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Achtung Spitfire!

My step dad worked for various aircraft companies after the war and he told me that building Spits using all flush rivets was expensive and time consuming so they used split peas stuck on top of the flush rivets in various places to work out where they could use ordinary proud rivets. I’ve no idea if this is true or not but it makes a good story nonetheless.

Read the same thing in several books when I was a lad, your dad didn't tell fibs.

Beaten to it again.
 
When I was training for my PPL it was 3000ft, unless we were with another pilot , in which case it was 2000ft. Stalls were included in such manoeuvres. Nothing to do with engines.
All sorts of exemptions on application and approval from CAA.
 
Most our restrictions were due to farmers ringing up and complaining. We were told where not to fly and where not to practice engine failure landings.
 
When I was training for my PPL it was 3000ft, unless we were with another pilot , in which case it was 2000ft. Stalls were included in such manoeuvres. Nothing to do with engines.
All sorts of exemptions on application and approval from CAA.
Sounds like club rules to me.

You practised stalls and forced landings solo as a student pilot? Was this UAS?
 
That was my assumption. Certainly the case in my day (83-84), though we did do solo aerobatics. I wondered if it might have changed, but thought it unlikely TBH.

I spent 20 years working in the flying training industry (not as an instructor, as I lost my medical) but I’m not aware of any civilian flying school that would let students (or even qualified PPLs) do practice forced landings while solo.
 
Not sure about it being club rules. I do seem to remember it being written down in one of the books or the practice tests that we bought and used.
One of my wife's work colleagues has just taken his flight test. She's keen for me to get back into it so we can do some trips.
 
Can anyone tell me if this story is true? The story goes that at the Goodwood Revival, Goodwood also being an ex-RAF base, they got a WW2 Spitfire pilot to fly down the main straight as part of the opening parade. He got a bit carried away and flew at about 80ft doing 150-200 Mph, thus scattering everyone to all points.

I've seen some gun camera footage on YouTube of a Spitfire strafing a farm and he's actually lower than the roof of the barn in the farmyard :eek: Unbelievable what those guys did.

The OP has made a slight mistake in the title in missing out the 'AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!' from the end.

Somebody else who's spent their childhood reading Battle & Commando mini books. :)
 
Just watching "Spitfire" on BBC4, the story of the Supermarine Spitfire. Apparently the wing shape and profile was developed in Germany and details obtained by a bit of pre-war industrial espionage.

Thanks for the heads up - will definitely be watching this. The best looking and sounding aeroplane of all time IMO.
 
Can anyone tell me if this story is true? The story goes that at the Goodwood Revival, Goodwood also being an ex-RAF base, they got a WW2 Spitfire pilot to fly down the main straight as part of the opening parade. He got a bit carried away and flew at about 80ft doing 150-200 Mph, thus scattering everyone to all points.

 


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