Author Topic: Interesting or unusual planes? (Read 390205 times)

Jurek · « **Reply #900 on:** 01 May, 2015, 01:38:27 pm »

Doubtless, there wil have been a mighty fine noise which accompanied that ^^ photograph.

Bicycle Repair Man · « **Reply #901 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:16:22 pm »

Quote from: Jurek on 01 May, 2015, 01:38:27 pm

Doubtless, there wil have been a mighty fine noise which accompanied that ^^ photograph.

The sound of 6 merlins (Lanc, Spitfire, Hurricane) never ceases to raise the hairs on the back of my neck but the sound of 8 was, as you say, "mighty fine".
The Lanc has been flying virtually every day this week preparing for it's PDA on 6th May. Yesterday it flew over just as Classic FM played part of The Dambusters March, a magical moment that will probably never be repeated.

Cheers

Dave Yates

Jaded · « **Reply #902 on:** 01 May, 2015, 11:24:28 pm »

Vince · « **Reply #903 on:** 02 May, 2015, 08:17:04 pm »

I was unlocking my bike after a successful mission to the DIY store to buy primer and masking tape when I heard aero engines, many aero engines. I stepped back and looked up and saw a Lancaster heading towards the centre of The Hague followed by a Spitfire.

Some Googling found that they had been on a trip to commemorate Operation Manna which used air drops to fed the starving Dutch towards the end of the war.

Made my day that!

Wobbly John · « **Reply #904 on:** 02 May, 2015, 09:07:08 pm »

At 10. 40 the Lancaster was doing 3 loooooooooooooow circuits od Wobbly towers.

Actually it was for a motorbike fest going on in the village.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #905 on:** 02 May, 2015, 09:07:41 pm »

You've misunderstood their task, Vince. They were actually practising for Operation Marmite - a mission to supply Brits beyond the Channel with this essential foodstuff/building material/mosquito repellent!

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #906 on:** 03 May, 2015, 12:29:31 pm »

Operation Marmite was the reason the Third Reich collapsed so spectacularly after D-Day. They dropped it on the Führerbunker.

The Nazi High Command: Mein Gott! Zey eat zis? Ve are doomed!

spesh · « **Reply #907 on:** 03 May, 2015, 12:41:59 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 03 May, 2015, 12:29:31 pm

Operation Marmite was the reason the Third Reich collapsed so spectacularly after D-Day. They dropped it on the Führerbunker.

The Nazi High Command: Mein Gott! Zey eat zis? Ve are doomed!

Potential for yet another Downfall meltdown scene re-subtitling there.

andyoxon · « **Reply #908 on:** 03 May, 2015, 05:51:08 pm »

Took a pootle to the end on the Abingdon airshow runway about 1.5hrs before end. Lancaster didn't make it cos of weather.

Any ideas?

Eurofighter & Spitfire. Typhoon was impressive when it flew directly overhead with afterburners on, then went vertical...

Gloster Meteor - fast (well less than half max of typhoon), and apparently first flew in 1943.

T42 · « **Reply #909 on:** 03 May, 2015, 05:58:16 pm »

#1 looks like a Catalina. Lovely plane.

Séamas M. · « **Reply #910 on:** 03 May, 2015, 09:05:09 pm »

Yes, Consolidated PBY, one of my favourites. They flew anti submarine patrols from the Fermanagh Lakes during WWII..

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #911 on:** 05 May, 2015, 11:31:12 am »

Quote from: andyoxon on 03 May, 2015, 05:51:08 pm

Eurofighter & Spitfire. Typhoon was impressive when it flew directly overhead with afterburners on, then went vertical...

Sure that's a spitfire?

I think you might have snapped a pair of typhoons there.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #912 on:** 05 May, 2015, 11:37:24 am »

No its a clipped wing Spitfire. A Typhoon has a different tailplane shape as well.

spesh · « **Reply #913 on:** 05 May, 2015, 11:48:55 am »

Quote from: pcolbeck on 05 May, 2015, 11:37:24 am

No its a clipped wing Spitfire. A Typhoon has a different tailplane shape as well.

Also, the Tiffy had two autocannons per wing and a single large "chin-mounted" radiator intake just behind the prop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Typhoon#Specifications_.28Typhoon_Mk_Ib.29

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #914 on:** 05 May, 2015, 11:50:54 am »

I thought I could see a rad bulge behind the prop.

Someone clipped the wings off a spitfire? How dare they!

pcolbeck · « **Reply #915 on:** 05 May, 2015, 11:57:54 am »

Quote from: mrcharly on 05 May, 2015, 11:50:54 am

Someone clipped the wings off a spitfire? How dare they!

Better role rate versus a bit slower at climbing. They did it to quite a few during the war.

Jakob W · « **Reply #916 on:** 05 May, 2015, 12:42:24 pm »

Quote from: pcolbeck on 05 May, 2015, 11:57:54 am

Quote from: mrcharly on 05 May, 2015, 11:50:54 am

Someone clipped the wings off a spitfire? How dare they!

Better role rate versus a bit slower at climbing. They did it to quite a few during the war.

And IIRC a higher top speed at low level - 'cropped, clipped, and clapped out' referring to older airframes used for low-level V-1 chasing (clipped wings, cropped supercharger impeller for low-level boost).

Bicycle Repair Man · « **Reply #917 on:** 05 May, 2015, 03:36:56 pm »

Spitfire LF XVIe rebuilt to flying condition by the staff at BBMF over the last 10 years. It has, in effect, a zero timed airframe so gets quite a lot of use. MkIX airframe with a US Packard built Merlin. The"e" refers to the E or universal wing which could be fitted with a variety of gun combinations.

Dave Yates

trekker12 · « **Reply #918 on:** 05 May, 2015, 04:51:57 pm »

Quote from: spesh on 05 May, 2015, 11:48:55 am

Quote from: pcolbeck on 05 May, 2015, 11:37:24 am
No its a clipped wing Spitfire. A Typhoon has a different tailplane shape as well.

Also, the Tiffy had two autocannons per wing and a single large "chin-mounted" radiator intake just behind the prop.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawker_Typhoon#Specifications_.28Typhoon_Mk_Ib.29

Also, sadly there are no flying tiffy's and only one complete example anywhere in the world - a shame as it's one of my favourites.

andyoxon · « **Reply #919 on:** 05 May, 2015, 05:47:48 pm »

In a strange way I was actually quite surprised to see the EF Typhoon flying so slowly - sky pootling behind the Spit... I wonder was the 'stall speed' is?

Steph · « **Reply #920 on:** 06 May, 2015, 04:06:15 pm »

They did tests many moons ago in interceptions of a Spit by a Lightning. Best technique was a climbing attack from astern.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #921 on:** 06 May, 2015, 05:05:36 pm »

Quote from: Steph on 06 May, 2015, 04:06:15 pm

They did tests many moons ago in interceptions of a Spit by a Lightning. Best technique was a climbing attack from astern.

Full details here:

https://defenceoftherealm.wordpress.com/2014/12/11/the-spitfire-the-lightning-how-two-british-icons-met-in-simulated-combat/

Reverse zoom and boom !
The WWII piston engined fighters were much more manoeuvrable than the big jet fighters of the 60s so dogfighting was a no no.

clarion · « **Reply #922 on:** 06 May, 2015, 05:40:03 pm »

The Lightning was never designed for dogfighting. It was meant to get cannons, AA missiles, and a pilot to altitude in the minimum time possible.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #923 on:** 06 May, 2015, 06:42:54 pm »

Quote from: clarion on 06 May, 2015, 05:40:03 pm

The Lightning was never designed for dogfighting. It was meant to get cannons, AA missiles, and a pilot to altitude in the minimum time possible.

True, the issue was that suddenly the RAF found itself fighting some asymmetric wars where the other side was equipped with late WWII era piston engined fighters such as Mustangs. They needed to develop tactics to cope with slower but much more manoeuvrable fighters that also had too small a heat signature for the missiles of the time to lock on to.

clarion · « **Reply #924 on:** 06 May, 2015, 11:06:06 pm »

The difficulty of predicting the format of the next conflict...

But I don't believe Lightnings ever actually engaged in conflict, did they? Sure, they were scrambled on a regular basis to intercept Bears etc, but...