Thunderbirds opinions

All you'll ever need to know about the UK's biggest airshow
PanaviaTornado
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Re: Thunderbirds opinions

Post by PanaviaTornado »

Overall I thought they were great. How often do you see a display team flying front line Block 52 F-16s? Not Reds level but glad they came certainly, they did contribute to the whole feel of a great big show for me.

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Wissam24
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Re: Thunderbirds opinions

Post by Wissam24 »

Pretty dull. Not as bad as some had made out but I definitely felt they were the fourth best national display team there - not even close to the league of the Reds. They were noisy for sure but lacked originality and variety. How many times did we need to see the same opposition pass?
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AARDVARK
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Re: Thunderbirds opinions

Post by AARDVARK »

Just a shame they couldn't perform their high show (loops)as this always seems more dynamic than the flat shows..but all credit to them in going up in Saturday's conditions ...
Where was the bloody merchandise stand lol!

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st24
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Re: Thunderbirds opinions

Post by st24 »

AARDVARK wrote:Just a shame they couldn't perform their high show (loops)as this always seems more dynamic than the flat shows..!


This. The full show is great with just as much formation aerobatics as you'll see from any other team. Friday was the rolling show albeit with a jet down. As I've said elsewhere I'm amazed that with 2 spares he wasn't in one of those within moments of his going tech, I have little doubt that he would have had it been a U.S. show? Sunday (and I expect Saturday) were flat shows and most teams flat shows aren't exactly their best. They did what they do - fast, noisy, brash and close formations and they did it well. The only issue I've always had (having seen them many many times) is the ending - the 6 ship flypasts/aeros (wx permitting) are impressive and the full team break (note Reds- I lost a lot of interest in you when you canned the parasol/spaghetti break- the best display ending bar none the syncro pair then 7 ship Vixen break is rubbish) is a great sign off but they then do the 4 ship cross and mirror pass before breaking to land, I've always found that really odd and disjointed. They also suffer (as do the Frecce) from one display-itis, it's basically the same sequence that's been flown from the team's inception with little change other than allowances for the differing aircraft types performance.

I enjoyed seeing them again and as has been pointed out in another thread getting them here for one weekend is no mean feat and should be applauded. :clap:
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jalfrezi
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Re: Thunderbirds opinions

Post by jalfrezi »

I enjoyed seeing them for the first time and it was nice to see a display team use front line aircraft. I thought they were very similar to the Patrouille Suisse, even down to the manoeuvres they performed such as the mirror pass.

I agree they're not as entertaining as RAFAT, PdF, or Tricolori, but I didn't find them as bad as everyone had been saying beforehand.

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JohnnyM100
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Re: Thunderbirds opinions

Post by JohnnyM100 »

Had never seen them before RIAT this year so was open minded.

Weather was a key factor as assume they couldn't do their full height display - the difference between the Reds full display vs flat/rolling is quite marked, so maybe we didn't see their full potential.

The display was less fluid as there were larger gaps between passes/formations though they only have 6 aircraft (5 on one day).

Their formation passss were better angled towards the crowd viewing perspective to make them look closer together.

Take offs - good.

The four point crossover finale on Sunday much tighter that Saturday.

Commentary - agree with previous comments.

Was also surprised at the number of times they were allowed to overfly the crowd - not complaining though.