So, this weekend just gone was the Torquay Air Show. This has been going for a long while now, and usually has the Red Arrows doing their thing and for the last few years, the Typhoon making sure "Nessun Dorma". Once upon a time we got a good view from our balcony/patio, as we are on the top of a hill overlooking the bay, but over the years we've planted a bunch of trees and bamboo and that, along with the neigbours' own trees growing away, has meant that we can no longer see much unless we go out and join the thronging masses down on the seafront. Which is not something we're bothered about.

So this year, as with most of the last few years, we just get our afternoon taken over by all the noise, without getting to actually see anything. We got just a couple of glimpses of the Arrows this year, so I thought to myself - "hey, I don't need real life, I've got MSFS!" and so I had a go at recreating a possible set of flybys with the arrows in a not-quite-accurate formation, and with a particular emphasis of having them fly directly over our house.

And they did used to do exactly that, at quite scarily low levels. I have one set of real photos from 2002 (a couple of which I've included here) which almost caught the one aircraft that went past our place at below tree-top height. We're on one of the ridges that runs alongside Cockington valley - a preserved old country lane leading to Cockington Village, which is itself a heritage preservation site (and well worth a visit) and the Arrows used to include a session where one of their team would head a bit inland and then fly back out to the bay down Cockington Valley at what was below road level where we are. I swear I could see what was in the pilot's sandwhich as he went past that day. They haven't done that sort of thing for the last couple of years now, as I guess the elf and safety rules got tightened up after some of the recent incidents. Likewise I didn't see the Typhoon doing its vertical climb, which has typically been its finale and even we can see over our trees.

So - welcome to the fantasy Torquay Air SHow 2024!

I've no idea what their route is in reality, but I've got them here coming in from the east, and here they're just about coming past Exeter, over the River Exe (Exmouth in the distance)

Couple of minutes later they're passing over Teignmouth

And in another couple of minutes here they are over Torquay itself

Torquay doesn't look too bad in the sim. Very little is actually accurate in terms of the buildings themselves, but it's all pretty much accurate in terms of locations and overall is pretty good. Our house is roughly just below where that fourth from the left aircraft is flying

Climbing up now, high over Paignton - Paignton Pier and Harbour visible here

Dived down low, this is the sort of approach they would take if they were going to buzz Cockington Valley and our house

The green wooded patch with the dark path through it is Cockington valley, with Cockington Lane winding it's way from the seafront to the village. The one and only family holiday we ever did when I was kid (it's ok, you can put the violins away now) was actually down here to Torquay, and I remember as an eleven year old being totally captivated by the walk up that lane to the village. As soon as you turned off the seafront and up the lane it felt like you'd entered a real fairytale world. There was no traffic apart from a couple of horse and carriage setups (and no, it wasn't that long ago, but what little car traffic there was in those days (early '60s) was banned from the at that point unmade lane) and it was so quiet and peaceful it felt quite magical - I can still remember the feeling. And without any actual plan or desire, sixty years later I'm living down here. Funny how things pan out. Now also shown in the middle of the picture is a green patch that looks like an arrowhead. That's St Mathew's green, and in real life the big ugly rectangular building at the top of the green is actually a rather nice old church, and not terribly obvious in this shot, to the right of that church in this picture is a small lane that rises quite steeply to the road at the crest of Cockington valley, and we're up there

Turning in now for their fly-by

If you've got good eyes, possibly a big screen, (and assuming you care!) then just to the pilot's left, or just "above" him in this shot is actually where our house is. Shown in the sim as a small block of three houses, but in reality a big old Victorian like many of the houses in this particular patch of the town. A bit further up from us you can see the "church" on the green again.

Here's a more close up view looking down on our place -

And here's the view looking up from our garden, in the sim. Which is pretty scary when you see the picture after this one

Because this is an actual photo from nearly the same spot from the 2002 airshow

and another

and again

Is it real or is it the sim? (clue - I could never get the formation this good with the Airshow Assistant package <grin>)

And this is the bad boy climbing back up after blasting the moss of all our roofs, back in 2002

Back to the sim now, as we form up to head off back to base

Beacon Hill (with the radio masts) at Marldon, off in the distance will be Totnes and Dartmoor in the background

Hope you enjoyed the show!

I might dig out the Eurofighter and come back and do its party piece, or I suppose I could just do my own whole show. Be fun to see a bunch of MiGs over the bay!

 

 

Edited June 3, 20242 yr by andy1252
text

Nicely pieced-together "replay" of a long-past airshow for us all to enjoy. Plus we get to see your house! 🙂

I was at Silverstone some years back for the F1 Grand Prix.  The Red Arrows before the race displayed of course but we were back in one of the packed car parks having lunch out of the boot of our vehicle.

One of the singletons came almost right over us at speed and not many feet as it circled back to the display area over the circuit itself.   As it passed over the mass of cars,  the wake it must have been throwing out set off a neat trail perhaps 50 cars wide in which the majority had indicators flashing and anti-theft alarms wailing,  Displays at "real" places certainly give you a chance to see them closer up than you do at an airfield! 

 

Beautiful set Andy !

cheers 😉

FANTASTIC set!

One of the best mil jets in the sim 🙂

Surely things around there have changed, Andy, over the last 60 years...but your town Torquay seems like a picturesque and idyllic place...🙂...

Wonderful mix of shots, real and virtual...! And, Yep, I can see you through the windows ...🙂...busy travelling the world from the comfort of an easy chair....🙂...