Spitfires over London

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

markjay

MB Master
SUPPORTER
Joined
Jun 24, 2008
Messages
45,225
Location
London
Car
2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 RWD / 2016 Suzuki Vitara AWD
Saw earlier today three Spitfires followed by (I think) three Beaufighters... a sight to behold.
 
Didn't know there was even one airworthy Beaufighter - the only one I've ever seen was under restoration at Duxford 3-4 years ago.
 
Didn't know there was even one airworthy Beaufighter - the only one I've ever seen was under restoration at Duxford 3-4 years ago.

There aren't any left flying.

What the OP saw was the queen's burpday fly by.
 
Didn't know there was even one airworthy Beaufighter - the only one I've ever seen was under restoration at Duxford 3-4 years ago.

It was a twin-engine aircraft looking very similar to a Beaufighter, only thing is I would have expected the engines to look bigger in proportion to the fuselage.
 
Looking at the list of participating aircraft, it *may* have been the Beech Shadow R1.

I only saw them very briefly and from an angle where I could not see the T tail. And probably having seen the Spitfires first I was prompted to expect to see a WW2 aircraft....

Incidentally, the Spitfires' engine roar is intoxicating.
 
Looking at the list of participating aircraft, it *may* have been the Beech Shadow R1.

I only saw them very briefly and from an angle where I could not see the T tail. And probably having seen the Spitfires first I was prompted to expect to see a WW2 aircraft....

Incidentally, the Spitfires' engine roar is intoxicating.



Indeed...

https://youtu.be/eiZIU54WYxw


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Duxford wings and wheels day, last time we were there they had 3 "bench mounted" Merlins and fired them up.Oh My!!! Another good one is the farm in ?Linclonshire where thay have a Lancaster, they wheel it out of the hanger then fire up all 4 and taxy up to the top - you can get very close, I was outboard of the outer engine/prop but inboard of the wingtip as it taxi'd past! Once up the top they turn and park, then run the engines up. You can even pay loads of money and be inside the plane for this!!
 
Incidentally, the Spitfires' engine roar is intoxicating.

The roar of a Lancaster's four engines is even more so (or eight Merlins when the Canadian Lancaster visited in 2014).


Another good one is the farm in ?Linclonshire where thay have a Lancaster, they wheel it out of the hanger then fire up all 4 and taxy up to the top - you can get very close, I was outboard of the outer engine/prop but inboard of the wingtip as it taxi'd past! Once up the top they turn and park, then run the engines up. You can even pay loads of money and be inside the plane for this!!

The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre:

The only place in the UK where you can ride in a Lancaster Bomber - Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre

Well worth a visit.
 
It was a twin-engine aircraft looking very similar to a Beaufighter, only thing is I would have expected the engines to look bigger in proportion to the fuselage.

Closest thing flying the UK is a Blenheim.
 
Didn't know there was even one airworthy Beaufighter...

That's a shame.... it had unparalleled performance at the time, and it was also the first aircraft to be fitted with a radar.
 
That's a shame.... it had unparalleled performance at the time, and it was also the first aircraft to be fitted with a radar.

Very successful night fighter, especially in the hands of John "Cats Eyes" Cunningham!!
 
The roar of a Lancaster's four engines is even more so (or eight Merlins when the Canadian Lancaster visited in 2014).




The Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre:

The only place in the UK where you can ride in a Lancaster Bomber - Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre

Well worth a visit.

We stood (with many others) on the top of Detling Hill in Kent (the old Detling Aerodrome) and watched the two Lancasters and a single Spitfire as they did a single very low pass over the airfield. From our vantage point we could see the Lancasters in formation as they banked over the Thames estuary to be joined by the solo Spitfire, before they made their final pass over us.

A sight and sound I shall never forget.
 
Duxford wings and wheels day, last time we were there they had 3 "bench mounted" Merlins and fired them up.Oh My!!! Another good one is the farm in ?Linclonshire where thay have a Lancaster, they wheel it out of the hanger then fire up all 4 and taxy up to the top - you can get very close, I was outboard of the outer engine/prop but inboard of the wingtip as it taxi'd past! Once up the top they turn and park, then run the engines up. You can even pay loads of money and be inside the plane for this!!

That's 'Just Jane' : she's meant to be returning to flight soon .
 
Derek, that's fantastic news. Hope they've got enough runway there to get her off the ground. Somewhere I have a video I took the time I went there with the Ford Model T club, including her taxi-ing out and running the engines up, but it's probably too large a file to post even if I find it!

As an aside, driving home from that visit we passed the RAF base where the BoB flight is based, just as they were coming in to land. Needless to say we stopped and revelled in the sight of the Lanc, Spitfirs and Hurricane landing!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom