RAF Coltishall

Flibster

Flibster

Flibster

Man of Honour
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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Sadly - this Saturday is the last day of operation for the Jaguar at RAF Coltishall. It seems they're having a little ceremony at the base with a few flypasts and displays.

Just had this forwarded onto me giving me the timetable.

Jaguar operations at RAF Coltishall will cease on April 1st (sadly this is not an April Fool).

The timetable for the final few days of operations is as follows:

Wednesday 29th March: the majority of the based Jaguars will depart for their new home at RAF Coningsby.

Saturday 1st April: 6 Squadron will move to RAF Coningsby. 41 Squadron will effectively disband and cease to exist, but their number and standard will be handed over the Fast Jet and Weapons Operational Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU), also based at RAF Coningsby.

The ceremonial aspects of the day are not open to the public, but the airborne aspects which will be easily viewable from outside the station are as follows:

12:11 - Spitfire flypast over the parade at the General Salute 12:40 - Diamond 9 Jaguar flypast as the parade marches off (Jags launch from and recover to Coningsby)

12:45 - Hurricane flypast/display

13:11 - Harrier GR.9 flypast over the General Salute when 41(F) Sqn transfers its standard to the FJWOEU 15:00 - Remaining Jaguars (6 to 10) depart Coltishall. The final 4 will return for a missing man flypast over the station.

Flying operations then cease at Colt with the exception of Coltishall Flying Club etc
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Will be trying to go myself and find a good place for photography.

I've grown up with these thing flying over our house at all hours of the day or night. Along with many other aircraft that are now a rare sight in the UK. A-10s, F-111s, Canbarras, Buccaneers, Harriers, the almighty SR-71 and now the Jaguar

Will be sad to see them go. :(

Just thought some of you guys may be in a position to get there and take better photo's than mine *still stuck with A80 - still awaiting 20d :(*

Simon/~Flibster
 
Fstop11 said:
A10s have flown in the UK!!!
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Yup, there were a couple of squadrons based at RAF Bentwaters for a while in the 80s/90s but the base has since closed and the planes returned to the US. I think there are a few still based in Germany though.


Fstop11 said:
I wanna see!
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Why, certainly :)

102_3540.jpg
 
Fstop11 said:
I looked where it was. It seems abit far at such short notice. Looks like a fair few hours drive.
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It is East Anglia...Arse end of nowhere. :D

Main road in is the A11 - not even a dual carridgeway.. :eek:

Don't take any pictures of the locals - they'll chew their corn stalks at you and swear that you've stolen part of their soul...

Except in Nawfuk so you won't understand a damn word they say. ;)

Simon/~Flibster *Norfolk boy so can get away with the above ;)*
 
Might go and have a look. I live pretty much under the landing path for Coltishall and if i'm really lucky the Spit and Hurricane might stop over at Norwich airport :)
 
A number of years ago, I used to live in the North east, where the US had a firing range for aircraft. F111s would drop dummy bombs on it, which was fairly impressive. Far more interesting were the A10s. The main road wound past one side of the range (the other was the north sea), you could watch the A10s swoop over in the distance at low height, then pop up to make a run. They'd fire their guns just after clearing the road. Sounded like the biggest low frequency fart in the world, completely awesome. You could hear them firing from my house, which was 5 miles away. The guns would put out a big plume of smoke from one side of the plane.
One of my customers was a pilot for the RAF and had been to train on A10s with the USAF, interesting to chat with him. Said that it felt as though the plane had stopped when firing it's main gun.
 
When I lived in Northants, we used to get the A-10's buzzing low over our house all the time. They were my favourite aircraft at the time. I guess they must have flown out of Alconbury which was the closest to us.

My cousin used to live in one of the Stukelys which basically was at the end of the Alconbury runway - we always went to their July 4th celebrations - great days. Shame I didn't have a camera then though!
 
I've always liked the A-10 for its ugliness and awesome features.

The cannon is supposed to produce 10,000 lbf - as much force as one of the engines - so it slows the aircraft when fired.

GAU-8_avenger.jpg


It is apparently also possible to fly the plane with either half the tail or over half of one wing missing!
 
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AdWright said:
I've always liked the A-10 for its ugliness and awesome features.

The cannon is supposed to produce 10,000 lbf - as much force as one of the engines - so it slows the aircraft when fired.

GAU-8_avenger.jpg


It is apparently also possible to fly the plane with either half the tail or over half of one wing missing!
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Yup to all of the above.

It is the most damage resistant aircraft ever created tbh.

It's one of the few American aircraft that was designed for a purpose and never strayed from it.

It was designed to carry that gun.

Although - a recent software upgrade allowed them to use that gun in Air-air combat. :eek:

a10.jpg


Would you argue with that?

Oh and the classic 103rd Fighter Squadron motto...

ubwh.jpg


Simon/~Flibster
 
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