Caledonian 707 and Transeuropa Caravelle at Gatwick, Tridents at LHR

Robert Robinson photos

 " ...A late 60's early 70's picture at Gatwick showing a Caledonian 707 and Transeuropa Caravelle with a Connie and Dak in the background. Provides a bit of a feel for what it was like on the terrace in those days..."

"....when Tridents, VC-10's, DC-9's and the like were the norm. Heathrow in the 80's. Here 2 Tridents wait their turn to erupt into noisy, dirty yet beautiful flying machines........."

From the Airshows Past FB page here

501st FG Iwo Jima 25 March 1945

Dark chapter in air war history - the last 300 Japanese on Iwo Jima silently attacked the P-51 pilots sleeping in their tents - nearly 3 dozen pilots died before the Japanese were all eliminated.


"...It was the evening of 25 March, D+34, and the amphibious assault on the rocky fortress of Iwo Jima finally appeared over. The island grew strangely quiet. There were far fewer illumination shells. In the flickering false light, some saw shadowy figures, moving south, towards the airfield. General Schmidt received the good news that the 5th Marine Division had snuffed out the final enemy cave in 'The Gorge' on the evening of D+34. But even as the corps commander prepared his announcement declaring the end of organized resistance on Iwo Jima, a very well-organized enemy force emerged from northern caves and infiltrated down the length of the island. This final spasm of Japanese opposition still reflected the influence of Kuribayashi's tactical discipline. The 300-man force took all night to move into position around the island's now vulnerable rear base area, the tents occupied by freshly arrived Army pilots of VII Fighter Command, adjacent to Airfield No. 1. The counter-attacking force achieved total surprise, falling on the sleeping pilots out of the darkness with swords, grenades, and automatic weapons. The fighting was as vicious and bloody as any that occurred in Iwo Jima's many arenas. The surviving pilots and members of the 5th Pioneer Battalion improvised a skirmish line and launched a counterattack of their own. Seabees and elements of the redeploying 28th Marines joined the fray. There were few suicides among the Japanese; most died in place, grateful to strike one final blow for the Emperor. Sunrise revealed the awful carnage: 300 dead Japanese; more than 100 slain pilots, Seabees, and pioneers; and another 200 American wounded. It was a grotesque closing chapter to five continuous weeks of savagery...."

Down in the West! - more Armée de l'Air captured types from the Westfeldzug - NAA 64, Arsenal VG 33 - daily ebay photo find #43

Flugplatz Reims, 28 June 1940

Arsenal VG 33 in an exhibition of captured Allied types. More on the Arsenal VG 33 on this here

F-4 F Phantom II " the Phinal" by Karl-Heinz Schäfer

With the last flights of the F-4F Phantom II of the German AF at Wittmund in June 2013 a great story in aviation history came to a close. The author, retired Stabsfeldwebel Karl-Heinz Schäfer, - with over 33 years service in Jagdgeschwader 71 "Richthofen" in Wittmund working on and with the F-4 Phantom II - is a former mechanic who served his whole career working on the Rhino and who has the perfect knowledge about the service of the F-4 with the Luftwaffe. The books describes all details of the long career and gives a detailed service account, including a CV from every F-4F in service with the Luftwaffe. It might not be the most shiny book with the brightest pictures, but it is the story of the Phantom in the Luftwaffe written by someone who was part of it. Reading the book, you will just realize that!

 Book Details: 2nd Edition
 Publisher: self-published by Karl-Heinz Schäfer
 Year: 2015
 Language: German / 450 pages
 ISBN-13: 978-3-00-043384-9

F-22A 95th Fighter Squadron Tyndall AFB at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, UK 14 April 2016

F-22 Raptors arriving at RAF Lakenheath yesterday in some great light against stormy clouds - Chris France photo. Chris' FB page is here

below; Mark Rourke photo

F-22A Raptor 05-4086 TY - 95th Fighter Squadron Tyndall AFB on final approach to runway 24 at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk UK

Stu Norris photo. Stu's Flickr pages are here

..and two from Neil Cotten on FB here

Raptors at Lakenheath in 2010 on this blog here

Raptors at RIAT 2010 on this blog here

Jet bombers, Edwards AFB and St. Dizier

Above; those were the days - photo taken by Mike Shakocius in summer of 1965 at Edwards AFB. Pics via Alex Staruszkiewicz. Below; rocket-assisted take off at St. Dizier in the summer of 1976.

Beriev MBR-2 Soviet floatplane

Superb David Pentland artwork reposted from the "Early Russian Aircraft" FB page.

A Beriev MBR-2 Soviet floatplane bombing a german cargo ship, probably over the Baltic sea.

Col Robin Olds' farewell flight - 8 Tactical fighter Wing, Ubon, Thailand, September 1967

.. September 1967 just after Col Robin Olds' last mission in his F-4D SCAT XXVII in September 1967..the '27' in Roman numerals signified that this was the 27th aircraft flown by Olds to bear the name SCAT. He began with a P-38 in WWII, then Mustangs. Note the F-4 H5 seats. 8 TFW 433 TFS Ubon September 1967. Colonel Olds left Ubon on 25 September 1967. Here is seen being greeted on arrival following his final mission.

September 1967: Colonel Robin Olds’ last flight as Wing Commander, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon-Rachitani RTAFB, Thailand. According to some sites this aircraft is in fact McDonnell F-4 D-31-MC Phantom II 66-7668. (U.S. Air Force)

The entire base paper was dedicated to his farewell

Col. Robin Olds with his F-4C SCAT XXVII, which is on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Olds named all his aircraft after his West Point room mate Scat Davis, who could not become a military pilot due to poor eyesight.