Anyone else like Birds AND planes? (6 Viewers)

Farnboro John · Dec 5, 2019

andyadcock said:
Look at this beauty........

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-en...return-to-goodwood-after-round-the-world-trip

I was at Goodwood today: pix later. I managed to confine the tear to one eye until the pilot got out of the Spit and his wife rushed him....

It's a heck of a thing to take the classic short-range WWII interceptor -only one engine, mind - and fly it successive long distances, often over water(including the very very cold Bering Strait), occasionally over sandy deserts, jungles, pine forests...

The Spitfire arrived back at Goodwood in the company of two of the Red Arrows but they were rightly throttled back and all we could hear was the even and evocative snarl of the Rolls Royce Merlin running like a sewing machine despite its serious workout.

In an era when most things have been done, and redone, and then done again, this was something a bit different. And really rather magnificent. :t:

John

ChiGuy · Dec 6, 2019

Oh man. I love birds and planes too! There is just something about them that makes them so interesting.

Chosun Juan · Dec 8, 2019

andyadcock said:
Look at this beauty........

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-en...return-to-goodwood-after-round-the-world-trip

Beautiful looking and sounding machine :t:

Chosun :gh:

Farnboro John · Dec 10, 2019

Pix from Goodwood on 5 December:

Spitfire with Red Arrows escort

Spitfire individual run with roll X 2

Finals: the threshold of greatness

Taxiing in after flying around the world - and relax....

John

Andy Adcock · Dec 10, 2019

Lovely shots John.

KenM · Dec 10, 2019

No.2....says it all! :t:

rollingthunder · Dec 11, 2019

Nice shots John:t:

This jaunt crept under my Radar so to speak and your post was the first i heard about it. Looks a gleamer with just the bare bones metal - similiar to what the Yanks did with their B17’s and P51’s in the latter stages of WW2. I mean why waste cammo paint when you virtually have air superiority which they always did with the SuperForts over Japan:t:

Laurie -

dantheman · Dec 11, 2019

rollingthunder said:
Nice shots John:t:

This jaunt crept under my Radar so to speak and your post was the first i heard about it. Looks a gleamer with just the bare bones metal - similiar to what the Yanks did with their B17’s and P51’s in the latter stages of WW2. I mean why waste cammo paint when you virtually have air superiority which they always did with the SuperForts over Japan:t:

Against the sky in certain situations surely reflective metal is camouflage in itself (like fish in water)?

Mike Crawley · Dec 11, 2019

I imagine there would be a reasonable weight saving on a big aircraft like a B-17 or B-29 too.
An extension of range rather than ability to carry more fuel/ordnance

Farnboro John · Dec 11, 2019

dantheman said:
Against the sky in certain situations surely reflective metal is camouflage in itself (like fish in water)?

The reasoning genuinely was economic. Unpainted aircraft were cheaper.

Also, the numbers and performance of US fighters (the Mustang, designed to a British spec and fitted with a late model Merlin, was the class of the field) in Europe in the latter stages of the war were such that they didn't care if the German fighter force did come up after the bombers - plus, have you ever seen the photos of B-17 formations streaming huge contrails behind them? Sometimes camouflage is impossible....

I agree the Spit looks amazing in polished metal finish. :t:

Cheers

John

Hauksen · Dec 11, 2019

Hi Dan,

dantheman said:
Against the sky in certain situations surely reflective metal is camouflage in itself (like fish in water)?

Definitely! Taking photographs at airshows, I've noticed this more than once. A certain Vampire jet painted silver (wooden aircraft, so no "bare metal", but bad enough!) really annoyed me because on the hand hand, it was exceptionally beautiful, on the other hand, it was not only hard to spot for my Mk I Eyeball, but it also gave my autofocus sensor a really hard time so I ended up without a decent shot of that beautiful aircraft!

However, in a WW2 context, it's my impression that the Luftwaffe pilots really thought the USAAF made a mistake by omitting the camouflage paint on fighters at least, as at long range, they were a lot more visible in bare metal, particulary when they flashed in the sun. As the Luftwaffe pilots were ordered to avoid the US fighters in order to attack the bombers, the tactical implications might not have been equally evident to the USAAF pilots ...

Regards,

Henning

Hauksen · Dec 11, 2019

Hi John,

Farnboro John said:
Also, the numbers and performance of US fighters (the Mustang, designed to a British spec and fitted with a late model Merlin, was the class of the field) in Europe in the latter stages of the war were such that they didn't care if the German fighter force did come up after the bombers

The contemporary German joke was:

"If you see a green aircraft, it's the RAF; if you see a silver one, it's the US Air Force, and if you see no aircraft at all, it's the Luftwaffe."

Regards,

Henning

Farnboro John · Dec 11, 2019

Hauksen said:
Hi John,

The contemporary German joke was:

"If you see a green aircraft, it's the RAF; if you see a silver one, it's the US Air Force, and if you see no aircraft at all, it's the Luftwaffe."

Regards,

Henning

Ha ha - hadn't heard that one, like it! :t:

John

rollingthunder · Dec 12, 2019

By the time the Germans had retreated back behind their own borders there was simply no need for cammo and has been stated it was cheaper...

I had a neighbour who was an armourer on Typhoons and was using temporary airfields post D-Day. After the Caen breakout the Turkey shoot at Falaise and the fall of Paris his situation changed somewhat. He said he saw a lot of the French countryside and beyond as they spent a lot of time rolling up coils of airfield landing matting and re-erecting it closer to the operating areas due to the dynamic nature of the frontline.

He showed me pictures that he had taken of the damage inflicted on trains, armour in the retreat from St Lo and damage to German defences in the Bocage inflicted by rocketing Typhoons:eek!: I wish i had scanner technology then to copy the stuff:-C

Laurie -

delia todd · Dec 19, 2019

I spent a bit of time in the Queensland Outback recently, with a new camera, so everything was fair game for my trigger-happy finger.

This plane flew over, quite high, so it's a big crop.

Farnboro John · Dec 19, 2019

delia todd said:
I spent a bit of time in the Queensland Outback recently, with a new camera, so everything was fair game for my trigger-happy finger.

This plane flew over, quite high, so it's a big crop.

I'm going to take a fairly confident shot at this and suggest its a Saab 340 or the updated Saab 2000.

John

delia todd · Dec 19, 2019

Thanks John. Just Googled them, so I take it they're only used for domestic flights then.

KenM · Dec 19, 2019

Found this shot (forgot all about it!) whilst erasing images from my card taken 13.9.19. To my eye they look like WW2 jobs, hopefully enough information on these duff shots.

Cheers

Farnboro John · Dec 19, 2019

delia todd said:
Thanks John. Just Googled them, so I take it they're only used for domestic flights then.

Yes, what you'd call a regional airliner I suppose. Many ply between Aberdeen and Sumburgh and on other Highlands and Islands routes.

John

Farnboro John · Dec 19, 2019

KenM said:
Found this shot (forgot all about it!) whilst erasing images from my card taken 13.9.19. To my eye they look like WW2 jobs, hopefully enough information on these duff shots.

Cheers

Two of the Ultimate Fighters display team, a Hispano Buchon (Spanish-built and Merlin-engined Me109) on the left and the portly form of the Republic P47D Thunderbolt - the mighty "Jug" - on the right.

John

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