The Bones are back in town!

[Trevatanus]

3 x B1b Lancers currently sitting on the ground at RAF Fairford, arrived yesterday for BALTOPS and Sabre Strike, so here for, I would think a few weeks.
Rumours they may be joined by B52's but there has been no support arrive them yet, so possibly not.

[ukaskew]

Very, very loud evening here in Wiltshire yesterday, that would explain it!

[bluey1905]

A B1 and B52 have been confirmed for Riat as well, only on static though.

[NM62]

Heard that some ANG A-10's were due in Mildenhall yesterday - anyone know if they arrived and if they are part of the same exercise?

[baldy1926]

Yep 8 arrived last night. I believe its only a night stop before heading to the Baltics i believe

[Trevatanus]

ukaskew said:

Very, very loud evening here in Wiltshire yesterday, that would explain it!

and will be again this evening, at around 18:25

[NM62]

baldy1926 said:

Yep 8 arrived last night. I believe its only a night stop before heading to the Baltics i believe

Thanks - I saw something on twitter and then couldn't find it again.

There were some over last year and they came over to RAF Leeming for a couple of days (I think on their way back state side).

[Kccv23highliftcam]

Interesting.

Had a single, mid level Eagle, transit Perthshire around 2PM today, C model heading south west ish.

A very unusual "visitor"...

[Starfighter]

A pair of B1-b just lifted out of Fairford and headed north out over Cheltenham.

[JohnClancy]

Just seen over Cirencester, my favourite aircraft.

[LotusOmega375D]

Over East Northants just now.

[mgreenwood]

NOTAM up again for today runway open 13.30 to 00.01 GMT.

Looks like they are off again

[Trevatanus]

mgreenwood said:

NOTAM up again for today runway open 13.30 to 00.01 GMT.

Looks like they are off again

One did... I looked earlier and there were a bunch of mechanics staring intently into the back of the engines, so not sure if one went tech.
Left at about 15:30. Loved it!

IMG_3284 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
IMG_3279 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
IMG_3285 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
IMG_3290 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
r

[tonyvid]

LotusOmega375D said:

Over East Northants just now.

Is that what was making the windows rattle in West Cambs for about 5 mins Friday night around 7pm? A lot of noise!!

[marksx]

JohnClancy said:

my favourite aircraft.

One of mine too. Ever since my first waddington air show many years ago, where one came screaming over the runway, very low, very loud with the afterburn glowing.

[aeropilot]

NM62 said:

Heard that some ANG A-10's were due in Mildenhall yesterday - anyone know if they arrived and if they are part of the same exercise?

Two of them deployed to France for the D-Day commemeration events, and returned to the 'hall today via a few flypasts of Duxford.
One of the ANG A-10's was painted in a lovely special anniversary paint scheme to celebrate the units 100th year as well as the D-Day events

[dvs_dave]

Trevatanus said:

One did... I looked earlier and there were a bunch of mechanics staring intently into the back of the engines, so not sure if one went tech.
Left at about 15:30. Loved it!

IMG_3284 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
IMG_3279 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
IMG_3285 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
IMG_3290 by Jim Pritchard, on Flickr
r

Great shots! My favorite aircraft too.

Although the fact that these are supposedly only capable of Mach 1.2 is rather hard to believe. Mach 1.5-2 seems way more believable. Swing-wing, quad afterburning low-bypass turbofans with variable inlet geometry, stabilators, pointed nose etc.

It has all the expensive stuff needed for supersonic flight, so why bother going to all that effort (and compromise!) to only barely be able to dip into supersonic capabilities?

I’m fairly confident that it’s a lot faster than we’re led to believe!

[drdino]

AFAIK the B-1B has fixed geometry intakes, the variable ones were deleted from the A variant.

One of my favourite aircraft as well along with the Tomcat, I consider myself lucky to have seen and stood by the B-1A at Dayton AFB when they had it.

Virtual tour of cockpit etc:
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhi...

Edited by drdino on Monday 4th June 08:15

Edited by drdino on Monday 4th June 08:51

[aeropilot]

dvs_dave said:

Great shots! My favorite aircraft too.

Although the fact that these are supposedly only capable of Mach 1.2 is rather hard to believe. Mach 1.5-2 seems way more believable. Swing-wing, quad afterburning low-bypass turbofans with variable inlet geometry, stabilators, pointed nose etc.

It has all the expensive stuff needed for supersonic flight, so why bother going to all that effort (and compromise!) to only barely be able to dip into supersonic capabilities?

I’m fairly confident that it’s a lot faster than we’re led to believe!

It's not.

The original B-1A prototype version had a Mach 2.2 at high altitude performance, but by the time it first flew the cruise missile and stealth was around the corner and the need for an 'old-fashioned' fast n high bomber was deemed unnecessary, so the B-1A was cancelled.
It was re-activated 4 years later in the early 80's, but redesigned for low-level ops, and thus the B-1B had a much reduced high altitude performance (Mach 1.25) but an improved low-level speed performance (Mach 0.96) over the Mach 0.85 of the B-1A.

[NM62]

aeropilot said:

NM62 said:

Heard that some ANG A-10's were due in Mildenhall yesterday - anyone know if they arrived and if they are part of the same exercise?

Two of them deployed to France for the D-Day commemeration events, and returned to the 'hall today via a few flypasts of Duxford.
One of the ANG A-10's was painted in a lovely special anniversary paint scheme to celebrate the units 100th year as well as the D-Day events

Thanks - all my A10 pictures are in the green camouflage or the demo model gray from Farnborough or Paris.

Love those stripes!