Ukraine Situation?

 What is really Airborne!

The media reporting if true makes out Russia to be a weak superpower, but that cannot be so when it has a population of over two hundred and seventy three million people thus its military is far bigger compared to Ukraine's 17 million population and size of its armed forces?

Meanwhile it is not clear what is flying and what is getting shot down since we do not have accurate footage of both air and ground and much of what we see is actually old films of the Soviet era and the war in Chechenya?

Russia has some state of the art air power such as the KA-52 Hokum helicopters and it Sukhoi and MiG jets, which the Ukraine and the west are way behind in technology!

What NATO and the European Union is supplying is unwanted and out dated stock pile, with some battlefield drones

Wales National Air Show 2022.

 Swansea Bay, it came and it went?

It was really just more of the same, hight lights for us were the Catalina flying boat and the Red Arrows, but we are sure that people who were at the appointed venue were not disappointed?

The show is a glorified recruiting ground for the armed services and with the war in the Ukraine, one has to wonder how much cannon fodder for it will be lost, if things were to escalate?

Other wise the Battle of Britain flight was impressive as usual, I think there were some disappointments of Sunday with aircraft not turning up due to either mechanical difficulties or unforseen operational problems as well as the Red Arrows being two aircraft short?

Newer Types?

 Up to LHR, London Heathrow!

One had the opportunity in the last few weeks to get up to a very changed capitol for me, but one wanted to seen some of these big birds up closely and we were not disappointed! 

But almost shocked by the real size of the Airbus A380-900, followed by the A350-1000 and the Boeing 777-300 and 787-8,9.10 Dreamliner's as well as the A330'!

These are the main types that have replaced the good old Boeing 747, Jumbo and the Airbus A340-600?

Meanwhile the shorter haul Airbus A319-100, A320-200 are now being replaced by the A321 Neo's and Boeing has moved up to introduce the MAX version of the 737, after delays in it updated computer software!

The Airbus A220-200 and 300 series look cool as well as the many business jet conversions for smaller operators and it was nice to see Flybe back in operation with a very reduced fleet.

Has COVID-19 destroyed the travel Business?

 Airlines Recovering!

It would seem after the past two years of this Pandemic the airline industry has suffered, but now it is coming back since we cannot live without global travel?

Freight was the mainstay of aviation with the parcel carriers and even Amazon getting on into their own aircraft in Europe and joining the movers and shakers perhaps some of this investment has made its way into developing space tourism?

Social distancing remains a key factor in flying, with the restrictions coming down it has caused a uptake once more on COVID infections to rise, only time will tell!