“Drag-’Em-Oot”

D-Day Veteran Konya AB, Turkey

Cape Town

International Airport

Anatolian Eagle

RIAT 2012 Round-Up

40 Years of theA-10 Thunderbolt II

Army Air Corpson Display 2012

Västerås

CONTENTS

Drag-’Em-Oot

Fairchild Republic’s A-10 at 40

RIAT 2012

The Army Air Corps on Display in 2012

Rob Edgcumbe visits Davis Monthan AFB, AZ, the home of the USAF’s 355th FW, to learn how new pilots are trained on the A-10 in this, its 40th anniversary year

Karl Drage talks to the owner of this D-Day veteran to learn about its history and its continued involvement in wartime commemorations

Shaun Schofield tells the tale of the 2012 Royal International Air Tattoo, which has to rank as one of the best of recent times

With both Apache and Lynx sharing display duties in 2012, Gareth Stringer talks to the crews of each type and the man responsible for bringing it all together

CONTENTS Issue 10August 2012

Cape Town International Airport

Exercise Anatolian Eagle 2012/2

Kev Daws heads to Turkey to report on the latest in the Anatolian Eagle series of exercises

Main cover image - Frank Grealish

Paul Dunn travels to South Africa to see Cape Town International Airport’s recently upgraded terminal and to learn of plans for the future

Frank Grealish reports from Sweden on the Västerås Flygmuseum and flies with a significant number of the collection’s aircraft

Forty years ago, the prototype of the A-10 made its rst ight. Despite several attempts to get rid of it, the A-10 still provides an unbeatable capability, and GAM traveled to Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ, to see how new pilots are trained on the aircraft and the operations of a front line squadron. Rob Edgcumbe reports.

Fairchild Republic’s A-10 Thunderbolt II at 40

Fairchild Republic’s A-10 Thunderbolt II at 40

Image Kevin Jackson

The A-10 has been on the front line for over three decades with squadrons based around the world wherever US forces are faced with potential ground threats. It is an aircraft with a singular mission – one that isn’t always seen as glamorous compared with the other fast jets in the US Air Force but one that proves time and again to be of great value to the troops on the ground. At various times, the USAF has contemplated removing the A-10 from service but the inability of any alternative platforms to provide the concentrated support,support, persistence and ruggedness that are the hallmarks of the A-10 means that it has always been reprieved.

Words: Karl Drage Images: as credited

Early June is synonymous with D-Day in Western Europe. As has now become the tradition, several Allied Nations from World War 2 commemorate the events of 6 June 1944 through a whole range of activites, with the primary purpose of acknowledging the phenomenally brave actions of those that took part. When I was invited to fly alongside Douglas C-47A Skytrain “Drag-‘Em-Oot” – herself a D-Day veteran - as she made her way to Lee-on-the-Solent at the start of her own now regular involvement in proceedings, it was an opportunity that was simply too good to miss.

Early June is synonymous with D-Day in Western Europe. As has now become the tradition, several Allied Nations from World War 2 commemorate the events of 6 June 1944 through a whole range of activites, with the primary purpose of acknowledging the phenomenally brave actions of those that took part. When I was invited to fly alongside Douglas C-47A Skytrain “Drag-‘Em-Oot” – herself a D-Day veteran - as she made her way to Lee-on-the-Solent at the start of her own now regular involvement in proceedings, it was an opportunity that was simply too good to miss.

Image Karl Drage

For many enthusiasts the Polish MiG-29 will have been the undisputed solo highlight of a very full and varied flying display programme (Shaun Schofield)

For many enthusiasts the Polish MiG-29 will have been the undisputed solo highlight of a very full and varied flying display programme (Shaun Schofield)

Shaun Schofield reports from RIAT 2012, a show that produced countless highlights.

Images as credited.

You’d be hard pushed to find a more popular airshow amongst the aviation community than the Royal International Air Tattoo. For over 40 years, RIAT has represented the pinnacle of the modern military airshow, bringing together rare and exotic aircraft from across the globe, with thousands of enthusiasts making their annual pilgrimagepilgrimage to the Cotswolds to join them. A true Mecca for all with a passion for aviation.

In recent years however, the show has come under fire from the enthusiast fraternity. Certain corners of the Internet hit out at the way the show had seemingly lost its way and especially that the main focus of the show had moved away from aircraft. What truth there is in that, I’m not sure. We have been spoiled over thethe years, and perhaps, rather unfairly, expect the standards to remain as high as ever, even though the world today is a very different place to what it was just five or ten years ago, let alone going back to the heady days of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Sparkle Returns

Nevertheless, it would not be unfair to say that the show had lost a little of its sparkle. Thankfully, 2012 has seen the magic return in a host of ways. There has been far more transparency with the way they have gone about their business; the business of securing exciting, rare aircraft. The new traffic light systemsystem and news-bites implemented on the website which kept enthusiasts ‘in the loop’, so to speak, as to what air arms had been invited, and what aircraft they might bring, proved a triumph.

Frank Grealish’s passion for air-to-air photography continues to grow, so when he was invited to Sweden to photograph a significant number of the aircraft resident at the Västerås Flygmuseum, it was an opportunity he simply had to take up. It’s not hard to see why this is Frank’s ‘thing’!

A trio of de Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.55s in formation behind the An-28 photoship over Lake Mälaren, just south of Västerås

Västerås Flygmuseum Sweden’s living aircraft collection

A trio of de Havilland DH.115 Vampire T.55s in formation behind the An-28 photoship over Lake Mälaren, just south of Västerås

Västerås Flygmuseum Sweden’s living aircraft collection

Words and pictures: Frank Grealish / IrishAirPics.com

Cleared to EngageThe Army Air Corps on Display in 2012

This year sees the Army Air Corps (AAC) sharing its public display duties between two teams – with both the Apache and Lynx appearing at events across the United Kingdom. Gareth Stringer met both teams and spoke to the man who pulls the whole thing together. Images as credited.

Image Karl Drage

Cleared to EngageThe Army Air Corps on Display in 2012

RAF Cosford, Sunday, 17 June, and we’re just a few hours away from the AAC Apache Attack Helicopter Display Team’s season debut. Joining me in a quiet corner of the pilots’ enclosure are WO2 Clive Richardson and Captain Lillie Mead, this year’s display crew, along with their manager, Captain Stewart Pearce.

Attack HelicopterDisplay Team 2012

Cape Town International Airport

Cape Town International Airport

Cape Town International Airport is one of the leading airports in Africa, with ambitions to expand and grow further. Paul Dunn travels to South Africa to visit the recently upgraded airport terminal and meet the airport's General Manager, Deon CloeteDeon Cloete.

Words & pictures: Paul Dunn

TURKISH DELIGHTANATOLIAN EAGLE 2012/2

With some of the most sophisticated facilities in the world, the beautiful Konya Air Base in Turkey is home to the Anatolian Eagle Training Center, from where a series of exercises is flown each year with the specific aim of providing realistic training for Turkey’s armed forces.

The second of such exercises in 2012 also included significant foreign involvement as Kev Daws reports for Global Aviation Magazine.

TURKISH DELIGHTANATOLIAN EAGLE 2012/2

With some of the most sophisticated facilities in the world, the beautiful Konya Air Base in Turkey is home to the Anatolian Eagle Training Center, from where a series of exercises is flown each year with the specific aim of providing realistic training for Turkey’s armed forces.

The second of such exercises in 2012 also included significant foreign involvement as Kev Daws reports for Global Aviation Magazine.

After promising it would happen for a while now, we are confident that by the time Issue 11 of Global Aviation Magazine publishes, the facelift that theHangar.tv is very much in need of will have

been completed.

In addition to a new look we’ll also be appointing a number of ‘community managers’ to breed life into the site and to provide the nurturing it requires.

As such, we’ve decided to defer last month’s back page competition.

Karl Drage

IT COULD BE YOU NEXT!Global Aviation Magazine is giving members of THEHANGAR the

chance to see an image of theirs showcased on the back cover of the September issue.

This time the theme is the Lockheed C-130 Hercules! See THEHANGAR for more details.