RAF's Tornados aren't toys for Alain de Cadenet's hands, but the Airshow's leading presenter, is a skilled flier...
The "Malibu Mirage" is a civil airplane, much more affordable than the private jets solutions. Each unit costs a mere £600000 (210000000 PTE)... Go buy one!
Well, if the Tornados and the Mirage aren't for your pocket, than you must try vintage stuff, though it will probably cost you even more...
The Tornado... about to drop some retard bombs. Download this article's video for TOP SPECTACLE!
When it comes to cars testing, most TV producers deliver boring shows, that resemble a lot like pure publicity. Just tune-in DSF's productions, RTP's "Rotações" and most of french stations' deliverances (exception for "Moteurs", of course), and notice the soft language, the cares they take with the machines, and the nearly must-apology-for situations, when a journalist does dare to dislike something on the car. Blargh!
Then go watch BBC's Top Gear (check the video section for a taste of it) and be shocked with their free attitude! They accelerate the cars to their maximum, they spin the beasts, they burn rubber, and if they feel like it, they spit poison about performance, looks, handling and whatever else.
Now, imagine BBC producing a show on airplanes! That show exists, since August 2000, and it is the inspiringly called "The Airshow"!
The "Airshow" is a weekly show, currently being broadcasted by BBC World (open transmission on the Eutelsat array of sats, also available from most cable providers). Each episode lasts for ~25 minutes, and consists of features regarding military airplanes, commercial aviation, flying on exotic places, vintage planes, etc...
Some of the presenters have their own flying licenses and they sometimes lay hands on the planes, though most of the time they are just spectators / commentators of what is being done. Very understandable.
If you are into flight simulators, than you'll know some of the machines that are regular presences in the "Airshow". For example, the most popular civil aircraft the BBC uses, for illustrating some regional connections, is the "Malibu Mirage" (available in the Flight Unlimited simulator series, for PC, for example).
The "Malibu" may look fragile and simple, but it is a highly sophisticated monster, capable of flying higher and faster than most of the sub-jet giants!! Its on-board hardware includes superb sensors, that allow trusty previews of weather conditions and several other navigation aids.
The Malibu "doesn't come cheap" - as Alain de Cadenet confessed in the "Airshow #06" - costing ~£600.000 (~210.000.000 PTE = 210 mil contos)... Ouch.
However, you might prefer military gear, and the same "Airshow" episode (#06) that motivated the above lines, also featured some Tornados and Jaguars in action, dropping retard bombs on targets and even using the on-board machine gun, that spits 60mm shells... (little cannons...).
The "Airshow" is TV at its best - it teaches, it attracts viewers towards a reality not well unknown, and it demystifies some ideas you might have, such as special licenses for pressurized flight, stall warnings, etc...
The "Airshow" is, easily, one the most entertaining weekly shows on air, these days.
Check this video, available from the videos section, showing a Jaguar using its cannon against a ground target. This is a very high quality 580kbps real system 8 stream - read the instructions on how to view it, from the videos section.
jaguar_rs580kbps_06s.rm [06 seconds - 456 KB] - requires real player 8 (get it from www.real.com).
The Jaguars did the work of a cat, flying low, then using their 60mm machine-gun to wipe out some targets on ground.
Notice the retractile wings for less air resistance.
Jaguar's cockpit! Yes, the Airshow goes inside the military fighters too!
My airplane. Photo taken in my backyard. Eh eh eh.
No, these aren't the insides of the Tornado - this is the Mirage! Very sophisticated weather hardware! The high price justifies very high quality instruments.