As close as you'll get to being a Typhoon Pilot.

Gaz J

Gaz J

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Gary
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Unless you are one of course.

Maybe this has been posted elsewhere.

29th Squadron. Notice that they have 3 X's on the tails. Apparently when the planes were painted with the squadron number the guy who was adding it to the first batch of planes was told to paint 2 X's and 1X on each plane. He painted 3 X's!!!!! Well 2X's and 1 X is 3 X's. So they stuck with it on all 29th Squadron planes.

True story?? Well it came from a 29th Squadron guy so I'm hoping its right.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/sjvgC1cKQGA
 
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Bugger that!!
 
:clap: Excellent, so good I went twice :D
 
Gaz J said:
Unless you are one of course.

Maybe this has been posted elsewhere.

29th Squadron. Notice that they have 3 X's on the tails. Apparently when the planes were painted with the squadron number the guy who was adding it to the first batch of planes was told to paint 2 X's and 1X on each plane. He painted 3 X's!!!!! Well 2X's and 1 X is 3 X's. So they stuck with it on all 29th Squadron planes.

True story?? Well it came from a 29th Squadron guy so I'm hoping its right.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/sjvgC1cKQGA
Click to expand...

To be pedantic, it's 29 Squadron (the RAF don't use st/rd/th type numbers for squadrons), the full name would be No. 29 Squadron Royal Air Force (so the "th" wouldn't make sense).

With regard the XXX:

Although various versions of the tradition are put forward, the most common explanation is that a mis-understood instruction to ground crew to paint "2 X's in front of the roundel and IX behind it" meaning "X,X,(roundel), and 'IX' or 'one-X')" resulted in "XX(roundel)'one times' X".

In fact, the marking was always applied as "XXX(roundel)XXX" (as illustrated at the head of this article) – or as "XXX(roundel)" on smaller types, such as Siskins – unfortunately, neither lends much support to the "tradition".

It seems probable that the original adoption of "XXX" for the 1930s squadron marking was nothing to do with Roman numerals, but was a reference to the brewers mark for "extra strong", frequently applied to kegs of beer, and that it is only a coincidence that this resembles the numeral for "29" (XXIX).

It should be noted that the use of Roman numerals for numbering RAF units is a relatively modern development – in any case it was certainly not the practice in the RAF in the 1920s. Nor, so far as it is known, has 29 squadron ever been officially referred to as "XXX squadron" – or as "XXIX squadron" for that matter.
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Yes you're being pedantic.

The th is my addition and I am only repeating the story as passed onto me by a guy from the squadron.

The main purpose of the link was the video. If I'd known I was going to get preached at I wouldn't have bothered.
 
Gaz J said:
If I'd known I was going to get preached at I wouldn't have bothered.
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Preached at?

Don't be precious, the point of my post was to clarify the real story behind the XXX.

As a secondary FYI, I pointed out your mistake. You must live a sheltered life if you feel such a benign post was "preaching"!
 
Great video, I am from around this area and watch these guys quite a bit. As for the pedantic debate, who cares..
 
What an amazing thing to watch, couldn't help but be a little bit disappointed with the camera angle, I guess this was the only position they were able to use but would have though they could have found somewhere with slightly less obstructed view
 
MWHCVT said:
What an amazing thing to watch, couldn't help but be a little bit disappointed with the camera angle, I guess this was the only position they were able to use but would have though they could have found somewhere with slightly less obstructed view
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There isn't at the moment. You've got to remember that this is a live cockpit, not the passenger seat of a sports car. Everything in there is either designed to make killing things easier, or designed to save the pilots life. We're still going through the motions of clearing GoPro cameras mounted onto brackets which will allow us better camera positions (similar to those seen during the Op Olympic transit which can also be found on Youtube).
 
Circuit Hero said:
There isn't at the moment. You've got to remember that this is a live cockpit, not the passenger seat of a sports car. Everything in there is either designed to make killing things easier, or designed to save the pilots life. We're still going through the motions of clearing GoPro cameras mounted onto brackets which will allow us better camera positions (similar to those seen during the Op Olympic transit which can also be found on Youtube).
Click to expand...

Yeah I did think of that it's an amazing video as it is but would have been nice to have a better view
 
:plus1: I went 2 times also, fantastic vid. I looked and looked but couldnt see any Togers on the hills in wales...lol
 
Super video (y)
 
Made me feel like chucking at times, but equally amazing. The leading plane looked like a CGI model off a next-gen Afterburner game! Surreal.
 
Dave1 said:
To be pedantic, it's 29 Squadron (the RAF don't use st/rd/th type numbers for squadrons), the full name would be No. 29 Squadron Royal Air Force (so the "th" wouldn't make sense).

With regard the XXX:
Click to expand...

The link was to let people watch the video not for you to correct or attempt to correct any inaccuracy in whether XXX was a result of a mistake or not.

Precious and a sheltered life. I wish.

Watch the video and admire their skill and coolness and leave the school teacher attitude in the bag.
 
Dave1 said:
To be pedantic, it's 29 Squadron (the RAF don't use st/rd/th type numbers for squadrons), the full name would be No. 29 Squadron Royal Air Force (so the "th" wouldn't make sense).

With regard the XXX:
Click to expand...

Actually Dave, to be truly pedantic the Sqn should actually be referred to as 29 (R) Sqn, where the R stands for reserve. But, given the high horse you placed yourself on with your less than accurate correction, I imagine you already knew that! ......

Great video, but,as Circuit Hero pointed out there are a few issues with go-pros in cockpit!

Other nations don't have those restrictions though; the visiting Finnish Air Force team to RAF Valley in 2013 got some incredible footage from a rearward facing camera mounted in the aircrafts brake parachute bay. They got great footage of the Mach loop and even a minor birdstrike!

Some of the footage can be found on the Cse 002 video which was doing the rounds on UTube - a video that (in my very biased opinion) contains some of the most superb camera ship flying ever

Cheesy
 
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Great vid.

Stop squabbling.................:)
 
Great flight but gutted I didn't get any peanuts for flying first class! :D
 
As above great video, wish I had a Typhoon to play with :D

I would be happy for someone to point out to me an error I had made in a post, I always strive to be accurate in the things I post or say.
 
Gaz J said:
The link was to let people watch the video not for you to correct or attempt to correct any inaccuracy in whether XXX was a result of a mistake or not.

Precious and a sheltered life. I wish.

Watch the video and admire their skill and coolness and leave the school teacher attitude in the bag.
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Sympathise with you. A lot of these spotter types are incredibly fussy about detail and will lock on to the merest inaccuracy. Just how they are. Not to be concerned about. Loved the clip, as I have already mentioned. I can stand loads of that stuff. (y)
 
All in less time than it takes me to get from Cardiff to Newport--Phew!

Graham was looking for Togers ? Ay up!

eddie
 
Thats awesome, thanks for posting - thats going to be so cool in a full motion simulator - certainly better then the modern CGI "4D" tripe!

Dave1 said:
It should be noted that the use of Roman numerals for numbering RAF units is a relatively modern development
Click to expand...

Do IX squadron know this?!
 
That was 6 minutes well spent. Often seen them, combat training planes that is, flying overhead when walking the fells in the Lake District and wondered what it looks like from up there....now I know. Thanks for posting.
 
Saw this vid doing the rounds at work. Needless to say 20 guys watching it repeatly in the office.

We just need a jsf one now ;)
 
Awesome vid, saw it doing the rounds on facebook too.
As for the spelling and facts corrections, don't be so defensive....read it as a pipe-in-mouth-style "actually, did you know" response, and treat as such...educational!
I love things like that :)
 
Wow, very good, What a ride...a good 6 mins spent, but I bet it doesn't come close to what it actually feels like being up there at that speed...
 
Great video. I am ex RAF but never got to fly in a fast aircraft. My time was 60`s to the 70`s cold war era.
We had Lightnings then to chse the ruski bears back home.
I was on the refuelling side with the Victors. I wish all the very best to these lads flying these fast jets today.
 
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