RNAS Culdrose 2014

[Spitfire]

Well blow me down - just heard via twitter that XH558 is confirmed for Culdrose next month ... a late entrant but very welcome for the airshow I am sure

Won't bother attending the airshow as the rest is pretty boring - lots of grey helicopters - no Reds - No BBMF (although temptingly there are 2 Spits ) but I may go over there and watch the Vulcan from outside the base somewhere

Aircraft attending Culdrose Air Day 2014

Royal Navy

Flying

Black Cats helicopter display team
Royal Navy Historic Flight Swordfish
Royal Navy Historic Flight Sea Fury

Ground Display

Lynx HMA8
Sea King HC4
Wildcat HMA1
Avenger T1
Squirrel HT1
Griffin HT1

Flying & Ground Displays

Hawk T1
Merlin HM1/HM2
Sea King HU5
Sea King ASaC7

Royal Air Force

Flying

Voyager

Ground Display

Hercules
Merlin HC3
Hawk T2

British Army

Flying

Lynx

Foreign Military

Ground Display

Royal Danish Air Force AS550 Fennec
Polish Air Force Mig 29
Polish Air Force CASA C295M

Classic Jets and Cold World Era Types

Flying

Avro Vulcan B2
Sea Vixen
Canberra PR9
Hunter x 2

Ground Display

Hunter (764 NAS colours)
Gazelle x 2
Pembroke
Chipmunk
Pilatus P3

Warbirds & Historics

Flying

B25 Mitchell
P51 Mustang
Kittyhawk
Skyraider
Seafire
Spitfire x 2

Ground Display

Tiger Moth and Queen Bee

Civilian

Flying

Blades Aerobatic Display Team - Extra E4 x 4
Muscle Biplane
Breitling Wing Walkers - Stearman x 2
Wildcat Aerobatics - Pitts S2B x 2, Edge 360
Beech 18
RV8tors display team - RV8 x 2
Cessna C182 Amphibian

Ground Display

Dassault Falcon F20
L4 Cub
Aeronca

[Ray C]

I tell you what David, there's still some (Tasty Aircraft) flying according to your
list....! Get out the wallet join the crowds &&&&&& maybe you will post some shots.....?

[Spitfire]

I suppose it depends on your definition of 'tasty'

[Sooty655]

I suppose it depends on your definition of 'tasty'

Notwithstanding the helicopters, it still looks like a pretty good list to me.

Perhaps you would care to tell us what you would be prepared to consider emerging from your burrow for.

[Kermit]

Looks good to me too !
Some real gems in there..... And if its close to you, treat yourself to a ticket. You ll probably enjoy it
large amount of egg beaters could have something to do with what the base is actually used for ?
Some of them do an awesome display too !
So just go, enjoy, and pack the camera as we want to see se pics

[Spitfire]

Sorry chaps - it's more about the venue ... It's my nearest airshow by a long long way - but when I was at work in Helston I HAD to go to the airshow in a work capacity - year after year - some may say 'bliss' - but when you've done years and years of thick mist - very wet rain - high winds and nothing at all has flown and you get a sort of 'Oh no not Culdrose again' feeling .....

Yes it's the largest helicopter base in Europe - consequently I see Merlins and Seakings every day ... so they don't really get the juices flowing anymore ...

Years ago at least there were Gazelles (we used to sponsor the Gazelles display team 'The Sharks') - Jetstreams - the occasional Harrier ... but now it's just Merlins and more Merlins - and just the SAR Seaking.

The airshow is the same EVERY year and there is no sparkle in it - you get a perspex tank full of water with a diver in an aqualung in it who plays noughts and crosses on the perspex with the kids outside the tank - you get an old Wessex hoisted up into the hangar roof and they winch people up and down ...you get the bloke trying to land a plane on top of a moving truck year after year - and I never saw him do it ... it just sends a shiver down my spine .... do something different ... p l e a s e ..... The only helicopter thing I enjoyed that they don't do anymore because of 'elf n safety was a 'Car drop' - one of the Seakings would take an old car up to 1000ft and drop it ... very Top Gear - but a bit of fun to here the sickening 'crump' as it exploded on impact

So I don''t pay to go in to Culdrose anymore - and as I say I MAY go over and try to catch XH558 from outside the wire - but it is always mid week - so a work day and as I'm now self employed and need the money it's hard to justify in my mind nowadays ...

Yes you're right there's some fine stuff but No BBMF - No Arrows - No real 'balance' ... and I just don't like 'Culdrose' nowadays ... it's been soured in my memory

Although I can hear the 2 Spitfires 'sort of' calling me ... way off in the distance