Today we’re looking at E-3 Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) planes - they’re really just Boeing 707s with a 9.1m diameter rotating radar strapped onto the back, which provides airborne surveillance and battle management.

Starting in Britain there’s an E-3 Sentry at RAF Mildenhall. This is one of seven that the RAF purchased and named Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Bashful and Doc.

Hopping over to France we see 3 of 4 E-3s owned by the Armée de l’Air.

Further afield there’s Khorat airfield in Thailand. I think this is actually a US E-3 and part of “Cope Tiger”, an annual, multinational exercise for practising interoperability with U.S. Forces. There’s also various fighter planes to see just to the South.

The US Air Force owns 34 E-3s in total and 28 of them are stationed at Tinker AFB (although I only count 13). Tinker AFB’s claim to fame is that in 1948 the first ever Tornado warning was issused from here (about 3 hours before it hit).

Also worth seeing while we’re in the area is another Children’s Play Area and [B-52 and B-1B bombers](http://googlesightseeing.com/maps?p=951&c=&t=k&hl=en&ll=35.411464,-97.378006&z=17 ) which, according to submitter “West,” are being refitted with new electronics to allow them to carry and drop JDAM munitions.

Thanks: Don Mecoy, Mike, DFarmer, DDA, Grant hutchins, West, pooms, CraX & teuf

Well this is getting ridiculous… First we had drawing-pins, then scotch tape, and then even more scotch tape. And now? A giant post-it note in Thailand.

Told you it was ridiculous.

Thanks to DC.

These red-gold buildings in Bangkok, Thailand, make up the Mang Gorn Luang (the Royal Dragon), the largest restaurant in the world. The restaurant covers 8.3 acres, has over 1,000 staff, and accomodates 5000 guests. The servers wear roller skates, use speedboats to cross the large decorative ponds and fly on ziplines from upper levels to lower ones, while the kitchen is capable of turning out 3,000 dishes an hour!

And despite all these huge numbers, apparently the restaurant fills up completely by mid-morning. Typical!

Thanks Matthew Sz (Seriously, I don’t mean to do this… sometimes people are just good at finding cool stuff!)

The temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep overlooks the city of Chiang Mai from its mountain top location 3,520 feet above sea level. Dating back to 1383, the temple is accessed via the 290 step staircase which you can see running up to the buildings. It’s just like in Kung Fu films

Also noticible is the temple’s golden pagoda which contains holy Buddha relics attracting Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world.

Thanks: Hendrik Räcker