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?

Cruising Along?

For how Long!

One wonders in the next one-hundred years, if space tourism will replace ships, sails and canal boats or will they just be as popular as ever? Space is enticing, but flying is not for everyone and we should not try to force things like this on people just let them be!

Cruising is popular because today ships are built as floating islands with nearly everything one would want and not need to make land fall, but they do and this to keep the tourists happy with and excursion while the ship is replenished with fresh food and fuel where needs be?

On the other hand river cruising and canal boats are more slower and have a rich historical and nature interest with them for a more gentle pace of life! Sailing will always be popular because of the challenges of keeping control of the weather and environment?

Airbus A350-900XWB

XWB (Extra wide body).

Traditionally since the 1960's and the introduction of the Boeing 747-100/200 in the 1970's it was the ideal to think longer and to create a two deck large commercial civil airliner? This has now come to the fore with the Airbus A380, being the only double decker civil aircraft!

Boeing was again the first to introduce a two engine wide body known as the 777 series, while Airbus have proceeded with its own and first extra wide-bodied aircraft! The idea here is to eventually achieve the dream of a flying wing, which has been on the board for over 90 years!

The A350-900 is selling and being ordered more today than its newer series 1000, which is perhaps coming too early to the commercial markets? Meanwhile competition is great for this size of aircraft and Boeing is now proposing the 777X.

First all electric Plane!

New Israeli Design.

This new aircraft will be the first all electric powered, some would say that this cannot be a new idea? Idea yes their are many, but it would seem that this is to be the first to get off the ground with one type already built and ready for testing?

The reason is simple, the price of crude oil is becoming unpredictable to purchase because of so much fluctuation on the world markets? The other that we need to change our mind set in relation to climate change and global warming and find another available power source?

If this design gets flying and works, we will have entered a new revolution in aviation, which will go on to replace perhaps the continued need for fossil fuels apart from uranium for the Nuclear industry and Space flight?

FMA IA 58 Pucara

An Argentine Winner.

Argentina had until recently a well established, but limited aviation industry. It has over the years built many successful types and made various adaptions of others from light aircraft to combat jets and civil airliners. In fact in the 1950's it developed probably the best aviation jet fighter of the day and if they had developed it to today, they would of won the Falklands war.

The Pucara is one of those interesting oddities in the aviation world, developed in 1969 for counter-insurgency operations (COIN). This twin-engined Astazou turboprop aircraft looks like a Beech King Air, in its layout. But it can operate from very short rough airfields and is was known for its amazing manoeuvrability, it was used extensively during the Falklands war in 1982.

The FMA IA 58 is armed with one 20mm cannon and four other machine guns, was capable of carrying 1,500Kg bombs of three pylons. Maximum speed is 500Km/h (300Mph) and a range of 3,042 Km (1,925 miles). Size. Span 14.5m, Length 14.5m. 

One aircraft was captured by the British RAF and remains in the U.K. as a victory capture. I have filmed this aircraft seen flying over Swansea, S-Wales. U.K.

Hovercraft. Part-One.

A British Invention.

Sadly the 'Hoverspeed hovercraft Saunders-Roe SR.N4 Mk3 Mountbatten Class came to a demise with the completion of the Channel Tunnel. This vessel weighed 200 tons, travelled at 70 knots and carried 20,450 litres of fuel. She was powered by four Rolls-Royce Marine Proteus gas turbines and carried 282 passengers and 37 cars.

As a child it was always my ambition to travel on that particular craft to Calais and back, just for the experience. 

The Hovercraft began with Sir. Christopher Cockerill in the 1950's and by 1956 aircushon sea vehicles were in commercial service.  

Twenty five years ago I got the opportunity to travel to the isle of Wight and then enjoyed travelling on a much smaller  craft. It was a bumpy ride across the Solent, but nice to be flying so low to the sea.

That is what the hovercraft does and they are still popular today around the world as they ever were. The RNLI have a few employed in large sandy areas of Britain to rescue those who get stuck in quicksand.

The Jumbo Jet.

Boeing 747-100/8.

You could say 'that the Jumbo jet was the King of the skies, because it has had a forty-three year unchallenged stay.' It is only now with the advent of the Airbus A380, that its reign may end?

I say may, because as has been seen many will continue on as cargo and freight usage. Nearly every country on the planet uses or has at one time employed this huge civil aircraft. The U.S. Boeing 747-100 was conceived by the owner of Pan Am, who designed an aircraft that would be the clipper of the sky, that was formerly held by the British Shorts Sunderland flying boat.

The 747 started as the flagship for Pan-Am, but soon everyone wanted one, because of its long haul capability. Even with the introduction of the joint British/French Concorde, the Jumbo held its ground. Later with the -200 series, I think the most of any series built it set it self up.

Many other versions, including military, scientific and the NASA Space Shuttle carrier have been built and next year (2014) we will take a closer look at some of them.