Warbirdskies

Look out...

2011-09-28T14:21:00.003+01:00

Duxford "wildlife"...

Can't seem to avoid getting trampled by the notebook clutching, big lens toting anoraks with back packs of an equal size to their paunches...

F-AZDP

2011-07-15T14:13:00.000+01:00

Legends Friday

2011-07-08T20:09:00.005+01:00

Ed Shipley (one of The Horsemen) was kind enough to allow a close up look at "Fragile But Agile" to some ASB members during the final preps today (Friday).

"Fragile But Agile" close up

2011-07-08T20:08:00.003+01:00

I was pleased to find out it was fitted with a gun camera (my current IWM project right now & "speciality"). The version fitted to "FBA" looks like a Fairchild Aviation 12 Volt Camera Type M4 or 24 Volt N4 rather than the Williamson Manufacturing Co.Ltd. G45 used by the RAF.

One of "February" so she doesn't feel left out...

BM597

2011-07-05T12:27:00.003+01:00

Fury in the sun...

2011-07-01T20:22:00.002+01:00

Wheeled out for the waiting masses of snaparazzi...

Out of the box...

2011-07-01T20:16:00.003+01:00

After weeks stuck in dark containers they have finally been allowed out to spread their wings. Tonight these two "little friends" will spend the night together...

Hawker Fury I K5674 delivered back to DX...

2011-06-24T16:37:00.002+01:00

As I was taking some shots of BM597, Hawker Fury I K5674 was dropped off...

Duxford (Fri)Days...

2011-06-24T16:34:00.002+01:00

Using HDRtist Pro to tweak some shots taken at Duxford.

Open the pod bay door, HAL...

2011-05-20T22:54:00.007+01:00

Some thought the ball turret from Mary Alice might have influenced some elements of Star Wars.

Personally, I think it may

have had earlier influences...

Oops...

2011-05-20T13:59:00.004+01:00

Buchon G-AWHE/C-4K-31 had a 'moment' on take off and might need a dab or two of white-out on the port wingtip!

Good news that it was obviously not that bad as it flew a photoshoot later with the other Buchon...

In the air today...

2011-05-20T12:35:00.000+01:00

Doing a bit of airy batics over the North Side at DX today...

Waking from winter slumbers...

2011-02-14T10:44:00.003Z

Been a bit quiet on the old blogging front. Still attending Duxford and working my way through the combat film.

My Duxford (Fri)Days photo bimbles have been a little quiet due to hangars at DX being closed for maintenance, but I expect as the weather improves stuff will be aired, so expect to see them again.

My story on the Jolly Duck has resulted in contact from someone in Holland, who had seen the piece and being involved in the research of this aircraft crash, was delighted to find out that there was some footage of the downed aircraft being strafed by the RAF. He has been put in touch with the relevant person at the IWM, so hopefully they'll get a copy of the footage soon.

The Horsemen are coming!

2011-02-14T10:40:00.002Z

The good news is that The Horsemen are going to be at Flying Legends 2011 and they're bringing their own aircraft!

10am Friday morning...

2010-07-09T10:51:00.000+01:00

3x foldy wingy radial types...

2010-06-25T13:15:00.000+01:00

Will it be at Legends?...

2010-06-25T13:10:00.000+01:00

No Horsemen for Legends...

2010-06-21T14:26:00.002+01:00

Just had the word that the P-51 Flight Team AKA "The Horsemen" will not be displaying at Flying Legends this year due to other commitments Stateside.
This is a real shame as they certainly bring something special to the show and it would have been nice to hear them 'perform' to the new piece of music specially written by the renowned composer James Horner (see earlier video link).

Disappointment can not be disguised...

Duxford (Fri)day

2010-06-18T22:09:00.003+01:00

Could be a scene from Duxford during WWII - from front to back, TD248, PV202, PL344.

(Click image for larger version)

Familiar names...

2010-06-18T22:07:00.001+01:00

Today I was watching some film from 1942 when a name popped up that rang a bell. F/O Gentile of 133 Sqdn. Target was a FW 190. I wondered if that was the Don Gentile...
I filed that away to ruminate on later and half way through the film another name appeared. F/Lt Blakeslee also of 133 Sqdn engaging FW190's and a Dornier 217. Now that was two names, could this be Don Blakeslee? It was only a few entries later that "Eagle Squadron" appeared after 133 Sqdn, that the names finally dropped into place. The date of this film was 19/8/1942 and a quick search of the internet revealed a page on Wikipedia -

Don Blakeslee - "During the raid against Dieppe, France on August 18, 1942, Blakeslee shot down a further FW-190, and another probably destroyed on the 19th, thus achieving ace status."
There is a possibility that the clip I had just seen was this very "probable" which gave him "ace status".

Also from Wikipedia - Don Gentile - "Gentile flew the Supermarine Spitfire Mark V with No. 133 Squadron, one of the famed "Eagle Squadron" during 1942. His first kills (Ju 88 & Fw 190) were on August 1, 1942, during Operation Jubilee; and he downed an FW-190 and a JU-88 on August 1, 1942.
In September 1942, the Eagle squadrons transferred to the USAAF, becoming the 4th Fighter Group."

I'm sure that there are many more aces and names that slip by unnoticed, but like the recent clip of Paddy Finucane's penultimate mission, famous names tend to jump out a little more readily, and thanks to the resource of the internet, finding out info is only a matter of a few minutes or mouse clicks....

Duxford (Fri)Days..

2010-05-15T00:19:00.006+01:00

Things getting busy today at DX - stalls and marquees going up in readiness for the weekends airshows.
Some images snapped during my post lunch bimble around...

Sea Fury T.20

Miss Velma

Mk IX TA805 (G-PMNF)

€urofighter thingy...

New swish signage...

H2 looking nice and airy with the temporary 'window' in the west end...

T.20 back from tearing holes in the sky...

"Heavy" warming herself at DX

2010-04-23T13:32:00.000+01:00

Sally B - 23/4/2010

Who let the Cat out?...

2010-04-09T13:57:00.000+01:00

MH434...

2010-04-09T13:49:00.000+01:00

...outside looking in...

MH434....

2010-04-09T13:47:00.000+01:00

...inside looking out...

New crew member...

2010-04-06T19:16:00.005+01:00

...Maya.

Like Guy Gibson's black Labrador she has a white chest flash, though we went for a slightly less 'controversial' name.

She was born within spitting distance of RAF Attlebridge, USAAF Station 120, and will no doubt accompany me on many future 'missions'....

Chocks away!!....

New runway at Duxford...

2010-04-01T13:38:00.001+01:00

...OK, maybe it's a footpath...

Today's photo op...

2010-04-01T13:28:00.000+01:00

Something different at DX...

2010-03-11T13:26:00.000Z

ASB Video Publish

2010-03-09T15:00:00.001Z

ML407 tearing up the sky

2010-03-05T19:45:00.001Z

TA 805 -Spirit of Kent

2010-03-05T13:39:00.001Z

ML407 catching some rays...

2010-03-05T13:23:00.000Z

...at Duxford today.

Bomber Command Veterans book signing...

2010-01-23T14:27:00.001Z

...at the IWM? An RAF station? At an aviation museum? Nope, at your
local garden centre...

UPDATE:
£1295 was raised for the Bomber Command Memorial Fund during this event...

Last week it was mist....

2009-12-18T12:41:00.001Z

ASB Video "Mike Da Mustang"

2009-12-13T16:15:00.002Z

Guns for the Jug...

2009-12-11T14:14:00.001Z

Misty enough to hide a hangar....

2009-12-11T13:28:00.002Z

Duxford shrouded in mist...

Sally B back under cover...

2009-11-06T13:38:00.001Z

That's all f-f-f-folks...

2009-10-12T12:29:00.002+01:00

Closing display of the 2009 season at Duxford was handed to B-17 "Sally B" which flew a faultless display. Caught a glimpse of her reflected in the glass of the American Air Museum and thought it an apt photo to include...

Hopefully the smoke pouring from her engine is her way of saying that the engine troubles of the last two years are firmly behind her.

The Jug has wings...

2009-09-25T13:17:00.000+01:00

Helitech 2009 Duxford

2009-09-22T13:11:00.003+01:00

Helitech 2009 is currently on at Duxford. Running from 22-24/9/09 it features all things helicoptery and has a static display of modern civilian and military helicopters. Numerous companies had stands in the exhibition marquee catering to the helicopter world ranging from seats to night sun lanterns.

Quite a few of the aircraft in the static display area were up for sale - tempting to crack open the cheque book....

Wrapped up, ready to go...

2009-09-18T13:49:00.000+01:00

Gray Eagles...

2009-09-16T23:28:00.001+01:00

A moving film about a WWII Mustang pilot and sharing his memories...

Sally B flying again?

2009-08-15T14:46:00.003+01:00

The sound of multi radials had me dash into the garden to catch sight of a B-17 in a slow circuit just to the south of my home.
Is "Sally B" (aka Memphis Belle) fit and healthy again after it's run of engine problems?

Today is the Burma Star veterans event at Duxford so maybe she's been providing some entertainment for the attendees?...

Singapore's National Day Parade Preview...

2009-08-04T16:01:00.009+01:00

Last Saturday was the preview for the NDP (National Day Parade) here in Singapore. It's S'pores 44th 'birthday' on the 9th August and there was a preview of the celebrations put on for families.

Our hotel overlooked the venue so we were treated to a free mini airshow and other military displays....

Singapore Airlines A380...

2009-07-28T01:46:00.005+01:00

Airbus A380-800 9V-SKG Singapore Airlines at Heathrow.
The wings are so long they have a curvature like the Earth's!

Have to wonder about the operation of a fully loaded passenger aircraft with an emergency exit tied shut. Looks like a long term setup as they had put black duct tape over the arrows pointing to the exit....

One small step for man...

2009-07-20T14:59:00.002+01:00

...one giant leap for mankind.

Today, 40 years ago, man stood on the surface of the Moon.

"We choose to go to the moon..."

2009-07-16T12:07:00.004+01:00

Forty years ago today a Saturn V launched Apollo 11 from the Kennedy Space Centre on July 16, 1969 at the start of it's epic journey to put men on the Moon.

The Horsemen Arriveth...

2009-07-14T15:15:00.004+01:00

The Horsemen P-51 Flight Team arrive back at Duxford on Friday afternoon following filming over the southern coast of Kent. They performed a short display for the benefit of the helicopter camera ship which accompanied them.

Gag Le Chab

2009-07-13T12:03:00.005+01:00

So, Flying Legends is over for another year. All in all a fine weekend only spoilt by the grounding of the entire TFC fleet due to the nice folk at CAA deciding to check paperwork going back to 1940.
Weather turned out way better than I had hoped for from watching the doom mongers on the weather forecasts earlier in the week. They got the rain on Saturday night correct so I guess the seaweed hanging out the window works...
Flying displays were as usual excellent with my personal high points being the FW 190 (or is it Fw190) and The Horsemen.

But one thing did spoil the show for me and for many people I had the chance to talk to.
That one thing?
Bernard Chabbert.
His endless commentary talking over everything has become tedious now. Some try to defend him by citing his aviation knowledge. Fine. Be knowledgeable. But be knowledgeable in moderation. He just drones on and on throwing in some philosophical titbit now and again but he has introduced a new word to the English lexicon - chabber: to talk incessantly to an audience to the point where that audience wants to commit suicide or go to sleep.

I cannot be alone in wanting this man to just STFU (to use a modern internetism) - take a breath. Go for a coffee or a glass of wine. Eat some food. Just find something else for your mouth to do other than spout forth words.
Sunday improved as they found the music for the Horsemen routine - what did Chabbert do? He spoke over the middle section. Anna Walker suffered the same - nice aerial display with a charming version of Bolero. Chabbert found the volume dial and decided to improve on the music. This man just doesn't know when to stop.

I feel I have the right to make this complaint. I am a fully paid up member of the Flying Legends Club - I have gone every year since the first one and have, with only one or two exceptions, paid for the Gold Pass tickets. I have usually gone on both days. I have paid my 'dues' by supporting this event.

Hopefully the voices being raised to request the man to be moderated will not go unnoticed - maybe the Silence Chabbert Action Commando unfurling a huge banner in front of the commentary box next year might get the message home....

The Horsemen Arriveth....

2009-07-11T23:06:00.004+01:00

Horsemen out for a gallop....

2009-07-10T18:54:00.001+01:00

From out of the blue rode The Horsemen...

7 days to go.....

2009-07-04T13:53:00.001+01:00

Short stroll....

2009-07-03T20:13:00.004+01:00

And todays theme is two seat trainers...

Duxford's F-15 summer wardrobe...

2009-06-05T18:41:00.003+01:00

Took a stroll up towards the AAM this afternoon and I see the F-15 Eagle is back out in the open air after having a new coat of paint...

37 days to go....

2009-06-05T00:06:00.000+01:00

...now to pray for decent weather.

Why we love the Mustang...

2009-05-21T22:20:00.006+01:00

Like my own love of the P-51 Mustang the good folk over at ASB.TV have put together yet another great piece of video -

"The Horsemen love the Mustang. Imagine that! We love it for all the same reasons you do. This segment took quite awhile to edit. It is very simple but we wanted to make sure that it captured the essence of how we feel about this magnificent machine. Hopefully we did it justice... we certainly poured our hearts into it."

Watch and enjoy...

Vimy Replica

2009-05-01T18:43:00.002+01:00

Vickers Vimy replica now safely in the back of H2 at DX - temporary lodgings until it goes to Brooklands for permanent static display....

The Horsemen Cometh - Helicopter

2009-04-30T10:14:00.002+01:00

The Horsemen - P-51 Acro Team

2009-04-19T16:41:00.002+01:00

Camera, no sound, action!!!

2009-04-09T22:45:00.006+01:00

After a couple of previous attempts I finally managed to get hold of a G45 Gun camera. All the gun camera film I have been viewing for the last 30 or so months has been shot on the G45 fitted to Spitfires, Hurricanes, Typhoons etc.
Made by the Williamson Manufacturing Co.Ltd. of London & Reading before, during and after WWII, they were fitted to a wide range of aircraft.
It appears to be in good condition and is a 24v version. The camera is finished in a black 'crackle' finish and I suspect it may be a relatively 'new' version even though it carries AM markings. Other examples of the G45 I have seen online have a grey paint finish hence my suspicion it may be a post 1945 example. The heating element inside the lens housing is still intact. An empty film magazine was included.
Fitting and removal of the film magazine is either from the side access door or from the top loading slot dependent on the camera's orientation when fitted to the aircraft.

All I need now are the rest of the parts to rebuild a Spitfire around it!

Go fly a kite....

2009-04-03T19:06:00.003+01:00

No, not the usual use of the term, but something I watched when in Singapore a couple of years ago.
While having a meal at Clarke Quay one evening my eye caught some strange lights in the night sky. I thought I was witnessing the arrival of some alien spaceships (helped by a few Tiger Beers) and eventually managed to make out they were some form of RC aircraft.
After our meal we wondered over the other side of the river and found that what I'd seen were actually RC kites - flown by a local club outside Riverside Point.

I may just pick one up to bring home when we visit in August...

Go take a look at these amazing gadgets in action - goflykite.com

FW 190 out for an airing...

2009-04-03T13:40:00.005+01:00

As I was about to go back to 'work' some of the contents of H3 were pulled out to enable one of the Spitfires to be taken out from the centre of the hangar. As a result, an opportunity arose to have a close up to look at the FlugWerk 190 A9 (and others), while the various bits were shuffled around.

Duxford 27/3/09

2009-03-27T16:46:00.003Z

Wandered around for a short time this afternoon.

The back half of H2 had been cleared out so there was a little more sat out in the sun, wind and rain than usual today.

Sally B has her port outer cowlings back on, so how long until she is back in the air?

Nicely restored BMW 801D from a FW 190 on display in H4...

Robots, Flying Cars & Airships...

2009-03-23T13:51:00.005Z

Tenuous aviation link coming up. Having grown up reading Dan Dare in the Eagle comic and other 60's and 70's science fiction, which predicted we'd be living on the Moon and flying around in cars, I have a bit of a soft spot for things retro and one of the few films in my DVD collection is the animated film "Robots".

So I was pleased to find the retro robot art of Lawrence Northey via the website Webomator.
The retro robots are great and I'd love to have one.
The artwork of Bradley W. Schenck of Webomator is also great and is available on the Retropolis Transit Authority - think I may have to treat myself to a couple of the shirts for summer!!

The Horsemen cometh...

2009-03-11T11:00:00.006Z

An excellent video trailer/teaser of the world's only P-51 formation aerobatic team, and of things to come, has been posted over on Airshowbuzz.com - amazing production work and delivered in HD.

Just turn the volume up and sit back!!!!

ASB.TV

Watch out for their arrival for Flying Legends 2009!!!

XH558 - can it be 'saved'?

2009-03-06T10:58:00.005Z

The pledge total currently stands at ~~£956,540~~ £961,558
Will they manage to raise the amount required before the end of today (cut off?).

Fingers crossed so we may still see the tin triangle fly in 09.....

UPDATE:
And they did it!!! XH558 lives to f(l)ight another day - let's hope that the promises to restructure the trust works and that they are not cap in hand to the public again....

Paddy Finucane - penultimate mission?

2009-03-04T17:05:00.005Z

As previously written about, sometimes I'll see something that gets me reaching for Google and doing a little research.

Today it was a name that I recognised from reading about the RAF in WWII.

Finucane.

I wondered if it was the same Paddy Finucane, an Irish Spitfire ace who was awarded the DSO and the DFC and two bars, and who was one of the youngest Wing Commanders in the RAF.

The title card of the clip in question just read -

Combat Film No. K1273
W/C Finucane Stn Flight
14/7/42 Spitfire VB
Dutch Coastal Vessel Off Ostende.

The clip showed a ship being attacked at low level and lasted a matter of seconds.
A quick search on the 'net produced the following information -

After attacking German shipping at Ostend and strafing three German airfields on July 15th, 1942, Finucane’s wing regrouped to return to Hornchurch. As the group passed low-level over the beach at Pointe Du Touquet, Finucane’s Spitfire was hit by machine gun fire that severely damaged his radiator. The engine overheated and quit, and the Spitfire was too low to allow Finucane to bail out. Losing altitude swiftly, Paddy was heard to say; “This is it, Chaps.” Witnesses reported that after a near perfect "splash" the Shamrock-Spit sank like a stone, and despite all efforts, was never to be seen again. At the time of his death, Wing Commander Finucane’s score stood at an amazing 32 victories. SOURCE

Could I have stumbled across the last piece of footage of this 'ace' prior to him being shot down and killed in action?

More info about Brendan Eamon Fitzpatrick "Paddy" Finucane can be found on several websites such as acesofww2.com or century-of-flight.net

Part A attaches to Part B...

2009-02-25T20:18:00.001Z

The P-47 Thunderbolt assembly instructions - just like a big Airfix kit....

Miss Velma gets naked...

2009-02-25T13:16:00.002Z

iPhonePhoto

Ferocious Frankie

2009-02-25T13:04:00.002Z

Ferocious Frankie before a bit of flying today at Duxford...

Duxford today...

2009-02-11T13:28:00.006Z

Thunderbolt a little closer to her wings...

Hangar 2 panorama...
(click for larger image)
My first attempt at photo stitching!

Or would that be a Hangarama?...

Random View: Airspace...

Images taken with iPhone 3G

A380 in the flesh...

2009-01-04T08:42:00.000Z

Miss Helen Report 5/12/08

2008-12-05T16:52:00.005Z

Well, at least Miss Helen has some company for the winter....

Cleaning party form up on left...

If you just pay at the booth, guided tours start at noon...

Warbird gun cameras #2

2008-11-28T14:13:00.001Z

Image sent direct from iPhone.

Gun camera port on P-51 Miss Helen...

Sadly, still out in the cold, getting more and more bird crap deposited on her surfaces.

Clip wing B-17...

2008-11-22T00:47:00.001Z

Noticed that "Sally B" has had her wings clipped to get her into H2...

Air Harrods....

2008-11-22T00:45:00.002Z

Flew in to DX today, hovered around a bit then landed.

Wind beneath her wings again....

2008-11-21T13:47:00.003Z

...albeit on the ground, outside while they mop the Airspace hangar 'bay' floor.
Parked outside in a chilly wind today...

Dead Duck shoot....

2008-11-01T10:37:00.005Z

Image used with permission IWM
Another clip I was viewing last week leapt out at me as soon as the title card opened - the target was recorded as a "Liberator A.C." and the pilot/squadron details were recorded as being F/O Emmerson 453 Sqn on 26/2/45 at 1600hrs - this might be interesting!!
A second clip, F/Lt Clemesha 453 Sqn, also featured this attack - slightly better quality than the first clip and I managed to capture a frame of the action to try and see if I could enhance the image over that seen on the Steenbeck.

Later, after converting the negative image to a positive, I could make out it was a white underlined G on a dark coloured bar. Some searching on the net resulted in the following results...
392nd BG
Serial No. - 42-95241
Sqn - (H) 578th
Call Letter - EC - G
A/C Name - "Jolly Duck"
Final Disposition - Crash landed Feb 22, 45 at Noekermeer, near Zoeterwoude, Netherlands
Missions Flown - 37

More info -
Scroll to bottom of page and images of "Jolly Duck" crash site -
http://www.b24.net/crashsites/index.html

Pics of her can be found on row four on this page -
http://www.b24.net/aircraft/index.html

Mission report -
http://www.b24.net/missions/MM022245.htm#12658

Polish pilots...

2008-10-27T19:12:00.003Z

I've been viewing some footage from February 1945 featuring 306, 309, 315 and 316 Squadrons. My interest was piqued slightly by the fact Mustangs were involved. A little Googling produced a couple of websites which featured quite a bit of info on these squadrons along with photos and as I viewed each clip I'd cross refer to these sites to put some faces to names.

One clip featured an Me 109 (as far as I could identify it) being caught from behind by one Flight Sergeant Cempel of 315 Sqn on 21st Feb 45. A short burst resulted in the enemy aircraft being enveloped in smoke and then brief footage of it rolling onto its back and the pilot bailing out.
A quick check with one of the sites revealed that this was Cempel's only 'kill' -

P703899 W/O CEMPEL Miroslaw
In 315 from Aug 1944 till EOW. CV+bar. Score: 1-0-0. Worth noticing is that while flying Mustang III, he never had a single malfunction in this a/c. Most vividly he remembered a training dog fight during which, his good friend F/Sgt Richter (HB882) was killed. Flying on deck Richter suddenly inverted and crashed at full speed. His a/c buried itself completely in the moist ground. After the war Miroslaw Cempel spent five years in RAF and another five in RCAF, where he was commissioned as a F/Lt. Settled in Canada where he currently resides in Montreal.

CV – Polish Cross of Valour (Krzyz Walecznych)

Source

A bit of a search online revealed a MV Cempel still residing in Montreal. It could be Miroslaw or a relative, so hopefully a little research may reunite this pilot or relative with the footage from 63 years ago....

315 Sqn Pilot List
Info of the sortie

315 Squadron badge

Miss Helen....

2008-10-17T13:14:00.003+01:00

iPhonePhoto

Miss Helen out in the cold...

2008-10-17T13:08:00.007+01:00

iPhonePhoto

Miss Helen has been moved from her place in H2 into the 'butts' - and where she had been is now filled with Sally B. Wonder if her engine is back at last?....

Click on images for larger version...

RAF 'banter'...

2008-09-26T19:37:00.001+01:00

Top hole. Bally Jerry pranged his kite right in the how's your father. Hairy blighter, dicky-birdied, feathered back on his Sammy, took a waspy, flipped over on his Betty Harper's and caught his can in the Bertie.

Red Baron...

2008-09-26T18:30:00.004+01:00

Unusual visitor to Duxford today - replica Fokker Dr1 Dreidekker - flew in 'escorted' by a Tiger Moth (if my spotting skills are up to scratch!).

RAF Mustangs...

2008-09-12T19:17:00.005+01:00

Image: http://www.swissmustangs.ch

It crossed my mind today as I sat watching gun camera footage from September 1944 that there are no RAF Mustangs I/II/III/IV flying in the UK today.
I have been watching quite a bit of RAF gun camera film from WWII and there has been a fair amount of Mustang footage. Today was 19 and 65 Squadron film. 19 Squadron (pictured above) were, of course, based at Duxford at one time.

So the Mustang was used quite a bit by the RAF - if my history is right the RAF were the first to use the new Mustangs operationally.

So maybe the time has come to have a nice RAF Mustang up in the wide blue yonder...

Quiet-ish day today...

2008-09-12T18:49:00.004+01:00

...at Duxford - SM969, the Spitfire MkXVIII of TFC went for a slow taxi...
The 'driver' looks familiar....

Razorback ramble...

2008-08-30T13:56:00.004+01:00

The Curtiss P-47G 42-25068 Thunderbolt in H2 is slowly making progress.

"Griswold Blodwyn II" though?.....

Rare RAF fighter/bomber

2008-08-30T13:53:00.002+01:00

At the height of WWII, with vital munitions supplies affected by the U-Boat menace and the Luftwaffe bombing factories, the RAF experimented with other ways of dropping loads on the enemy....

Friday 22/8

2008-08-22T19:24:00.006+01:00

Turns out today was American Air Day at DX - there were a few bits of different stuff lying around...

7 SOS MC-130H Combat Talon II with something a bit older flying by...

"Miss Helen" is now the meat in a Chippie sandwich...

...and Sea Fury T20 VZ345 is now tucked up in the corner of H2.....

Quick Silver...

2008-08-08T22:42:00.008+01:00

Image: "rmann115"

One of my favourite paint schemes on the P-51 is that of "Quick Silver", owned/operated by Bill and Scott Yoak.
It's not a specific paint scheme but one which pays tribute to those who served and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice...

Friday 8/8/08

2008-08-08T20:19:00.004+01:00

Had my post lunch Friday stroll and lots of cowlings were off for maintenance - not a lot flying today, Tiger Moths were doing a steady business between the showers...

Airing the toy box...

2008-08-08T14:54:00.001+01:00

Image sent direct from iPhone.

Prom display Spit...

2008-07-20T18:06:00.002+01:00

Flying Proms

2008-07-20T13:14:00.004+01:00

Went to the "Flying Proms" at Duxford last night. Bit of a last minute thing and so buying tickets on the gate was a pain due to the queue/slow service.

Still apart from a cold wind (it's almost the end of July FFS) the sky was clear. The John Miller band was there to open the evening playing all the fav Glen Miller tunes.

Flying display opened with the F-86 then P-51 (Ferocious Frankie) followed by a Schweizer chopper, Piper Cub pair, Spitfire, Guinot pair, DC-3 Dakota. The 'night glow' balloons were reduced to 'night glow burners' due to the wind.

The Spitfire display opened with the stirring theme from The Battle Of Britain and cheers from the audience. Certainly stirring stuff...

After the closing fireworks seems some crops were ignited (stray firework?) to the south of the runway.

Duxford post lunch bimble

2008-07-18T23:49:00.007+01:00

Having lunched, I had a walk around today to see what was left after last weekend. Sally B looked a little forlorn now that her 'sisters in arms' had departed back to their respective homes. At least she had a 'little friend', P-51 Old Crow, to keep her company for now.

News is that Liberty Belle is now back in North America having arrived at Bangor earlier this evening.
Also still resident at Duxford is the Scandinavian Historic Flights A-26B Invader...
And Miss Helen is inside with what looks like a temporary u/c leg on the port side after her mishap last Sunday...

B-17s and "Little Friend"...

2008-07-16T13:38:00.001+01:00

Short video of B-17s Liberty Belle, The Pink Lady & TF-51 Miss Velma at Flying Legends 08.

Sadly Sally B couldn't make it up there this year - three B-17s would have been a sight to behold...

Apologies for the intrusive commentary - the PA system was very loud this year and the two guys doing the commentary didn't stop from start to finish...

Some pics from FL08

2008-07-16T11:25:00.000+01:00

Bye bye B-17...

2008-07-15T23:43:00.001+01:00

Liberty Belle is on her way home - Flight Explorer.

Flying Legends - 12 & 13 July

2008-07-09T18:43:00.000+01:00

The #1 warbird airshow in Europe happens this weekend - Flying Legends 2008.