RAF Tornado aircraft farewell flypasts

daffy · February 20, 2019, 11:38:53 AM

And, again from RAF Facebook pages, the view I had yesterday, though I had no camera ...

Photo by Cpl Phil Major at RAF Coningsby.

daffy · February 20, 2019, 06:21:22 PM

BBC TV News in about a minutes time.......aerial footage onboard one of the Tornadoes.

daffy · February 20, 2019, 06:28:14 PM

Quote from: daffy on February 20, 2019, 06:21:22 PM
BBC TV News in about a minutes time.......aerial footage onboard one of the Tornadoes.

Footage may be shown again on later evening news, or BBC News channel , or on t'internet.

Newsreader mentioned final event for the Tornadoes will involve flights at Cranwell and Marham on the 28th.

Bob Tidbury · February 20, 2019, 07:49:08 PM

Of all the days to get a bug ,missed the fly past at High Wycombe went to bed at 12 o'clock midday and woke up at 4-45 pm ,been feeling rough all day ,most unusual for me to sleep during the day ,I haven't done that for years the last time was working nights when working on the M4 driving a roller .
Bob Tidbury

daffy · February 20, 2019, 08:35:42 PM

Sorry to hear you are unwell today @Bob Tidbury .

At least you can rest in the knowledge that standing on a river bank for over 45 minutes only gave me less than 20 seconds viewing of the flypast. Hopefully you can get a longer view on BBC News tonight at ten o'clock, if they show it again.

Driving a roller on the M4? I have visions of you at the wheel of a creation of Mr Royce and Mr Rolls, but maybe your roller was a bit slower - and a lot heavier!

Hope you feel well again soon.

TrevL · February 21, 2019, 07:53:02 AM

In the four years prior to "retirement" in '93, I was the only Rigger Sgt on the station at Sealand in the TNR bay. A good job and a nice way to finish my service.
My local paper has just run a piece about the flypast, and the newly acquired gate guardian for DECA Sealand, as it is now called. Here's a link to a few photos, just scroll down to see them all.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gallery/take-look-raf-tornado-given-15862009

daffy · February 21, 2019, 08:36:12 AM

Thanks for that great link Trev.

Others on that page lead to some great shots of the Tornado's long service, and this one gives 21 photos including a few of the special paintwork applied to celebrate the FINale to some of the aircraft. The camo version is expected to be amongst the three in today's flight over Scotland.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/nostalgia/gallery/forty-glorious-years-raf-tornado-15819448

Fardap · February 21, 2019, 10:04:33 AM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-47310485/raf-tornado-retirement-journalist-gets-queasy-on-goodbye-flight

Gary Burcombe · February 21, 2019, 11:20:14 AM

What a pussy that journalist was, the pilot wasn't even throwing the aircraft around! I was lucky enough to get an hour and forty five minutes in a backseat of a GR1 (ZA548) many years ago. It was a twin sticker, so I had a bit of a clutch and we did some very low flying and some aerobatics too and I'm proud to say that the sick bag remained empty.

Lawrence · February 21, 2019, 01:07:53 PM

Quote from: Gary Burcombe on February 21, 2019, 11:20:14 AM
What a pussy that journalist was, the pilot wasn't even throwing the aircraft around! I was lucky enough to get an hour and forty five minutes in a backseat of a GR1 (ZA548) many years ago. It was a twin sticker, so I had a bit of a clutch and we did some very low flying and some aerobatics too and I'm proud to say that the sick bag remained empty.

My leaving present from 617 Sqn was a backseat from Marham over my folks house in fife by the Sqn boss, we got to the Forth bridge and then he asked me for directions! Lovely comfy seat in the back of a Tonka, only time I felt bad after was a trip in the back of a Hawk, 40 mins low level evasion over Yorkshire, pilot forgot I was in the back and popped 6g briefly, wasn't ill but the constant pulling of 3, 4 & 5g totally drained me, damn those fly boys are fit. Still have the film from the gun camera somewhere.

daffy · February 21, 2019, 05:28:20 PM

RAF Marham Facebook entry today just before 5:00pm:

geoffc · February 22, 2019, 10:19:08 AM

Extremely disappointed in the fly past, they seemed more interested in flying over places that had little relevance to the aircraft than the factory that built the engines. I thought we may have had a pass down the disused runway like the Beluga last week but all we got was a pass abeam the factory, seemed more intent on overflying MoD Abbey Wood. People remember aircraft but how many remember who built the engines to get them in the air?

Geoff

RailGooner · February 22, 2019, 11:40:24 PM

Quote from: daffy on February 20, 2019, 10:56:02 AM
All seems okay for today's flight.

This is one of the photos on RAF Marham's Facebook page this morning that is most appropriate here:

A similarly fine shot just posted on RailPictures.net today Mike.

acko22 · February 27, 2019, 10:59:11 PM

Hi all,

No pictures here, but fond memories (well mostly) of the Tonkas. As a forward air controller I had many chances to have a play and see these go about there business, and sad to see 2 legends which i had the pleasure of working with (Harrier and Tornado) in the space of 10 years.

While I was training for my job as a forward Air Controller we used the former RAF Sculthorpe where we had a pair of Tornados to practice with when a light aircraft decided to enter restricted airspace and fly over the airfield and despite trying to raise the light aircraft via radio it didnt leave so the Tornados decided to encourage him to leave with a jet flying past at level either side of the light aircraft!
Fair to say the light aircraft made a wise choice and decided there were better places to be after that show of displeasure from the jets! (who needs a horn)
And the time we went to America shortly before deploying to get some live ordinance training with the culmination of getting the jets to do shows of forces and seeing who had the bigger testicles by going as low as they dare over us! While the Royal Navy harriers won that day the Tornado's gave them a run for their money, and my trousers the need of urgent replacement, 14 tonnes of metal at 400 mph at 30 foot does make you question your life choices as it hurtles towards you!

But after 40 years, I guess they have earn't retirement i can only hope a few examples are kept flying as a reminder of the jets that have protected the country and soldiers one the ground around the globe!

daffy · March 02, 2019, 10:42:07 AM

Sadly I missed the nine-ship flypast at Cranwell on the 28th, but the Telegraph have a good photo of Tornadoes on the runway this morning:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/03/02/pictures-day-2-march-2019/

Looks like there will now just be two further scheduled single-ship farewell flypasts before the end on the month, (on the 8th and 14th, but I have no details). There maybe other odd flights in March, as all 36 GR4 aircraft are to be decommissioned, with a few moved to other locations such as Cosford or a museum, though expect movements to be mainly by road.

Farewell to the Tonka.