Battle of Britain
- Thread starter madmike
- Start date
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
aye
Swamp Thing
Remainiac Terrorist
In 1990 during the Battle of Britain 50 years celebrations I was living near RAF Northolt. Nursing a hangover, watching the all the WWII films on the telly... ...I popped out to the shops and it took me an embarrassingly long time to notice that the distinctive sound of the Merlin engine I'd been listing to on the telly kept flying overhead.
tones
Tones deaf
kennyh
pfm Member
Here's one I did a few years back as part of a Car forum challenge where about 30 blokes competed hahaha. Jan Zubach 303 squadron.
eternumviti
Insufficient privileges to reply.
I was treated to an unexpected low pass by the two Lancasters when the Canadian beast visited two or three years ago as they made an approach to overfly RAF North Weald. The sound was formidable. One can only imagine what it sounded like when there were several thousand of these things flying at once. Undoubtedly rather better from this end than the destination.
MikeMA
pfm Member
I was at an open air concert and firework display in the grounds of Battle Abbey one evening a few years ago. At the end of the show a lone Spitfire flew over and did loads of loops and rolls. It sounded fabulous on full throttle. I was amazed when the MC called out the name of the pilot. It was a bloke I'd been at Hastings college with over thirty years previously and, like me, he had been a keen vintage biker - Vincents and Velocettes mainly - and always had filthy hands and oily overalls. He was totally mad to ride with and I wasn't really surprised he'd gone on to Spitfires! Unfortunately we'd lost touch by then so I never got to speak to him about his flying.
PS I've just found him on the internet! He's a retired aeronautical engineer, pilot, expert on vintage aircraft, and flies a Spitfire!
PS I've just found him on the internet! He's a retired aeronautical engineer, pilot, expert on vintage aircraft, and flies a Spitfire!
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Well, over forty years since I first saw a Tornado, the RAF’s fleet retired today with a single aircraft flying low and fast over Marham.
To put things in perspective, the first Tornado flew only 29 years after WWII ended. It’s possible that some RAF personnel joined while the Spitfire was still in service, and left after the Tornado entered service.
A hard working aircraft, that gave tens of thousands of Brits some great times, and a lot of pain and frustration.
It’ll be missed, but time moves on, as ever.
To put things in perspective, the first Tornado flew only 29 years after WWII ended. It’s possible that some RAF personnel joined while the Spitfire was still in service, and left after the Tornado entered service.
A hard working aircraft, that gave tens of thousands of Brits some great times, and a lot of pain and frustration.
It’ll be missed, but time moves on, as ever.
kennyh
pfm Member
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
The blue structure in the background of this photo is the Tornado landing gear test stand in the hydraulic workshop, Dhahran. I was in there 1991-93.
Rack Kit
pfm Member
But not an air-cooled 911? Get out!
Rack Kit
pfm Member
Yep! Loved doing them.
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
Rack Kit
pfm Member
Only one King Tiger
I need to get back there to visit my pals and have a proper tour of the museum. Not visited for 7 years now.
It's a funny thing, once you know the sound it's not forgotten. My Dad is ex RAF, he was in in the 60s. He's very deaf these days. One day, when they still lived near Coningsby, Lincs, a plane flew over, very high. I hadn't even heard any engine but he said, without hesitation "That's a Merlin!" He was right, the BoB Lancaster, heading for Coningsby, flew overhead.
I had the same out cycling, the same weekend. We were out on the moors north of Otley and the pair flew over, quite low and with a very distinctive drone.
kennyh
pfm Member
Interesting that pic Tony thanks. Out of interest a distant memory tells me these legs were tested at the point of completion at another factory. Does the name "Skydrol" or something similar ring any bells with you?
It was the hydraulic fluid used for the test and later found to be quite nasty stuff for your long term welfare?
It amazed me at the time how the bare castings would arrive to us and looked massive......I reckon we must have removed 70% of the meat to get to the finished item.