In this Centenary year since the beginning of the Great War, one Airshow display aircraft carried the flag for this important anniversary in an extremely high profile manner this summer – the Royal Air Force Tucano T.1. Our header image for this weekend shows Tucano T.1 ZF244 waiting to begin its display at a rather soggy Waddington Airshow and beautifully illustrates the unique artwork applied to this handsome aircraft, in honour of the fallen from World War One. Representing No.1 Flying Training School at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, the Tucano display pilot for 2014 was Flight Lieutenant Dave Kirby and he was one of only 4 RAF display aircraft types during this season, as the Air Force is forced to review its commitment to UK Airshows, in light of the financial constraints they are currently operating under. For a turboprop aircraft, the Tucano really does put on a magnificent display of speed and agility and certainly flies the flag for the RAF at any Airshow it displays at. Let us take a closer look at the the current RAF basic training aircraft.
Shorts Tucano – A Brazilian in Northern Ireland
The Shorts Tucano is a two seat basic trainer for the Royal Air Force, which replaced the venerable old Jet Provost in training the pilots of the future. It is unusual for a turboprop design to replace a jet aircraft in service, but for many reasons, the Tucano was seen as being by far the most suitable option for the RAF and the type has been in service for more than twenty years already. Based on the Brazilian designed Embraer EMB-312 Tucano, the RAF aircraft were built under licence by Short Brothers of Belfast, with the first aircraft being delivered to the RAF in 1988 and the last of some 130 examples being delivered in 1993. Flying primarily with No.1 Flying Training School at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, in North Yorkshire, the Tucano provides the student pilot with basic fast jet lead in flying training experience, before the successful candidates head for RAF Valley and the Hawk T.1a and T.2. Importantly for the RAF, the Tucano proved not only to be an extremely effective training aircraft, but achieved this with significant operating savings over the Jet Provost – it was approximately 70% cheaper to operate. For the type of flying undertaken by the Tucano, it also enjoys a superb safety record, with just three aircraft being written off in over 20 years of operation, which really is testament to the effectiveness of the basic Tucano design.
One particularly interesting fact in the history of the RAF Tucano, is the fact that it very nearly became a much more aggressive beast altogether and would have regularly been operated in war zones around the world. In 2007, military planners were looking at their experiences of close support operations in Afghanistan and were seriously considering replacing both the Harrier and Tornado in this important role. Extensively modified ‘Super Tucano’ aircraft would be fitted with under-wing and fuselage hard-points and an array of ordnance designed to support infantry operations on the ground. Importantly, the loiter capability of this aircraft would be far superior to the faster jets, thus making it a much more useful aircraft for this type of operation, whilst possessing the same hitting power of its faster cousins. It was said that for the price of one Eurofighter Typhoon, you could have an entire squadron of Super Tucanos, providing invaluable support for the troops on the ground. Obviously, this option was not taken up and we even lost the Harrier some three years later – now that is progress for you!
The beautiful ‘Lest we Forget’ scheme on the RAF display Tucano will have been seen the length and breadth of the county by this time, as the aircraft flew more than 60 displays during the season, winning many admirers along the way. There are actually two aircraft which wear this stunning scheme – ZF244 and ZF140, both based at Linton-on-Ouse and you may have been lucky enough to see both of them display during the season – I only managed to catch ZF244, but I am really glad that I did. Flt. Lt. Kirby puts on a spectacular display for the gathered masses, in an aircraft that is without doubt, one of the most attractive on the display circuit.
An RAF Tucano for the Die-Cast Aviation Collector?
Although I certainly do not share the view that there are not many aircraft for the die-cast manufacturers to still cover, I am surprised that the Shorts Tucano has not yet attracted the attention of one of the main model manufacturers. If this stunning scheme were not reason enough to look at the high profile Tucano as a new die-cast release, there have been a plethora of attractively presented aircraft over the years, not to mention the squadron machines of the Royal Air Force. With Hawks, Jet Provosts, Gnats, Chipmunks and Bulldogs now available to the die-cast aviation collector, surely it will not be too long before we are presented with a Tucano model for our display shelves – the only question then is what scale will it be in and which livery first! Whenever this announcement does occur, you can be sure that you will find out all the details on the Flying Tigers Newsletter.
Re-stock of an Oxford Aviation CLASSIC
The OXFORD AVIATION range of models have certainly become extremely popular in a short space of time, but one of their budget models really set our hobby alight on its release some months ago. The beautiful little Henschel Hs.123 biplane was a very successful close support aircraft for the Luftwaffe in WWII and served in most theatres of operation, for the duration of the war. Indeed, this little aircraft was so rugged and reliable that it was used far longer than initially intended and only stopped flying because of the lack of available spares. Certainly not as well known as a Messerschmitt, or Focke Wulf, the Henschel really did catch the good people at Oxford out a little, as its popularity soon outstripped availability and supplies dried up, leaving many collectors without an example of this superb little model. Unfortunately for Oxford, the production schedules they were working to were so tight that they could not rush through a second batch of models through to plug the gap in supply and we have had to wait many months for the model to be re-run again. Thankfully, this wait is now over and this beautiful model is now in stock again and we will be in a position to satisfy all our outstanding pre-orders. Coming in the highly impressive budget range of models, this superb Henschel biplane is basically available at almost a throw-away price, even though it is absolutely fantastic and as the aircraft was designed with fixed undercarriage spats, it means that this very cheap model can hold its own against models which are significantly more expensive. Add to this that fact that it is the only model of this interesting aircraft currently available in our hobby and you can see why the Oxford Henschel Hs.123A has been such a popular release – don’t miss out this time, as I am certain that this livery will not be available again in the future. Click on this NEW RELEASES link for a closer look at this interesting model.
Latest Warehouse Offer Models at Flying Tigers
It appears that we have created something of a beast with our Warehouse Offers section, as die-cast aviation collectors all over the world look forward to snapping up a couple of bargains each weekend. Who are we to disappoint – here come the latest trio of offerings for your die-cast delectation. We have three different model scales for you this time, with both jet and piston aircraft to tempt you, but all at extremely attractive prices. FA722008 really is one of my favourite models in the FALCON AVIATION range and presents a US aircraft, which looks absolutely magnificent in it’s Luftwaffe plumage – has a Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star ever looked this good? Available at less than half price, this really is a steal for what has to be one of the most attractive models in my collection and an important one in the history of the post war Luftwaffe. Coming in the smaller 1/200th scale, we have a beautifully finished Douglas C-54D Skymaster, which was the support aircraft for the US Air Force Aerobatic Display Team the ‘Thunderbirds’. The highly intricate livery found on Thunderbirds aircraft have challenged plastic modellers for many years, yet the engineers at Hobbymaster have managed to beautifully finish this diminutive model in the striking livery of the team, even in this smaller scale – quite magnificent. Available at just £24.99 each, we have just six of these models available.
I have purposely left the best until last this week, as we have an absolutely spectacular offer for our 1/48th scale collectors, in the shape of Hawker Fury Mk.I HA8005. Remembering that all these models are absolutely brand new stock, which are just being made available at great prices, this model really is something special. Finished to Hobbymasters usual high standards, this unusually presented biplane fighter is in the colours of No.43 Squadron Royal Air Force, the ‘Fighting Cocks’, based at RAF Henlow, around 1938. Importantly, this impressive 1/48th scale model is being made available for less than the price of a 1/72nd scale example, which really does represent exceptional value for money – the picture below shows HA8005 in all its glory and our last few models will surely be snapped up within minutes of the Newsletter going live. At just £27.99 each, this really is a deal worth getting excited about – click on this OFFER OF THE WEEK link for more details.
