No more Sci-Fi!

 Drone Warfare?

We are living in the age of drone warfare and ways to counter them, since they come in all sizes from a small aircraft to something that can be hand held and from firing a bullet to a large stand-off missile, rocket pods or bombs, right down to a grenade!

Israel is facing an onslaught from Yemen, Lebanon and now Iraq, while NATO is encouraging the Ukraine to use the basic ones on the Russians and the Iranian supplied ones on the Ukraine?

But as with all military type weapons, it will only be time before criminals and terrorists deploy them against the police and civilian targets in the U.K., U.S.A. and others, the scorpion always has a sting in its tail, and one cannot have a snake as a friend?

Demise of motorbike Clubs!

 Possibility for Wales?

A revival is underway as an appeal for younger people is made to give up the computer games for the real thing of riding with the oldies on the roads of Wales and the SW-England too!

But will they come out and join the throng and keep something of a tradition going or not?

Apart from the thrill of riding, there also comes years of experience and tips on every area of the subject, if not to get to ride others bikes, cheap spare parts and supplies if not much more in chat and friendships that will last a life-time!

Buses and Coaches!

 Disabled Access?

We tend to think and lump together the disabled to specialist vehicles, rather than the ordinary fleets that serve towns and cities across the U.K., because of lack of investment!

Most vehicles are designed for the able bodied and they are up to day with technology and comfort, but they are limited to wheelchair access and other to deal or share with those who are disabled?

We want and claim from time to time that we live in an equal society, but that is not true if you are in a wheelchair or struggle to walk or move in a able way!

The lack of investment is common in all forms of transport and yet crossing into Europe it is a different attitude, with provision being made for all on a equal basis and an ever improving set of vehicles and fleets of all type of transport!

British sanctions on Israel!

 IDF Update their F-15 fighter-bomber fleet for 2029.

Starmer and Lammy believed they were or are doing the right thing in support of two-state solution that neither side wants in the Middle-East and these sanctions sad as they are has only lead to Israel upgrading its F-15 fleet, expected to be completed by 2029.

The McDonnel-Douglas F-15 Eagle has now a long service history with the United States Air Force and Israel and remains a very effective long rage capable fighter-bomber! 

Conceived in the late 1960's the type was side-lined for the F-4 Phantom, but by the time the Soviets had developed the MiG-25 Foxbat, the treat to NATO had escalated and the F-111 was not able to do what the Russians could, so the F-15 went into serious production, being supplied to Japan and Saudi-Arabia.

With a ceiling of 80,000+ feet she could match the Russians and a speed MACH 2.5 and a radius of 4600 Km it was ideal fro long missions that has suited Israel in the Middle-East region

Wales-Swansea Bay Air Show 2024. Part-Two.

 Westland Wasp.

The second vintage visitor to the Swansea Bay Airshow was the Westland Helicopter, the Wasp was the naval version of the British Army Scout and was used initially for general purpose duties and introduced in 1962, while entering service in 1963, since the potential in naval operations was much needed during the Cold War years!

She could be fitted with two Mk44 torpedoes, but trials following were to upgrade from HAS.1 to more of anti-submarine warfare and the first sixty machines were deployed on various frigates and other shipping across the Royal Navy,

Later over one-hundred machines were fitted with the French AS.11/12 missile systems and other equipment, forty were sold to South-Africa and eleven to its navy, another seventeen went to Brazil.

By 1978 in British service, they were being replaced by the Lynx helicopters and despite this these three to six manned machines remained in service into the 1980;s when they were withdrawn.

Wales-Swansea Bay Air Show 2024. Part-One.

 Fairy Swordfish-II.

A vintage visitor to Swansea this aircraft was conceived in 1933 and was much needed in 1939 on the out break of World War-II (1939-45), she was a bi-plane and stood her ground beside the famous Spitfires and Hurricanes on many an airfield.

Yet she was a torpedo bomber and came into her own right serving on the aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal, Courageous, Eagle, Furious and Glorious, despite looking old of another era she was well capable for the task in hand and could armed with various machine guns and bomb pods, despite still carrying a 730 Kg torpedo.

Operational from 1936 with the RAF and Fleet Air Arm she claimed her first success in 1943 destroying Nazi-German U-boat U64 in the Atlantic ocean, despite an open cockpit and suffering weather the crews fought on with determination against a vile enemy!

Some aircraft were fitted with floats, others with a catapult and the first enclosed cabin came on the Canadian Mk4 

After the war the type continues to operate in Canada, China and Brazil and were eventually phased out for improved types.

Micro-Lights?

 Sales are down since October 7th 2023!

After Iranian backed terrorist used these machines to carry out the worst attack on Jewish people since the Nazi Holocaust in 1945, demand for the types have come under more scrutiny and more so in the United States?

What was a pleasure experience has now become a weapon and many smaller nations are using these type for various roles, some armed, others working in teams to isolate various threats and also training pilots!

We don't hear much anymore about them and many have moved back over to gliders for the thrill of flight, rather than be accused of scarring people as one or more incidents were reported in the west-midlands last year!