BBMF at Southend

Moving on 12months from the last post

I just managed to get to Southend in time to catch PS915 PR Mk. XIX taking off, presumably for Herne Bay ?
It returned a little while later and did a couple of low passes for the benefit of those attending the Vulcan open day (XL426)

Well they were nearly right about a Spitfire coming into Southend on Saturday.
It actually turned out to be Hurricane LF363. Flown in by S/L Mark Discombe. The Hurricane was chosen, as it could
handle the crosswinds better than the Spitfire, or so we were told by Mark, who came over and had a chat with us.

He did a few flypasts on his way to Southend, then went off to Old Warden. Returning to Conningsby just before 1pm on Sunday.

Changes to the schedule did indeed happen 🙁

The two Spitfires due to come into Southend on Friday morning, turned into one Spitfire arriving late Saturday afternoon. When I was in Norfolk 🙂
I went to the airport and made enquiries on Sunday morning, as I didn’t know when it was flying out. I was told it was in a hangar and would be
going out at around 2:30pm, weather permitting.
I was also told, it or another Spitfire is back next Saturday (18th) in the afternoon. Going off to display at Old Warden, then coming back to Southend.

Well of course that is always true and applies to all display schedules – I just meant that rider notwithstanding. The only reliable information is when the aircraft appears overhead!!:eagerness:

It has been shown in the past, that their movements can change on a day to day basis.

The BBMF website is very helpful and that spreadsheet is published each month so well worth relying on, more than local and possibly speculative info I suppose. Ho9p0e you get to see them.:)

I was given duff info. 🙁

It now seems they are coming in on Friday morning 10th June. Leaving on 12th
Hopefully they will be landing on 06.

Or just wishful thinking perhaps. It is all clear here. http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/rafcms/mediafiles/3C149BF3_5056_A318_A853C64F72BCEACA.xls

I was only going by what I was told by ATC. Maybe they’ve been misinformed ?

Then again, the BBMF have more than two Spitfires. Maybe they have some flypasts arranged.
I should get more details later in the week.

Their website says they will be based from Cambridge.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/displays/flyingprogramme.cfm

Going by the BBMF Schedule there isn’t any need for them so be at Southend this coming weekend as they look to be basing themselves at Duxford

I have it on good authority, that two of the BBMF’s Spitfires will be at Southend this coming weekend. 28/29th.
No times as yet.

It seems strange driving past the airport now, sort of empty. Despite the airbuses coming and going.

The memories will stay for ever.

Found on BBC news website
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29247920

It all seems like a distant memory now :apologetic:

I didn’t go back to the airport to see them go off. We went to Hadleigh Castle instead. Too high to get any decent pictures,
but it was nice to get a final look at the two of them together, as they flew off across the Thames.

What software do you use to process your RAW images. ?

VRA over Hadleigh Castle

Sorry Alan but I didn’t see your last post until this evening otherwise I would have found you to say hello.
Got there over an hour before their departure and just beat the rush for parking spaces. Hopefully I have got some good photos but I used RAW format which I have only used a couple of times before and I am having trouble persuading my computer to download them at present.

These are a few I took early this morning.
JPEGs virtually straight from the camera.

Thanks for that. I know exactly where you mean. Will have to make sure I get there early today and hopefully find a space.

I shall be wearing my Lancater 2014 Tour baseball cap 🙂

Thanks for that. I know exactly where you mean. Will have to make sure I get there early today and hopefully find a space.