+Soulfreak 6,530 Posted March 23, 2011 End of an era... http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2011/03/22/354597/video.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spinners 15,986 Posted March 24, 2011 I don't think many RAF fighter pilots will be shedding a tear (only navigators). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast 153 Posted March 24, 2011 Well it did its job it may have not had the glamour of an F-14 or the dogfighting ability of the F-16... but it was still a capable airplane... and the ride I got courtesy of 1435 Falklands was sure as hell fun... and it could motor down low... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Spinners 15,986 Posted March 25, 2011 The Tornado is one of my favourite aircraft and an outstanding collaborative programme. Furthermore, the F3 is the best-looking member of the family! However, I've never been a fan of the F3. It's just the origins of it where UK polititians and accountants combined to give our boys something pretty mediocre (in the context of the timeframe) and something less than the best available. Ian Black refers to it as "the vapid Tornado F.3" and, relative to the F-4, it certainly wasn't a generation ahead of the aircraft it replaced. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites