Are Britain's Air Defences that stretched?

[GrahamC]

I'm intrigued by this photo from the DM. Their article says that an aircraft incoming from Pakistan was intercepted and escorted by a Typhoon after two men tried to get access to the flight deck. Except that... Well its not a Typhoon, or I a Tornado is it? So what it is it, and more importantly whose is it?

What do you all reckon?

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

I wouldn't be surprised if the DM has used either a library picture or made up a composite of two ramdom aircraft in photoshop. That would certainly match their usual atention to detail.

Edited By Chris Bott - Moderator on 24/05/2013 17:57:22

[Pete B]

I tend to agree, Graham - I wonder if it's a Dutch F-16? The track shown on the DM page shows it coming in from the east which would have put it over Holland at some stage - and it seems the incident started some time before landing.

Thye've probably followed it through - wonder when the MoD will come clean on not having anything closer than Scotland?

Pete

[ken anderson.]

probably used the BOB memorial flight...to save money.....

ken anderson ne..1 ...... news dept.

[John Privett]

Chris, how can you say such a thing? I was going to say exactly that too, but now I can't as it would seem like I was copying you!

Edited By John Privett on 24/05/2013 21:21:01

[Ross Clarkson]

Seems the same!!

**LINK**

[Pete B]

Just goes to show - never believe anything you see in the Press - and they'd prefer to regulate themselves?

Pete

[John Privett]

Posted by Ross Clarkson on 24/05/2013 20:00:41:

Seems the same!!

**LINK**

Dear, oh dear... I was half-joking in my comment, saying I agreed with Chris that I thought the DM wouldn't think twice about fabricating a picture to "illustrate" their story. But to simply steal (don't suppose they bought it?) somebody else's picture of a different incident really is 'extracting the michael'.

[WolstonFlyer]

Just for fun I have told BT Magazine with a link to the Daily Fail article (via twitter).

[GrahamC]

Well I guess that clears that one up. I'm glad it's not a problem with our air defences, so much as a pretty blatant bit of cheating by the DM!

[PatMc]

Looks as if Channel 4 news used the same source as the Daily Wail.

[WolstonFlyer]

It originated on twitter and it looks like some media outlets just used it on face value:

Yasir Shahid (@yasirshahid) tweeted at 2:43 PM on Fri, May 24, 2013:

Another Picture of PIA Pakistan international Airlines where you can see RAF #PIA #Manchester #PK709 #Lahore

http://t.co/JxPqnA8D8F

https://twitter.com/yasirshahid/status/337926728158695424

[Devon Flyer]

Maybe they simply can't tell the difference between a Tornado and a Typhoon?..........................Or is that too simple an explanation?

Cue conspiracy theorists....................................

Edited By Devon Flyer on 24/05/2013 23:25:59

[Area 51]

Its a Triple seven on the ground in STN, the Lahore to MAN a/c.

This Boeing 777-300 alerted as it came into UK airspace via transponder code 7500 and held to the North east of Manchester before diverting (being escorted) to STN. This is the UK airport for all flights carrying a threat of any type.

The airport has a part set aside away from media coverage should a hostage situation develop; they can also introduce assault teams unnoticed.

From a radio report; the Typhoons came from the east midlands bases. Scrambled to intercept to the North and escort South to STN.

This picture is misleading, well spotted for the F16, however it is escorting an Airbus derivative.. This more than likely makes the image of the Dutch news story where RNAF scrambled an F16 in similar circumstanes..

It isnt worth reading much in the news these days!

[Ross Clarkson]

Posted by Pete B - Moderator on 24/05/2013 20:35:03:

Just goes to show - never believe anything you see in the Press - and they'd prefer to regulate themselves?

Pete

Especially when it's aviation related. Listening to some of the journalists (i use the term lightly) report on it was cringe worthy.

[John Privett]

Posted by Ross Clarkson on 25/05/2013 07:17:38:

Listening to some of the journalists (i use the term lightly) report on it was cringe worthy.

Indeed - all the report missed was reports of the engine stalling and the pilot heroically wrestling with the controls to avoid hitting the local primary school...

[Ronaldo]

..... as usual they think the general public are ignorant morons who believe anything they show us ... reminds me of those aviation war/action movies where on close inspection we spot that the formation of Fokker D7's are actually Tiger Moths with German crosses hastily painted on them, and the Japanese Zeros turn out to be American Harvards with japanese markings etc etc ... Judging by the 'pic' above they must be getting better with their 'free trial' eddition of photo shop that came with their printer, other wise we would have spotted the thin fishing line holding the 2  'Airfix' model aircraft up

Edited By Ronaldo on 26/05/2013 18:03:56

[Phil 9]

The Blue Max. I still like the film though

[Ronaldo]

... Hey nice one Phil !!

Yep, I enjoyed the film too

[Ronaldo]

... just googled The Blue Max , made in 1966 !! Oh god I'm getting old ....

... LOL

[John Olsen 1]

So what would you rather have, Harvards painted in Zero markings or no movie at all? Assuming you want actual Zeros to be used, it is going to be a bit of a problem to source them since Mitsubishi stopped production about 68 years back. So unless you want all flying sequences to be CGI or models, you are going to have to accept a bit of "Hollywood magic".

Now if you want a movie with some interesting old planes in it, try "Flying down to Rio", the first movie to feature Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire together. There is quite an assortment of old American planes in that. The planes are the real thing too, although the wingwalking stunts were acheived by the special effects man. Well, some of the planes would never have got off the ground with that many chorus girls on the wing.

Any resemblance between newspaper reports and whatever actually happened is purely coincidental.

John

[Ronaldo]

... oh dear, there's always one ....

... read again, I said ' reminds me of ' .... No criticism against the movies, merely an observation, as I mentioned to Phil in a later post I've seen them and enjoyed them ..... they used whatever materials they had available at the time

as for news papers ... I read them but not the cheap 2 minute 'comics', ... draw your own conclusions, I've seen enuff 'misinformation' and 'sensationalism' in them in my lifetime !!

Nuff said ... over and out .....

[Ben B]

The only good thing about the DM is that it's soft on the buttocks.

I can still remember the article they had (stuck on a BA flight with nothing to read) "Karl Marx- the 20th centuries most evil dictator". Ahem..........