Spitfire SL721 presentation

Hi Boffins
It was a great trip to Ottawa, especially meeting with HyperScalers Bruce Archer and Steve Sauve and their wives, Dana Archer, and Cathy Sauve, who along with Charlene are now all founding members of the “Spitfire Widows Association”.
The gathering at the National Air Museum was expected to be about 160 to 200 people and nobody was prepared for the 2000+ that showed up. Mike Potter was amazed and I told him “remember Mike, It’s a SPITFIRE”. I gave my speech at the presentation but was a bit emotional about it I guess. You would be too if you were up there in front of so many of these veterans. When I explained that the paint scheme was to comemorate the everyday Spitfire pilot, rather than the more well known aces, and that they were just as brave , but were never heard of, had it not been for Robert Bracken’s books, I saw all of their wives wiping back tears and nodding their heads in agreement. Charlene was deeply touched when they asked that all the veterans please stand and a gentleman near her, in a wheel chair struggled to his feet to be counted. After the appluase died down, one of the vets yelled out “lets see the Spitfire pilots now” and 25 of them stood up. Emotional? You bet.
Mike was nervous about flying his Spit in front of such an experienced bunch. He did fine, making two passes and a beautiful landing in a slight crosswind.
One of the old Spitfire pilots wanted to get his photo taken in the cockpit. Mike said it would be fine and when he got in there he just broke down into tears. Then they all wanted to get in and nobody was turned away. One was lifted from a wheelchair and sat in the cockpit. There were a lot of their families with them and the smiles and tears were all there at the same time. After the event, Mike’s engineer reported that there were some scuffs and scrapes on the new paint from the vets getting in and out, but they could be buffed out or touched up. Mike said that they were honourable scuffs and scrapes and to leave them in the paint.
That night Bruce, Dana, Charlene and I went to Steve Sauve’s house for a barbecue and some great tasting beer. It is great to put faces and personalities to people you have typed to for so long.
Next day Charlene and I went flying with Mike in his D-H Beaver on floats. Charlene was a bit nervous, especially when I did the take-off from land and flew it all the way up the Gatineau river to a lake where Mike took over and did the water landing and take-off. I then flew her back. I have always loved the Beaver (get your mind out of the gutter you guys) and had never flown in a float plane before.
We went south of Ottawa to a grass strip at Kars where we landed. Mike’s chief pilot had flown Mike’s 1929 Waco Taperwing there and we switched a/c. Charlene went back in the Beaver with him and Mike and I flew the Waco. I was in the front behind a Wright J-5 and the exhaust smelled like heaven. Mike did some practice cicuits and then let me have her. She is like a sports car compared to the Beaver and I did some low and overs down the strip. There is only a stick, the rudder pedals, and a throttle in the front. No guages or instruments of any kind so I was flying strictly by the seat of my pants. I really love that a/c. I hadn’t flown in an open cockpit bi-plane for over 30 years and …well everyone should try it at least once.
Next day Charlene went shopping and I went to the National Air Museum where I had a personal tour with the curator. I was 5 1/2 hours and we didn’t get to see everything. I was disappointed in their Spitfire and how it is displayed. The paint scheme is wrong and she has a collapsed tailwheel strut, no cannon barrels or radio mast. The Me 109 F-4 beside it is much better. It is painted up properly. It came from Russia and when they restored it they left the bullet holes in place. She took one through the rad and that is what brought her down.
Enough rambling. It was a trip I’ll never forget.
I spent a lot of time with Mike Potter and he is a great guy who thinks like we do when it comes to a/c. I would tell you more but I would be telling secrets. I’ll just say this…..More good things will be seen over Ottawa in the coming years.
Cheers
Bob S.