What a sight! (PIC Warning)

[killer]

I was out on the golf course this afternoon and spotted a large propeller-driven aircraft heading my way. I then recognised it as an Avro Lancaster (a bomber from the 1940s). On each flank was a fighter; to port a Supermarine Spitfire, to starboard a Hawker Hurricane.

Everyone seemed transfixed as they flew over. Later I heard that they were on their way to a Battle of Britain commemoration. It really was quite a sight ... and sound to remember.

[Harryc]

Avro Lancaster (From all appearances the mid-upper gunner had to be careful not to shoot the tail wings off )

[wgg]

Wow I love that plane I bet it was a nice site to see!

[rkawakami]

Very similar to the B-24 Liberator. There is one that passes by the Bay Area almost every year in the summer.



ref: http://www.warbirdalley.com/b24.htm
ref: http://www.collingsfoundation.org/tour_b-24j.htm

[killer]

I am glad you share my enthusiasm. @Harryc: Lovely pic of a Lancaster. I believe that the upper gunner had to beware of the tail wings but most of the time would have been looking up. Tail-end Charlie, as the rear gunner was known, was the most vulnerable though.
@rkawakami: Yes, a huge similarity with the B-24. Lancasters were, I understand, able to take bigger payloads whereas Liberators had longer distance capabilities and the RAF used them for Coastal Command.

Here are links to Hurricane and Spitfire pics:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/p ... cane-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v40/p ... re-xvi.jpg

The Hurricane has a wooden frame! You can see the ribbing all along the side of the fuselage.

The Spitfire was probably the most beautiful design of any aircraft from that era. It was designed by R.J.Mitchell who based his design on sea birds such as gulls. He died before it was used in anger.

[ansible212]

I was out on the golf course this afternoon and spotted a large propeller-driven aircraft heading my way. I then recognised it as an Avro Lancaster (a bomber from the 1940s). On each flank was a fighter; to port a Supermarine Spitfire, to starboard a Hawker Hurricane.

Everyone seemed transfixed as they flew over. Later I heard that they were on their way to a Battle of Britain commemoration. It really was quite a sight ... and sound to remember.

That was the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight:

http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/

The sound of 6 Rolls Royce Merlins is absolutely awesome.

(Incidentally, the P-51 Mustang came of age when a Packard version of the Merlin replaced the Allison engines used in previous variants.)

[Harryc]

Tail-end Charlie, as the rear gunner was known, was the most vulnerable though.

From some of the accounts I've read several flights came back with the tail gunner turret sheared off of the aircraft...I'd guess that was a short straw job.

[killer]

Those Merlin engines sounded superb today. What an engine, it was even used in the second world war by Messerschmitt until the parts ran out ... for obvious reasons.

@ansible212: Thanks for the reference. It is the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain this year. The Lancaster was used a couple of years later for bombing. The Hurricane was the real gem of the conflict. It was responsible for more "kills" than any other aircraft. The Mustang was a great machine. I saw one a few years ago at an air show at Middle Wallop doing aerobatics, and that display won prizes in my mind.

[ansible212]

From memory, there were many more Hurricanes in active service at the time of the Battle of Britain than Spitfires, hence its greater number of 'kills'.

The P51D Mustang was an outstanding plane. I'm not sure how many people realise that the Mustang was originally a British commission at the start of the war, and became an even better plane once various modifications were made in service by the RAF (such as the distinctive teardrop canopy).

[killer]

I don't know if you'll be able to see this if you are outside the UK, but here is a clip of yesterday's flypast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-10755328

Turn the sound up.

[craigmontHunter]

In Ottawa every September, there is a Battle of Britain parade by the aviation museum, and I have been in it a couple of times (I'm in Air Cadets) - it is brutal since we have been told that we cannot look back at the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane flying by over our heads (everyone does anyway .

[killer]

@craigmontHunter: I had a look at the Ottawa Aviation Museum's website. They have a De Havilland Mosquito which is one of the best uses of Merlin engines ever made ... a wooden airframe (very light) with two Merlins. That much power must have been amazing!

[ansible212]

Herman Goring on the Mosquito, aka the 'Wooden Wonder' (via Wikipedia):

In 1940 I could at least fly as far as Glasgow in most of my aircraft, but not now! It makes me furious when I see the Mosquito. I turn green and yellow with envy. The British, who can afford aluminium better than we can, knock together a beautiful wooden aircraft that every piano factory over there is building, and they give it a speed which they have now increased yet again. What do you make of that? There is nothing the British do not have. They have the geniuses and we have the nincompoops. After the war is over I'm going to buy a British radio set - then at least I'll own something that has always worked.

Given the ascendancy of German manufacturing (at least by reputation) since the end of the Second World War I find this quote somewhat ironic.

[mediasponge]

You can buy rides in the B-24, and a B-17 and a P-51, but the P-51 will cost ya:

http://www.collingsfoundation.org/cf_schedule-wof.htm

[A31]

Hey I once saw the Vulcan XH558 fly over my house in Wymondham (nr Norwich) on the way to Lowestoft airshow, and on I think the same day as you, killer, saw the Lancaster fly over my house. That Vulcan howl can only be described as legendary.

Went to RIAT (Royal International Air Tattoo - world's largest military airshow, held at Fairford in Gloucestershire) again this year - amazing show! F-22 Raptor is amazing! As was the Typhoon and of course the Vulcan. I've been going to RIAT since 2006 and loved every year (apart from 2008 when it was cancelled due to rain!)

You can buy rides in the B-24, and a B-17 and a P-51, but the P-51 will cost ya:

You can also buy rides in English Electric Lightnings and Buccaneers at Thunder City in Cape Town, South Africa.

The sound of 6 Rolls Royce Merlins is absolutely awesome.

He he! At RIAT 2010 in remembrance of 70 years of Battle of Britain, there was a MASSIVE flyby of Spitfires, Hurricanes and the Bf-109 as well as jets like the Tornado, Hawks and the French Mirage 2000, you can see it here. Pt 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n1Np5zsnRE Pt 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIeux7zV ... re=channel

[Harryc]

I found this video on Jay's Garage...very nice tour of a B-24 Liberator with a good history discussion...enjoy.
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/b-2 ... ft/267688/

[mediasponge]

Hey I once saw the Vulcan XH558 fly over my house in Wymondham (nr Norwich) on the way to Lowestoft airshow, and on I think the same day as you, killer, saw the Lancaster fly over my house. That Vulcan howl can only be described as legendary.

Some years ago, I lived in Mountain View, CA right near Moffett Field. In preparation for an upcoming airshow, numerous planes were flying in, making practice touch-and-go runs, etc. I was outside working on my car that day, and I look up to see a B-52 bomber flying at VERY low altitude in a VERY steep bank. I said to myself, "I think I'm going inside now." They don't let them do that over populated areas anymore. The base is closed now, but there have been fairs there. Air show for 2010 got canceled.

[killer]

@A31: We had a beer festival at the local pub last year on the penultimate weekend of August and the Vulcan came overhead. WOW!!!

It later transpired that the chap who ran the charity which keeps it in the air lives locally and it was doing a fly past over his house.

We'll have to see if it happens again at this year's festival.

[dwilsonfl]

B-52 banking sharply not a good thing w/o enough altitude for a recovery

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE3l3mEM9-4

[mediasponge]

B-52 banking sharply not a good thing w/o enough altitude for a recovery

That's why they don't let them do that anymore...

At those local airshows, one thing they also used to do was let an FA/18 come blasting out of nowhere from the city side of the field just below supersonic speed (they also don't allow supersonic runs over populated areas anymore). The sharp crackle of a high performance fighter jet is one of the things that drew me to those shows. The "Fat Albert" JATO demonstration was always a crowd pleaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLFB7q8tyd8 The big cargo plane would come rumbling down the runway and then literally JUMP into the air at a 45 degree angle.

[A31]

I love it at RIAT whren the B52 is on, smoke POURING out of those engines!

We had a beer festival at the local pub last year on the penultimate weekend of August and the Vulcan came overhead. WOW!!!

it is amazing when XH558 comes overhead isn't it! When it came over my house, it was black for several seconds (because of the delta wings) and then we rushed to the window and the Vulcan was flying towards Lowestoft... Amazing! If anything seeing XH558 when it isn't at an airshow is more amazing than seeing it AT an airshow!

[killer]

Well, the beer festival took place without the Vulcan due to low cloud over this part of Britain. Everywhere else was sunny but we had cloud in from the continent so the Vulcan couldn't, safely, make a run over us. A real shame but the beer was good.

On Friday I went to the Bournemouth air show and watched a limited display due to the same low cloud from northern France. Despite this the Hawker Hunter and the F16 were wonderful.

The star of the show was the Lancaster. 70 years on it still gets a spontaneous round of applause and everyone waves at the aircrew. I took some photos and some video but it is difficult to share on this forum because of size limitations (which I fully understand). So you will all have to imagine the sound and the vision for now.

[RealBlackStuff]

You could always post pictures on e.g. http://imageshack.us/ and videos on http://www.youtube.com/
and post the links here