Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Great shots Jeff, I like the moody Spitfire against the clouds.
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Great shots guys!
keep 'em coming...
- Thread starter
- #224
Jeff Hunt
1st Lieutenant
Cheers,
Jeff
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
More good ones Jeff.
I'll try to catch up and post some more when I've had a kip !
I'll try to catch up and post some more when I've had a kip !
Excellent shots Jeff!
- Thread starter
- #227
Jeff Hunt
1st Lieutenant
Cheers,
Jeff
Great stuff!
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
The Spitfires.
Apart from the four Spitfires (and two Hurricanes) of the BBMF, there were a further seventeen Spitfires and Seafires, of various Marks, which displayed, in pairs, and in a mass formation and a re-creation of a 'scramble'. Many of these saw action in World War 2, and some have victory claims.
In my next few posts here, I'll try to illustrate each one, with a brief history of each where known.
To start off, I'll begin with the Mark 1's.
Spitfire Mk1, N3200.
Possibly the most amazing example on display, N3200 was built in 1939, and is one of only two Mark 1's restored to complete, authentic, period condition (the other being P9374).
It arrived on 19 Squadron, at RAF Duxford, on 19th April, 1940. During the Dunkirk evacuation, N3200 flew it's first, and only, operational sortie when, on the morning of the 26th, Sqn. Ldr. Geoffrey Stephenson flew it, leading an Offensive Patrol over the Dunkirk beaches, where they ran into 21 Ju87s, escorted by 30 Me 109s. After shooting down a Ju-87, Stephenson was himself shot down, and crash-landed on the beach at Sangatte, near Calais.
P/O Watson also failed to return from this patrol.
Stephenson was captured, and spent the rest of the war as a PoW, including being incarcerated in Colditz castle, where he was part of the team that designed the famous Colditz glider.
The Spitfire gradually sank under the sand on Sangatte beach, until, in the early 1980's, with the shifting sands, she began to re-appear, and was eventually recovered in 1986, and later returned to the UK.
From 2007, she was painstakingly restored to original condition by Historic Flying Limited, and the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford, her original base, and made her first post-restoration flight, at Duxford, on 26th March, 2014.
On 9th July, 2015, it's American owner Thomas Kaplan, very generously donated the Spitfire to the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, where she now wears her original markings, plus the IWM logo and the name 'Duxford', on her nose, in the style later adopted, by 19 Sqn, on 'presentation' Spitfires.
Apart from the four Spitfires (and two Hurricanes) of the BBMF, there were a further seventeen Spitfires and Seafires, of various Marks, which displayed, in pairs, and in a mass formation and a re-creation of a 'scramble'. Many of these saw action in World War 2, and some have victory claims.
In my next few posts here, I'll try to illustrate each one, with a brief history of each where known.
To start off, I'll begin with the Mark 1's.
Spitfire Mk1, N3200.
Possibly the most amazing example on display, N3200 was built in 1939, and is one of only two Mark 1's restored to complete, authentic, period condition (the other being P9374).
It arrived on 19 Squadron, at RAF Duxford, on 19th April, 1940. During the Dunkirk evacuation, N3200 flew it's first, and only, operational sortie when, on the morning of the 26th, Sqn. Ldr. Geoffrey Stephenson flew it, leading an Offensive Patrol over the Dunkirk beaches, where they ran into 21 Ju87s, escorted by 30 Me 109s. After shooting down a Ju-87, Stephenson was himself shot down, and crash-landed on the beach at Sangatte, near Calais.
P/O Watson also failed to return from this patrol.
Stephenson was captured, and spent the rest of the war as a PoW, including being incarcerated in Colditz castle, where he was part of the team that designed the famous Colditz glider.
The Spitfire gradually sank under the sand on Sangatte beach, until, in the early 1980's, with the shifting sands, she began to re-appear, and was eventually recovered in 1986, and later returned to the UK.
From 2007, she was painstakingly restored to original condition by Historic Flying Limited, and the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford, her original base, and made her first post-restoration flight, at Duxford, on 26th March, 2014.
On 9th July, 2015, it's American owner Thomas Kaplan, very generously donated the Spitfire to the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, where she now wears her original markings, plus the IWM logo and the name 'Duxford', on her nose, in the style later adopted, by 19 Sqn, on 'presentation' Spitfires.
Attachments
- Thread starter
- #230
Jeff Hunt
1st Lieutenant
Excellent information and much appreciated.
Jeff
Jeff
fubar57
General
Lordy.....how have I missed this thread. Some very nice shots here gentlemen.
Geo
Geo
- Thread starter
- #232
Jeff Hunt
1st Lieutenant
Cheers,
Jeff
Nice ones Jeff
ok have time to post mine.
BBMF
red arrows and BBMF
Crimea_River
Marshal
Good ones Karl. Terry, good info and thanks for taking the time to look up and post the info. I need to get back into sorting and posting my remaining pics, and then start on my Hendon thread.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Some cracking pics there Karl. I missed the BBMF with the 'Reds' when I went to the toilet ! Best part of their display, probably !
Thanks Jeff and Andy, another Spitfire info post to follow.
Thanks Jeff and Andy, another Spitfire info post to follow.
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
The Spitfires.
Spitfire Mk1a, X4650.
With it's first flight on 23 October, 1940, X4650 joined 54 Squadron at RAF Catterick, north Yorkshire. However, on a training flight when piloted by Sgt. Howard Squire, the aircraft collided with that of his Flight Commander, the Battle of Britain 'ace' Alan Deere !
Squire had been told to stick close, but got too close, with the Spitfire's prop hitting the tail of Deere's aircraft, when they were both at 12,000 feet. Both pilots survived, but the aircraft were lost.
With the droughts of the very hot summer of 1976, the remains of X4650 came to the surface. Acquired by Peter Monk in 1995, the long job of restoration work soon commenced. The first flight was in March 2012, from Biggin Hill, and the aircraft is now one of two Mk1s owned by Commanche Fighters, of Houston, Texas, and carries the markings it wore in 1940.
Spitfire Mk1a, X4650.
With it's first flight on 23 October, 1940, X4650 joined 54 Squadron at RAF Catterick, north Yorkshire. However, on a training flight when piloted by Sgt. Howard Squire, the aircraft collided with that of his Flight Commander, the Battle of Britain 'ace' Alan Deere !
Squire had been told to stick close, but got too close, with the Spitfire's prop hitting the tail of Deere's aircraft, when they were both at 12,000 feet. Both pilots survived, but the aircraft were lost.
With the droughts of the very hot summer of 1976, the remains of X4650 came to the surface. Acquired by Peter Monk in 1995, the long job of restoration work soon commenced. The first flight was in March 2012, from Biggin Hill, and the aircraft is now one of two Mk1s owned by Commanche Fighters, of Houston, Texas, and carries the markings it wore in 1940.
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Night Fighter Nut
Master Sergeant
Dude!.. Those are some fantastic shots....
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