This is Aircraft is a True Beauty, it's a Supermarine Spitfire Mk I



The Hawker Hurricane is also one of my favs. This one is a Mk I



"A TopGun through and through"

The tsr2, a lovely aircraft that got cancelled in the 60's/70's

One story about her goes like this, on one test run, one of her engines failed, and the other one has 50% power left, and yet, she still left the chase plane in her wake.

"What? Another girl! Tell me my boy. *whispers* what have you been doing?" - Tobias

Edited by - freighter fighter on 01-10-2003 18:39:59

Edited by - freighter fighter on 01-10-2003 18:40:41

Edited by - freighter fighter on 01-10-2003 18:40:56

i believe the tsr2`s engine was what they went on to use in concorde
although 2 still exist the other 7 prototypes were i believe used as target practice on artillery ranges

ohhhhh the TSR2, the greatest might-have-been in British aviation history..

u r right steel the Olympus engines were originally intended for the TSR2. there are only 2 TSR2s left, a sad reminder of what might have been.

if the political interference from Labour and Conservative govts in the aviation industry hadnt crippled the project, if the project had been managed properly, and the Defence White Paper hadn't killed the concept, this aircraft would have put us way ahead of everyone and would prob still have been in service today, as well as being exported around the world. it was years ahead of its time and it took the Americans best part of a decade to catch up to where we were with the TSR2 when it was cancelled.

it makes me want to weep, it really does. it's always been my belief that Britain needs no help from bl**dy foreigners to design and build our weapons and defence projects, we have always had enough indigenous talent and resources to stand by ourselves and our stuff is usually a damn sight better than anyone else can turn up at the time, but almost every good idea we've had we've cocked up, usually by crap management and interfering civil servants and politicians, scrimping on money whilst demanding immediate results.

look at the history:

our lead in jet engines, given away by the sale of Nenes to the Russians (allowing them to build the Mig15.

The Swift, held back by infighting and money problems, its thunder stolen by the Sabre (yes the Swift would have been better and faster and first)

The Comet, rushed to get a march on the Americans too early, serious technical problems (the window fixing in the hull) not overcome, resulting in fatal crashes, then deliberately held back until overshadowed by the 707

Blue Streak, another wasted opportunity, we ended up with Polaris begged off the Americans (again)

TSR2 'nuff said.

..and the list goes on..

but on the plus side, the Canberra was a rip-roaring success, built under licence by Martin as the B57 methinks? the Harrier well speaks for itself, no-one else can do what we did with the Harrier, the Lightning, some of its records have still not been broken (p*ss on yer F15 the Lightning does ) Buccaneers still unmatched in low-level attacks untilthey were retired (u didnt see F111s and F15Es doing all the really dangerous stuff in the Gulf in 91) our wonderful long-gone now V-Bomber force (stuff Strategic Air Command, the V-Bombers were the front-line) ah I'm getting quite tearfulnow. Concorde, a technical and political triumph if nothing else; if only we could turn back time and put right all those dreadful decisions that ruined our country in the 40s 50s and 60s.

Edited by - Tawakalna on 01-10-2003 19:55:22

Gentlemen, raise your glasses to Concorde, she was one of a kind, may she live on one way or another. Cheers

The lynx, fastest helicopter in the world, english built, 'nuff said

"What? Another girl! Tell me my boy. *whispers* what have you been doing?" - Tobias

Edited by - freighter fighter on 01-10-2003 22:20:17

lynx first and for years the only rotary wing aircraft able to do a loop
that still freaks me out a chopper doing a loop

Lynxs are cool, I flew in loads of them, they are ace. You feel really safe in them, unlike Wasps which were a bit small and flimsy, plus the Lynx carries a fair old loadout (or shedloads of sailors trying to get to shore quicker than the Gemini could take us.. mind you they're fast too!)

gemini?

very fast very high-powered semi-inflatable boats, look like dinghies. used for boarding parties, recovery/rescue, in-shore and shallow water ops etc. very similar to the sort of thing you see lifeguards using. They are really fast! one time (years ago) i was out in one with some of the lads and some Marine Commandos (only messing about, we were off duty in Northern Ireland) and this smarmy t*sser in a power boat with a couple of girls on board comes past and starts flashing off, pulling sharp turns and accelearating leaving us bobbing in his wake, because to be fair the Geminis dont look up to much, they just look like an inflatable dinghy low in the water. so the marines say, right hang on watch this, they open up the two big outboards and we did the same to the w*nker, his face was a picture when we went past him and he was flat out! on the way back we could see him gobbing off at the girls and he was not pleased.

oooh, i think i was in one of those today, we where allowed turns at piloting it, the other 2 lads accused me of being a sunday driver, on the other hand, they where trying to fly it

"What? Another girl! Tell me my boy. *whispers* what have you been doing?" - Tobias

Since we're getting into helecoptors...

RAH-66 Comanche
All sorts of loadouts and capabilities including I believe somthing like the longbow system.. plus partial stealth

C*** thats big... lets fix that shall we?

"Like a mighty castle our friendship shall survive, though the very heavens rain, er, big rocks down apon it" - Civ III

Edited by - Warlord Bob on 02-10-2003 21:15:01

heh heh... i just figured out how to post pictures! So here is the F-22 for anyone who has yet to see the beauty

if my memory serves correctly, and im not sure it does, isnt commanche in mothballs at the moment?

"What? Another girl! Tell me my boy. *whispers* what have you been doing?" - Tobias