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Heritage Flying Collection 2015

StuartRae

New member
I've been meaning to post these for a while, but what with one thing and another.........

Last September I made my annual pilgrimage to Whidbey Island to visit my son. One of the trips we made was to Paine Field in Everett, home to the Flying Heritage Collection, who were putting on a display to commemorate the Battle of Britain.

On display were the following aircraft. (please forgive the cardinal sin of stationary propellers) (descriptions courtesy of HFC).

Here they are taxiing ready for take off.

IMG_2252s.jpg


Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3

Place in history: Introduced in 1935, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the first modern fighter. A monoplane, with all-metal stressed-skin construction, enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear, it had no equal. The original Bf 109 could fly 290 mph, about 100 mph faster than most other military craft. More Bf 109s were produced in ten years of production than any other aircraft in history, with approximately 35,000 units delivered. Though Allied fighters eventually surpassed it in speed, manouverability, and firepower, the Bf 109 remained in service until Germany's surrender.

This aircraft: This Bf 109-E was manufactured in Germany and deployed in October 1939. Piloted by Eduard Hemmerling, it flew primarily over France. Hemmerling shot down a British Spitfire on July 7, 1940, while escorting Stuka dive-bombers that were attacking British ships in Dover harbor. Later that month he destroyed a British Blenheim bomber and another British plane. But his own aircraft was mortally wounded, and Hemmerling turned back toward France. His failing airplane crashed off the coast of Cap Blanc Nez, killing the 27-year-old pilot. In 1988, a man walking on the beach near Calais noticed a piece of metal sticking out of the sand – the tip of this plane's wing.​


IMG_2254s.jpg


Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc

Place in history: The Supermarine Spitfire was Britain's answer to the Messerschmitt 109, and in many ways it was as nimble and deadly as its German counterpart. The aircraft was produced by Supermarine (a subsidiary division of Vickers-Armstrong) which had manufactured racing seaplanes before the war. It was their seaplane design that was adapted as the basis for this fighter. The distinctive elliptical wing design increased the fighter plane's overall maneuverability and decreased drag. Pilots who flew it loved the airplane, calling it "a ballerina in flight." It has often been credited with winning the Battle of Britain, in spite of the fact that the much more numerous Hawker Hurricanes shouldered most of the burden.. It was the most extensively produced of all the Allied fighters.

This aircraft: Allocated to the British-based Czech 312 Squadron on September 11, 1942, it was piloted by Squadron Leader Tomas Vybiral. On May 14, 1943, Vybiral led his squadron on a daring wave-top raid against enemy shipping at St. Peters Port, Guernsey. AR 614 was heavily damaged by flak, killing its wingman and narrowly missing Vybiral in the cockpit, but he was able to lead his squadron safely back to England.

IMG_2256s.jpg


Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

Place in history: In 1940, the United States Army Air Corps decided that larger fighters would be needed in the coming European war. Alexander Kartveli, Republic Aviation's chief designer, prepared a rough sketch of a new fighter with the most powerful Pratt & Whitney engine ever developed, along with eight .50-caliber machine guns and heavy armor. World War II pilots considered it to be "unbreakable;" its legendary toughness gave them confidence that they had a good chance of returning home safely even if their plane sustained damage in combat.

This aircraft: Manufactured by Republic Aviation in Evansville, Indiana, and delivered to the USAAF on June 27, 1945. It was placed in storage until March, 1948, when it was assigned to an Air National Guard squadron. FHC's Thunderbolt is painted in the colors of the "Tallahassee Lassie," flown by Seattle-born Colonel Ralph C. Jenkins. He led the 510th Fighter Squadron, initially in England and later all the way through Europe to Germany at the end of WWII. Colonel Jenkins may be the pilot who attacked the staff car of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, wounding the German commander.


Regards,
Stuart
 

StuartRae

New member
Thanks Doug. I'm still disappointed that I didn't get some blur in the props, but considering that my hands are a bit shaky these days and the planes were moving, I opted for a big aperture and fast shutter. I could have Photoshopped some radial blur, but what's done is done.

I've never seen the Spitfire flying in real life, and I have to say that the sound of the V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine on full chat makes the hairs on the back of the neck stand up.

Here they are all flying together.

IMG_2274s.jpg
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Stuart,

I've never seen the Spitfire flying in real life, and I have to say that the sound of the V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine on full chat makes the hairs on the back of the neck stand up.

Achtung! Spitfeuer!

Best regards,

Doug
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Hi, Stuart,

Thanks Doug. I'm still disappointed that I didn't get some blur in the props, but considering that my hands are a bit shaky these days and the planes were moving, I opted for a big aperture and fast shutter.

1/6400 sec - I would say!

I could have Photoshopped some radial blur...

Ugh - bogus!

Best regards,

Doug
 

Martin Evans

New member
Wonderful set of photos. Pity that there was not a P51 Mustang also flying.

I've never seen the Spitfire flying in real life, and I have to say that the sound of the V12 Rolls Royce Merlin engine on full chat makes the hairs on the back of the neck stand up.

I am lucky in that I live a few miles from Duxford airfield, the Imperial War Museum's aircraft collection, and we get Spitfires flying over our village from time to time. Occasionally there is an airshow and many Spitfires, Hurricanes and others do a couple of circuits in formation.

As for the sound of the Merlin engine: a few years ago my wife and I went to the RAF museum at Hendon, in north-west London. That afternoon they fired up a Merlin engine, complete with three-bladed prop. It was very firmly bolted down to a heavy steel frame, and dozens of visitors stood around in a semi-circle, gazing and listening in wonder. I agree that the sound is terrific, though rather overwhelming when just a few yards away! Someone later said that a lot of the noise was from the propeller, in addition to the exhaust. In retrospect, I am surprised that the safety regulations allowed it. We were all close to the machine, and if a blade had come off the prop it could have been devastating. Commander Charles Lamb ("War in a stringbag") had a leg badly smashed by a broken prop blade when he was on duty on the flight deck of HMS Implacable during a sortie against Truk.

Thanks for the photos.

Martin
 

StuartRae

New member
Hi Martin,

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

I was brought up about 20 miles from Duxford but left over 50 years ago, before the IWM was officially opened, so I never visited.

The Merlin engine experience sounds awesome. A bit like the time the exhaust system fell off my old Triumph Thunderbird while I was exploring its top speed!

The HFC do have a Mustang but it wasn't flying that day. I'll be back again in September, so fingers crossed...........

However, their Sherman Tank was busy.

IMG_2247s.jpg


There was also a small display by the local MG Owners' Club. Lots of the usual MGAs, MGBs, and Midgets, but also a pretty little Y-series saloon.

IMG_2224s.jpg

And I can't resist the shiny hub-cap refection.

IMG_2227s.jpg


Regards,

Stuart
 

Andy brown

Well-known member
The Merlin engine experience sounds awesome. A bit like the time the exhaust system fell off my old Triumph Thunderbird while I was exploring its top speed!


Hmmm... My Triumph 2.5 P.I (circa 1982) sounded pretty damn smooth too, till I dropped a valve!

Still the fastest I've ever been in a car, had it wobbling around 130 MPH going down a very long, very steep hill. In Melbourne in the day, all the other young bucks had V8 Holdens and Fords, my mates and I were in Jags (mark 2's, mark 10's, S types) and the the Trompy....great days!
 

StuartRae

New member
Hi Andy,

The Triumph 2.5 PI was a damn fine car, but my 1953 Thunderbird was a bike. A previous owner had used it with a sidecar, and to make things easier had fitted a 2 into 1 exhaust system, with a Y-piece connecting both exhaust ports to a single pipe on the right hand side. As I approached 90 mph the vibrations inherent in a parallel twin shook the Y-piece loose.

Regards,

Stuart
 

Andy brown

Well-known member
Well, fortunately, I guess, at 90 MPH no-one was close behind you.

Luckily my first couple of attempts at riding bikes ended with me eating the dust and losing nothing more than a bit of bark and a touch of pride. I quickly saw the writing on the wall and stuck to 4 safe wheels.

I've gone from Pommie cars, through all kinds of japanese stuff and settled on German.
It'll do me for a while. I call it Fritz...or as my German dive buddy refers to it,.... Zee Krautwagen
 

Andy brown

Well-known member
No "Beg your pardons" back in those days, I notice Jenkins' jallopy has a few scalps on the side. What do the different swastika's represent? Rank?
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hi Martin,

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

I was brought up about 20 miles from Duxford but left over 50 years ago, before the IWM was officially opened, so I never visited.

The Merlin engine experience sounds awesome. A bit like the time the exhaust system fell off my old Triumph Thunderbird while I was exploring its top speed!

The HFC do have a Mustang but it wasn't flying that day. I'll be back again in September, so fingers crossed...........

However, their Sherman Tank was busy.

IMG_2247s.jpg


There was also a small display by the local MG Owners' Club. Lots of the usual MGAs, MGBs, and Midgets, but also a pretty little Y-series saloon.

IMG_2224s.jpg

And I can't resist the shiny hub-cap refection.

IMG_2227s.jpg


Regards,

Stuart


Start,

This sums up an era of grand engineering and the fight of our lives to save Britain!

Asher
 
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