October 7, 2012 at 12:44 am
This passage from Roland Beamont’s book “My part of the sky” is a very poetic tribute to a type that has not really got the recognition in history that it deserved.
What a sight to be seen, a Tempest V in the sky once again. At least we’re allowed to dream……
“Reaching Newchurch airfield at 480 mph I held “RB” down to 20 ft from the runway and then pulled her up to a 60 ° climb holding it as the speed dropped slowly off and the altimeter needle spun round the dial as if it were mad. At 7000 ft the speed was dropping below 180 mph and I rolled the Tempest lazily inverted, then allowed the nose to drop until the horizon, at first above my head, disappeared below (or rather above) the now inverted nose, the fields and woods steadied into the centre of the windscreen and then whirled around as I put the stick hard over and rolled around the vertical dive. Steadying again I pulled out over the tree tops at 500 mph, throttled back and pulled hard over towards the airfield in an over-the-vertical climbing turn, lowering the wheels and flaps in a roll as the speed dropped. What a magnificent aeroplane! They could have all their Spitfires and Mustangs!”
(“My part of the sky”, Roland Beamont)
By: Moggy C - 7th October 2012 at 09:30
Quite so. I was in the cockpit with him there. 180mph isn’t far off my flat-out speed, not the point at which I am running out of climb
Try that today at most airfields and you’d be in for a very embarrassing chat, no tea, no biscuits, with the airfield management 😉
Different days.
Moggy