Wales National Air Show 2024.

 6th and 7th July What to Expect?

Apart from the red arrows and the regulars, it all depends on what will arrive on the respective days both new and vintage.

The RAF Typhoon fighter jet is a popular, but there is also much to seen on the ground from the armed forces, food stalls, other and bands with a funfair on the coast!

It is a real family event and its is for everyone, parking is plenty and many roads will be closed off, while it is generally free and one hopes that the weather will hold so it will be a good weekend!

A year on and Russia is winning!

 Ukrainian Bragging?

It is unlikely that the Ukraine will beat Russia in a war of any kind, since the deployment of the hypersonic Sukhoi SU-50 and its variant's will obliterate any western aircraft that might be deployed against it and what the west is providing Kiev in now old stock?

Russia has raced ahead in the field of hypersonic and the United States has lagged behind, due to financial crises that has plague the states since the end of the era of President George Bush.

These new types can our run and gun any other aircraft and if the U.S. and Europe were to deploy the good tech such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning and the Typhoon, Swedish JA-27, they still would be no match for this unique aircraft.

RAF 100th and WNAS18. Two.

'On reflection quite Good!

Now that it is all past and one has done some research into the aircraft, particularly the Hawker Sea Fury it was the last post-war piston fighter but what and aircraft. Biggles was not quite right in their selection of aircraft representing World War-I (1914-18), but the essential ideas of what aircraft were like and had to deal with was caught very well?

The U.S. P-51 Mustang is one of those most hotly disputed aircraft of World War-II (1939-45), looking back it may technically have been better than the British Super marine Spitfire? 

Other contributions were the Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane, the Gyro-copter, Wing Walkers and a couple of aircraft that I missed out on not seeing along with the joint forces parachute drop. The CH-47 Chinook is a most impressive transport helicopter and the RAF Typhoon Eurofighter jet remains as impressive as ever!

But again it was the Red Arrows who won the show for me and many, I looks like they have added a few newer moves and everything that they do seems to woo the crowds each year here in Swansea, S-Wales, U.K?

Wales Air Show 2017.

1st-2nd July 2017 Best two Days?

This year has been another fine show of aviation past and present and one is putting in an advanced request for next years 100th Anniversary and the possibility of a BAE Harrier and Apache Helicopter? But what ever comes will be very welcome, as this event seems to be a yearly success now!

The security precautions and road blocks worked out well, so that more people seemed to be free to move about without the worry of passing traffic. The old favourites re-appeared the RAF Typhoon fighter Jet, RAF Boeing-Vertol Chinook transport helicopter and the Red Arrows again wooing the crowds, while the weather was much better than expected.

Vintage or classic aircraft comprised the World War-II (1939-45) Bristol Blenheim bomber, fighters Super marine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane. Former RAF Jet fighters two De Havilland Vampires, single and two seat training versions in Norwegian Air Force colours and the BAC Strike master, both of these aircraft where also widely exported.

The Vampire was too late for WW-II service and so joined several other types from 1948 to the early 1960;s. The BAC later BAE Strike Master was conceived in the 1950's and enter production in 1967, other aircraft included the RAF Grob G.115E Tutor trainer and the Soviet Union/Polish Warsaw Pact era MIG-15UTI Midget.

Team Raven opened with a magnificent display in their Vans RV-8's, while the Red Arrows were flying the new Mark-II BAE Hawks. The Pitts 1S1 Special did some acrobatic flying and the combined forces Tigers parachute team did something different, with two drops from the Swansea based Cessna 206 Caravan-II.

HM Coastguard Augusta-Westland AW-139 G-CILP SAR helicopter worked in tandem in winching from RNLI Lifeboat 16-27 during several rounds of inshore Swansea Bay and the Defence helicopter Flying School SA-350BB Squirrel helicopter brought in Red leader one via the St. Helens rugby and cricket grounds on the Mumbles Road.

The planned RN Sea Vixen did not make it, it seems to have broken a wheel a few days ago?

The Typhoon Class.

Worlds largest Submarine.

Soviet Russia was one of the most ambitious nations in the history of the world, especially in the last one-hundred years of civil engineering and the invention of machines. They launched the Space race with the Sputnik and Gagarin and by their fall they had the largest aircraft ever built the Antonov An-224 Miry (Dream), the Buran Robotic Space Shuttle and the elusive Typhoon Class Submarine.

After the fall of Communism came the dismantling of the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons on both sides and there were many cutbacks of fighter bombers and submarines, and other military equipment. 

It is not known, if all as claimed how much was actually cut back, because today it is estimated by N.A.T.O. that Russia is as mighty as it ever was!

The Typhoon was designed to carry the largest number of multiple Inter-continental ballistic missiles that was possible to get on a (36) Submarine, meanwhile each missile was capable of having 12 to 16 warheads!

It was also the first of a new generation of robotic operated systems, with less crew (125) than would be required normally. 

Russia like many nations had discovered that the submarine was one of the most effective weapon systems to have, because they can go undetected for months under the sea.

WNAS16. Part-One.

Wales National Air Show 2016.

Thousands came out for this two day event on the Swansea Bay seafront to enjoy a mixture of aircraft types.

New to the show were the North American-Rockwell OV-10 Bronco, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MIG-15UTI, HM Coast Guard Augusta-Westland AW-139 SAR Helicopter G-CILP and G-CILN, Jet Provost Mk5 and the World War-II (1939-45) American USAAF Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, restored and based at Duxford.

Apart from that everything was about the same, The Red Arrows BAE Hawks T.1, Boeing Vertol Chinook CH-47H, RAF Eurofighter Typhoon, Battle of Britain Hawker Hurricane and Super marine Spitfire, Team Raven (formerly Ospreys), with there Vans RV-4/8's,  two Augusta-Westland AW-159 Wildcats of the Black cats Royal Navy display team. The Auto-Gyro, Gerald Cooper completion flyer in his Xtreme Air Sbach 300  G-IIRI, racing aeroplane, Team Yakovlev with two Yakovlev YAK-18 aircraft and the DHFS AS-350BB ZJ-260 Squirrel from RAF Shawbury.

The HM Coast Guard Augusta-Westland AW-139 SAR helicopters and interacted with the local Mumbles RNLI Lifeboat 16-27 Roy Harvey.

Was it worth it? Yes it was free and good entertainment for two sunny days, after a winter of Bristol Channel murk.

Ground displays were limited, I did not get the chance to film more than a few Army/RAF MAN trucks. There was a funfair and loads of other, with stalls and food.

The Rockwell OV-10 Bronco proved to put on an impressive display, showing off its STOL (Short Take-Off Landing) capabilities and manoeuvrability for its service in the Vietnam war in 1968. This was the first YOV-10A that first flew on 16th July 1965 version, on display of the US Marine Corps and US Navy, but was painted in the colours of the German Air Force.

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.

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.