10 Years On – Leuchars Airshow 2011 – Part 1 of 3

[Des]

10 Years ago today Friday 9th. September 2011, Arrivals and Practice Displays for the RAF Leuchars Airshow 2011.

 

 

Until they ended in 2013 I attended the airshow at Leuchars on their Enthusiasts Package which gave access on the Friday for Arrivals and Practices and then for the show itself on the Saturday.     Accommodation originally was in the old Lightning and Phantom-era Q Sheds at the western end of the runway in line with the runway threshold and on the edge of the Visiting Aircraft Servicing Section (VASS) Ramp which was where most of the display aircraft operated from.     In the final years after the Q Sheds were declared unsafe and then demolished marquees were provided on the same site instead.

    

 

Friday started dull , grey and wet in the morning but improved into the afternoon although the wider weather pattern elsewhere created some problems and led to a few cancellations.    In addition RAF involvement in what was by then the last ‘Battle of Britain’ event held on a frontline airfield could have been better although in the later years of the display it did tend to be feast or famine.

 

Ten years on here are a selection of images of arrivals and practices from , Friday 9th. September 2011 and barring unforeseen circumstance some from the display day itself will follow tomorrow.    

 

 

 

 

01        Lakenheath based F-15 were regular USAF visitors for the static display at Leuchars with LN/98-0131 being one of a pair of multiple Baggage Pod carrying F-15E and among the first of Friday’s arrivals to arrive with the weather at its worst.

 

 

 

02        With poor weather over the Atlantic preventing most of the usual CONUS-based USAF multi-engined participation C-130J-30 Hercules RS/88605 from the 86th. Airlift Wing at Ramstein in Germany arrived for the static display on Friday afternoon.

 

 

 

03        Support for the Belgian and Dutch F-16 Display teams was usually provided by the early Friday arrival of an Embraer ERJ-146 from 21 Squadron of the Belgian Air Component with CE-04 here taxying to depart after unloading the usual large amount of beer and smaller amount of very large coloured team hats although departures were rather more restrained than on the few occasions this support was provided by a Belgian C-130.

 

 

 

04        Belgian Air Component F-16AM Display Team arriving on Friday morning with specially marked FA-110 in the lead followed by the unmarked display spare FA-95 carrying the specially marked baggage pod of the display aircraft, both carry ‘Smokewinders’ on their wingtip AAM rails.

 

 

 

05        By then without the centreline baggage pod ‘Smokewinder’ equipped F-16AM FA-95 of the Belgian Air Component taxies out on Friday afternoon for its practice display , it seemed to be normal practice at that time at least for the display spare to be used for the practice slot.

 

 

 

06        Specially marked F-16AM J-105 of the Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16 Demo Team arriving on Friday with ‘Smokewinders’ on the wingtip AAM rails , as its display involved the use of flares the aircraft operated from within the former No.111 Squadron HAS Site on the south side of the airfield for safety reasons.

 

 

 

07        About as close as F-16AM J-872 from 323 Squadron Royal Netherlands Air Force would get to the public over the weekend as it arrived as display spare on Friday carrying wingtip ‘Smokewinders’ and a centreline baggage pod in a display scheme from around ten years previously , as the display involved the use of flares the aircraft spent the weekend in the former No.111 Squadron HAS Site on the south side of the airfield.

 

 

 

08        A rather distant shot but not quite unobstructed view of  EADS CASA C-295M , 0455 , from 242 Tactical Squadron of the Czech Air Force taken through the drizzle on Friday morning before it was built into the static display.

 

 

 

09        Saab JAS-39C , 9243 , from 211 Squadron of the Czech Air Force complete with large droptanks arrives in the rain on Friday morning.

 

 

 

10        Saab JAS-39C , 9243 , from 211 Squadron of the Czech Air Force minus droptanks taxies out during the dryer afternoon with a rising cloudbase to do its practice display on Friday afternoon.

 

 

 

11        What a paint job !!!  Well weathered and much re-touched Transall C.160R , 61-MF/RII from ET01-61 arriving as the weather started to clear around lunchtime on Friday as support aircraft for the Patrouille de France.

 

 

 

12        Ground support equipment including the team Renault van for the Patrouille de France being unloaded from Transall C.160R , 61-MF/RII  of ET01-6.

 

 

 

 

13        Licence built in Switzerland and operated by the Swiss Air Force as U-1230 De Havilland Vampire T.55 (export version of the T.11) is marked here as PX-M as operated by 336 Skvadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force during the 1950s and is now flown by the Norwegian Air Force Historical Squadron although carrying the Norwegian civil registration (LN-DHZ) and seen taxying out for its practice display on Friday afternoon.

 

 

 

14        Originally operated by the Swiss Air Force as J-1196 De Havilland Vampire FB.52 (export version of the FB.6) it is marked here as PX-K as operated by 336 Skvadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force during the 1950s and is now flown by the Norwegian Air Force Historical Squadron although carrying the Swedish civil registration SE-DXS taxying out for the teams practice display on Friday afternoon.

 

 

 

15        View of the Norwegian Air Force Historical Squadron single and twin-seat De Havilland Vampire Display Team in close formation highlights some of the more obvious structural similarities and differences between the different configurations.

 

 

 

16        Last time I saw one of these it was overall gloss dark grey with high-viz full-colour national markings , Dassault DA20 ECM , 053 'Munin' , from 717 Skvadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force taxies in for the static display on a very grey Friday morning but according to the crew it is actually a very dark green (in the right light) although experience has taught them with US personnel just to eventually agree with them that it is black , the name ‘Munin’ refers to a far-seeing crow belonging to the Norse God Odin as shown by the tail insignia.

 

 

 

17        Seen on the VASS Ramp on Friday morning for post-flight refuelling and servicing after arriving at Leuchars Tucano T.1 ZF489/489 was the Tucano Solo Display Team spare although like the primary display aircraft ZF407/407 it carried standard markings with no embellishments or unit markings other than the 1 FTS badges on their fins.

 

 

 

18        Prior to the Tucano 1FTS operated various variants of the Jet Provost including Jet Provost T.3A XM479 which as G-BEVZ was then bought and operated by a consortium of private pilots as the Newcastle Jet Provost Company and is seen arriving on Friday afternoon showing a rather more cramped cockpit than its successor.

 

 

 

19        2011 Hawk Solo Display Team seen after their Friday arrival at Leuchars with the display Hawk T.1 XX245 in its special colour scheme in the foreground and the display spare Hawk T.1A XX220/220 in standard 208 Squadron markings in the background , both aircraft are being flown clean-winged without any of the pylons or stores that might be carried in their day-to-day training role.

 

 

 

20        Seen arriving at Leuchars on Friday as display spare for the 2011 Hawk Solo Display Team is Hawk T.1A XX220/220 in standard 208 Squadron markings which were perhaps the most striking of those carried by non-display Hawks in the overall black scheme , neither the stores nor pylons that might be use in day-to-day training are carried.

 

 

 

21        Apparently a late addition to the static display after initial listings showed no RAF Tornado were due to appear was Tornado GR.4 , ZA547 , from XV Squadron based at RAF Lossiemouth and carrying the ‘One Million Flying Hours’ markings applied to mark that fleet-wide milestone , the aircraft carries the usual mix of underwing tanks and pods with CBLS mounted on the carriers below the fuselage.

 

 

 

22        The dark green schemed Puma HC.2 are not especially photogenic on the best of days far less Friday morning’s dank conditions but XW237 operated by 33/230 Squadrons at Benson comes into land with the crewman working between both open cabin doors as a check for the pilots as it approaches touchdown, the large yellow item in the rear cabin is a rescue pack/dingy carried by most Support Helicopter Force helicopters on overwater or longer cross-country flights.

[Alpha Delta 210]

Great set, Des. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to the next instalments.

[mick]

thanks for posting

[canberraman]

A terrific set of images from a much missed event (and great station for photography).  Such a shame that so many types have gone in the last 10 years.

 

Mark

[Red Dot]

Nice images and commentary. Thanks

 

Andy

[JohnT]

Happy days, sadly and greatly missed.

 

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the next batch 

 

 

[exdraken]

Thanks, 

nice Vampire pair!

[Stephen]

Great pics, thanks for sharing them. My memories of the Leuchars airshow are that it always depended on the weather . If it was sunny it was amazing otherwise it could be miserable but usually enjoyable.

[Des]

20 hours ago, Stephen said:

Great pics, thanks for sharing them. My memories of the Leuchars airshow are that it always depended on the weather . If it was sunny it was amazing otherwise it could be miserable but usually enjoyable.

Yes , you could come away from Leuchars realising that winter was well on its way especially if the weather was coming in from the east over the North Sea and more so in earlier years when it tended to be held sometime in the second half of September.

 

Of course the other side of the coin was that if it was too sunny it was awful for photography.     Looking at my images from 2012 it was sunny and bright but with high level cloud which was ideal but the final show in 2013 had brilliant sunshine and blue skies and was more of a challenge.     But still better than being rained off early afternoon as in 1991 or enclosed in haar for much of the day in 92 when with nothing able to display they sent a couple of F.3 up in the morning to do PAR approaches and could hear them on the radio calling off at the decision height because the runway could not be seen.

[Duncan B]

Oh happy days. I have some very fond memories of B of B day at Leuchars right through from attending with my dad in childhood*, with the ATC, as a serving Raffie based there to visiting as a "when I.." for the last Shows.

 

*Our first attempt to attend the show was (I think) 1969 when Concorde was due to make an appearance and that caused incredible amounts of traffic and we were stuck on the Tay Bridge in a tail back all the way from Leuchars to Dundee! We didn't see Concorde or make it past the Fife end of the Bridge on that occasion.

 

Duncan B

[AliGauld]

25 minutes ago, Duncan B said:

Oh happy days. I have some very fond memories of B of B day at Leuchars

Oh yes, one of the best days of the year even when I was on duty in the Signalbox as we got the most fantastic view of the flying displays from there.

As to Concorde I saw her coming in once when she was bringing in the American contingent for The  Open at St. Andrews in 1984.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

 

[Duncan B]

Just now, AliGauld said:

Oh yes, one of the best days of the year even when I was on duty in the Signalbox as we got the most fantastic view of the flying displays from there.

As to Concorde I saw her coming in once when she was bringing in the American contingent for The  Open at St. Andrews in 1984.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

 

Yes, you would have got a great view from there.

 

I was still based there for the 1984 Show, I was assigned to crash and smash that year and saw the show from the unique perspective of lying in the grass in the sunshine just off the main runway. I didn't get finished until 9pm and went straight to "The Commie" with my mates and got so blotto that I was too "ill" to attend the mandatory FOD plod of the airfield on the Sunday morning!! (maybe that wasn't the happiest of days right enough!).

 

Duncan B

[AliGauld]

2 minutes ago, Duncan B said:

Yes, you would have got a great view from there.

 

I was still based there for the 1984 Show, I was assigned to crash and smash that year and saw the show from the unique perspective of lying in the grass in the sunshine just off the main runway. I didn't get finished until 9pm and went straight to "The Commie" with my mates and got so blotto that I was too "ill" to attend the mandatory FOD plod of the airfield on the Sunday morning!! (maybe that wasn't the happiest of days right enough!).

 

Duncan B

Aah The Commie, now that brings back some memories and holes in my memory as well.

 

Cheers,

Alistair

[SAT69]

Wonderful pictures!