Newark Air Museum

 Today I visited - for the first time in 15+ years - Newark Air Museum. This is a lovely museum with a great collection of mostly British Cold War aircraft. The scary thing is that I can remember most of these being in service!  Recommended as a great day out.  Thanks again to Diego and Martin for their company.

Above - Sea Vixen and Blackburn Buccaneer. 

The well looked-after Vulcan. Always great to see this. 

Fairey Gannet. 

Folland Gnat. 

Gloster Javelin 

Model of a Canberra complete with Suez stripes. 

Rare foreigner - a T-33. 

Bloodhound missile. 

Lovely Dassault Mystere IV. 

Radar for the Bloodhound 

EE Lightning. Fabulous!

Vulcan again 

A modified Canberra looking very sinister in overall black. 

Saab Viggen. 

Sea Hawk 

Tatty ex-Polish MiG-23

Shackleton. Still in service in the’70s. 

F-100 Super Sabre. 

Lovely to see Supermarine Swift (left) and Hawker Hunter side by side. 

Swift

Beautiful Saab Draken. One of my favourites but then I’ve had three slightly slower Saabs. 

Sepcat Jaguar 

Hunter

USS Intrepid & USS Growler

While in NYC in December we visited the USS Intrepid - a carrier - and it's smaller chum the submarine USS Growler.  You may also want to look again at Martin Rapier's post from November 2019 here.  I have more photos somewhere - I'll post 'em when they show up.

Luckily the Intrepid is decommissioned - as the bloke in charge looks like a bungling oaf!

On the hangar deck there is a nice model of the Intrepid - on closer inspection it turned out to be Lego!

Unusually (for a US carrier) the flight deck hosts a pair of MIGs  A 15 (above) and 21.

You can't go wrong with a Skyhawk.

Neatly folded Corsair

H-25 Army Mule helicopter

F-4J Fury, the navalised version of the F-86 Sabre

After a canter round the Intrepid it was off next door to the entertainingly named Growler.  Launched in 1958, this was the US Navy's first missile sub.  Think of it as basically a WW2 boat with a deck hangar holding four missiles.

Ah, the missiles.  Think V-1 with an ego.  I pity the poor buggers who had to fool around on deck preparing the things to launch.

Free Victor?

Not a plea but an offer. RAF Marham’s Victor is up for grabs so if you have a big enough garden get your bid in now!
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/raf-marham-offering-free-victor-jet-1-6504843

https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/eastern-daily-press-yours-for-nothing-raf-marham-jet-being-given-away.298203/

Another Victor

Multi-national Spitfire!

I a previous post I mentioned the Spitfire at the Overloon museum.  My thanks to Steve-the-wargamer for drawing my attention to it's history.

It seems to have had an interesting life - most of it was originally delivered to the Indian Air Force.

More at Warbirdregistry.org from which I have borrowed the info below:

 History:
Delivered to Indian AF as HS649.
Ormond & Wensley Haydon-Baille, Duxford, UK, 1977.
- Recovered hulk from Kalaikunda AB.
Alan & Keith Wickendon, Hemel Hempstead, 1978-1981.
Spenser Flack, Elstree, 19??.
Guy Black/Aero Vintage Ltd/S.W. Atkins/Wintage Airworks Ltd, St. Leonards, 1985.
- Wings to RM927.
- Fuselage rebuilt as Mk. XIV.
E. Nick Grace & Chris Horsley, Chichester, 1986.
- Composite rebuild.
- Wings from SAAF & USA.
National War & Resistance Museum, Overloon, Netherlands, 1986-2006.
- Displayed as NH649/3W-F.

RAF Marham Families Day - part 2

As well as 'planes in the air, Marham also had a few on the ground.  This is one of the new F-35 Lightnings.

A versatile aircraft, it can apparently also be used as a sunshade....

DH Dragon Rapide - it was in a similar aircraft that General Franco flew from his posting in the Canary Islands to Morocco at the start of what became the Spanish Civil War.

SA Bulldog.  I've actually flown in the civilian version of this (Beagle Pup).

Avro Anson from the BAE Heritage Flight.

This US V-22 Osprey was a visitor from nearby RAF Lakenheath.

Tornado.  A 'proper' 1970s warplane.

 This Humber staff car was rather nice.

The flying display concluded with a Lightning.  After an impressively short takeoff run it was flung around the sky.  I can confirm that the noise it generates makes it a fitting successor to its namesake, the old EE Lightning.  Noise you don't just hear but feel in your guts.

The routine included hovering and a very neat vertical landing.