RAF air-sea in the Channel, May 1942 - picture of the day #12

 

Valiant crash-landing RAF Manston 23 May 1964 - picture of the day #11

 

Vickers Valiant B(PR)K1 WZ396 was written off following a wheels-up landing at RAF Manston in Kent on May 23, 1964. Right on the Kent coast just outside Ramsgate, (RAF) Manston, currently not operational, (still) has one of the longest runways in the UK. The aircraft landed on a "foam carpet" (fire suppression foam applied to the runway) after its main undercarriage failed to deploy properly. It was operated by 543 Squadron, a specialized unit that performed long-range mapping, photographic survey, and maritime reconnaissance. Following the incident on 23 May 1964, the aircraft was deemed a write-off and later broken up on-site. The aircraft had been delivered to the Royal Air Force on 18 September 1956.

Aviation Photo Crew - Serbian MiG 29

 

A friend told me about Aviation Photo Crew ..on YouTube, FB and elsewhere. They shoot great videos out of the back of a Skyvan ..like this one of a Serbia MiG 29..

DH Chipmunk 80th anniversary fly-in Duxford, 9 May - picture of the day #10

 

A few views of today's Chipmunk line-up seen at the 'fly-in' at Duxford, part of the IWM VE flying day, courtesy of David Mummery. According to Vintage Aviation news the 'special formation flying display' gathered together at least  18 Chipminks flying together in formation (see below) although of the 40+ aircraft that came to Dx, a number of pilots would not have had a 'display' licence so a little short of the hoped-for 40 machines that were slated to fly at the event..

Video of the event by OscarLKZ - a single click to view here

Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) night-fighting Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko

 

Originally designed as a long-range fighter, powered by two Nakajima Sakae 21 (NK1F, Ha35- 21) 14- cylinder 1130 hp air-cooled radials, the three-seat twin-engine Nakajima J1N1 was designated as a reconnaissance aircraft after relatively indifferent testing. After being successfully flown at night against US bombers, official production began in 1943 on a night fighter version, the J1N1-S Gekko ('moonlight'). Modifications included removing the third seat, adding twin-mounted 20 mm guns behind the cockpit angled up at 30 degrees similar to the German Schräge Musik. Additionally the type featured cannon angled down at 30 degrees.

The Gekko proved successful against B-17 and B-24 bombers, and continued to fight until the end of WWII. The later version, the J1N1-Sa, featured singular exhaust stacks and three 20 mm canons mounted in upper fuselage with lower guns removed. Some later Gekko models also featured nose-mounted radar. Introduced in the summer of 1944, the FD-2 (Type 3 Mk 6 Model 4) was an onboard airborne interception radar installed in the nose to improve detection of enemy aircraft, specifically the B-29 Superfortresses. Approximately 100 units of the radar were built. The FD-2 had an effective range of roughly 6.2 miles (10 km). However, it was generally considered inferior in performance to comparable German and British models.

 

The NASM J1N1-S Gekko is the only one remaining today. Records show that after arriving aboard the "USS Barnes," air intelligence officials assigned '7334 to Langley Field, Virginia, on December 8, 1945. The airplane moved on to the Air Materiel depot at Middletown, Pennsylvania, on January 23, 1946.

In 1979, NASM staff selected the aircraft for restoration. Work started on September 7, of that year and ended December 14, 1983, following 17,000 hours of meticulous, dedicated restoration work. It stands today as the sole remaining example of Japan's night-fighting Gekkos.

USAF jets attack Iran in Operation "Epic Fury"

A small selection of images from the war against Iran, from FB photographers at Fairford and the CENTCOM website image gallery.

EF-18G Growler (a specialised, anti-air defence USN fighter/bomber) getting airborne from Muwwaffaq Salti AB in Jordan loaded with four AGM-88 anti-radar missiles…

 A U.S. Air Force F-15E takes flight in the Middle East in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 2, 2026. (U.S. Air Force Photo)

Lakenheath-based F-35 seen getting airborne in a recent USAF image posted on the CENTCOM image gallery. RAF Lakenheath in the UK hosts two U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II squadrons under the 48th Fighter Wing: the 495th Fighter Squadron ("Valkyries"), which was the first overseas USAF F-35A unit, and the 493rd Fighter Squadron ("Grim Reapers"), which transitioned from F-15s to F-35As during 2025. Both squadrons have achieved full operating capacity.

pre-flight checks on an F/A-18E Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 37, on the flight deck of the world's largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, March 2, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)

 An F-35C Lightning II, attached to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, is chained down on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, Mar. 3, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)

 An F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury, March 3, 2026. (U.S. Navy photo)

A U.S. sailor performs a visual inspection on an F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)

Oskar Hough photo, B-1 gets airborne from RAF Fairford 

four General Electric F101s seen in full burner mode as this RAF Fairford-based  B-1 takes off on 15 March. (HL PowerHunting photos)

 
..and, on 19 March, through the haze high in the skies over Somerset, a USAF KC-135R fuelling a B-1 over Launceston (Anna Wheeler photo)

Also on 19 March a B-52 from Minot AFB gets airborne from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire toting 12 AGM-158 cruise missiles each with 1000 lb armour-piercing warhead. Brilliantly captured by Adrian Webster Photography on FB (low-res copy shared here with the FB code..)

For an assessment of Iran's air defence capabilities see Tom Cooper's Substack page here

The Wing Walk Company at Headcorn, Kent

 

A few months ago I spent a day watching the activities of Aero Legends and the 'Wing-Walk Company' at Headcorn airfield in Kent. And no, I wasn't tempted at all - although a steady stream of intrepid 'wing-walkers' were! The day started dark and drizzly but by 10:30 the cloud base had lifted sufficiently for a whole queue of 'wing-walkers' to start getting ready for their flights. Senior pilot Richard (over 5,000 wing-walking flights experience..) and his colleague 27-year old Callum Collins (flying since age 15) then spent the next 4-5 hours taking up a succession of clients - old and young - for what must have been the experience of a lifetime (..it says here).

 I met Haiden (photo top, alongside the tail of  G-WGWK) and his mum and dad. Haiden was first up. Mum and Dad both looked frankly terrified at the prospect of young Haiden going up on the upper wing of a venerable Stearman biplane. Obviously he'd be strapped in - but the 'wing-walkers' are not attached directly to the aircraft but rather belted into a seat that is attached to a short pole bolted onto the top of the wing directly behind the prop. Haiden himself had just recently completed his first sky dive and had been 'inspired' to go wing-walking at Headcorn after watching the latest Tom Cruise film - if you've not already seen it just check out the stupid crazy Stearman flying sequences! Why hasn't that film won a gong for the flying ? 

 But the groups of people around The Wing Walk Company caravan on the airfield all appeared ultra-keen to have a go at wing-walking! The first flight lasts about 10 minutes and is always sans aerobatics - health and safety gone mad I say! But the steeply banked turns right over the airfield and roller-coaster 'bumps' would have been enough to get the punters screaming I reckon. And all of this going on while the parachutists of 'Go Skydive!' and the Spitfire twin-seater of 'Aero Legends' and the Stampe aerobatic team were doing their things. Check out the wing walk company website and click once on the red square to watch the short  2-minute video below.. Only £450 for a 10-minute flight. Thanks to TWWC senior pilot Richard for the Tom Cruise stories ..

Finnish Buffaloes - B-239 in the Continuation War (part 1)

 

Brewster 239 coded BW-354 flown by SSgt Heimo Lampi of 2/LeLv 24 seen during April 1942 in Tiiksjarvi.

Some Finnish pilots actually preferred the Buffalo - or the 239-  over their later 109 Gustavs received from Germany. SSgt Heimo 'Hemmi' Lampi later recounted his attachment to the Brewster to historian Dan Ford;

 

“The old friend Messerschmitt, who was a real hard fighter, was my next plane after the Brewster, but it totally lacked in humaneness.. [..]... “I could not love it the way I loved my friend Brewster. Nor any other plane for that matter.” 

Having scored during the Winter War, Lampi became an ace on day 1 of the Continuation War - 25 June 1941 - then later became an ace on the Brewster 239 and added eight more victories in the 109. 

 Warrant Officer Juutilainen (with 34, second-highest scoring ace on the Brewster Model 239) referred to the 239s as “fat hustlers, just like bees. They had speed, agility and good weaponry, too.…We were happy to take them anywhere to take on any opponent.” The top three Buffalo pilots - Lt. Hans Wind (with 39 victories in a Brewster), and 1st Lt. Jorma Karhunen (26.5)—claimed 23 Polikarpov I-16 monoplane fighters, 18 Polikarpov I-153 biplanes and 11 Hawker Hurricanes. Encounters with more modern Russian fighters—Yaks, MiGs and LaGGs—were rare until the Finns began the conversion to Messerschmitts in early 1943.

Lampi poses alongside the tail of his BW-354 '6' after downing two Soviet Hurricanes on 30 March 1942.

Lt. Jorma Savanto of 2/LeLv 24 in Selänpää during June 1941 at the start of the Continuation War.

BW-374 was one of a handful of ski-equipped B-239s seen in Nurmoila, March 1942

Malmi, May 1943 - Bf 109 G-2 and Ms 406 alongside B-239

2/ LeLv 24 pilots Jorma Savanto (second left) and Veikko Rimminen (second right) in front of Rimminen's BW- 367 in Selänpää. 

These images selected from the Finnish Aviation Museum archive @ https://ilmailumuseo.finna.fi/

Pepsi blue Concorde F-BTSD

 

An Air France machine, the 'blue' Pepsi Concorde was unveiled during April 1996 at London Gatwick airport. Ironically Air France had already closed down their LGW operations several years previously - I was one of those staff members (ground crew/dispatch) made redundant. ( Staff members were given the option of transferring to LHR but I chose to leave). We had seen AF (and British Airways) Concordes on several occasions during the late 1980s at LGW. The spectacular 'blue' repaint was part of a $500m re-branding project by Pepsi Cola but in the end it lasted barely a fortnight. 2,000 hours of painting work were needed at Paris Orly for the surprise unveiling at Gatwick in the presence of a number of show business and sports stars. A promotional tour of 10 cities across Europe and the Middle East followed. Supersonic flight above M1.70 over 20 mins in the blue paintwork was not allowed due to heat concerns. (Vandervord via Wiki commons)

Louisville UPS MD-11 crash 04/11/25 - latest video stills

 

Some terrible stills from dashcam footage shown on the "jeffostroff" youtube channel depict the final moments of UPS Flight 2976, a scheduled domestic cargo flight from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport that went down on 4 November 2025. The aircraft struggles to clear the perimeter fence, its landing gear ploughing through the roof of a storage building before the wing clips high tension cables. Minus its port engine the heavily laden machine is already well ablaze and slowly veering to the left..

The MD-11F (N259UP) lost the port no. 1 engine presumably after a catastrophic failure as the aircraft was passing V1 (rotate speed) as it hurtled down runway 17R. Forced to continue with its takeoff, the aircraft rotated off the active runway, as the number one engine departed the aircraft, coming to rest next to runway 17R. The MD-11F reached a maximum altitude of only 175 feet and a highest ground speed recorded of 186 knots. By this stage the aircraft was uncontrollable and, seconds later, impacted a semi truck parking area, destroying multiple buildings and vehicles. Sadly, three crew members on board, along with 11 people on the ground, were killed. Another tragic and cruel accident. A small extract from 'freight dog' Chris van Heijst on FB;

".. Without going into deep speculation, it seems obvious the aircraft experienced a catastrophic engine separation just after V1 speed. No possibility to stop the aircraft anymore: they had to continue. And engine number 2 failed just during rotation, quite possibly due to ingestion of debris from the fiercely burning wing, sealing their fate. I can’t help thinking what I would or could have done in such a scenario. My only conclusion is: nothing at all. A typical black swan event; an extremely rare, unpredictable occurrence with massive impact..."

Sometimes there is simply nothing that can be done.

and from Nico Wissink to provide some context -engine separations are not unheard of; 

 "..This accident when I first saw it gave me flashbacks to the National crash in Bagram, one I had on my schedule for weeks and escaped because we were 2 days behind schedule. I finally can watch the videos again. There are several similarities between the 2 accidents, everything is fine until after V1 or rotation, and all of a sudden things happen that make the airplane completely unable to fly, with a crew fighting for their lives but really just along for a very short ride. Many accidents have a crew component as for the cause, these two don't have that. Engine separations are not unheard of, but quite unusual. At one airline in 2004 a classmate had been the captain of a L1011 out of MIA that had an engine separation right after rotation. They came back around, and that incident is long forgotten. The DC10 accident at ORD has been mentioned a lot. Maintenance people used incorrect procedures to change an engine, by removing the pylon with engine attached, which is a no-no. You leave the pylon attached to the wing. Kalitta had a 747-200 lose one over Lake Michigan. ELAL had the crash in AMS on a 747-200 where an engine separated, rolled under the wing and knocked its neighbor off. Weak shear pins were the cause for both of these, and ever since we have not had any. This UPS MD11 just came out of heavy check, and I think we will find the answer there. The delay before departure was from excessive vibration on the previous flight. We shall wait and find out. But yes, the cargo community is shocked..."

Ukrainian Zlin crop-duster carrying air-to-air missiles

 

From the 'Ukrainian News' FB page

 "..Ukrainian Crop-Duster Turned Drone Hunter. A Ukrainian tractor driver has captured rare footage of a Zlin Z-137T AgroTurbo agricultural aircraft — normally used for crop spraying — now modified to intercept and destroy Russian UAVs. The plane has been fitted with R-73 short-range air-to-air missiles, turning a civilian workhorse into an improvised air defense asset.This innovative adaptation reflects Ukraine’s ongoing ingenuity on the battlefield, where every available resource is re-purposed to counter Russia’s relentless drone attacks.."

From the Eduard Info page;

 ".. one option [ for combatting increased numbers of Russian drones..] is to give light aircraft the ability to strike Russian Shahed drones from a greater distance. This is how the agricultural aircraft of Czech (or Czechoslovak) origin, the Z-137T, has appeared in Ukrainian skies. It is a successor to the famous family that began with the Z-37 Čmeliak (Bumblebee). The aircraft was captured on a short video. It sports green-grey camouflage and two white stripes on the rear fuselage, which are the Army Aviation markings. Under the centre section, there are two additional fuel tanks, and two R-73 missiles under the wings. At the location of the missile pylons, two dark bands are visible encircling the wing, apparently reinforcements of the skin. The R-73 missiles use infrared guidance with a range of 30 to 40 kilometers depending on the version. On the Z-137T they are mounted on AKU-73 pylons. The aircraft itself has no radar or other equipment for targeting drones. The pilot must therefore be guided into the proper area by a ground control station. From there the missile takes over, being fully autonomous and able to find the target on its own. For this, however, it requires electrical power. It is therefore likely that the Z-137T has been fitted with an additional generator for this purpose. Voices were raised questioning the authenticity of the video on the grounds that the Z-137T lacks standard camouflage and the blue-yellow identification markings used at the front. It can only be said that none of the known photos of Yak-52 aircraft show a standard camouflage pattern either. They usually retain their original civilian paint, and some have even sported attempts at the wild camouflage schemes. The blue-yellow identification elements required in the combat zone are carried sparingly on Yaks as well, usually on the rudder only. These light aircraft do not operate near the frontline, but rather fight Russian drones in the interior..."