The history of Cádiz as a seaport goes back to before the Phoenicians. After the bay of Gibraltar it was the next stopping off place for traders hugging the coast on the perilous Atlantic side of Spain and Portugal. The winds change dramatically at Tarifa and the full force of the Atlantic storms frequently hammer the west coast. Cádiz was, and still is, a heaven for shipping of all kinds.
Modern Cádiz is a bustling port for commercial trade and also for the cruise liners that frequently dock in the harbour. With over a thousand tourists per liner that is quite an influx of money.
The huge cranes in the Navantia shipyards have been silent now for quite some time. The workers there frequently block traffic using the bridge into Cádiz with protests against closures in the shipyards and factories. The riot police have been called to dispel them on a few occasions.
The sad truth is that thousands of shipyards have disappeared all over the world during last fifty years. Though the Navantia workers might protest, they are fighting a world turndown of enormous proportions, where the work for shipbuilders has simply disappeared.
Having said that they have won a contract to refurbish a string of Cruise Liners in the San Fernando shipyards. Here are two of them under the 200 ton lift Navantia cranes.
On the bright side, the Airbus factory in Cádiz is gaining orders and is currently making the tail fairing for the huge double decker A380 airliner and parts for the A400M military transport.
Just across the bay from Cádiz is Rota, a base for the Spanish navy. They usually have their LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock.) The Juan Carlos 1st tied up there along with three of four frigates and support ships.
(When I posted this blog on the 15th Sept. I was unaware that the Juan Carlos 1st was due to receive the Queen of Spain on the 17th Sept 2013 to inspect troops leaving on an exercise. I visited Cadiz today (16 Sept 2013) and was amazed to see the Juan Carlos tied up at the wharf in Cadiz with a regimental band playing on the quayside.
Unless you live in Portsmouth this is a pretty unusual sight.)
More important to Cádiz are the Cruise liners. Four Cruise liners were docked on the same day (5th Sept 2013) which meant that 9,000 tourists and ship's crew were in Cádiz at the same time. The development of Cádiz as a tourist port has been a long steady struggle, which is beginning to pay off. Around the stern of the Juan Carlos 1st is another visiting Cruise Liner, the The Queen Victoria. Also tied up alongside the Juan Carlos were two tall ships.
As well as hosting the Carnaval, Cádiz has an annual air display over the Victoria beach, which is on the western side of the city. The one in 2011 was very good, probably one of the best.
It began with a parachute display team (Patulla Pepea.)who free fell from about ten thousand feet. One by one as they opened their parachutes they steered themselves onto the beach trailing colored smoke and landing within five meters of a fabric cross on the beach.
The Spanish are very serious about preventing fires. When I first came out here there was a major fire and five bomberos were cornered by the flames . They took shelter in a parked car whilst the forest burned out of control around them. They all died. The man who was responsible for all this, by starting a small fire at the roadside, was brought to trial for manslaughter, found guilty and sent to prison.
They performed rolls and loops in tight formation with starbursts over the beach. Their high speed near passes from opposite directions were very good and very close! The display lasted from midday to four in the afternoon and it was well worth seeing. It was also entirely free.
Modern Cádiz is a bustling port for commercial trade and also for the cruise liners that frequently dock in the harbour. With over a thousand tourists per liner that is quite an influx of money.
The huge cranes in the Navantia shipyards have been silent now for quite some time. The workers there frequently block traffic using the bridge into Cádiz with protests against closures in the shipyards and factories. The riot police have been called to dispel them on a few occasions.
The sad truth is that thousands of shipyards have disappeared all over the world during last fifty years. Though the Navantia workers might protest, they are fighting a world turndown of enormous proportions, where the work for shipbuilders has simply disappeared.
Having said that they have won a contract to refurbish a string of Cruise Liners in the San Fernando shipyards. Here are two of them under the 200 ton lift Navantia cranes.
On the bright side, the Airbus factory in Cádiz is gaining orders and is currently making the tail fairing for the huge double decker A380 airliner and parts for the A400M military transport.
Just across the bay from Cádiz is Rota, a base for the Spanish navy. They usually have their LHD (Landing Helicopter Dock.) The Juan Carlos 1st tied up there along with three of four frigates and support ships.
(When I posted this blog on the 15th Sept. I was unaware that the Juan Carlos 1st was due to receive the Queen of Spain on the 17th Sept 2013 to inspect troops leaving on an exercise. I visited Cadiz today (16 Sept 2013) and was amazed to see the Juan Carlos tied up at the wharf in Cadiz with a regimental band playing on the quayside.
Unless you live in Portsmouth this is a pretty unusual sight.)
More important to Cádiz are the Cruise liners. Four Cruise liners were docked on the same day (5th Sept 2013) which meant that 9,000 tourists and ship's crew were in Cádiz at the same time. The development of Cádiz as a tourist port has been a long steady struggle, which is beginning to pay off. Around the stern of the Juan Carlos 1st is another visiting Cruise Liner, the The Queen Victoria. Also tied up alongside the Juan Carlos were two tall ships.
As well as hosting the Carnaval, Cádiz has an annual air display over the Victoria beach, which is on the western side of the city. The one in 2011 was very good, probably one of the best.
It began with a parachute display team (Patulla Pepea.)who free fell from about ten thousand feet. One by one as they opened their parachutes they steered themselves onto the beach trailing colored smoke and landing within five meters of a fabric cross on the beach.
A team of helicopters from the Spanish coastguard gave a display of synchronized hovering to music, playing from the loudspeakers along the beach. As the helicopters left the area of the beach they were followed by a display by one of the Spanish air force’s Mirage fighters. These are, by modern standards, old machines but the Mirage gave a good show of aerobatics with high speed passes in front of the beach which shook the ground.
Then the star showed up in attendance with a SH60-B Blackhawk helicopter of the Spanish Armada. Only the Harrier, or AV8 as it is now known, can formate with a helicopter.
Even when they were two spots at the far end of the beach everybody knew from the roar of the Pegasus engine what was coming.
The Blackhawk gave a display of turns, hovers and passes over the water and whilst the Harrier orbited out at sea. When the Blackhawk cleared the beach after its display there was clear sky above the beach and silence.
The Harrier flew in from the north and made a high speed pass over the beach that rattled windows before climbing into a roll which took it out to sea again. After loosing speed and altitude it turned back to the beach and slowed down to hover over the water. The noise from a Harrier hovering close is deafening and everybody on the beach was impressed. At the end of the hover the pilot increased power and the Harrier climbed away again and performed several climbs and rolls to finish its display with a final high speed pass.
The Harrier was designed by Hawker, a British aircraft company more famous for the wartime Hurricane and later the Hawker Hunter. Even though the AV8 is a revamp, with more carbon composite parts, they have retained the same tail fin profile, which was the hallmark of Sir Sidney Camm, the chief designer at Hawker. It appears on nearly all the Hawker aircraft.
The second star of the show came in from the north and did its low level pass. It was just as noisy as the Mirage and Harrier, but it showed, to a discerning eye, the difference between old designs and modern. The Mirage gave a display that required maybe a box two miles on a side. The Harrier did better, but the Eurofighter pulled turns, loops, rolls and climbs within a box with sides a mile long. The maneuverability of this aircraft is astounding. It was designed as a counter to the Su27 and Mig29, both formidable aircraft.
At the end of the cold war. When the threat of Soviet attack disappeared, the project was nearly cancelled. Then both Russian jets began to appear as export versions. Anybody could buy one. So the Eurofighter continued to production.
At the end of the cold war. When the threat of Soviet attack disappeared, the project was nearly cancelled. Then both Russian jets began to appear as export versions. Anybody could buy one. So the Eurofighter continued to production.
Next over the beach were four Yak 52´s, which I think might have been a private club of Yak owners. Yaks were, and I think still are, the standard the Soviet military and civilian training aircraft. First production began in 1979 and Yaks are now made by Aerostar a subsidiary of Yakovlev. Of the 1800 so far produced, most fly under private ownership outside Russia. They gave a first class display of aerobatics both as a group and singly. They are popular with private owners because they are easy to maintain, easy to fly and fully aerobatic up to five G´s positive.
Andalucia in August is a very dry country. Two months under the burning sun and the grass is withered straw. The land is parched and a single spark or dropped cigarette will start a conflagration which would spread like wildfire. There are the land firefighters, (bomberos) trained and ready at all times to tackle the summer fires that inevitably occur. They also have a second line of defense when things get out of hand. Southern Spain has a fleet of helicopters and seaplanes that are equipped to scoop water from the sea or reservoirs and drop it on the fires. One of these seaplanes gave a display of its talents in front of the crowd.
The Spanish are very serious about preventing fires. When I first came out here there was a major fire and five bomberos were cornered by the flames . They took shelter in a parked car whilst the forest burned out of control around them. They all died. The man who was responsible for all this, by starting a small fire at the roadside, was brought to trial for manslaughter, found guilty and sent to prison.
Finally the Spanish Air force aerobatic team Patrulla Aguilla (Eagle patrol.) arrived to round off the display. Formed in 1985 it has been giving displays ever since. They fly the CASA C-101EB Aviojet. The silver/red/yellow color scheme was adopted by the team for the 1992 for the Barcelona Olympics and they continue to fly in these colors today.
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