Kwek

Oh yeah.... looking forward to the "airshow season"... only comes once in 2 years in this part of the world.

Ah..so KC was squatting at the airport vicinity collecting AngPows...

Very sharp eyes Gavin!

Very nice retro livery!

It is sad to hear that KLIA spotters are now having a hard time. Let's hope for some improvement soon......

Great catch Bob! The two RNZAF B757s were out of action for quite a while due to conversion works and were returned to service very recently.

Time to revive this old thread..................... Event: RSAF Open House 2008 Date/Time: 30-31 Aug 9 am to 7 pm Place: Paya Lebar Air Base Getting There: a. Free shuttle service* to Paya Lebar Air Base is available at Hougang SBS Transit Bus Interchange and Eunos SBS Transit Bus Interchange, or b. Hop onto SBS Transit Bus Service 90 at Toa Payoh SBS Transit Bus Interchange and alight opposite Air Force Museum. The entrance is just next to the Air Force Museum * Free Shuttle Service operating hours: 0830 hrs to 2000 hrs Event Description: This year, the Republic of Singapore Air Force turns 40! As part of the 40th Anniversary Celebrations, the RSAF Open House 2008 will be held for the public on the 30th and 31st August 2008. The event will showcase the 3rd Generation RSAF and the capabilities that the RSAF has developed over the years. Exciting highlights include aerial display performances, aircraft rides, hot air balloon rides, display of our advanced weapon systems and carnival activities for all! A set of 5 commemorative stamps featuring the diverse range of vocations that make up the 3rd Generation RSAF will be officially launched by SingPost on 28 Aug 08. The set of stamps in the form of First Day Cover affixed with stamps and Presentation Pack will also be available for sale during the RSAF Open House. There will also be a commemorative 40th Annivesary Book on sale at show site. Publicity Website: Please visit RSAF Open House 2008 website for event highlights, event map and other details. http://www.mindef.gov.sg/rsaf/oh08/index.html Spotting note: This is probably the last few chances to see the F-5s and E-2Cs in RSAF colours. I am sure there will quite a few Mwingers at the Open House! Attendees check in!

Glad you got your camera back. Best news of the day!

Good to see so many happy faces in the photos of the 3rd MW Anniversary gathering. Sorry, lost the franchise to sell face-cream this time round due work schedule....will try again next time.

Nice shots Kian Hong, and great weather too. I hope to be spotting there one of these days.......

The next "Warbirds over Wanaka" is in Easter 2010. Can start planning now.... this one closer to runway than Langkawi.... Thanks for the update. Where are the C-17s based? Glad you like it. If given a choice, I would like to take a ride in the Klemm KL 35! Thanks for all the kind comments from all, sorry if I did not respond to the posts.SV: Hmm... I'll make sure I do the Dakota flight the next time I'm in Auckland. I think the Catalina is based in Auckland too.Anyway I was transported by coach from Christchurch to Queenstown, followed by a day trip to Wanaka, returning the next day to CHC with a stop at Mount Cook for lunch. And yes, SQ for SIN-CHC-SIN.

Bro Azahan, Went for work mah....same for Wanaka.... Cheers!

Oops...left out Skymark JAC and the ANA Star Alliance. Now that the major players are out of the way, here comes the international airlines operating into Fukuoka. EVA - my lucky day...to get Hello Kitty. Dragon Air Many Kimchis.....Asiana Korean Air Continental Vietnam I spotted SQ, Thai, Cathay, Air New Zealand and Bangkok Air as well. I missed China Airlines, China Southern, China Eastern and Philippines. That's about it for international traffic there.

Too lazy to caption..... J for Jepun-kia

Some shots from Fukuoka Jan 2008. Had a few hours to spare....pardon the poor light. There is a decent viewing mall with glass at the international terminal and a better viewing deck at the domestic terminal. Connection between the terminals (located at opposite side if the runway) is via a free shuttle bus. The underground connects to the domestic terminal, so it pretty easy and cheap to get to the airport. A for ANA

All hell breaks loose as the airfield is under attack!! The Allies in formation Everybody is up in the air, including the Tiger Moths! Count them! The Jets want to play too.... Launch! I like this scheme on the L-39 Albatros This is similar to a scheme in use by RTAF A-37 Dragonfly... ...in South Vietnamese markings Simulated bombs! A very enjoyable airshow indeed. Cheers!

Here comes the pair of Mustangs! Regarded by many as the greatest piston engined fighter built during World War II. It's a pity that the Spitfire TR 9 (two-seater version) failed to make it to the show due to some customs snafu. But I was extremely glad to see the Hurricane - the workhorse of the Battle of Britain. Taking the salute in front of the Gold Pass area. Wheels coming up! Cleaned up! Note the black/white underside - a unique RAF paint pattern of that period. Here comes the teletubbies.... eh Polikarpov I-153... Cute biplane.....go topless to get.... a Polikarpov I-16 (just kidding). These Ruskies pretty rare planes.... but this one takes the cake: A Klemm 35 in Swedish markings. Yes, that's a German WWII trainer that first flew in 1935.

Dakota. That name sure bring back memories for many older folks.... How about a fly-by? Bank a little for the camera please.... A gentle turn........ ...and on short finals to land.

The main event commenced at 2 pm. Consisting of a series of displays by the warbirds, this is non-stop action lasted till 5 pm. The "RNZAF in the Pacific War" section was depicted by P-40s, a Corsair and a CATALINA!! This included a section where a "Zero" (Harvard in disguise) would attack the Catalina and be repulsed by the Kittyhawks. There aren't many Catalinas flying around. Enjoy! P-40 pics Corsair pics Catalina I had the privilege of visiting the same aircraft at Wigram the week before. My only regret was not being able to secure a seat for the joyrides. There's a hugh demand for it and the cost is NZ$100 for a 30 minute ride. The net proceeds are donated to the Cancer society. (there's a story behind this, connected to this particular aircraft).

Some misc pics before I round up the post on the Wanaka airshow with the main warbird display. The spectator line for Wanaka is not ideal for photography. The sun is always directly in your face for morning and till about 3 pm the afternoon - you need to aim towards the north in the afternoon and hope for some light on the subject. That's why a lot of the shots are three-quarter rear ;-) Perhaps the cloudy weather was a blessing, otherwise it will be backlit shots for most of the time. There were some aircraft were on static display, like this restored De Havilland Dominee. When you are in a hurry, take off in threes.....this was followed by another series of take-off in the opposite direction from the grass strip.. ATC did a great job to keep the flow and momentum of the flying display. Half plane, half helicopter..... This is the Gyrate Eagle. a tandem two-seat gyroplane. My favourite British WWII plane: the Hawker Hurricane. This is one of only ten remaining airworthy examples left out of the thousands that were built. I finally got to see the Staggerwing in person. WWI replica Fokker at the static park Yak 3-M being towed by a tractor.

The Air Bandits is a unique group consisting of a Juka, Yak 50 and Sukhoi 29 - all mixed up and flown by a Lithuanian, a Japanese and a New Zealander. Juka taxiing to park. This Jurgis guys is crazy - he took part in 3 of the displays!!! There is ton of Yak-52s at Wanaka. Must be cheap cheap... A water bomber sneaked into the display.. I haven't got a clue on the aircraft type. The Vietnam re-enactment has a Birddog, Trojan and helis flying simulating attack and Search and Rescue...ala M.A.S.H (for those old enough to remember). The Aussies was a disappointment. Only the F-111 showed up. The Caribous and C-17 display were cancelled due to the low cloud base....they all had to fly in from Christchurch for this. I eventually got to see the C-17 on take-off roll (one of two in active service with RAAF) on my departure from Christchurch. The New Zealanders put up a brave display despite not having a fighter force. Too bad no B757s are they are both undergoing upgrade and conversion. Well, they still have transport.... some helis..... and trainers.... The Red Checkers (in yellow of course) are made up of instructors flying CT-4s This brings the time to almost 2 pm. It's been non-stop action since 10 a.m. No chance of toilet break or food if you don't want to miss anything....

Is that a Mustang? No, look closely. She's not the real thing - a three-quarter scale representation, with modern instruments and engine. This souped up bird can go things that you won't try with a real warbird... There's a couple of real Mustangs that will come on later. Next is the re-enactment of WWI aerial warfare. Later the Fokker IVs and Pfalz D111 and will be joined by a Sopwith Triplane (she splutters very minute or so....) and a Nieuport 11. The WWI replicas took off from the grass strip, as they did many moons ago. It was a very cloudy day but still, beware the Hun in the sun!!! Rat-tat-tat....damn shiok! Next up are the Wanaka aerobactic team consisting of Harvards. I enjoyed watching aircraft taking off from the grass strip. Yellow... Checkers... There's a ton of them here....painted in all shorts of markings. Simulating a chase...

I attended the Warbirds over Wanaka 2008 this Easter. It's certainly ranks amongst the best airshow that I have attended. If you like Warbirds, this is the best one in the Southern Hemisphere. Here's a selection of the photos. THis P-40 got off to an early start before the actual flying program and provided a demostration of the live firing of her cannons - apparently for the first time since the end of WWII. Two Vampires kicked off the show. It's a blast watching these two old timers swinging around, pulling Gs. You can be right by the runway if you want to. Too bad I missed the start-up of these two birds parked at the normal parking apron, which is a distance away. Must be hell of smokey, if the photos that we see of start-up sequence in books are correctly depicted. Zipping around and pulling Gs....I suspect there must some strengthening of the twin tails. These wooden wonders are really old!

Nice pics Liam.....and great light too. I will be in Melbourne for a week of business meetings in early May and is now tempeted to just sneak off to Sydney for some spotting over the weekend if time permits!