Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Custom Skins => Topic started by: BuckShot on December 16, 2016, 07:47:04 AM

Title: Spitfire SAAF Greebo skin
Post by: BuckShot on December 16, 2016, 07:47:04 AM

Hi Greebo,

There's an all silver Spitfire 9 SAAF skin you made that has no markings on the plane whatsoever.

It's one of my favorites. I call it my James Bond plane. Nice work by that way!

Why did it have no markings or numbers?

Thanks, Buck ~S~

Title: Re: Spitfire SAAF Greebo skin
Post by: Greebo on December 16, 2016, 08:25:20 AM

That Spit was based near the Suez Canal and was used to intercept ultra high-flying Ju-86P reconnaissance aircraft. All the paint, machine guns, armour and radio were stripped out to reduce weight and drag. The idea was that it would take off in formation with a radio-equipped Spit whose pilot would receive ground control instructions for the intercept. Once the enemy was sighted the lighter Spit would then climb to intercept. The first Ju 86P to be brought down was by a similarly-modified Spit V over Egypt at 49,000 ft in August 1942 and after two more were lost the Luftwaffe stopped sending them.

Title: Re: Spitfire SAAF Greebo skin
Post by: DubiousKB on December 16, 2016, 09:22:56 AM

The more you know!  Cool tidbit of info. 

Title: Re: Spitfire SAAF Greebo skin
Post by: Kanth on December 16, 2016, 09:49:59 AM

Yep neat info!  :aok

Title: Re: Spitfire SAAF Greebo skin
Post by: BuckShot on December 20, 2016, 06:43:15 AM

 Thanks Greebo! I knew there'd be an interesting reason.