A time machine, a DSLR and 3 choices-where would you go?

[Jonathan Warner]

For me, first would be on a carrier with tomcats ect
second would be either upper heyford or lakenheath for the F-111/EF-111s
and third, id go to Boscombe down i think it was 1994 when the "Boscombe Down incident" happened to find out once and for all what really happened!!

Jonathan

[Sparts99]

One with 100% certainty, a Biggin Hill at home day from when I was a lad, Patrouille de France and Diables Rouges flying Magisters, Frecce Triccolori in Fiat G91s (the solo low and fast inverted pass right over the crowd, breathtaking), Red Arrows in Gnats, Lightning, Argosy, Sea Vixen x 4 followed by loads of Wessex delivering land rovers and field guns and a mock attack on the airfield, VC 10, Britannia, Belfast, etc etc

The Farnborough display with 56 sqn Lightning display team maybe, Normandy 1944 on a forward strip with Typhoons.

[KINROTATE]

So....

Mach Loop - Bucc's
Mach Loop - F4's
Mach Loop - Hunters

[wokka]

Have to be at no.1

The Royal Air Force Review in 1953 at RAF Odiham. I've seen so much written about this but so few pictures, even though there was 300 aircraft on Static and reportedly 600 in a flypast!

No.2
I'd go back to the 60's and get myself a boat and photograph the rocket/missile testing site at the Needles on the the Isle of Wight.

No.3
I'd need a protective bubble but if I could sit on a Huey and get some photo's in Vietnam of live napalming, I reckon that would be spectacular (I know it hurt lots of people but if I'm in a time machine I'll get all the innocents to safety first!)

[TonyO]

1. Muharraq or Prince Sultan AB during Gulf War 1
2. Soviet Airbases in Poland during the 80s and early 90s.
3. US Carrier off Vietnam during the late 60s and early 70s.

[gonk]

Got to be the 2nd World War along the East Coast here South of Grimsby - just to see the Lancs going out on their Bombing Raids.
As for Airfields at that time - I would have been spoilt for choice round this area .

The very sad part of it all would have been how few of them returned!!!

Think this thread Goose could run to many pages .

Cheers Paul.

Good choice, tatty ton out of waltham got battered doing pathfinding,
mine would be stood were my dad stood at usworth, watching the hurricanes take off,during the big raids on the north or at spurn point, watching the HE111s releasing the air launch V1s,so much history to choose from,how about stood by collingwood as he crossed the T and smashed the french at trafalgar,or even easier,no traveling,i live between kelston ludford and binbrook,so 1939 onwards.

[G4UMW]

1. RAF Bardney, late 1943 - early 1944 to watch my uncle and his crew during their tour of ops with IX Squadron RAF.
2. RAF Warmwell, Dorset, during the Battle of Britain.
3. Farnborough, 1958, to see 22 Hunters perform a formation loop and roll.

[roughcutter]

Take me back to the Northwest in the 1950's, HMS Blackcap (Stretton NAS) when Sea Furies and Supermarine Attackers operated from there, RAF Hooton Park for the Meteors and last but not least RAF Burtonwood, particularly during the Berlin Airlift!
MarkL

[ginge]

1..A week round Lincolnshire 1944
2..A week round Lincolnshire late 1970's
3..A week round East Anglia late 1970's early 1980's

Cheers Martyn

[Rich H]

Great thread, especially for those of us 'laid-up' and bored senseless. There's been some excellent choices and I could pick loads but:

1) Any RAF Germany airfield in the 1970s, Wessex, Phantoms, Harriers, Canberras, Buccs, Jags and best of all Lightnings. It would be like I'd died and gone to Heaven.

2) This one would probably get me arrested: The Skunk Works, California during the 1960s for SR-71s, U-2s and all the other stuff we never saw or knew about

3) This might not be allowed but they were military pilots: Tranquility Base, The Moon, July 1969 to capture the landing and departure of the Lunar Module and those first steps on the moon.

[StuBie]

Well after a few days thinking about it I think i've got it:

1) RAF Brize Norton 5/6 June 1944 : 296 & 297 Squadron Albemarle's towing Horsa gliders for operation's Tonga,Mallard & Cooney (Overlord).

2) RAF Brize Norton 1950's: Brize during the Strategic Air Command days.

3) Upper Heyford: I was only 6 when UH was closed so I never got to experience any 'Varks or Ravens in the local skies

[GOOSE]

1. A Vietnam era US Carrier launching actual combat missions- F-4's, A-5's, A-7's, A-6's.......drool

2. RAF Binbrook, late 70's or early 80's just to experience Lightnings one more time!

3. MASDC (AMARC / AMARG) in it's early days. Piston engine combat aircraft heaven.

[Mike]

I'd just love to go back to some of the stuff that I've seen with a decent camera.

1. At least 54 x F1-11Fs taking-off in 30 second intervals at Lakenheath - 19/05/87

2. 14 x KC-135s taking-off from Mildenhall half an hour earlier than the above.

3. 18 x Belgian Mirage 5BAs and BDs taking-off in about 5 minutes from Liege/Bierset 1978

There's loads more but these really stick in my memory,I suppose it was the noise and that great smell !

[Vulcan7]

After some deliberation,

1) RAF Scampton or Finningley to see/hear a Vulcan QRA takeoff.

2) RAF Boscombe Down in the 60's to see all of the different types of aircraft operated then. (Hawks, Alpha Jets and Tucano's have lost their appeal now! )

3) In the sky near Gary Powers' U-2 when it was hit and brought down, following Powers and the aircraft to the ground and to see the aftermath.

Too many to narrow down to three!

Joe

[DeanW]

Tough decision!

1) RIAT '97. MiG-29s, Su-27s, Mirage F1s, Viggens, Starfighters, MiG-23, Phantoms, F100...
2) RAF Waddington, April '95. Austrian Drakens, German Phantoms and French Mirage 2000s on the ACMI range.
3) RAF Coltishall, August '04. Jaguars and Su-22s, what more could you want?

Now all we need is someone to invent a time machine!

[Sheff]

RAF Strubby, 1970. CAW Varsities, Dominies, Jet Provosts. Happy days!

RAF St.Mawgan, 1976. 7 squadron Canberra TT18s and T19s, white-topped Nimrods and loads more!

RAF Finningley 1968. OCU Vulcans back at their old home, in the "proper" Vulcan paint scheme. delicious!

[Chris IL-76]

1. Sperenburg 1992-3....The final departure of the Russian Air Force from former East Germany
2. Heathrow 1958.....North Side when there were no restrictions and getting up close and personal to lots of Piston's starting up!
3. Los Angeles 1963....more Airliners..Connies, 6's, 7's, 8's, Electra's etc...

[wokka]

The best thing about this thread is that nearly everyone wants to see something different. But when you read them you think, "I'd like to see that too"! what a great hobby.

[GOOSE]

Agreed wokka, I thought the same thing. Hopefully it will be one of those threads which EVERYONE can and will get involved in?

Not everyone can post movements, pictures, radio heads ups, SBS logs or even modelling builds BUT threads like this are for everyone.

So come on you lurkers and non-posters - please get involved and enjoy your hobby more by being an active part of the community. It is your forum and community after all.

Regards.

[Ben Montgomery]

So come on you lurkers and non-posters - please get involved and enjoy your hobby more by being an active part of the community. It is your forum and community after all.

The Goose hath Spoken!