by Nick Anderson | Aug 19, 2021 | Plane Tales
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The work the Young Tiger crews performed during the Vietnam War was monumental. With an average fleet of 88 tankers over a 7 year period they performed nearly 180 thousand missions offloading 8.2 billion lbs, thats over 3,700 million tons, of fuel. A staggering achievement only surpassed by the hundreds of aircraft saves they achieved, preventing many of their fellow aircrew from falling into enemy hands.
The Lockheed L193 tanker proposal
A B52 of SAC refuelling from a Boeing KC135
The KC135 Flying Boom
The Flying Tigers in Vietnam
The F105
A KC135 refuelling F105s
Navy Whales
The Daisy Chain
An F111 tanking
The Flying Tigers at work
Images shown under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Lockheed, the USAF, NAID, the US Government and the US Navy.
by Nick Anderson | Aug 12, 2021 | Plane Tales
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Forty years ago, four RAF pilots graduated from Central Flying School and became fast jet Qualified Flying Instructors. They hadn’t been together at the same time since then. When they did, they shared some more stories.
Four QFIs then
Dave
A typical course photo
How Dave’s Hawk might have looked!
The Hawk canopy showing the lines of Miniature Detonating Cord MDC
Dave after receiving his Green Endorsement
Dave’s Green Endorsement
Nij
An F4
Barry
An RAF Canberra
Four QFIs now
Images shown under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Airwolfhound, the RAF and JohnnyOneSpeed.
by Nick Anderson | Aug 6, 2021 | Plane Tales
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Sadly there are also many who think that ‘Boy Scout’ honesty is something that should be left behind in childhood but luckily not many that do take on the responsibility of becoming a career pilot. When I discovered recently that there is a name for this capacity to openly admit guilt for one’s mistakes, it didn’t come as a surprise that it was named after a pilot. Captain Asoh.
Tokyo airport
A DC8 on approach
A JAL Captain’s hat
The DC8 cockpit
The miraculous accidental landing of Shiga
The ditched JAL DC8, repaired and flying again for Okada Air
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to SAS, Felix Goetting, Werner Friedli and Pentti Koskinen.
by Nick Anderson | Jul 21, 2021 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
Forty years ago, four RAF pilots graduated from Central Flying School and became fast jet Qualified Flying Instructors. They hadn’t been together at the same time since then. When they did, they shared a few stories.
Four QFIs back then
The Hawk in close formation
The English Electric Lightning
The Lightning F3
Loch Ness
Four QFIs now!
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Mike Freer, Bob Adams, RuthAS and the Director General of the Ordnance Survey.
by Nick Anderson | Jul 13, 2021 | Plane Tales
Podcast (pt): Download
Defenceless, it relied on its unmatched performance to provide vital data for the USA and NATO on some of the most sensitive parts of the globe. One of the regular missions flown by the SR71 Blackbird out of a base in the United Kingdom, RAF Mildenhall, was East across the North and Baltic Seas towards the territories of the Soviet Union; these flights were known as the Baltic Express. All went until one day…
The SR71 at Mildenhall
The original A12
The Baltic Express track
The Saab 29, nicknamed the Tunnan
The Draken
The Saab AJS 37 Viggen
The Vig was also capable of operating from unusual locations
Shockwave formation during an unstart.
An SR71 pilot in his pressure suit
The Mig 25 Foxbat
Three of the 4 Viggen pilots involved receive their Air Medals
Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to the Digital Public Library of America, USAF, John5199, Blockhaj, Alan Wilson, Guenter KONZ-BEYER Bad Erlach, NASA, Alex Beltyukov, Defence Imagery and the US Gov.
