Olympic Air
From the Eurofighter Typhoon to the Goodyear Blimp, see what's flying at the 2012 Olympic Games.
- By Roger Mola
- AirSpaceMag.com, July 24, 2012
Senior Aircraftman Neil Chapman, Crown Copyright/MOD 2012
Aerobatics is not yet an Olympic sport, but plenty of aircraft are involved in this year's Summer Games, where more than 13,500 military personnel will provide security on the ground, in the air, and at sea. Take a look at our gallery, above, to see what's flying.
The U.K.'s E-3D Sentry fleet will be on standby during the Games to help coordinate air security in greater London. "Just because we see a Sentry in the skies over London, that doesn't meant there's a reported threat we need to do something about," Air Commander Gary Waterfall told AviationWeek in early March. "It may be we have discovered a temporary gap in radar coverage."
In the photo above, a pair of RAF Typhoon aircraft joined a Boeing E-3D Sentry to fly over the Palace of Westminster in April 2012.
The BBC reported in April that seven E-3D aircraft were taken out of service after a fault was discovered on one of the RAF surveillance airplanes; they were returned to flight status later that month.
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Comments (1)
That Eurofighter is a beautiful plane. I always thought the Mirage III with the canards was the prettiest fighter but the Typhoon comes close. I also think the MIG 29 beats the F-15 on looks anyway. I also like the MIG 21. Being an American does not make me biased concerning what looks good. I think the Vulcan was probably the coolest bomber ever built.
Posted by GaryChurch on August 8,2012 | 11:32 PM