk T.1 ETPS.

ZB615 Jaguar T.2A ETPS.

ZH102/02 AEW.1 8Sqn RAF.

ZA267 Tornado F.2

ZA267 was the second ADV prototype.

The BAE company designation was A.02. There were also A.01 (ZA254) and A.03 (ZA267). 

ZA267 was one of the three ADV aircraft, all of which were dedicated to different roles. 

A.02's strengths were engines, general systems and armaments; I imagine it was spending time at RAF Boscombe Down.

ZG501 Harrier GR.7 (AWC) SAOEU

'Strike Attack Operational Evaluation Unit

Formed back in 1983 with the introduction of the Panavia Tornado GR.1 into RAF service, by 1988, they had added ZG501 Harrier GR.7, which later became a GR.9.

ZE756 Tornado F.3 AWC (Air Warfare Centre)

ZE756 Tornado F.3 RAF. 

Flying missions with the Tornado GR.1 and a GR.1A.

 

 ZA353 B-53 Tornado GR.1 (TTTE) was seen here whilst serving with DERA at Boscombe Down.

ZA449 Tornado GR.1A recovers to Boscombe Down.

XZ570 Seaking HAS 5+ or Mod! (DTEO) at Boscombe Down in 1996.

It had been used for testing Merlin helicopter engine filters.

XV211 Lockheed Hercules C.1 LTW RAF.

XV211 Lockheed Hercules C.1, accompanied by FT375 Havard IIB, was sadly sold by Tender in May 1996 and became G-BWUL on the civil register. 

XV208 Lockheed Hercules W.2 'Snoopy' operated by DERA/MRF.

XS596 Andover C.1 (DERA) modified to a (PR) photo-reconnaissance type and used for the British Open Skies Treaty flights.

I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane.

Happy days!