Cool/Rare Plane Spotters thread.....

Luckily, we gave up on the RB-47 quite a while ago.

 

I was headed out. Have a manual gate that I keep closed and locked. If not closed I get 1am visitors looking for "friends". Opening it I hear this buzzing sound and look up over my neighbors house is the Goodyear Blimp. Too far for a cell pic. It was still buzzing over the neighborhood, but by the time I got my cannon, it was out of range. Airport is only a few miles from my house. August is airshow time, I'll usually see the snowbirds and at least an F18. Last time I saw a Blimp here was during Expo 86.

(Updated with video) Goodyear Blimp lands in Abbotsford, making rare appearance in area - Abbotsford News

 

Goodyear blimp again right over my back yard. Happened a few minutes ago. I'll upload some pics in a few minutes.

 

See if this works.
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Abbotsford Air show this weekend. Starts tomorrow. Since the airport is only a few miles from my house. I usually see some interesting stuff over my neighborhood. If I go to Wal-Mart and park on their roof top lot. I can see most of the show. The mall is five miles from my house and the airport is about a 1/2 mile from there.

Military can be anything from the Snowbirds and their Tutor, CF-18, F-15 or a Raptor, even A-10's, etc.

Plan on hitting the show Sunday. They have an awesome set up for the show. VIP seating, with shaded party tent, unlimited drinks, BBQ lunch, etc. Special parking and route in and out of the airport. Think this option is $140 per ticket. Well worth it.

 

The plane I always associated with Abbotsford was the Avro Vulcan. There was one at every Abbotsford show I ever attended. Too bad those days are gone forever.

 

Oh yeah. Great times. I think the last year was 83 or 84 for the Vulcan. Mine is the F101 Voodoo. At least they have a Voodoo outside the airport on a pole. Believe mid 80's is when Canada stopped using the F101 and made its last appearance around the same time as the Vulcan.

My grand parents, aunt and uncles, etc. all kind of settled in this area. Started going around 1977. The planes all past over my uncles house during the shows back then.

The cold war era was the best. I think the show was a propaganda deal back then. Show the soviets the western countries strength was global type deal. I even remember seeing the West German F4's at the show. Plus the large crowds. It was a great patriotic love fest of western military unity and might. The show is still good, its just not as American or even British RAF centric as it once was.

 

The F-101 held the speed record for airplanes for a brief period. 1207.6 mph in 1957. Soon broken by the YF-104A in 1958 at 1404 mph.

 

I have seen both of these great airplanes perform at Abottsford near the top end of their capabilities. Both were totally exciting and fun to watch and never again will we see anything to equal their beauty and flamboyance. The Canadians did a touch and go with them in front of the crowd and the go, with AB, was literally a blast to watch. I remember chatting with one of the pilots and he said that if you had a flameout and let your speed drop below 245, it was time to punch out because it just turned into a streamlined brick.

 

Bob- Lots of lessons learned on the F-101 were applied to the F4H/F-4 that had even higher performance. J79s instead of J57s, but similar installations.

 

Ended up at the show with my Dad yesterday. Still fun to watch. F-35 did a demo and was on static display after. Its a neat plane, just doesn't look like it can fight! I loaned my camera to my brother and didn't get pics. Boeing demo of the Super Hornet was cool.

I miss the 1980's Reagan era. Back in the day, the US basically sent everything they had up for the show from all branches of their military. OK, its still an decent show. Just the past it was much bigger and more exciting.

 

Taz, my post sounded like I was referring to the F-101, I was referring to the F-104 doing touch and goes and blasting afterburner displays. My two favorite fighter jets are the F-104 and the F-105. I never saw a 105 in flight and wish I had, tremendous airplane.

 

My hangar neighbor has one of those. His is not nearly that nice. It is parked next to an F-104, and it's interesting to see the contrast between the two airplanes.

I'd take a picture sometime, but there is so much junk around the airplanes that it's impossible to get a clear shot.

 

Arkhangelsk Airport a few weeks back: L39, Antonov 24, unknown helicopter with displeased ramp worker, unknown radial engine static display GA plane
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Wings museum here had (has?) an F-101... it is an enormous aircraft, especially next to an F-104.

 

The 'radial' plane is a YAK-18T, trainer. I think...

 

T- Affirmative, a very large aircraft but worked pretty well once initial maintenance issues were worked out. ADC had good luck with the F-101B, TAC not as much with the F-101C, but the RF-101C served well in Cuba and VietNam. Unusually, the RF-101C still maintained a nuclear weapon capability, kind of different for the "unarmed and unafraid" community.

The F-101A held the world speed record for a while at a little over 1200 mph (~1040 KTAS, Mach 1.8). Early 101s were limited to about 6 g, but later ones over 7 g.

 

MiG 15... or 17?

Where?

 

Edit... not a 17, it's a 15.

 

Remember that the Lone Star Flight Museum, which used to be in Galveston, is now at Ellington Field.