100th Anniversary of the Turkish Air Force

Posted on 9 June, 2011 by Peter Davison

This centenary event (4-5th June 2011) was the flagship of a series of events this year. The Turkish authorities extended a welcome hand to all comers, including the spotting community; even hosting spotter's days on the Friday and Monday to watch arrivals and departures. Over 1000 registered free for this bringing considerable income to the area and Turkey's gateway, Istanbul.

Farnborough Airshow 2010

Posted on 19 September, 2010 by Peter Davison

This year's Farnborough show was dominated by Boeing with their 787 Dreamliner. this was the first appearance outside the USA. It was disappointing to all that it only stayed from Sunday to Tuesday with only one proper flying demonstration to invited guests. If anything, the first impression is of a very stylish, smooth, airframe though it seems stunted and small compared to the endless artist's impressions. Another UK newcomer was the Airbus 330 Freighter and the A400, fresh from IAT. The F-22 Raptor flew in and was highly agile for such a large aircraft. Other fast jets included the Typhoon, F-16 and F-18, all of which displayed with underwing stores showing that they can 'mix it' effectively without a clean wing.