Took the dog for a walk along Lee-on-Solent seafront yesterday. Saw a Spitfire fly over towards the Isle of Wight before banking right, towards Fawley refinery before returning to the mainland. Saw it in the sky over Stubbington on and off all day.

What awesome sight. And the fantastic noise those Merlin engines make!

Another Claret in Lee on Solent? Nice to know there are more of us about. I missed the Spitfire yesterday but saw them last year when they were based here filming Dunkirk.

It'll be one of those based at Goodwood, owned by Boultbee Academy. They often fly over the Isle Of Wight.

I flew a Mk9 Spitfire 2 years ago, from Biggin Hill down to Beachy Head and back. Completely different experience inside, it's an absolute beast and incredibly noisy. They fly like an absolute dream, just sublime. Like strapping it to to your back and becoming part of it.

You forget that they were a deadly killing machine

Don't you mean Lee On The Solent?!!!

Croydon Claret wrote: I flew a Mk9 Spitfire 2 years ago, from Biggin Hill down to Beachy Head and back.

You've made me and a lot of grown men incredibly jealous.

cheeseon wrote:Another Claret in Lee on Solent? Nice to know there are more of us about. I missed the Spitfire yesterday but saw them last year when they were based here filming Dunkirk.

I used to live in Marine Parade East cheeseon. Now living in Stubbington. You are living in Lee then? UTC

IanMcL wrote:Don't you mean Lee On The Solent?!!!

Yes Ian. Very lazy of me

Yeah I live just behind The Bun Penny.
IanMcl - the The is very important until you have to write it every time.

Ah the Bun Penny. The 1st and only pub I got banned from. And that was about 36 years ago I reckon.

Bin Ont Turf wrote:You've made me and a lot of grown men incredibly jealous.

Planes, particularly WW2 era, are my weakness. I'll talk to anybody that will listen about them

I have a video of my flight is anybody is sufficiently interested to see the Spitfire from the pilots point of view
https://youtu.be/YBzwt-lnFg8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From the ground it's possibly the most beautiful thing ever made by man, inside it's a complete roaring lion with one purpose only - to shoot the Fokkers

You make it look so easy Croydon....

But shouldn't it be Lee on t'Solent ?

Great video Croydon.

Here you go chaps, chocks away; taken at Southport a few years back

Archive shot Southport Airshow 2012 by Andy Pritchard, on Flickr

ALP wrote:Here you go chaps, chocks away; taken at Southport a few years back

Archive shot Southport Airshow 2012 by Andy Pritchard, on Flickr

That's a hell of a shot to get it so sharp but still have the blurred prop

Croydon Claret wrote:Planes, particularly WW2 era, are my weakness. I'll talk to anybody that will listen about them

I have a video of my flight is anybody is sufficiently interested to see the Spitfire from the pilots point of view
https://youtu.be/YBzwt-lnFg8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From the ground it's possibly the most beautiful thing ever made by man, inside it's a complete roaring lion with one purpose only - to shoot the Fokkers

Lovely stuff.

The sexiest of all planes. We certainly did make good looking planes around that time, with the Typhoon, Mosquito and the Sunderland flying boat being my other favourites.

Very good video Croydon!

I saw a Spitfire at fairly close quarters some years ago at an airshow. I'm sure the wings had black and white stripes on. Can you tell me why that was?

The black and white stripes were to aid identification over the June '44 invasion beaches. Anything without them got battered.

Croydon Claret wrote:It'll be one of those based at Goodwood, owned by Boultbee Academy. They often fly over the Isle Of Wight.

I flew a Mk9 Spitfire 2 years ago, from Biggin Hill down to Beachy Head and back. Completely different experience inside, it's an absolute beast and incredibly noisy. They fly like an absolute dream, just sublime. Like strapping it to to your back and becoming part of it.

You forget that they were a deadly killing machine

My late son had the same experience through 'Make A Wish', and he always said that none of his 'bucket list' experiences exceeded it. Even 2 mad laps around Silverstone on an R1 ridden by Cal Crutchlow didn't, although it came very close to equalling it!

BennyD wrote:The black and white stripes were to aid identification over the June '44 invasion beaches. Anything without them got battered.

Ah I see. Makes sense! Thanks Benny

You gotta feel a bit sorry for the Hawker Hurricane. The Peter Kay to the Spitfire's Vernon.

There is a two seat Hurricane being readied to fly and I would love a go in that.

Saw a A6M3 Zero in New Zealands National Museum in Auckland.

A lovely looking plane

paulus the woodgnome wrote:Ah I see. Makes sense! Thanks Benny

No worries mate, IIRC, allied aircraft had stripes removed from the upper surfaces about a month after D-Day (as our aircraft stood out like a Bulldogs bolloxs) and removed completely by the start of 1945. Also, allied heavy bombers didn't generally have them as the Germans didn't have many 4 engined bombers so identification wasn't a problem. Although I'm sure our transatlantic cousins would have tried to make it one!

The most beautiful aircraft ever built. Bar none. Sounds amazing. Brings a lump to my throat just thinking about it.

Even men our age can instantly recognise the sound the engine makes when you hear it!

BennyD wrote:There is a two seat Hurricane being readied to fly and I would love a go in that.

Got my eye on that one already Will be a few years I reckon though, Hurricanes are notoriously difficult to restore due to the tubular construction.

Glad your son had such a magical experience.

Why have one Merlin when you can have four!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzCFagp-7EM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is my favourite aircraft though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeBPOxPsVfI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Blimey Hipper. That Handley Page Victor looks and sounds like something out of Thunderbirds!

It's a beast isn't it. Looks mean but has a certain beauty about it.

Croydon Claret wrote:Got my eye on that one already Will be a few years I reckon though, Hurricanes are notoriously difficult to restore due to the tubular construction.

Glad your son had such a magical experience.

He absolutely loved it and as a last birthday present he organised a flight for me, so I can experience it as well. If he'd have had more time he could have had the flight I'd organised for him in a P51D, but it's now down to me to have it for him. What a bugger!

A beautiful machine and very cutting edge for the time.

The Hurricane is the unsung hero and beautiful in its own right.

One couldn't have managed without the other in the Battle Of Britain.

BennyD wrote:He absolutely loved it and as a last birthday present he organised a flight for me, so I can experience it as well. If he'd have had more time he could have had the flight I'd organised for him in a P51D, but it's now down to me to have it for him. What a bugger!

I'm sure it will be a very bitter sweet experience when you're able to fly the Mustang. So glad that you were able to share such times and mutual passions together.

I'll raise a glass to him tonight.

I'm assuming that you'll be in "The shark" based at Goodwood? I did that one last Summer. I started greying out from the G loading. Most embarrassing, must wear some tighter trousers next time

Hipper wrote:Why have one Merlin when you can have four!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzCFagp-7EM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is my favourite aircraft though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeBPOxPsVfI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I believe that there's still a Victor that does taxi runs at Bruntingthorpe.

They got in trouble one year as they got a bit over exuberant and took off momentarily

Croydon Claret wrote:I'm sure it will be a very bitter sweet experience when you're able to fly the Mustang. So glad that you were able to share such times and mutual passions together.

I'll raise a glass to him tonight.

I'm assuming that you'll be in "The shark" based at Goodwood? I did that one last Summer. I started greying out from the G loading. Most embarrassing, must wear some tighter trousers next time

Croydon, that's mighty decent of you and very much appreciated. Thank you. He did his flight with John Romain out of Duxford and that's most probably who I'll do it with as well. I think Boultby do pax rides in a P51 out of GoodWood, or Westhampnett as it used to be called, which is a lot nearer than Kissimmee in Florida!

Hipper wrote:Why have one Merlin when you can have four!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzCFagp-7EM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This is my favourite aircraft though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeBPOxPsVfI" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The current Lancaster pilot for the BBMF is Roger Nichol who is an old friend of mine and the guy who dropped himself in the poo with the CAA for barrel rolling the Vulcan, Kev Rumens, is too. A few of my old mates have got themselves into a spot of bother with the 'grown ups', for misdemeanours in civvy street, myself included!

Ooooh, my favourite subject! Before I moved to the USA, I oversaw the restoration of a Mk 21 Spitfire that now hangs above a giraffe in the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow:



I now work for the Commemorative Air Force, with 169 aircraft in the fleet we are the world's largest flying museum. Here's our Mk XIV Spitfire:

Spitfires were built in Southampton and then later in Swindon. The current Evo Stik Southern League Division One football club, Swindon Supermarine, grew out of the company's social club in 1946.
By the way, the Mk XIV above is one of the best-looking versions - it has the look of the gorgeous Mustang P51B.

Shouldn't that be the P51D? The B was the 'highback' whereas the D had a similar bubble canopy. FWIW, the Mustang was built to an RAF requirement, had a British engine and even the bubble canopy was a British idea yet it still remains the quintessential American fighter.

Whoa, the best looking one?

Spitfire Vb

Great thread!

I too have a keen interest for WW2 aircraft though have never been fortunate enough to fly in one, think it must have stemmed from when I was a kid spending hours building and painting the Airfix model kits, my pride and joy was the modified 'Dambuster' Lancaster I seem to remember.

The Spitfire has to be the most iconic and aesthetically pleasing of all WW2 aircraft and as mentioned just the unmistakable sound of that powerful Merlin engine overhead is enough to give you shivers.

Co-incidentally I watched a documentary on the Battle of Britain at the weekend and some of the veteran pilots commented that the Hurricane was a great aircraft but was more of a workhorse to fly whereas the Spitfire was more like a thorough-bred racehorse and almost flew itself.

2 aircraft truly worthy of the young heroes who flew them in combat, where might we all be today if not for 'the few' ?

If you are interested in Lancasters you might like this:

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history- ... erged.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Lanc is my favourite plane of all. Managed to blag a flight in the Canadian one when it came to visit in 2014

Pictures are of somewhere between Poole Harbour and Bournemouth. We flew down the beach at Bournemouth and caused quite a stir I think

There's a song for every occasion.

Chris Wood - Spitfires

https://youtu.be/bvkK-8LBjLk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Theres both a Hurricane and a Spitfire at the Thinktank in Birmingham. I don't know which one is more beautiful...

Throughout the summer months I am lucky enough to hear a Spitfire almost daily - the Goodwood experience Spitfire passes along the coast and almost directly above my house most days. Can hear a Merlin from a mile away.

I love this clip on YouTube. **** me indeed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOoiEbtf2w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NickBFC wrote:Throughout the summer months I am lucky enough to hear a Spitfire almost daily - the Goodwood experience Spitfire passes along the coast and almost directly above my house most days. Can hear a Merlin from a mile away.

I love this clip on YouTube. **** me indeed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOoiEbtf2w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I love that clip, you cant even see the Spitfire until its almost upon you!

Imagine being an aircraftsman on a Luftwaffe airfield in 1941 with a flight of Spitfires bearing down on you!

I am sending this to the Labour party. I am sure Jeremy Corbyn can make use of this fantastic innovation.

NickBFC wrote:Throughout the summer months I am lucky enough to hear a Spitfire almost daily - the Goodwood experience Spitfire passes along the coast and almost directly above my house most days. Can hear a Merlin from a mile away.

I love this clip on YouTube. **** me indeed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOoiEbtf2w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Love that clip

That was Ray Hanna, one of the founder members of the Red Arrows and a pilot of extraordinary skill

Brilliant thread btw...

You can pay to fly in a Spitfire in Kent. It's a two-seater based at Biggin Hill. Yours for two and half grand (as a starting price).For a once-in-a-lifetime experience, seems like decent value for money: http://www.intotheblue.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;