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Tuesday 28 July 2015

Wales Airshow 2015. Part-Two.

Aircraft.

The Red Arrows in their stylish painted BAE Systems Hawks are a regular, despite the dull weather. The RAF Eurofighter Typhoon stole the show with its victory roles and tight manoeuvres, while classics such as the Hawker Hunter and the Avro Vulcan bomber made noisy performances.

Visitors were the Royal Jordanian display team who were only seen prior to the weekend show, the Czech L-29 Delphin showed off what it could do. it being one of the lesser known combat fighters of the Warsaw Pact during the 'Cold War years.

An Auto-Gyro was pleasant to watch and so the helicopters of the Royal Navy AW-159 Wildcats, Sea King WS-61 SAR, RAF Boeing-Vertol Chinook and the AS-355 Squirrel DHFS. A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan flew over prior to the drop of the Tigers Parachute team.

The local Swansea Ospreys in their five Vans RV-8s replaced the Royal Jordanians.


Tuesday 21 July 2015

Tugboats. Part-Two.

A different kind of Life.

It takes a certain kind of person to work on the tugboat, 'Hours and hours of boredom, interrupted by moments of sheer terror.' It is not a job for the faint hearted, crews are expected to go out in all weathers and work on the outside of the boat with the chains even in very rough seas.

The tugboat is designed with a glass tower for the crew to see all around them at all times. In 1900 two classes of tugboats were introduced and improved paddle and a steamer and these were no real changes until 1950. In the war years 1939-45 there were some adaptions made to handle larger warships and older boats started to be withdrawn.

In 1950 boats went from steam to the diesel and so ended the 'days of the 'Puffing Billy.' With post war shipping and the introduction of the Super Tankers new designs had to made to handle these huge sea vessels. It has been a slow history for the tugboat, because there were no big changes in the shipping world until the late 1950s.

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Wales Airshow 2015. Part-One.

'One of the Best.'

The south-Cymru/Wales city of Abertawe/Swansea this year hosted again one of the best free Airshows over the 12th-13th July. It was packed with aircraft, military vehicles and many other side shows and events and was topped off by the Red Arrows display team of nine BAE System Hawk Jets, who are always popular. 

Friday practise day had the best weather, the weekend getting gradually greyer and greyer but the rain held off. The Avro Vulcan B1 was the biggest of the Jets, while the Boeing Chinook was the largest helicopter to fly. The Battle of Britain memorial flight was only made up of the two classic fighters of World War-II (1939-45) the Hurricane and the sleek Spitfire. 

Other visitors were a Hunter jet fighter, a Czech Aero L-29 Delfin, the RAF Eurofighter Typhoon which boomed Swansea. Helicopters were the Augusta/Westland AS-159 Wildcats, AS350BB, and the Royal Navy rescue WS-61 Sea King. The parachute drop was made from a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan and there was a Auto gyro display. The Royal Jordanians were only seen by me mid week practising, but five Vans V-8s of the local Team Osprey did their thing and the RAF sent a Grob G115. Tutor to show off.

Tuesday 7 July 2015

The Value of Exhibitions, Display and Shows.

Moving and Static.

We are only a few days away now from the Swansea Bay Airshow, July 11-12th. This British Armed forces backed airshow and static displays is held every second year and draws thousands of people to the beautiful Swansea Bay and Gower coastline in southern-Cymru/Wales. United Kingdom.

This is one of many airshows and exhibitions that will take place across the world to show off new and old or vintage technology. These shows, displays are invaluable and need to continue for many obvious reasons of recruitment and business, trade.

The Swansea Bay airshow is made up of flying displays, parachuting and various static vehicles and aircraft. Regulars are the Red Arrows acrobatic display team comprising nine BAE Systems Hawk Jets, SAR Sea king Helicopter, Royal Naval Black Cats Lynx Helicopter display and fast Jets, along with surprise visits of what is available transport or other.

Many other airshows in the U.K. and around the world have a paid entry fee to see a fixed booked collections of aircraft and vehicles and their are many specialist trade events to show off everything from Automobiles to yachts, Aircraft to Ships,