Air racing Spitfire 1948

Sorry, but this is going a little off topic now.

What a familiar name … being a modelist, his Spitfire marked “NK-K” is quite ubiquitous, even myself having a 1/18th scale example on the shelf.
Apart from that I never thought about A S C Lumsden. Actually I did not even think I would read his name again. Is there a biography behind that name? A quick google-search revealed nothing useful…

Try a Google search on “Alec Lumsden”.

Mark

Sorry, but this is going a little off topic now.

Image:- A.S.C.Lumsden

What a familiar name … being a modelist, his Spitfire marked “NK-K” is quite ubiquitous, even myself having a 1/18th scale example on the shelf.
Apart from that I never thought about A S C Lumsden. Actually I did not even think I would read his name again. Is there a biography behind that name? A quick google-search revealed nothing useful…

And “Spitfire Women of World War II” is the name of a paperback book by Giles Whittell. I bought it last week and it’s a great read about the women of the ATA.
Fully recommend it…….sorry, not trying to steal the thread

there is a fullspread picture of the spitfire illustrated above in the december 2007 issue of aeroplane monthly followed by an article called “Spitfire Women” makes for a cracking read (the picture in question matches the shceme of the above picture with a 4 on the tail dated 1948.

i knew id seen that aircraft before!

Spitfire F.24 VN324 flown by Guy Morgan ?

That is the one. 🙂

The data base says ‘Race number 7 Lympne’.

Mark

Spitfire F.24 VN324 flown by Guy Morgan ?

Thanks as usual for the pic M12, so what was racing number 7 in the background ?

Love the “Fields” facility

Looks to be a MK 22/24 of the RAuxAF.

Several raced with tail numbers, but this is not one I recognise.

Mark

Any idea where the photo was taken? Clearly not at the Thruxton Air Races in 1948 as then the competition number of the aircraft was 18.

This photo was taken at the Lympne Air races of 28 August 1948. The Thruxton Air races were two weeks previous on 15 August.

I have several photos of this aircraft at this time all with race number 4. Indeed I have two colour images that Lettice says were taken at Thruxton again showing race number 4 and one of her being congratulated after her Thruxton victory…but the mind can play tricks over time.

Anybody with an image with race number 18?

Mark

Alive and not so well…but recovering and will fly again.

Mark

Image:- A.S.C.Lumsden

Any idea where the photo was taken? Clearly not at the Thruxton Air Races in 1948 as then the competition number of the aircraft was 18.

Thanks as usual for the pic M12, so what was racing number 7 in the background ?

Love the “Fields” facility

After serving with 4 and 2 Sqds it went straight from PL983 to N74138, and was at Old Warden from around 1950 for about 25 years, but not flying as far as I could tell.

Rapid resolution! Many thanks. It appears that it must have been a UK resident carrying US marks for quite some time. What was its pre 1948 civilian history?

21 May 1947 33 MU Lyneham.

22 July 1947 Contract loan to Vickers Eastleigh for the US Air Attache.

Sold to contractors.

Mark

Alive and not so well…but recovering and will fly again.

Mark

Image:- A.S.C.Lumsden

Rapid resolution! Many thanks. It appears that it must have been a UK resident carrying US marks for quite some time. What was its pre 1948 civilian history?

I think the Spit in question was owned privately by the american Air Attache to Britain, and was raced by Mrs. Curtis on the day. Not a military aircraft at the time, hence it´s civilian reg.

Have a look at
[url]http://www.abpic.co.uk/search.php?q=N74138&u=reg[/url
Flown by Lettice Curtiss. I remember it being parked out at Old Warden years ago.

N74138 ex PL983, became G-PRXI. Last I heard was a crash at Rouen in 2001.

Laurence