# The Spitfire thread



## Geedee (Feb 24, 2009)

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## 109ROAMING (Feb 24, 2009)

Bloody AWESOME! Thanks for sharing


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## ToughOmbre (Feb 24, 2009)

Thought I would add Robert Taylor's painting, "After the Battle", showing a flight of MK IX's returning to base.

One of my favorites.

TO


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## Colin1 (Feb 24, 2009)

Not in itself a striking or beautiful picture
Nevertheless, I always liked this plate for its illustration of the developmental strides the Spitfire took in its service lifetime. It is from a tatty old book that I've had for years and shows the first and the last of the line, with about 12 years between them.

K5054 needs no introduction, pictured at Eastleigh, from where she made her maiden flight, in March 1936.

The Seafire FR47 served with 800 Sqn on board HMS Triumph in 1948.

As well as the obvious outward differences, the handling from first to last had changed out of all recognition yet the Seafire 47 remained very popular with her Royal Navy pilots.


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## HoHun (Feb 24, 2009)

Hi Geedee,

>Thought I'd start a thread on Spitfires. 

Very nice shots you have posted there! 

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)


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## pbfoot (Feb 24, 2009)

here are some of mine not the same quality as yours but the one that makes me the happiest was being the dead weight (well qualified) on the tail when they ran her up. And I'll include one I snagged an hour ago


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## Blaydon (Feb 24, 2009)

More pretty pics sorry if they are a bit big.

I resized them..... 

Charles


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## Colin1 (Feb 24, 2009)

Blaydon said:


> More pretty pics sorry if they are a bit big.


That frontal shot getting his wheels up is superb

If you're using a scanner app try re-sizing to 800 pixels, the other dimensions should auto-size after that


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## mudpuppy (Feb 24, 2009)

These are some great pics, guys. Thanks for posting them.


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## Wildcat (Feb 25, 2009)

Here are three spitfires based in Australia. All represent a/c that flew with the RAAF in the Pacific and Europe.
- MkVc South Australian Aviation Museum - static (79sqn RAAF)
- MkVIII Temora - airworthy (457sqn RAAF)
- Mk XVI Temora - airworthy. (453sqn RAAF)


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## Geedee (Feb 25, 2009)

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## Airframes (Feb 25, 2009)

Some very nice Spit Pics there, thank you. IF I can get my trannies scanned, I'll post some of mine, taken during two seasons with the BBMF, back in 1982 to 1983, plus a few more over the years. Unfortunately, 95% of my stuff was on 35mm transparency, for reproduction purposes. Found a friend with a tranny scanner, but don't know yet what the quality will be like.


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## Waynos (Feb 27, 2009)

Is P7350 (bottom of post 5) the only preserved Spitfire with an original style external bullet proof windscreen?


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## Flyboy2 (Feb 27, 2009)

Wow very nice!

Quick question HoHun, does one of those Spitfire's in your pics have a contra-rotating propeller? What version is that?


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## Geedee (Feb 27, 2009)

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## HoHun (Feb 27, 2009)

Hi Flyboy2,

>Quick question HoHun, does one of those Spitfire's in your pics have a contra-rotating propeller? What version is that?

Yes, it has a contra-rotating propeller. The aircraft is a PR.XIX, and the contra-rotating propeller is not original but the result of fitting a Shackleton power unit in the early 2000s.

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)


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## ccheese (Feb 27, 2009)

The Spitfire thread would not be complete without these two.....

Charles


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Feb 27, 2009)

Great idea Gary. Excellent photos guys. Keep up the good work!!!


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## Airframes (Feb 27, 2009)

Waynos, were you asking if P7350 is the only preserved MkII? 
If so, it is one of two still flying (that might have changed, as I'm out of touch!), and operated by the BBMF. It took part in the Battle of Britain, and still carries the patches covering 3 bullet holes! There are other, static display MkII's, and recently, a genuine MkIa took to the skies again in the UK, an aircraft once flown by Ginger Lacey, which has been restored as authentically as possible.
Terry.


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## Waynos (Feb 28, 2009)

Waynos said:


> Is P7350 (bottom of post 5) the only preserved Spitfire with an original style external bullet proof windscreen?



This is what the post is supposed to say 

Its just that other Spits I have seen, even early marks, seem to have been fitted witht he later style internal screen, due no doubt to availability.


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## Flyboy2 (Feb 28, 2009)

Many thanks HoHun


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## Junkers88A1 (Feb 28, 2009)

the Mark XI photo spit at Gardermoen Norway


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## Junkers88A1 (Feb 28, 2009)

the Spitfire XVI from Biltema sweden


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## pbfoot (Feb 28, 2009)

a few more


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## evangilder (Mar 1, 2009)

Here are some shots from yesterday with the progress on the CAF SoCal Wing's MkXIV. The Griffon is almost completed (off-site complete rebuild) and will hang on her again soon.


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## evangilder (Mar 1, 2009)

Oh, and I forgot about this clip wing Spit at Chino last year.


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## Gnomey (Mar 1, 2009)

Great stuff! Need to go through my pictures now and see what Spitfire's I can find.


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## Patrick1974 (Mar 1, 2009)

Very beautifull photos guys


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## 109ROAMING (Mar 1, 2009)

Great shots guys -Thanks for sharing

Espicially like those RAAF spits


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## ONE_HELLCAT (Mar 1, 2009)

I knew I should've gone yesterday, I could've posed for you.  I have a before image of the cockpit I've been meaning to post. And one of it back in England I found on Google.


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## bigZ (Mar 4, 2009)

Early MkI cockpit. Rudder pedals are single step type with "Supermarine" engraved in them.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Mar 4, 2009)

Keep up the good work guys it's STUPENDOUS!!!!!!!!!


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## cooltouch (Mar 4, 2009)

Hey One_Hellcat, I've got some pics of the same Spitfire you show in your above photo. Thought I'd go ahead and post all six. They are scanned from slides I took probably at the Chino Air Show back in 1989 or 1990. According to my research, this is a Mk XVIII. I don't recognize the nation's insignias, though. Israel, maybe?































Best,

Michael


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## ONE_HELLCAT (Mar 5, 2009)

Beautiful. The insignia's are for the Royal Indian Air Force. I couldn't give you specifics on what this particular plane did there. Sometime after India became independent, this airframe was used as an instructional air frame for mechanics in the Indian Air Force.

It's actually a Mk XIV. I work on this very plane at the CAF in Camarillo. I joined as a cadet sometime after its engine blew so I've never had the chance of seeing her fly, but I've worked almost every Saturday for the past few years, mostly to help restore the cockpit and to squeeze into tight places.

The plane looks a little different now.


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## rochie (Mar 5, 2009)

some from the spitfire story by A.Price


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## Airframes (Mar 5, 2009)

Some beaut shots there chaps!
The roundels on the MkXIV are actually SEAC (RAF) roundels, not Royal Indian Air Force, and the aircraft is in the scheme used in Burma, towards the end of WW2.
Waynos, the internal armoured windscreen was fitted to aircraft from roughly the mid-production of the MkV. There are still a number of Spits around with the earlier external screen, though only,AFAIK, about four flying. During the making of the BoB movie, in 1968, those aircraft used that had the external screen, were modified to internal, to look more like the majority of aircraft gathered for the movie, i.e. MksIX and XVI predominantly.


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## Wayne Little (Mar 5, 2009)

8) Nice Spitty pics.....


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## Rocketeer (Mar 5, 2009)

A few from my collection....the first is prototype K5054 photographed by my Grandad at Hendon in 1936 in the New Types Park (by the way she first flew today 5th March 1936). The next three are a homage to MkIX ML417 which was converted to a trainer after the war then in 1982 had been converted to a single seat again by Personal Plane Services at Booker. The shot was taken by me at PPS in 1982. The next shot takes us to 1988 when 417 was painted up in an early scheme for the excellent series Piece of Cake. The final shot taken in 1997 shows her in her last colours. The aircraft was owned by Stephen Grey of the Fighter Collection from the late 70s thru to her export to the Friedkin Collection.


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## Airframes (Mar 6, 2009)

Nice pics Tony, and great to have an original pic of the prototype...lucky sod!


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## Artistglory (Mar 6, 2009)

wow, you just gotta love the Spitfire. Great airplane.


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## Micdrow (Mar 8, 2009)

Here are a few that I have on spitfires through the years.


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## The Basket (Mar 8, 2009)

The early marks of Spitfire are beautiful to me.

Not only engineering art but represent my peoples will to fight.

...oh and the Hurricane too.


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## Blaydon (Mar 29, 2009)

Colin1 said:


> That frontal shot getting his wheels up is superb
> 
> If you're using a scanner app try re-sizing to 800 pixels, the other dimensions should auto-size after that



Actually i believe the bigger the better, they make great desktop images at their original size so I left them raw from the camera.


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## gwalch (May 19, 2009)

Spitfire VB BL628.

Had these pics sent to me by a mate.

Apparently the first few pics are from her maiden flight.

The last pics are from Oshkosh where it won Best Fighter at 2008 EAA AirVenture.

Enjoy

8)


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## gwalch (May 19, 2009)

The Basket said:


> The early marks of Spitfire are beautiful to me.
> 
> Not only engineering art but represent my peoples will to fight.
> 
> ...oh and the Hurricane too.



I agree whole heartedly.. I love the early marks.. especially the Mk 1 2 with just the 8 machine guns.
I got to go to the Imperial War Museum in London a couple of years ago and they have Spitfire I R6915 hanging from the roof. Fantastic looking aircraft.


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## Cota1992 (May 22, 2009)

Here's the Spitfire that's in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the National Mall.


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## Waynos (May 22, 2009)

A couple of years ago I was holidaying in Cornwall and as I was dring along to the next village to where I was staying a strange sight caught my eye. As I went closer it revealed iself as someones personal tribute to the Spitfire and the guys who flew it. The odd thing is this is nowhere near a runway, just someones back garden, how fantastic is that! Here are three pics I manged to take before I had to move on. I'd have loved to meet and speak with the householder.


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## Graeme (May 22, 2009)

That is impressive. Nice photos Wayne. Did he have a Lancaster in the backyard?! I expect you contributed to the Spitfire Fund box in the foreground! 

Off topic, but there was a guy who kept an Avro 707A in his Melbourne backyard until 1999...

RAAF Museum: Behind the Scenes: Storage Handling


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## Airframes (May 24, 2009)

Great shots guys. How I'd love a replica Spit outside the house! Jeremy Clarkson (For the non-Brits, he's a well-known presenter of motoring programmes on TV) has a Lightning F6 in his garden, lucky sod! (That's the BAC Lightning, not the Lockheed P38 photo recce bird BTW).


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## Wayne Little (May 24, 2009)

If I had a choice it would be a Fw190D-9!


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## Graeme (May 29, 2009)

Airframes said:


> Jeremy Clarkson (For the non-Brits, he's a well-known presenter of motoring programmes on TV) has a Lightning F6 in his garden, lucky sod! (That's the BAC Lightning, not the Lockheed P38 photo recce bird BTW).



G'day Terry, do you happen to know if this guy still has a Vulcan nose on his front lawn?


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## gwalch (May 31, 2009)

Was recently given a box of photographs of various aircraft (mainly RAAF), and here are the Spitfire related pics.
Most of the pics are marked: 

Department of Defence. 
Ref. No.
Public Relations Canberra

Some jolly nice pics all up.


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## Njaco (Jun 1, 2009)

Nice gwalch! Love that second one with them all over that field.


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## seesul (Jun 1, 2009)

BEAUTIFUL SHOTS GARY!
I guess this thread is missing few pics8)


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## Cota1992 (Jun 2, 2009)

Cool! I read about hauling the beer with a Spitfire from England to Normandy in the Johnnie Johnson book many years ago but I don't think I ever saw pictures of it being done!
If I remember right it was a Canadian sqaudron.


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## Njaco (Jun 2, 2009)

"Whatever you do, DON'T touch the red lever on the right side of the cockpit!!!"


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## Yerger (Jun 12, 2009)

Had heart surgery last year. 1st image on the thread (row) enough to need a pill.


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## Geedee (Jul 22, 2010)

.


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## Gnomey (Jul 22, 2010)

Excellent shots Gary!

Should go through mine and post some of the ones I have.


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## Airframes (Jul 22, 2010)

Great pics Gary, and it looks much better with the proper noisy bits up front !


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## B-17engineer (Jul 22, 2010)

OK


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## Milosh (Jul 22, 2010)

Why is an American sailor in the 2cd photo with a French flown Spit V?

I am presuming it is French flown. Though the code is not completely visible (4X maybe), there is another photo of a similar a/c marked with an 'X' and noted as a French unit.


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## B-17engineer (Jul 22, 2010)

They were part of VCS-7


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## Milosh (Jul 23, 2010)

B-17engineer said:


> They were part of VCS-7



How did that come about?


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## Wayne Little (Jul 23, 2010)

Spitty pics are great guys...


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## Airframes (Jul 23, 2010)

VCS-7 were employed spotting for the guns on D-Day and beyond, and were not equipped with suitable aircraft at that time, having floatplanes. A small number of RAF Spitfire MkVs (6 IIRC), with uprated engines were supplied. The '4' was the unit code, with individual codes 'X', 'V', etc.
The only 'French' connection is the caption on one pic, presumably from a French publication, stating 'Squadron VCS-7', in French.


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## magnu (Jul 23, 2010)

Waynos the Spitfire in the garden is a fiberglass ex gate guardian IIRC. and is quite near the now Ex. RAF St. Mawgan.


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## Milosh (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks Airframes. It all makes sense now. The 'l'escradille' threw me a curve.


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## Geedee (Mar 5, 2011)

.


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## stug3 (Apr 21, 2013)

Mk. IXBs of 611 Squadron based at Biggin Hill in late 1942.






An armourer of No. 3101 Servicing Echelon uses a periscope unit to adjust one of the .303 Browning machine guns on a Spitfire Mark IXB of No. 341 (Free French) Squadron RAF, jacked up before a gun harmonization board at Biggin Hill, Kent.






Gun harmonisation board at Biggin Hill, Kent, set up for a Spitfire Mark IXB of No. 341 (Free French) Squadron RAF, which has been jacked up into a level flying position in the Blister Hangar fifty yards beyond by armourers of No. 3101 Servicing Echelon. The discs on the board have placed in order to harmonise the guns so that their lines of fire converge on a point 250 yards from the aircraft. The four small outside discs are the harmonising points for the four .303 Browning machine guns, while the larger discs inboard of these are for the two 20mm cannon. The upper centre spot is for the pilot’s reflector sight, and the lower spot to the left of centre is for the camera gun.


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## Gnomey (Apr 25, 2013)

Good stuff!


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## stug3 (Apr 28, 2013)

No. 417 Squadron, RCAF Mk Vbs modified with Vokes Filters, flying in loose formation over the Tunisian desert on a bomber escort operation, April 1943.


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## stug3 (May 15, 2013)

As ground staff work on another Spitfire, Squadron Leader Stanislaw Lapka, CO of No 302 (City of Poznan) Squadron, roars low over the airfield for the benefit of the photographer at Kirton-in-Lindsey, March 1943


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## stug3 (Jul 20, 2013)

Spitfire F Mark XII, MB882 ‘EB-B’, of No. 41 Squadron RAF based at Friston, Sussex, in flight over Eastbourne. 






The Spitfire XII had been in service for over a year when this shot was taken on 12 April 1944 of two Friston-based aircraft from No 41 Squadron. Essentially a Mk V airframe mated to Rolls-Royce’s powerful 1,735hp Griffon engine (which gave it a top speed of about 390mph at 18,00ft), the Mk XII was a low-level interceptor, equipping two home-defence squadrons.


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## Gnomey (Jul 22, 2013)

Cool shots guys!


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## Jeff Hunt (Jul 25, 2013)

]














If you have an extra $ 4.1m USD kicking around you can purchase this sweetheart.

Cheers,

Jeff


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## Gnomey (Jul 25, 2013)

Good shots Jeff!


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## stug3 (Jul 27, 2013)

Spitfire Mark Vs banking over Tunisia 1943


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## Gnomey (Jul 27, 2013)

Cool shot!


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## nuuumannn (Jul 31, 2013)

Beautiful pictures in this thread! A couple of Griffon Spits. A rare Mk.21
















A PR.XIX.






Two XIVs.


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## Gnomey (Aug 1, 2013)

Great shots!


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## Jeff Hunt (Aug 2, 2013)

Very nice everyone. I am currently reading Portrait of a Legend Spitfire by Leo McKinstry. Published in 2007 by John Murray it has been a fascinating read to this point. I am only a couple of chapters in and I have learned a ton about the development and political wrangling that nearly killed off, what I hold out to be, the best single seat fighting aircraft ever built.

Cheers,

Jeff


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## nuuumannn (Aug 2, 2013)

Its a good book, Jeff, the same author's done one on the Hurricane and Lancaster, both compelling stories. Another good Spitfire read is Spitfire a test pilot's story by Jeffrey Quill, worth looking out for, that is, if you haven't read it already.


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## stug3 (Aug 19, 2013)

Stills from camera gun footage taken from a Spitfire Mark V flown by Sergeant M Liskutin of No. 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF, as he shot down a Dornier Do 217 over the English Channel, while on patrol over a convoy of returning vessels from the Dieppe raid.


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## stug3 (Aug 27, 2013)

Two clipped-wing Spitfire V’s of No 40 Sqdrn, SAAF over the Tunisian coast. Closest is ER622/`WR-D.


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## Gnomey (Aug 29, 2013)

Cool shots!


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## Wayne Little (Aug 30, 2013)

Nice!


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## Geedee (Jul 6, 2014)

And a few more to add to the collection


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## Wurger (Jul 6, 2014)




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## Crimea_River (Jul 6, 2014)

Nice ones Gary.


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## Gnomey (Jul 6, 2014)

Good shots Gary!


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## stug3 (Jan 5, 2015)




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## stug3 (Jan 5, 2015)




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## stug3 (Feb 1, 2015)




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## Wurger (Feb 1, 2015)



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## stug3 (Feb 8, 2015)



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## Wildcat (Feb 9, 2015)

Wow, awesome shot!

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## Wurger (Feb 9, 2015)



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## stug3 (Feb 14, 2015)

I think these are photoshopped.


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## Elmas (Feb 14, 2015)

Spiaggia di Sciacca, Sicily, September 9th, 1942.


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## Elmas (Feb 14, 2015)

Changing the Merlin engine to an Italian Spitfire, Treviso, circa 1947.


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## nuuumannn (Feb 14, 2015)

> I think these are photoshopped.



What makes you think that?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-to-air_photography#mediaviewer/File:US_Navy_031025-N-9411J-010_Photographer^rsquo,s_Mate_3rd_Class_Beth_Thompson,_from_San_Francisco,_Calif.,_photographs_an_F-A-18_Hornet.jpg


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## stug3 (Feb 19, 2015)




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## stug3 (Feb 26, 2015)

.


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## Airframes (Feb 26, 2015)

I think that's the shot that won 'RAF Photographer of the Year', either last year, or in 2013. It might be Crown Copyright, as the photographer was serving RAF personnel, so it might be worth checking, just in case !


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## pbehn (Feb 26, 2015)

Airframes said:


> I think that's the shot that won 'RAF Photographer of the Year', either last year, or in 2013. It might be Crown Copyright, as the photographer was serving RAF personnel, so it might be worth checking, just in case !



The crown copyrighting a photo of a SPITFIRE taken by an RAF photographer? Who built it and who pays his wages? I know that is, or maybe the law, but it stinks.


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## Airframes (Feb 26, 2015)

The Spitfire is owned by the RAF, the photographer was RAF personnel, working in RAF time, therefore the RAF, MoD or HM Government can have a claim on what is produced. The same goes for WW2 photos taken by the RAF - unless they've been released into the public domain, they remain Crown Copyright. 
I used to work for a multi-national photographic manufacturing company, and any photos I took, in company time, technically were the property of that company, even if I used my own equipment. It's unlikely that the company would have pursued any copyright infringement, but they had the power, and the right, to do so.
Likewise with the above photo - it's unlikely that any action will/would be taken, but without seeking prior permission to publish it here, the possibility of infringement action remains.


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## Wurger (Feb 26, 2015)

OK. That's enough. The pic has been deleted in order to not tempt fate.


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## pbehn (Feb 26, 2015)

Wurger said:


> OK. That's enough. The pic has been deleted in order to not tempt fate.



I know that is the legal situation and it is a shame. The RAF is, as I understand it an Air Force, paid for by the taxes of the citizens of the UK, if the "crown" wants to copyright planes and images of planes then maybe the crown should finance the whole shabang. My grandparents financed Spitfires and all the other equipment that it symbolises, and I finance the RAF today. The guy who took the pic is on my payroll, the plane maybe in private ownership (I dont know) but the Spitfire was financed by the British citizens. The idea that just copying a picture is breaching some law is nauseating, the RAF and the British government will use the spitfire to suite their own ends as and when they want. You are correct Wurger but it gives me the vapours.


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## Airframes (Feb 26, 2015)

I agree, but it's the same with your photos, my photos and anyone else's photos - they are the property of the individual concerned, and _any_ photo posted on a web site without prior permission of the 'owner' is potentially infringing copyright laws, even if a copyright watermark is shown, or a credit given.
Many 'owners' won't mind if a credit is posted also, but there _are_, for example, avaition magazines who are fed up with the unauthorised use of their material, and _*are *_pursuing the infringements.


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## pbehn (Feb 26, 2015)

Airframes said:


> I agree, but it's the same with your photos, my photos and anyone else's photos - they are the property of the individual concerned, and _any_ photo posted on a web site without prior permission of the 'owner' is potentially infringing copyright laws, even if a copyright watermark is shown, or a credit given.
> Many 'owners' won't mind if a credit is posted also, but there _are_, for example, avaition magazines who are fed up with the unauthorised use of their material, and _*are *_pursuing the infringements.



Point taken, I understand it but I believe it is abuse of "crown copyright" I can understand the RAF wishing to control the use of photos it has taken ON MISSIONS or OF FRONT LINE AIRCRAFT to me any photo taken of a historical aircraft kept in the RAF because it is a historical aircraft and photographed as such by a member of the RAF should automatically be in the public domain, Do they want us to celebrate this aircraft or not or would they like us to be controlled as to when where and how we celebrate it. 

Walks away spitting and kicking the dog!


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