• This is my day out today.

    I met with an old friend that I had a liason with 10 yrs ago.

    For legal reasons that I do not understand I am not able to say what happened today.

    But here we have a two seat Spitfire and it took off with two people on board. Draw your own conclusions.

    Thanks

    [Blocked Image: http://i55.tinypic.com/s3093l.jpg]

  • <font face='Comic Sans MS'>Hi Mark.


    Hmmmm! In the early 70's while stationed in Korea, I had the good fortune to get a 1 hour familiarization ride in an F-4. From the runway we went near straight up to 10,000ft, leveled off, still in afterburner and on through the speed of sound. Impressive.


    The pilot knew I had a private pilots license and I got to fly the jet for about 30 minutes doing snap rolls, rudder rolls and threading through and around a mountainous area. Needless to say the experience was much different than flying the Piper Cherokees which provided my training. The WOW factor in a F-4 was sky high (pun intended).


    So, putting my imagination together, I suspect you may have experienced some WOW yourself. Congrats on your good fortune. I should be so lucky.


    No less impressive is the pic you posted. Outstanding! It's a keeper on my computer now.</font id='Comic Sans MS'>


    [Blocked Image: http://s4.tinypic.com/30w2jyw_th.jpg]

  • Wow is a good word.

    I grew up within a stones throw of RAF Wattisham Suffolk.

    I remember the English Electric Lightnings being there and those boys knew how to show off.

    Standing in the cornfields as a small boy, they would take off then over where we lived stand on their tails and disappear - the ground would shake.

    My partner worked at Wattisham much later when the F4's were there. They decided were going to give the civvies on base a treat and take them up. She got thru some preliminary briefings then they pulled the plug and got cold feet. The start of health and safety I guess.

  • <BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>

    I do

    Can get away with pics with a K car in them but am not sure about ones without ?

    <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana" size=2 id=quote>


    <font face='Comic Sans MS'>Can't imagine why it would be particularly objectionable to anyone. The aircraft and car have been linked together for a very long time.</font id='Comic Sans MS'>


    [Blocked Image: http://s4.tinypic.com/30w2jyw_th.jpg]

  • The P-51, head on, has a resemblance to the Spit.....but the Spit is not easily confused with a P-51 Mustang up close.....From a quarter-mile at 5,000' or so, at 300 knots, a lot harder to tell the difference. Still, aircraft of this type are hot-blooded things and I for one would love to see more pic's, thank you very much!<img src=images/icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=images/icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

  • Gents,

    Here is what we put on the going away plaque in my Fighter Squadron. It's one of my favorites.


    You love a lot of things if you live around them, but there isn't any woman and there isn't any horse, nor any before nor any after, that is as lovely as a great airplane, and men who love them are faithful to them even though they leave them for others. A man has only one virginity to lose in fighters, and if it is a lovely plane he loses it to, there his heart will ever be.


    Ernest Hemingway, 'London Fights the Robots'


    I had 17 years and just under 2700 hours in F-15's. It's sad to see them go however it was a good run as the worlds best Air Superiority fighter (30+ years and 104 to 0 kill ratio).

    While I have never flown a Spit, it has a great reputation as a great pilots plane! I'm jealous!


    Damon

  • Nice quote Damon

    My father in law used to make parts at Lakenheath to keep the F1-11 and then F 15 planes in the air. The Americans loved him and tried desperatly to keep him there, but he took retirement. He still whips out parts for me tho - often with very little notice, great chap.

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