Seen from the inside: stunning Lancaster’s on-board video shows aerial gunner’s view of Derwent Dam flypast May 18, 2013
Posted by David Cenciotti in : Military Aviation, Military History , add a commentOn May 16-17, UK’s Royal Air Force celebrates the 70th anniversary of one its most famous raid in RAF history: the Dams raid conducted by 617 Squadron.
The “Dambusters”, half of those never returned from the raids, were honoured with a dramatic tribute: on May 15, a Lancaster from RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, performed three runs over the Derwent Dam that, back in 1943 was used by the 617 Sqn pilots to train in preparing of the daring night missions against the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams, pivotal to Hitler’s industrial heartland in the Ruhr Valley.
Below, an AP image of the Lancaster taken from the ground.
Image credit: AP
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[Animation] The Queen's Diamond Jubilee flypast over London as seen from a radar-like computer display June 8, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in : Military Aviation , add a commentClick on the image to start animation
The following animation showing the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee flypast over Buckingham palace was recorded on PlanePlotter by John Locker.
In this animation we can see the C-47 Dakota flight [ZA947] and Lancaster flight [PA474] join up then fly down the Mall before breaking off to the north.
Other aircraft can be clearly seen in the animation: [CWL68] were the B200s with serial ZK453 and ZK454 (with SCE84 being probably a spare Beech); [P7350] was the Spitfire; [NOH23] was a chopper out of RAF Northolt, possibly on security duty.
Noteworthy, a Spitfire and a Hurricane pop up in the early frames but once joined up, only the lead aircraft in each section continued with Mode S.
Image courtesy John Locker
PlanePlotter (PP) is a software that receives and decodes live digital position reports from aircraft and plots them on a chart.
Using PlanePlotter, you can see a radar-like display of all those aircraft around you that are transmitting the appropriate digital messages including ACARS, ADS-B and HFDL. Needless to say, you need the appropriate hardware (receiver, antenna, etc.) to get the digital signals.
Unlike other very well known Internet services, as Flightradar24.com or Planefinder.net, PP has some more features, including
- Multilateration to locate and track those aircraft which do not send position reports
- Beamfinder, Beamfinder Plus and Beamfinder Plus S: PlanePlotter can use the pings from known radar stations to calibrate the rotating beam and to use that information to locate aircraft not transmitting position
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[Updated] Diamond Jubilee flypast over London as seen from a four-engined Second World War heavy bomber June 6, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in : Military Aviation, Military History , 3commentsReleased by the UK’s Ministry of Defence, the following footage brings you on board an Avro Lancaster bomber of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight during the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee flypast over Buckingham Palace on Jun. 5.
The video was filmed from the Lancaster’s nose bomb aimer position, located just below the Frazer Nash FN5 nose turret, and from the cockpit.
Enjoy the view of London from the large transparent perspex nose cupola.
And here’s the video taken from a Spitfire.
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God Save the Queen. And her flypasts. June 5, 2012
Posted by David Cenciotti in : Military Aviation , add a commentWhereas other nations have cancelled or reduced flypasts or limited their contribution to air shows, because of the global financial crisis, the UK seems to be one of the few places (at least in Europe) where large formations of aircraft are still used to celebrate national anniversaries luxuriously.
Few days after a flypast of over 80 aircraft belonging to the British air arms, flew over Windsor as part of the celebration Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, another interesting fly past will take place on Jun. 5, at 14.30GMT (15.30 LT) when the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Red Arrows will be saluting the Queen on her 60th anniversary as a monarch.
The Flypast will include a Dakota flanked by two King Air aircraft flown by 45 (Reserve) Squadron which is part of Number 3 Flying Training School based at RAF Cranwell; a Lancaster, Spitfires and a Hurricane from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, ahead of the Red Arrows that will make their entrance seconds later.
The formations will be flying down the Mall as the Royal Family watch from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Therefore, after the Typhoons deployed to RAF Northolt for the Olympic Guard Exercise, and the helicopters on board the largest British warship as it made its way up the River Thames, Londoners are about to watch some interesting warbirds flying over the UK’s largest metropolitan area.
Image credit: Royal Air Force
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