NEWS N N IO IO AT NEWS VI THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF FLIGHT Incorporating A AVIATION UK £4.30 November 2014 www.aviation-news.co.uk WARTHOG WOES Is it the End for the A-10? EXCLUSIVE VULCAN PILOT Life on the Front Line SWISS AIR FORCE AIRSHOW Double Weekend Spectacular TALES FROM THE LOGBOOK XXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX AFRICAN Xxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxxx AVIATION SAFARI BRISTOL BRITANNIA Whispering Giant CONDOR Evolving Leisure Airline 01_AN_NOV_UK.indd 1 30/09/2014 14:39 Vulcan to the Sky F_P.indd 1 30/09/2014 10:07 CONTENTS p16 FEATURES p12 REGULARS 16 Canadian Lancaster UK Tour 04 Headlines Paul E Eden talked to those involved in the UK visit of the Lancaster commonly known as ‘Vera’. 06 Civil News 26 AIR14: Swiss Air Force Centenary 11 Models Extravaganza Roundup Marco Rossi reports on the airshow organised by the Swiss Air Force that took place over two 12 Military News consecutive weekends. p56 30 Bristol Britannia – The 22 Preservation News Whispering Giant Charles Woodley charts the development and 36 Flight Bag service of the Bristol Britannia. 41 Aviation Archaeology 38 Aviation Watches As regular as clockwork, pilot and writer Dave 65 Airport Movements Unwin presents the annual Aviation News review of p62 the latest pilot watches and chronometers. 69 Air Base Movements 42 Warthog Under Threat Tom Kaminski reviews the current status of the A-10 71 Register Review as the aircraft faces its toughest test for survival. 76 Air Mail 50 Cold War Warrior – Vulcan Captain Editor Dino Carrara talked to Edward Jarron about his time ying the big delta on the front line and at FREE DVD airshows. Claim your FREE Mirage p77 F1 or Thai Airways Airbus 56 Condor – Evolving Leisure Airline A380 DVD when you take Germany’s Condor has grown into one of the out a two-year or Direct world’s leading leisure operators. Sebastian Debit subscription to Schmitz reports. Aviation News. 62 Antiques of the Air See pages 48 and 49 for more details. Geoff Jones visits America’s biggest antique and classic aircraft y-in. 77 TALES FROM THE LOGBOOK... Main image: A USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II of the 190th FS. Jim Haseltine. Insets (top): The African Aviation Safari Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Lancaster Mk X recently visited the UK. Steve Mark Osborn describes an Aeroprints enthusiasts’ Comber. Inset (top left): A Vulcan of 35 Sqn. Edward Jarron Archive. Inset (bottom left). A Condor trip to South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia. McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30. AirTeamImages.com/Bob O’Brien Collection. Inset (bottom left): One of Monarch Airlines’ Bristol Britannias at Luton Airport. 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Printed in England by Warners (Midland) plc, Bourne, Lincolnshire. (ISSN 2047-7198). The entire contents of AVIATION NEWS INCORPORATING CLASSIC AIRCRAFT is a copyright of Key Publishing Ltd, and can not be reproduced in any form without permission. www.aviation-news.co.uk 3 03_ContentsDCPE.indd 3 03/10/2014 15:17 Air Strikes Intensify on ISIL HEADLINES The UK joined air strikes against ISIL An RAF Tornado GR4 photographed from Navy Atlantique II are also deployed to Al (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) in Iraq a Voyager tanker on an Operation Shader Dhafra. With the additional assets, there will mission. © UK Crown copyright 2014 after a vote in Parliament on September 26 be 15 French aircraft deployed in the area. approved the action. Six Tornado GR4s are Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons and B-1B Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning- at RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus and dropped their Lancers, together with unmanned air vehicles. Schmidt stated on September 26 that the rst weapons on September 30 as part of US Navy Hornets and Super Hornets ew country will contribute seven Royal Danish Air what the UK calls Operation Shader. The from the aircraft carrier USS George H W Force (RDAF) F-16s. The Fighting Falcons attacks, supporting Kurdish forces, took place Bush in the northern Arabian Gulf and the US will only operate on missions over Iraqi in the north-west of Iraq. The UK Ministry Marine Corps also took part in the campaign, airspace. Denmark has already contributed a of Defence said the rst target was a “heavy operating AV-8B Harriers from the USS transport aircraft to the US-led humanitarian weapon position” which was destroyed by a Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). operation in northern Iraq. Paveway IV bomb, before an armed pick-up Other air forces involved included the Australia has also sent aircraft, with the truck was hit by a Brimstone missile. Royal Bahraini Air Force, Royal Jordanian Air Australian Defence Force Air Task Group During a visit to RAF Akrotiri on October 2, Force and United Arab Emirates Air Force & (ATG) arriving at Al Minhad, Dubai, UAE Prime Minister David Cameron said a further Air Defence with F-16s, Royal Saudi Air Force on September 23. The ATG consists of two Tornados would be added to the effort with F-15S Strike Eagles and Qatar Emiri Air F/A-18F Super Hornets from 1 and 6 Sqns, a against ISIL. He also stated that II (AC) Sqn, Force with Mirage 2000-5s. American aircraft 33 Sqn KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport the unit currently in Cyprus and which had also struck a base in Syria being used by the (MRTT) and an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne been due to disband in March next year and Khorasan group, which allegedly has links Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft then re-form on the Typhoon, will continue to al-Qaeda. Meanwhile, the US continued of 2 Sqn. The deployment is in addition with the Tornado for another 12 months so air attacks on IS in Iraq, supporting Iraqi and to the RAAF C-130J Hercules and C-17A that the Iraq campaign can be sustained Kurdish forces. Globemaster III aircraft that are already going forward. Forces in the region are building up, with providing humanitarian and logistic support This development came after air strikes France revealing on October 1 that it is to to Iraq. The Air Task Group will now prepare intensi ed when the US and some Middle deploy an additional three ghter aircraft to to respond to future Australian government Eastern nations launched joint attacks in Syria join the six permanently-based Armée de l’Air decisions regarding a possible contribution to for the rst time, on the night of September Rafales of Escadron de Chasse 3/30 ‘Lorraine’ international operations to combat ISIL. 22/23. In addition, Tomahawk cruise missiles at Base Aérienne 104 (BA104) Al Dhafra, Abu Belgium and the Netherlands stated on were red from US Navy ships. The F-22 Dhabi, UAE. Although yet to be con rmed, September 24 that they will both offer F-16s Raptor also saw its combat debut, dropping it is expected that the additional aircraft will to join operations over Iraq. Belgium will send bombs against key targets. also be Rafales. They will join in France’s six of the ghters, while the Netherlands will Other American aircraft taking part on Opération Chammal, undertaking air strikes deploy eight. September 22/23 were USAF F-15E Strike against IS in Iraq. A C-135FR and French On October 2 the Turkish parliament voted to allow its forces to ght ISIL and deploy outside its borders, as well as to allow foreign forces to use its territory for this cause. As we go to press operations are ongoing. Prime Minister David Cameron said in Parliament during the debate on whether to launch air strikes that: “this mission will take not just months, but years, and I believe we have to be prepared for that commitment.” A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet at Al Minhad in the UAE. © Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Defence 4 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft November 2014 04-05_headlinesPEDC.mf.indd 4 03/10/2014 14:23 A320neo Maiden Flight The A320neo performed its maiden flight The A320neo lifts off for its maiden flight from This maiden flight marks the beginning of Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on September 25. on September 25 from Toulouse-Blagnac a rigorous flight test campaign involving eight © AIRBUS SAS 2014 – photo by S Ramadier Airport, France and was airborne for around aircraft encompassing all models and both two and a half hours. The aircraft, F-WNEO, aerodynamic technologies, as well as new new engine options – the Pratt & Whitney was flown by Airbus experimental test pilots cabin features to bring to market a product PW1100G-JM and the CFM International Philippe Pellerin and Etienne Miche de which will consume 20% less fuel per LEAP-1A turbofans.