B52 misses Farnborough airshow...

[sdodsworth]

I hear that yesterday a B52 did a flypast at Blackbushe (EGLK) by mistake instead of the Farnborough Airshow (EGLF) after flying direct all the way from the States. He didn't turn around, just went straight on his way again, apparently. Blackbushe is only 4 or 5 miles from F'boro, and the runways are of similar alignment, but even so...

I can half understand the pilot eyeballing the wrong airfield after 10 or 11 hours in the air, but what were ATC doing?

The tragedy is, I live half a mile from Blackbushe, but I was at work in London and missed the whole damn thing

They've done these flypasts each day at the show with a B52, a B1, and a F117, each one all the way direct from the US and returning without a landing, just some midair refuels.

Anyone out there witness the 'incident', or not see the B52 at F'boro on the 21st?

[Hagar]

Hmmm. I find this a tad worrying. I wonder what they thought about it at Blackbushe.

It seems strange to me that these aircraft are flying all the way from the US every day when there are USAF bases in the UK. From the shots Mr.Bones posted in the Photos forum there were examples based at Fairford for RIAT last weekend. Surely they could have stayed for a few extra days. I can only assume they're treating it as as training exercise. In that case, back to the classroom lads.

[ozzy72]

Methinks the navigator and the ATC mob should be issued with labradors and white sticks

[Craig.]

This will most likely go down to ATC error. Although you would have thought the crew might have noticed they were in the wrong place when there wasnt a huge crowd lining the runway. Would it have been so difficult as to ask for vectors to the correct location Then again it happens sometimes i guess.

[xFLAMESx]

This will most likely go down to ATC error. Although you would have thought the crew might have noticed they were in the wrong place when there wasnt a huge crowd lining the runway. Would it have been so difficult as to ask for vectors to the correct location Then again it happens sometimes i guess.

From what I heard there was quite a big crowd at Blackbushe, apparently some kind of car auction was going on at there and the pilot got discombobulated and did a fly past there instead

Carl out.....

[Craig.]

free fly past for a car show, bet their organisers wernt complaining.

[eno]

Methinks the navigator and the ATC mob should be issued with labradors and white sticks

According to scientists... Most guide dogs are half blind though.

[ozzy72]

According to Ozzy all Air Traffic Controllers are daft

[jimclarke]

The pilot was probably a car show enthusiast.

Jim

[HawkerTempest5]

Lucky for everyone that this was not a bombing mission. Same thing happened a few years back but with a B-1. On that occasion it buzzed a local gliding club field.

[sdodsworth]

The airfield is actually owned by British Car Auctions, and their big shed where they have daily auctions is at the west end of the airfield, with the carpark just before the threshold to R/W08, so I guess that might have looked like an airshow crowd, plus there are a large number of home based a/c sitting on the ground close to the tower.

Still, I don't want to sound as though I'm making excuses for everyone. D'you reckon they just kept quiet about it when they got back to base?

BTW, I'd heard the bit about lots of guide dogs being shortsighted. It's a rum old world...

[Craig.]

that or canada has a new B52 and crew

[Hagar]

that or canada has a new B52 and crew

LMAO.......!

[Mr. Bones]

hmmm, i thought the Bone and B-52 came from Fairford and not directly from the US. i'll look it up! also strange that this is the first i read about this...

[Craig.]

they dont stay at fairford all the time Bones. Last time i read up on it, they said they only stick around during times of combat. Such as recently