Darby
master brummie
Hello Ladywood
You are correct they were Gloster Meteors but the development of the night fighter version was handed to Armstrong Whitworth at Bagington
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Old aeroplane photo's.
- Thread starter G G Jean
- Start date
Hello Ladywood
You are correct they were Gloster Meteors but the development of the night fighter version was handed to Armstrong Whitworth at Bagington
Does anybody remember that Polish pilot who used to do cartwheels in a Meteor by shutting down one of the engines,leaving the other engine at full power, Jan something,I can't remember the rest of his name,but he was very well-known at the time,....Mal.
Believe it or not, aviation buffs, on 25 July this year is the centenary - yes the ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY - of Louis Bleriot flying the Channel. This was just six years after the Wright Brothers managed a couple of hundred yards of flight at Kittyhawk.
To put this into context, ten years later we had the capability to bomb Germany hard and heavy from long range; twenty years later we had aircraft capable of flying at 400 mph and also over Everest (not the same aircraft, you understand...); thirty years later we had the Spitfire and Hurricane and the first of the four-engine bombers. Has anything in history developed so quickly as the aeroplane?
Big Gee
To put this into context, ten years later we had the capability to bomb Germany hard and heavy from long range; twenty years later we had aircraft capable of flying at 400 mph and also over Everest (not the same aircraft, you understand...); thirty years later we had the Spitfire and Hurricane and the first of the four-engine bombers. Has anything in history developed so quickly as the aeroplane?
Big Gee
Hi Jean,interesting photographs of Spitfires.The two-seater is very interesting,and rare,and is,I believe,ex Irish air force.It was converted into a trainer (T9) and owned by Charles Church until his untimely death.It is now owned and flown by his widow Caroline,and a superb display she accomplishes with it.It was used in the TV documentary on training a pilot to Battle of Britain standards,I forget the title of the programme,but it was shown,I think on channel 4,about 18 months ago.......Mal.
G G Jean
Brummy Wench.
Thanks Mal. I am learning late in life through my neighbour who is now contemplating purchasing a computer and joining the forum. In between we will learn from one another. My husband has had an interest in planes and names quite a few of them and I am getting there. Jean.
Thanks Jean,I have had a life-long interest in aircraft,although I must admit that,rather like modern cars,modern aircraft all seem to look the same.I suppose that when you feed a list of requirements into a computer,the results are bound to be similar.Therefor I prefer aircraft built until about 1980,when individual designers could still display their own little quirks.The other thing is ,of course,you always learn something new.......Mal.
L
ladywood
Guest
Thanks for that, I knew of Armstrong Whitworth but didn't know they built the night fighter version.
In case you haven't read it there is a very good book called 'Night Fighter' written by C F Rawnsley who was the radar operator for John Cunningham latterly a test pilot De Havilland.
The book takes you from the beginning of the war up until the end and shows the development of radar and electronic counter measures.
Also it gives the fascinating insight into flying Beaufighters and Mosquitos in night fighting.
Thanks very much.
ladywood
Great photo's Jean.And another cracking drawing by Ladywood.You seem to be attracted to the same type of aircraft as myself,namely the type that performed an excellent job,but never seemed to attract quite the due publicity.Your drawing of the Beaufighter is a prime example.A heavyweight all-purpose aircraft,feared by the Japanese who called it 'Whispering Death' on account of its very quiet approach,it was used as a night-fighter,torpedo bomber,rocket launcher and many other roles,but never seemed to have quite the glamour of the 'mosquito'.I suppose it's the twin-engine equivalent of the 'Hurricane' & 'Spitfire' argument,with each type having it's supporters.....Mal
Jean, I got called away from my computer last night, but thanks for putting the pix on - I never tire of seeing any type of Spitfire.
I can just about remember standing in our backyard in The Broadway, Perry Barr, and watching Spit after Spit come over to land at Castle Bromwich. My dad said it must be a display, but a long time later I found out that they were being flown in for scrapping. Shame. I should think that was in about 1950, maybe even earlier.
Big Gee
I can just about remember standing in our backyard in The Broadway, Perry Barr, and watching Spit after Spit come over to land at Castle Bromwich. My dad said it must be a display, but a long time later I found out that they were being flown in for scrapping. Shame. I should think that was in about 1950, maybe even earlier.
Big Gee
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
Oldmohawk reporting in on this aviation thread.
I've previously mentioned my Dad worked on Spitfires at Castle Bromwich, but I clearly remember listening to him talking to my Mom on many evenings about problems with the turret hydraulics on Boulton Paul Defiants. The strange thing is, I'm not sure they built Defiants at CB. It was an aircraft which seemed a good idea as designed for shooting at bombers, but without forward firing guns, sadly stood no chance against ME109 fighters.
I've previously mentioned my Dad worked on Spitfires at Castle Bromwich, but I clearly remember listening to him talking to my Mom on many evenings about problems with the turret hydraulics on Boulton Paul Defiants. The strange thing is, I'm not sure they built Defiants at CB. It was an aircraft which seemed a good idea as designed for shooting at bombers, but without forward firing guns, sadly stood no chance against ME109 fighters.
L
ladywood
Guest
Hi Mallyb2
See if you can get a copy of 'Night Fighter by C F Rawnsley from the library stack it was published by Collins 1957 [no isbn number in my copy].
If you like Beaufighters, you'll like this book.
ladywood
L
ladywood
Guest
I saw this aircraft at Duxford in 2004.
After a short warm up, it took off and flew over the aerodrome a number of times.
I think the sound of a Merlin, is one of the most beautiful sounds there is.
ladywood
oldMohawk
gone but not forgotten
The link below is an airline captain's blog going back to 2004. Some of the photos he takes from the flightdeck are brilliant, particularly of unusual cloud formations. He also gives a witty amusing account of what it's like doing his job, particularly about his co-pilots, and flying through bad weather.
https://www.flightlevel390.blogspot.com/
https://www.flightlevel390.blogspot.com/
L
ladywood
Guest
157 Squadron ATC
Was anyone there about 1957 ?
ladywood
Was anyone there about 1957 ?
ladywood
cookie273uk
master brummie
ladywood, 157, that rings a bell, was that a city centre sqdn ??? having said that I realise I was in much earlier, 1945 to 1948 when I then entered the RAF Eric
PS, I remember we went on 2 annual camps, RAF Ternhill and RAF Valley, Anglesy
PS, I remember we went on 2 annual camps, RAF Ternhill and RAF Valley, Anglesy
Hi Ladywood,I strongly suspect that I've read this book,as I have read every book on the air war in WW2 in the library,some of them more than once.A very good book,which gives you the impression of being in the cockpit with the man,is 'The Big Show',written by Pierre Closterman,a slightly contraversial fighter pilot of WW2.Another excellent series of books are 'Wings over Georgia',Lancaster Target', and Mosquito Victory,all written by Jack Currie,and they detail his training in America,a tour of ops. on a Lancaster squadron,a spell of instructing,and a final tour on the weather flight of the pathfinder force.Absolutely superb stuff,the best war books I've read........Mal.
L
ladywood
Guest
Hi MallyB2, Not suprised you have read it.
I've read 'The Big Show' and 'Flames in the Sky' by Pierre Clostermann.
But I haven't read the other two you suggest. I shall pop up to the library shortly.
Thanks for the leads.
ladywood
L
ladywood
Guest
Hi Cookie273uk, As I remember, 157 Squadron was in Easy Row or Congreve Street. A lovely row of Georgian or early Victorian buildings.
Somewhere near where that drab Copthorne Hotel is.
Every Thursday night [?] we marched up an down in the drill hall, identified obsolete German WW2 aircraft, tried to remember our morse code and fired a sort of modified 303 that fired a prong into a paper target.
And we were told we might go to Leuchars or possibly Lossiemouth to get experience on an airforce base.
We never did.
I would have chosen the RAF, but National Service ended 9 months before I was due.
ladywood
Hi Cookie,
I also remember RAF Tern Hill. Not because I was in the RAF, but from attending numerous model flying contests there in the 1960's. There was always a 2-day contest at Easter and it was always bitter cold, windy, wet and on one occasion it snowed. One time we left the official camp-site before we froze to death and set up in the derelict camp, in the old Sergeants Mess actually, and were much more comfortable. I had a look at Tern Hill recently - much the same as it always was, and still active with helicopter training and Air-Sea Rescue. The old derelict camp down the lane is now farm storage. Do you remember The Stormy Petrel pub on the other side of the A41?
Big Gee