John K Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 At about 10 am a Dakota / DC3 flew North over the village and I thought you don't get to see that very often. And then at about 11am there was a lovely noise, on looking up there was two spitfires and (I think) a Hurricane flying in a V west bound. With a final Spit bringing up the rear. Now that is something very rarely seen or heard (and they sounded beautiful)..! I just stood there like a moron in the middle of the road watching them go over. I know R.J. Mitchell died on the 11th June - I wonder if there is a commemoration this weekend? And why is it that whilst I only have the most tenuous link to WW2 imaginable - in that my dad is a vet - I still got a lump in my stupid throat. Why do I feel such a ridiculous sense of pride and affection for these old planes and the brave chaps who flew them? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I know precisely what you mean. When the Lancasters were doing the circuit recently, I was out cleaning the pick up on the drive, stood up high in the back, cleaning the cab roof, I heard Merlins, but not sounding quite right, not like the "usual" Spitfires anyway. I span round, scanning the sky's and there do a slow and low fly past was a Lancaster on its way up Southport way. I looked round, practically hopping up and down and waving, but there was no one else around nearby to see it. I even got a slow graceful wing wobble as it passed! I just stood there grinning like a fool. Waving and wondering why I'm in tears! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Soft gits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John K Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 Soft gits! No, I'm "emotionally vulnerable" and that's why the ladies in the office love me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Kinder (Bagpuss) - Joint Peak District AO Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 They're probably attending CPOP? http://www.cpop.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 No, I'm "emotionally vulnerable" and that's why the ladies in the office love me... According to my uncle, my aunt was 'emotionally incontinent'! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 That Dakota flew back over Broadway about 2pm John - I was in the beer garden of the Crown and Trumpet at the time...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John K Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 That Dakota flew back over Broadway about 2pm John - I was in the beer garden of the Crown and Trumpet at the time...... I saw it go over, tried to take a pic was was too slow, looking at its route I reckon it almost went over your head! It was a lot lower than this morning. The C&T does lovely beer and if they still have them on the summer menu, the ****s are great..! I used to eat and drink there a lot, but too far to walk now - unfortunately. And I always used to take American work colleagues there just to see the freak out at the ****s..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 Had a B2 Spirit stealth bomber fly low over the village last week - first I've seen Rubbish aircraft....stealth? I could see it and hear it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John K Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 ...first I've seen So how many others have gone over and didn't de-cloak to say Hello Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 They were more than likely on their way to the RAF Cosford airshow as they had several planes from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, including a Dakota and Hurricane. There's usually a lot of planes that fly over my house when the shows on but I have only seen 2 today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekJ Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I was at Duxford last year and they were flying the Spitfire then. It's the best engine noise I know of. I don't know what it is about the Merlin engine it just sounds fantastic. Maybe it's all of the old war movies I watched as a kid. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff oakley Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I think what makes us tingle is that we know how many people died in them defending the world against evil. My uncle was a pilot in Lancasters and never spoke about what he saw and did during the war, but many of his squadron died as young men. It was a time when the best of Britain was on show for the world to see and heros were heros not a shadow of what some are now. The only other plane that raised a tingle was Concorde, again when we were the best in the world at aviation, building something (okay with a bit of financial help from france) that was unique. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Castlecroft Posted June 14, 2015 Share Posted June 14, 2015 I was at loton park today, which is just down the road from Cosford,,,, We saw several planes fly over including a Vulcan bomber and a euro fighter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2rrr Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Used to fly in Dakotas from Benghazi to the Saharan Oil field I worked at. The pilots where all old American vets from Vietnam who no longer could pass their US fitness checks. One had his own Constellation I think it was and was one of the last planes out of Vietnam when it went t*ts up and another was Bat Masterton the actual grandson of the US Marshal of the same name. All were barking mad and used to buzz the local watertower and also used to bring the supplies of brew kits to the camp to allow us to produce copious amounts of amber nectar. Remember being struck by lightning in one and another time the bl**** door opening whilst at altitude. Good job they weren't pressurised. The good thing was that they were so slow it was rumoured the local MIGs couldn't lock on but think that unlikely. Noisey messy but kept going. Bob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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