Faster, Higher, Stronger

Yes, that's the Olympic motto, but it seemed just as appropriate for the Farnborough Air Show, where Josh and I spent the afternoon yesterday.

Those of you who know my husband personally need no explanation of how excited he was about this.  He has always loved airplanes, and can identify nearly every flying machine in the National Air & Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center without reading the labels.  He has a private pilot's license with an instrument rating, so he even knows how to fly some of them.  The icing on the cake is that his office is in the Farnborough Aerospace Center, which is right next to the airfield where this event takes place every two years, so he has been watching the pilots practicing for the past week.

I really should have had Josh write this post, since I don't share his gift.  Unlike the big air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin -- which Josh and I attended several years ago -- the focus here was mostly on military aircraft, so I was even further out of my element.

Josh poses in front of the BAE Systems pavilion

Some kind of stealth thingy with a Typhoon in the background

Josh was really excited about this plane...

I was more excited about the cute pilot that chatted with Josh while he sat
in the cockpit

It started raining just as the air show began, but I did get a few decent photos between the raindrops...

Massive A380

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo

Cute little aerobatic biplane

Some kind of military fighter jet

Pilatus

Airbus A400M

Rain + 53-degree temps = sparse air show spectators

American Osprey

Another Osprey shows off its moves

Nice props!

Funky-looking amphibious plane

Columbian Air Force!

The inclement weather put quite a damper on the air show, and most of the exhibits inside the pavilions were geared towards people in the aerospace and defense industry -- high-powered engines, computer technology, weapons targeting systems, and other fun stuff to make the airplanes faster, higher, or stronger.  Not really my cup of tea, but since the air show is only held in Farnborough every two years, I'm glad I had an opportunity to go while I am here.