Author Topic: Happy birthday Spitfire! (Read 598 times)

Angus · « **on:** March 06, 2006, 03:02:53 AM »

Spitfire, Happy birthday.
Yup, 70 years since the first flight. Alex Henshaw took off in a double seater Spitty, 93 years of age!!!

Lookie

http://www.mbl.is/mm/frettir/frett.html?nid=1188830

Krusty · « **Reply #1 on:** March 06, 2006, 12:54:41 PM »

I"m not entirely sure how, but somebody convinced me to join a mission of spit1's to commemorate the birthday (lol).

I got a couple of kills, but that's it. By that time rooks had rolled 5 of our bases in 1.5 hours, so spit1's were no longer an option.

Tony Williams · « **Reply #2 on:** March 06, 2006, 08:41:38 PM »

Last Friday I happened to be at IWM Duxford (my first visit for several years) when an announcement came over the PA that a Spitfire would shortly be practising its show display. So we rushed outside to watch (and listen to) the fun. It was cold but clear and sunny, and we had a grandstand view as the Spit took off, went through its performance of loops, rolls and low-level runs right overhead, then landed. Sheer magic.

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website and discussion forum

Angus · « **Reply #3 on:** March 07, 2006, 11:11:39 AM »

The first one I saw was a double-cockpitted one. Flew like an angel.
I went again and again and was lucky enough to obtain a press-pass on the BoB anniversary in 2000. (Johnny Johnsson and Gunther Rall were there as special guests).
There were (out of memory) more than 20 Spitfires airborne at the same time. Then 4 Hurricanes, F4U's P47 F6F, just name'em!
What a blast. The Spitfires were however the only ones that showed some hair-raizing aerobatics. What one of the guys was doing was absolutely insane. (Perhaps he was a Frenchman

)
Anyway, I can mail you guys some pictures from this event and they are free to circle. "TheFox" has some of them I belive.

Duxford just rocks!!!!:aok

Guppy35 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 07, 2006, 02:00:32 PM »

The Spit that threw me over the edge into Spitfire fanatic mode was one I saw at Duxford in 1980. AR501 is a Spit Vc and at that point it had a clipped wing set up. Something about those clipped wings

Went Spit crazy after that and zeroed in on the XII as my favorite and from then on it was chasing Spit XII info all over the place.

I've got back to Duxford last year for Legends. Absolute heaven seeing all those Spits airborne. Managed to get in a Spit in 85 at the 41 Squadron reunion too. They wouldn't let me fly it though...wonder what that was about?

Krusty · « **Reply #5 on:** March 07, 2006, 02:27:52 PM »

Douglas Bader: "I would very much like to take your 109 up for a few laps before you turn me over for interrogation..."

Guppy: "I would very much like to take your spitty up for a few laps before you leave..."

They both just instinctively knew that the plane would never come back if they let these men fly their planes

Guppy35 · « **Reply #6 on:** March 07, 2006, 02:46:08 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Krusty
Douglas Bader: "I would very much like to take your 109 up for a few laps before you turn me over for interrogation..."

Guppy: "I would very much like to take your spitty up for a few laps before you leave..."

They both just instinctively knew that the plane would never come back if they let these men fly their planes

Hmmm. Lots more people keeping an eye on Bader.

Not many besides Peter Cowell, former Spit driver taking the picture, watching me. Note that I'm looking around, wondering if I can start it up and make a break for it!

Angus · « **Reply #7 on:** March 07, 2006, 05:44:18 PM »

Dan, drop me an email on burns@isholf.is with Spitfire in the subject line, and I'll mail you some nice pictures