An interesting Spitfire photo

There’s a VERY famous photo of a certain Winkle Brown taking off in an early Seafire with the catapult trolley still attached. I presume it’s the same catapult. Certainly the one the prototype Seagull V had used in the 1930s was a much lower machine.

JDK,

Thanks for that.

Found the attached in ‘Wings on my Sleeve’.

Mark

I think that’s a Spiteful tail on the Spitfire. So yes, it is bigger than most Griffon Spitfire tails.

This new photo gave some relevance to another shot in my collection (below) where both the asymmetric ordnance and the Vickers display board with the ‘Spitfire’ logo were not apparent.

I look through the listing on the splendid ‘Scramble’ site and the mind just boggles at the thought of the line up.

The catapult launch Seafire to the right of the first image is very interesting and I look forward to seeing a closer shot of that at some time. It didn’t ought to be new to me but I don’t recall seeing it before.

VN318 went on to 80 Squadron in Hong Kong and then the HKAAF coded ‘E’ where it was sister ship to the IWM’s VN485

Mark

It’s amazing to see how the tail increased in size and shape over the early Spitfires to accomodated the increase in power from the Griffon.

It maybe a trick of the lens in this photograph, but the tail looks even larger.

The catapult launch Seafire to the right of the first image is very interesting and I look forward to seeing a closer shot of that at some time. It didn’t ought to be new to me but I don’t recall seeing it before.

There’s a VERY famous photo of a certain Winkle Brown taking off in an early Seafire with the catapult trolley still attached. I presume it’s the same catapult. Certainly the one the prototype Seagull V had used in the 1930s was a much lower machine.

VN318 – Farnborough 1946

This new photo gave some relevance to another shot in my collection (below) where both the asymmetric ordnance and the Vickers display board with the ‘Spitfire’ logo were not apparent.

I look through the listing on the splendid ‘Scramble’ site and the mind just boggles at the thought of the line up.

The catapult launch Seafire to the right of the first image is very interesting and I look forward to seeing a closer shot of that at some time. It didn’t ought to be new to me but I don’t recall seeing it before.

VN318 went on to 80 Squadron in Hong Kong and then the HKAAF coded ‘E’ where it was sister ship to the IWM’s VN485

Mark

Its a Mk 22/24

Mk24, I believe.

Aha, only two digits out on serial and date!

I have a similar problem with the UK Lottery numbers !

Aha, only two digits out on serial and date!

Is it an FR 18 ?

Its a Mk 22/24

Try this. 🙂

http://www.scramble.nl/mil/show/showreports/farnbo46.htm

Mark

It’s a Spitfire ‘on show’ displaying it’s wares (oo er)

There is a Halifax to the left, behind, and an Airspeed Oxford in the centre background.

There is a very interesting structure in the right background spotted by st170dw and guessed at quite closely…

Is that a Hudson in the background on the left

Halifax :rolleyes:

Cheers

Cees

Cyprus, 1947/8, during the Arab/Israeli conflict ??

Is it an FR 18 ?

Is the structure on the right to test the suitability of Spitfires for use on CAM ships?

Is that a Hudson in the background on the left

Wasn’t something similar done to Hurricanes operating in Greece and the like? (RPs on one wing, with a drop-tank on the other?)

Sorry, Melv, my little book says that G-AIDN was the only Spitfire at SBAC in 1948 (and 1947 for that matter).

OK, a guess, VN316, SBAC 1948