Filmed on a freezing afternoon in January of 2013. I remember it well because there was still about a dozen plane enthusiasts in attendance that day despite the inclement conditions,
I live in a village about two miles from BAE's Warton base. We get these jets flying over the village most working days. I have lived here since 1966 and can honestly say I have never heard anyone, man, woman or child - young or old, complain about the noise. Visitors are a little put off by the roar of thunder on a blue-sky day. But, those sounds do wonderful things to the locals' blood. Why shouldn't it when we get our own daily airshow. And, of course, many of the neighbours work at BAE's Warton Plant. In my time I've seen the Canberra, Lightning, (TSR2 over Preston), Jaguar, Tornado and Typhoon strutting their stuff over my house - and a few visitors' - Spitfires, Hurricanes, Dakota's, Hercules and many other types - my favourite spotting was the Fairey Swordfish. Oh, more sinister, I can remember on a clear day, way back in the 1960's, between 1pm and 2pm, seeing two Avro 'Vulcans' passing overhead at about 60,000ft on their daily sweep - one flying north, one flying south. Both 'bombed up' ready to head for Moscow if given the word. I spent 23 years in the British Merchant Navy, yet never had the sea in my blood. I hate flying, but love aircraft, they are in my blood. Now, someone is bound to comment that they loved the Mersey Ferry but always took the subway under the river. Please do! Then I won't feel so alone. Mm!
Fabulous comment, William! Words fail me, but just know that I recognize the sound of freedom flying overhead. Greetings from the Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, British Columbia CA. I say keep as many Tornados as possible operational. We are going to need them!!
This was the sound of my youth. When I started cycling up and down the Trentside roads the Vulcan was common but then, a little later Tornadoes buzzed around on bombing runs, I assumed they were using West Burton power station as a target. At first they flew rather low and I am sure the occupants of the Tornado were fully aware that most of the sound was thrown out of the back. I learned to stop on my bike as I heard the whisper of a tornado arriving, so I did not fall off at the shock of the bellow of the plane's departure.
hi cowboy,,yes bad asses but dated now served well in Iraq and Afghanistan, looks like were going for the typhoon ,but love the raptor you guys have..all the best from UK
I was a RAF NCO for almost 20 years. My job was to repaint aircraft, Tornado GR1/4 and F3 and Nimrod for my career. This paint scheme is the last for the Tornado fleet. The aircraft was in the GR4 phase of service here. Essentially the low level GR1 intradiction bomber role was gtadually phased our (low level flight outside the sphere of the Cold War scenario simply proved to be dangerous. So, put went the grey/green wrap around wet on wet Eurpoean camafluage when the GR1 role was disbanded. It was a real shame to see it go, however, it went out at the top of its game. In a new geopolítical scene and a new cenrury, whar we have now with the Thypoon and F35 does indeed make the Torando seem dated! Garry H. South Carolina. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇬🇧🇬🇧
I don't live in Warton but I go to school quite close, where the Eurofighters and Tornados exercise. It's certainly quite the commotion when you're sat in a maths class and every now and again you hear the roaring sound of one of these zooming past!
When i was in the RAF on an NATO exercise at Stavanga Norway i watched all 27 Tormados taxi then take off then do fly bys in groups of 4s and 5s the noise was epic
Feel sorry for anyone living next to that landing strip .first flew 1974 I think having the best radar makes a good fighter it's obvious it's been upgraded for decades it's still one best planes
No wing tanks? Very unusual catch. I believe they always mounted the BOZ pods regardless as they acted as ballast on the wings - can anyone confirm this?
Can anyone tell me what function the intake looking protrusion at the bottom the vertical stabilizer on the tornado serves? I can’t find an explanation anywhere.
ThePostal67 No the apu is on the right hand side of the fuselage.. The intake and exhaust at the base of the tail are for an avionics cooler matrix.. The tail is dirty because the engine exhaust is directed there when the thrust reverse buckets are deployed during landing..
Rick Flynn as this is from Warton it would be an engine temps and pressure check before take off to make sure all the systems are working correctly, half way down the runway at V2 is not the time to find out you've got a problem as this is an air test following a major service I'm guessing. It's a very clean aircraft!.When I was on detachment in the USA with 617 sqn we were on a B52 quick reaction alert base and the USAF insisted that all aircraft which were not on QRA had to test both the max dry and max combat power before taxiing so that the risk of going U/S and blocking the taxiway or runway was reduced. Vivid memories of marshalling them out to the open stand to do the max power tests especially at night 50 feet from them.
Jonathan Davies Thank You! What great memories! I'd worked with earl GE F404's (F-18) and they needed to run for a few minutes before reaching rated thrust.....I was at P&W at the time when they built F404's for the Navy..........It was different then the P&W engines of the time, F100's, TF30's and even J52's, which at snapped to rated thrust in seconds... The Tornado is a beautiful craft!
+Rick Flynn Basically it is to check if both engines meet the max dry RPM's which are written on the RPM-Meter in the Cockpit. The RPMs differ from engine to engine.
Its carried out by every Tornado crew prior to every take off regardless of the reason for the flight or location accept perhaps when on GCAS (Ground Close Air Support) during the deployments in Afghanistan where they need to get airborne as quickly as possible. With max dry selected the pilot allows the engine rpm's to stabilise before recording both engines speed and TBT (Turbine Blade Temperature). These figures are recorded post sortie and are used to maintain and track the life of each engine in service.
Engine stabilisation and check of systems, the Tornado must takeoff with reheat otherwise it aborts takeoff, so optimal engine performance before engaging reheat is a must. I’ve seen many takeoffs (at Lossiemouth) aborted as one engine wouldn’t go into reheat, a known weakness in the Tornado.
Dogtown16v Warton is an ex RAF base so these would have been RAF married quarters which were sold off when it was sold to BaE (actually BAC if my memory serves me right). They would have been sold quite cheaply and since Warton is not an intensely active airfield (there's no night flying) and only 3 or 4 air tests a week it wouldn't be that bad. Speaking personally it would be my idea of heaven to have that view of the runway!
+Jonathan Davies It was only an RAF station - and never a 'base' for three years from 1944 until 1947. The airfield was a gliding field and testing field for EE products from the Armistice until 1942 when it was requisitioned by the British Gov't and expanded to three runways to use as a staging post for USAAF aircraft arriving in Britain. It ceased to be a USAAF staging post after the notorious 'Freckleton AIr Disaster' when a B24 Liberator crash landed on three houses and a snack bar. 61 people were killed, 38 of whom were children. English Electric subsequently used Warton solely for it's aero manufacturing division and it, along with Salmesbury Aerodrome, became EE's manufacturing base, producing the classic 'Lightning' and 'Canberra' aircraft. EE air division was absorbed into BAC in 1960 and then became defunct and state owned by it's successor British Aerospace in 1997 - itself renamed BAE Systems (BAe) when the greater proportion of UK defence companies were rationalised into one company. The footings of all three wartime runway are extant although only the longer east-west runway is metalled to take aircraft landings and take offs.
the houses are incredibly close i sure the values of those houses are nearly nothing i guess thats what happens when you make a country on a small island no offensive
thats not a "Base" BAC Warton is where they made the Tornado and Typhoon thats an aircraft manufacturing factory ,those houses are on private property, they are NOT a part of the factory.or its grounds
Brits suck at naming things. The americans call it After Burner. That sounds cool. What do the brits call it? Reheat. Same with propeller. Although I'll admit propeller doesn't really sound all that awesome. It's just a word. The brits however.. Airscrew...
