Hello,
Anybody seen this yet:
http://www.closingtheringmovie.co.uk/home.html
Trailer shows i real B17 and Texan, though why they have 2 (Badly Drawn) Spitfires? on the main page is not clear (unless its to attract a British audience).
My father, who was brought up in Belfast during the war, used to tell me his clearest memory was “watching the American Flying Fortesses flying across the city” I used to think his memory was playing tricks on him. but after seeing the trailer, Iam not so sure.
Anybody clarify whether Northern Ireland was used as a ferry point (Aldergrove perhaps?).
Cheers
633
By: Fleet16b - 18th December 2007 at 17:11
My son and I spent a few evenings watching the movie being made over here in Dundas Ontario Canada.
A B-17 flew in from the USA to the Airport at Hamilton Ontario.
We watched as over and over again the B-17 would taxi up and the “movie crew” would climb out. If I recall, it took about seven takes to get it right.
Overall very interesting to watch and a real thrill to see ” Big X” in person.
Fleet16b
By: N.Wotherspoon - 18th December 2007 at 08:57
Langford Lodge !?!?!?!
Also a bit more on the film here.
+ a quick Google finds the following details: B-17G, serial number 42-97862, crashed into Cave Hill on June 1st, 1944. pilot was Lester B. Brooks. Navigator Flight Lt. Joseph V. Nobilione
By: Lyffe - 17th December 2007 at 20:24
I don’t know about Northern Ireland being a destination for eastbound ferry flights, I would have thought Prestwick was the main destination, but aircraft certainly did land there.
On 16th December 1943, Flt Lt Woosley of 1402 Meteorological Flight took off from Aldrgrove at 1128 GMT for the midday ascent. Entering cloud at 1000 feet he had climbed to 14000 feet when his psychrometer (instrument for measuring temperature) became unserviceable. Returning to Aldergrove he had the psychrometer replaced and took off again at 1246 GMT. This time he completed the ascent through thick cloud layers and found clear air at 23,600 feet – the top of the climb. He also found two Fortress bombers circling 3000 feet above him and clearly lost. Flt Lt Woosley and the Americans were unable to communicate with each other so, with one of the bombers formatting on the Gladiator, he escorted it down through cloud until it landed at Nutts Corner. He then repeated the process with the second bomber. The situation was not helped by the fact that the cloud base at Nutts Corner was less than 1000 feet and the visibility less than one mile.
It later transpired the two aircraft had been on an eastbound ferry flight before becoming lost after flying above cloud for many hours.
(Source: 1402 Met Flight ORB)
There are other tales of rings being found at crash sites.
On 9 December 1943 a B-17G (42-37744) taking off for a weather reconnaissance sortie from Bovingdon, crashed just beyond the airfield boundary with the loss of all on board, including Flt Lt John Leigh-Clare, a British Meteorological Air Observer. The crash was witnessed by a young 10 years old boy who, over the years kept returning to the spot.
Whilst visiting with his grandson in 1975, he found two gold rings. The name of the owner of one was clearly inscribed, and in 2003, 60 years after the accident, he traced the airman’s (the pilot) family and handed the ring into their safe-keeping.
Although the second ring is marked it has proved impossible to identify its owner, although at one time it was thought to belong to John Leigh-Clare. (The main source is an unpublished book written by the pilot’s family, but I was involved in that I made the contact with Leigh-Clare’s family.)
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December 17, 2007 at 7:48 pm