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Aviation News March issue flick through
A flick through the March 2019 issue of Aviation News, which is still available from www.aviation-news.co.uk or in WHSmith and leading newsagents.
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What a scheme, this gave your Editor lots of nostalgia at the RAF Marham event today. More to follow.
LM-100J taking off for its impressive display.
News: Britain’s Last Surviving Dambuster Flies in a Lancaster Again. Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson MBE DFM the last British Dambuster, flew on board the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s (BBMF) Lancaster May 17 for an historic flight to mark the raid’s 75th anniversary.
Johnny flew in the bomb aimer’s position, the same position he had in 1943, as the aircraft flew over the dams of the Derwent Valley, just as he did 75 years ago whilst training for the 617 Squadron raid on the German dams (Operation CHASTISE).
Afterwards, Johnny declared: “It has been a wonderful trip and it’s surprising how 75 years just disappear. Over the Derwent Dam, the time was gone - just like that; I was back there …thinking about the times that we went there. I have to say the first time I noticed the hilly area we were going to, I wondered what the hell we were doing down at 60ft, but there it was, that was the job. And it all came back just like that, it was wonderful. Thank you very much.”
Officer Commanding BBMF, Squadron Leader Andrew Millikin said: “We are thrilled that we were able to finally mark this amazing anniversary in such a poignant way”. He continued: “It was always our intent to pay tribute to Johnny as the last British Dambuster by carrying out this sortie on May 16, and we were bitterly disappointed that the weather stopped us yesterday.
“We seized the opportunity to complete this mission today with Johnny on board, flying a shortened sortie. Sadly, the quick turn of events did not give the necessary time to organise the essential safety measures to handle the large volumes of traffic that would have been present had we announced the flight, but we felt it was important to fly Johnny on this historic day.”
All images and video: Crown Copyright 2018, via the RAF
News: Britain’s Last Surviving Dambuster Flies in a Lancaster Again. Squadron Leader George ‘Johnny’ Johnson MBE DFM the last British Dambuster, flew on board the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s (BBMF) Lancaster May 17 for an historic flight to mark the raid’s 75th anniversary.
Johnny flew in the bomb aimer’s position, the same position he had in 1943, as the aircraft flew over the dams of the Derwent Valley, just as he did 75 years ago whilst training for the 617 Squadron raid on the German dams (Operation CHASTISE).
Afterwards, Johnny declared: “It has been a wonderful trip and it’s surprising how 75 years just disappear. Over the Derwent Dam, the time was gone - just like that; I was back there …thinking about the times that we went there. I have to say the first time I noticed the hilly area we were going to, I wondered what the hell we were doing down at 60ft, but there it was, that was the job. And it all came back just like that, it was wonderful. Thank you very much.”
Officer Commanding BBMF, Squadron Leader Andrew Millikin said: “We are thrilled that we were able to finally mark this amazing anniversary in such a poignant way”. He continued: “It was always our intent to pay tribute to Johnny as the last British Dambuster by carrying out this sortie on May 16, and we were bitterly disappointed that the weather stopped us yesterday.
“We seized the opportunity to complete this mission today with Johnny on board, flying a shortened sortie. Sadly, the quick turn of events did not give the necessary time to organise the essential safety measures to handle the large volumes of traffic that would have been present had we announced the flight, but we felt it was important to fly Johnny on this historic day.”
All images and video: Crown Copyright 2018, via the RAF
A 360 degree view of part of the static at the Paris Air Show.
Press release from the F-35 Joint Program Office
Video footage: F-35A fires 25mm gun at full capacity
An F-35A fired 181 rounds from its four-barrel, 25 millimeter Gatling gun during a ground test at Edwards Air Force Base earlier this month. The gun is embedded in the F-35A’s left wing and will provide pilots with the ability to strafe air-to-ground or air-to-air targets.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Test Force aims to complete ground testing this month and start airborne gun testing in the fall. At the end of the program’s system development and demonstration phase in 2017, the F-35 will have an operational gun.
The first phase of F-35 gun testing started 9 June, when initial shots were fired from the ground at the base’s gun harmonizing range. Over the next few months the amount of munitions fired gradually increased until the 181 rounds were fired 14 August. To conduct the testing, an F-35 flight sciences aircraft, AF-2, underwent instrumentation modifications and used a production version of the GAU-22/A gun. The ground tests were designed using software to replicate being in flight and the aircraft used a target practice round, PGU-23/U, which does not explode on impact.
In integrating a weapon into the stealthy F-35 aircraft, the gun must be kept hidden behind closed doors, reducing its radar cross section, until the trigger is engaged. The tests certify the gun’s ability to spin up and down correctly. The GAU-22/A system will be further tested with a line production F-35A next year for integration with the jet’s full avionics and mission systems capabilities. Test pilots will then observe qualitative effects, such as muzzle flash, human factors, and flying qualities. The F-35 test team will also monitor the GAU-22/A's performance and ensure all systems work as designed, validating that the aircraft can withstand the loads of a firing the gun, mitigating potential effects including vibrations, acoustics and airflow.
Video caption:
F-35 Integr
