Spitfire fan boys....

[stuartj]

Somewhere in Blighty.....16 - count em....16- Spitfires on show.

Best played loud.

Post by NASV.org - Veteran Support Center.

[VINMAN]

That was cool as hell!

[Jim Richards]

Thanks for posting this, Stuart!

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Loved it, thanks!

[Mrmerlin]

that was terrific thanks for posting

Another friend of the Spits. NA P 51
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=xITLBRkOd2k

[kach22i]

Some of those pilots in those flying antiques were making me nervous.

Nothing wrong with doing a low level loop over a few aviation fuel trucks adjacent to a crowd.

Okay, it was rocking good fun, and awesome.

[FLYGEEZER]

16 Spitfires x 12 cylinders each . Now thats internal combustion and don't it sound nice !
Thanks for the post.

[stuartj]

I think....this is about the most graceful, beautiful machine ever penned. The pass at 2:36 demonstrates that there is just no bad aspect to a Spitfire.

[BE911SC]

Summer 1992 on a six-week TDY (USAF) to England. Several days off so it's out to Duxford for a visit, taxi drops me and my navigator (KC-135R crew) off at the gate at about 0930, field opens at 1000. A guy on coveralls sees us waiting and walks over and lets us in early. He's working on a Hurricane in one of the shops and later we stop by. I always like to walk out to the airfield and just take it all in and this morning was no different. No one around, a little morning fog, almost completely silent but for a few small birds. My nav wanders off to look for a bathroom so I stand there, leaning on the portable fencing and just look out onto that wonderful airfield and imagine the summer of 1940. Then I hear an engine, and not a small engine. It comes to life out of sight between the hangars over my right shoulder. I think no, no way. Then it comes into view, Carolyn Grace's two-seat Spitfire! It taxies out onto the grass and toward where I was standing. They see me, make a 180 and stop in front of me for a moment while I snap pictures. Thank God I had my camera. Then they taxi further to my left, point the nose into the wind, run it up and perform the required checks. Still no one but me in sight, and the two pilots in the Spit. The power comes up to that wonderful V-12 roar and off they go, bouncing lightly on the grass as the speed built, me taking a picture or two but trying not to miss this looking through my view finder. Into the air, wheels come up, and the sound subsides as the Spit climbs out and makes a shallow turn to the north and into the clouds. I was having a hard time seeing, if you know what I mean. Still only me standing there. After a few minutes I can hear faint Merlin sounds as they do aerobatics above the clouds a few miles north of Duxford, that wonderful booming V-12 sound tracing their maneuvers in the sky. My nav comes back, oblivious, and asks if an airplane had taken off. Resisting the temptation to tell him to go back to where he was I said yeah, a Spitfire just took off. Unimpressed, the significance of a Spitfire flying at Duxford completely lost on him, he says the café is open and let's go get breakfast and coffee. No, I'm staying right here. That Spitifre will be back soon and I don't want to miss it. "They're not coming back." (He was a real dummy. Making any impression on him at all, in the air or on the ground, was impossible. I had intended to make this trip to Duxford by myself because I didn't want to babysit guys who didn't get any of it. He tagged along anyway.) So we stand there for ten more minutes and I realize the distant booming of the V-12 has stopped. Then, low and fast from our left, the Spitfire came in and passed right over us. The aft cockpit pilot seemed to be looking down at us. Up and around in a left-hand circuit, gear down, flaps down, and then a sweeping left-base turn to set down on that wonderful grass. "Pop-pop-pop-pop." They taxi back to the concrete apron between the hangars (built in the 1920s) and Carolyn Grace climbs out and walks into the hangar while the pilot-in-training tends to the airplane with a mechanic. We walk up and they greet us and let us have a look. The pilot walks us around the airplane and talks a bout its history and how it got here. I knew that story and filled in some blanks as we chatted and told him that the movie "Battle of Britain" was one of my favorites and that's why I was there that morning. I added that seeing a Spitfire fly, from Duxford, was just about the highlight of the decade and he chuckled. (They are used to Americans who don't know very much and don't appreciate history and the significance of things such as Spitfires flying at Duxford.) He let me sit in the front cockpit and then they towed the airplane back into the hangar. (My nav didn't want to sit in the Spitfire.) As we thanked the pilot for the look-see I said, "Okay, now we can go find food and coffee."

Taxi-out, 180-degrees into the wind, warm the engine:



Takeoff west from the grass:



Diving pass from the east after 30 minutes of aerobatic practice above the clouds:



Back-seater might have been looking at us?



Taxi-back after landing:



This Duxford "Spitfire Day" video is one of my faves too:

[FLYGEEZER]

Was ya doin' a little Tanker Task Force time back in the day Mr. BE911SC ?

[BE911SC]

Yep, one of several TTF trips over there. Always made time for museums and airfield visits.

[wdfifteen]

Many years ago I read a book about the development of the Spitfire. It was a miracle it ever got made. It started out as a sea plane. The first ones had fixed pitch wooden props. They experimented with the comparative drag of flush rivets vs round heads by gluing halves of peas over the flush rivets and blowing smoke over the wing. After reading so much about it, the first time I saw a Spitfire fly it was almost a religious experience. It is a beautiful and fascinating airplane.

[rob justice]

That's almost our entire Air Force in one film.

[rusnak]

My favorite Spitfire documentary.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

not safe for work but when played very loud its extremely funny

Alain and the Spitfire - YouTube

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by BE911SC

Summer 1992 on a six-week TDY (USAF) to England. Several days off so it's out to Duxford for a visit....

Wow.

WRT the 'Batttle of Britain' movie. A few years ago a version was released which contained a doco "Making of". Its fantastic. The BoB was the largest civilian airforce ever assembled, the out take footage and background - well worth picking up.

I took this, the "Grey Nurse" MkVIIII a few months ago an an RAAF anniversary.

[IROC]

Here's a painting I have hanging in our living room:

[ddbach]

I have not been fortunate to see Spitfires fly in formation although I have been lucky enough to see a few fly.

I did see this in person. Took my dad and dragged along the sibs on a road trip to Ohio for the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends in 2007. Dad's favorite plane.

[Baz]

Originally Posted by stuartj

I think....this is about the most graceful, beautiful machine ever penned. The pass at 2:36 demonstrates that there is just no bad aspect to a Spitfire.

Absolutely spot on Stu - the most beautiful aircraft ever produced...and always will be!

[Nostril Cheese]

I got to see a Spitfire fire up right after they finished rebuilding the engine. LOUD.