Newark Air Museum

Took a little ride up to NAM this morning - their Shackleton is covered in scaffolding for a repaint. Some A/C have been moved around a little so took a couple of photos…

15.IV.16

Today's post-lunch saunter around saw MJ627 back at DX fulfilling childhood dreams…

Last minute refresh of safety brief

That awesome sensation of a Merlin coming to life!

Taxi out for the flight of a lifetime

Second World War to Cold War air defence

Quartet of Spitfires with a Hurricane soloist

Not often seen view of the Corsair's gun bays

6.IV.16

RAF Transport Cmd marked Devon VP981/G-DHDV 
formerly based at Coventry

The noisy ambiance of the new main entrance cafe has been noted...

16.III.16

Anyone seen the door?...

Public viewing "gallery"?

11.III.16

The USAF Honor Guard sculpture is currently being
 installed on the approach to the AAM...

X4178 in the sunshine...

Duxford replica Spitfire Mk1 has been repositioned from Airspace to the hangar base.

2016 off to a slow start...

While I am still working at DX on a regular basis the site is slowly coming to life again after the winter hibernation…

The "Lancaster Hangar" is slowly taking shape...

PV202 was up for some air time...

Not long before the piston engined symphony begins again...

First 'report' of 2016...

The F-100 is slowly being dismantled. Meanwhile the Viscount is being used for some filming on "Airliner Row"...

A windy last 'report' of 2015.

The framework for the "Lancaster Hangar" is now up. It may have walls and a roof next time I see it!

To all readers and comment contributors - thanks for your interest during 2015...

As the year comes to a close, 2015 will be remembered by myself for a long time, for obvious reasons!

I wonder what 2016 will bring?...

1942 RAF training film - "Bullseye Interception"

One 1942 film called "Bullseye Interception"  that I'm currently accessioning, is about how fighter control coordinated interception of German bombers (AA, Searchlights and night fighters).

On the wall of the sector ops room, along with squadron status, weather etc was a list of R/T Codes - many are well known but a couple of new ones to me…

• Scramble - Take off and climb
• Saunter - Fly slowly as possible without losing height
• Liner - Fly at economical cruising speed
• Buster - Fly at normal full speed
• Gate - Fly at maximum permissible speed (5 mins only)
• Angels - Operate at height ____ ft
• Vector - Set course ____ degrees
• Steer - Set course for home ____ degrees
• Orbit - Circle and search
• Bogey - Unidentified aircraft
• Bandit - Enemy aircraft
• Tally Ho - Enemy sighted
• Pancake - Land and Refuel
• Popeye - In cloud
• Mattress - Below cloud
• Quilt - Above cloud

Duxford's new hangar...

Progress on the new "Lancaster" hangar.

Meanwhile, over t'road, the OM xmas tree is lit up…

Blue and silver...

From the blue of the Yak to the Jungmann and some silver left out... 

11.XII.15

A little sky blue to brighten up a dull day…

4.XII.15

Northside at DX and it looks like the work on the renovation/conversion of the Officer's Mess to a "Business Centre" is complete (apart from some tweaks)…

Remembrance Sunday.

A busy Duxford today - queueing traffic to get in along the A505 and a very large attendance by bikers. The North side car park was almost half full.

T16.5?

F-100 being 'broken down' for posting back to USAF

Half a T-33. A T16.5?

21.X.15

Lightning F.1 XM135 in Airspace

Glimpse of PV202 while doors open for the Taifun to be moved in.

Sally B in situ for the winter and cowlings off engines already.

F/O James Flood 421 Squadron - A mystery...

Back in 2011 I posted a request on the FlyPast forum after I found the squadron ORB entry which matched the date of a gun camera clip I'd watched. The clip in question showed an aircraft ahead which, as the gap was closed, appeared to me to be another Spitfire. The 'target' slipped out of the top of the frame as it got closer then briefly reappeared showing the lower half of the fuselage and under wing radiators (by now, definitely a Spitfire radiator set up) and then what appeared to be a round/s striking the rear of the right wing.

The 453 Sqn ORB entry for that day records the incident -

26/8/44 0900-1020. ARMED RECCE - ROUEN-FLEURY SUR ANDELLE
1 Spitfire flying right in among gaggle of Me 109's in Aumale area was inadvertently fired at by F/L J.F.Olver at approximately 0945 hours after leaving gaggle until recognised as a Spitfire. There were no other Spitfires in the vicinity. The A/C lettering was AU-G or AU-C. The Spitfire which took absolutely no evasive action was seen to have been already extensively damaged and had holes along the fuselage. The aircraft which gave out a little black smoke was followed and seen to crash in a field to the SE of Dieppe. The pilot did not bail out. 1 ME 109 probably destroyed by F/O Carter, 1 ME 109 probably destroyed by W/O Duff, 1 ME 109 probably destroyed by S/L Smith(?) 20 ME109's sighted NE Paris at 20,000 feet to 25,000 feet when squadron were at 26,000 feet. Dog-fight ensued.

The AU codes were for 421 ‘Red Indian’ (Canadian) Squadron
From 16 Jun 44, 127 Wing was based at B.2 Bazenville, Normandy then from 28 Aug 44, 127 Wing moved to B.26 Iliers l'Eveque, Normandy so they were operating in the area.

I've now been contacted by a historian/researcher looking into the loss of F/O James FLOOD, 421 Squadron who died on August 26, 1944 -
"James Flood's Spitfire crashed not very far from my family farm on August 26th, 1944.
I was able to obtain his Individual Deceased Personal File from the National Archives of Canada.
His aircraft was coded AU-C. I got in touch with James Flood's younger brother. He would like to find out about a potential case of "friendly fire"".

From reading the above extract from the squadron ORB, I wonder if Flood was incapacitated in some way from a previous dogfight and the aircraft was flying itself - but it seems like a good opportunity to perhaps go some way towards clearing up his death.

Hopefully the existence of this short 8 second clip will be of some use to help clear up a tragedy of war. 

Update:

http://www.aircrewremembered.com/flood-james.html

I came across this image of F/O Olver with other squadron members dated July 44.

BAYEUX, FRANCE. C. 1944-07. PILOTS OF NO. 453 (SPITFIRE) SQUADRON RAAF SIGHTSEEING OUTSIDE BAYEUX CATHEDRAL DURING A REST FROM PATROLLING THE NORMANDY BATTLEFIELDS. LEFT TO RIGHT: SQUADRON LEADER D. H. SMITH; FLYING OFFICER (FO) K. K. LAWRENCE; FO J. F. OLVER; FLIGHT LIEUTENANT (FLT LT) V. A. LANCASTER; FO M. WEST; FLT LT P. V. McDADE.

Hang 'em high….

As the IWM slowly runs out of 'drawing pins', the "little boys bedroom ceiling" is almost full.
Today the P-47 "Oregons Britannia" was being fixed in place and next up, "Etta Jeanne II"…

Spitfire tail chase BoB 75th Anniversary Airshow - Duxford

Just a short part of the 15 minute Spitfire Crescendo from Saturday shot/edited on iPhone. No Oscars sought for cinematography, just shot to capture the sound! (Click on YouTube link for full size video)

A brief look back to 3 months ago...

A shortened version of the video from my flight in Spitfire MkIX T9 MJ627

16.IX.15

A quartet of McLarens were on site today for a photo shoot with the SR-71 - around about a million quids worth if you load up the option lists on them.
From the left (if my model identification is correct) : 570S (£145,000), 675LT (centre) £259,500, orange 650S Spider (£215,000) and the 650S (furthest away) costs £195,000!
Maybe TFC are branching out into the world of exotic car sales!

I could only snap them with a B-29/Victor backdrop...

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

The F-4 and A-10 have now been moved back into the AAM, the U-2 is now hung up and the B-52 was about to be towed back down to sit outside Airspace.