Of Ethos and Inspiration

Started by David A. Thomas · 42 · 6 years ago
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    david leigh-smith said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Thanks for these links, Paul. Just spent some time looking through them and really lost myself for a while (always a good thing on a Sunday 'blues' night).

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    Ferry Dierckxsens said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Wonderful photos and weblinks, thanks for sharing them. Being relatively close to the UK made me (us) spend many holidays and long weekends there in the past 25 years. Visited various museums and shows. A couple of years back we did the historic airfield trail in Lincolnshire. This route takes you to most of the former and some still active RAF fields. Some remains are only buildings and some concrete paths, but others turned into small but interesting museums. One of the stops is offcourse with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at Coningsby. Still a very active base with the Eurofighters there, but you can do a guided tour in the BBMF hangar and sometimes they are moving things around which gives a opportunity to take some nice photos. Another great place to visit is the former base of East Kirkby, now part of a working farm. The family who owns the farm also do the wonderful museum with another a Lancaster on display. This Lancaster is still doing taxi runs on the remaining parts of the former base and if you want to get up close with the starting procedure of the Lanc, this is the place to visit. I've added some of my own pictures taken at Coningsby and East Kirkby. I can tell from my own experience that starting up 4 RR Merlins right in front of you is an experience you'll never forget. And It kept me thinking of all those men doing this time after time during WWII. Never to be forgotten.

    12 attached images. Click to enlarge.

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    Allan J Withers said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Some great pic's there Ferry !

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    Paul Barber said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    They are excellent shots, Ferry, thanks so much for posting! Long may the BBMF continue to fly. Like yourself I try to get to as many museums and shows as possible (easy in the UK, but I haven't made it to one in Aus yet - although plans are taking shape).

    I would recommend that anyone near an RAF100 show goes along - at the coming Biggin Hill show they intended to 'scramble' 12 Spitfires! What a sight that will be!

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    david leigh-smith said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    Hallo, Ferry. Some great photos there (the Hurri, and the one with the Lanc and the Eurofighter in the same shot especially) and a nice write up on the airfields. I was sitting at a pub two summers ago in Hertfordshire with some friends when overhead I heard the absolutely unmistakable music of the RR merlin. A Spitfire came in low through a low cloud into clear blue skies above us - I actually got goosebumps and tingling down the back of my neck. Never heard four of them start up, must be unforgettable.

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    Jeff Bailey said 6 years, 6 months ago:

    That must have been awesome, David!

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    Allan J Withers said 6 years, 3 months ago:

    Ewan and Colin McGregor : RAF at 100, this was shown on SBS last Sunday, can be viewed online at SBS on demand for the next 25 days, features a distant relative of mine, Flt Lft Martin Withers, who flew the Vulcan raid on Stanley !

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    Paul Barber said 6 years, 3 months ago:

    Hello Allan - sensational stuff there - I had look a few days back - I'm not usually a Ewan McGregor fan but I found myself warming to him! Good to see a brief feature on the Lysander too! Well worth a watch!

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    Paul Barber said 6 years, 3 months ago:

    Here's the flypast as broadcast by the BBC - London as grey as ever - however beautiful Australia is, I miss these days!

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    Paul Barber said 6 years, 3 months ago:

    And here is the view from the cockpit of a Typhoon!

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    Paul Barber said 6 years, 3 months ago:

    And lastly for this morning the 'hello' given to the RAF's recently arrived F-35. We have the Typhoon in the group build and the Reds, too! I keep looking at that Kitty Hawk 1/48th kit and the calendar - I can't see it happening! The kit is savaged by most reviewers and I can't magic up the time to build it anyway!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNNKZzmBHec

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    Tom Cleaver said 6 years, 3 months ago:

    That 1/48 Kitty Hawk F-35 is one of the reasons that company is known as S h i t t y h a w k. Ask Craig how horrible it is.