Battle of Britain Day

[kham]

DG, just noticed that 109 in the foreground has a couple kill markings on it. You gotta look closely I guess

Going over the vid again, whoever picked the Band of Brothers music to go with was brilliant. Just fits perfectly. And kudos to the editing, the filming from the mid-upper gunner's position is a nice touch, giving a view of things not normally seen. The bit where the Spit slides into position from behind the port vertical rudder is pure gold And sets up the Hurri coming into view to starboard.
That Spit is a PR. XIX, Griffon-engine powered, which some purists would argue is not a 'real' Spitfire She'll do.

Now, will Peter Jackson stop playing with dwarves, and please get back and finish up the Dam Busters remake? We can even live with the 'adjusted' names (which everyone figured would be the case anyways.. )

[kham]

Bonus oldies :

First of the Few Genesis of the the Spitfire; David Niven 1942

The Dam Busters Richard Todd, real Lancasters on the deck, and that music Pure Gold. If the dialogue during the attack sounds familiar, it should; George Lucas copied most of it, and the attack, for the Death Star run

[DangerGirl]

In Honduras today there are many things named after Colonel Soto, the Honduras hero of the "Soccer War". He was the last man to use a WWII vintage aircraft (Corsair purchased in Miami and repaired with beer cans) to shoot down another WWII vintage aircraft. The Fuerza Aerena Hondurena remains the most politically powerful wing of the Honduran military. Honduras also boasts the most capable air force in Central America. If you ever get the chance to visit there is a neat little museum across from the terminal in Tegucigalpa. That particular Corsair is supposed to still be flying somewhere in the world today.

I myself have been to Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras, though I've never been to Tegucigalpa to see the museum (mental note: add that one to my list). And it's true that several veteran aircraft of the Soccer War are still flying. It's one of those amazing and little-known corners of history.

[Lomax]

The Dam Busters Richard Todd, real Lancasters on the deck, and that music :mrgreen: Pure Gold. If the dialogue during the attack sounds familiar, it should; George Lucas copied most of it, and the attack, for the Death Star run

Others say Lucas copied 633 Squadron (another film with a damn rousing score). I don't suppose it really matters.

I wish I'd had an ancestor who could foresee how appreciated all these aircraft would become seventy years on; and had amassed a collection when you could pick up pretty much whatever you wanted at scrap prices. I wouldn't have to work for a living, that's for sure.

[DangerGirl]

I'm sure this guy will get a good return on his investment, and the world will be a better place with 20 more (hopefully) flying Spits. Hell, even one more would be a good thing.

[PM2K]

I wish I'd had an ancestor who could foresee how appreciated all these aircraft would become seventy years on; and had amassed a collection when you could pick up pretty much whatever you wanted at scrap prices. I wouldn't have to work for a living, that's for sure.

That's so true... especially for the Axis aircraft... I know of replicas flying about, but can you imagine the buzz if someone had a genuine, capable of flight FW-190 or Me-262? The vintage wings world would go berzerk....

[Lomax]

I wish I'd had an ancestor who could foresee how appreciated all these aircraft would become seventy years on; and had amassed a collection when you could pick up pretty much whatever you wanted at scrap prices. I wouldn't have to work for a living, that's for sure.

That's so true... especially for the Axis aircraft... I know of replicas flying about, but can you imagine the buzz if someone had a genuine, capable of flight FW-190 or Me-262? The vintage wings world would go berzerk.

True enough: but the WW2 plane I would pay most to see in the air is the Mosquito - to my mind the most beautiful machine that ever flew, and one of the most successful and versatile designs of the war. Drove Goering mad when he learned that the RAF had a plane that could out-perform anything the Luftwaffe had (it was even faster than his fighters for a while) and yet was made out of wood.

And now there is a rumour (horribly unsubstantiated, I admit) that the guy referred to by Dangergirl supra has not only found 20 Spitfires, but two or three crated and ready-to-assemble Mossies. Well, I can dream.

[Herzeleid]

Hi Lomax,
This could be your lucky day! In New Zealand they've built a full size replica of a Mosquito, and it flew for the first time this week! I think there might be footage of it on youtube, so check it out.

[Lomax]

The death has been announced today of Flt Lt William Walker, aged 99. He was the oldest surviving Battle of Britain pilot. Some news reports have described him as the last survivor, but I suspect that might be an editorial glitch.

One thing struck me from the atricle about him on the radio - he was shot down over the Channel, and parachuted 20,000 feet to land on Goodwin Sands. And if you want to find quicksand in the UK, that's a damn good place to look - though thankfully for him, he didn't.