Colour schemes and identities

If the identity of the aircraft is known, then I reckon it should be restored to reflect its original heritage. Purely my opinion of course, and believe me, I am the first in line to applaud any classic aircraft being brought in from the cold, housed in a warm hanger and restored to any condition, static, airworthy or otherwise!

Be interesting to see what folks think?

I quite agree. I’m very surprised Shuttleworth do this so prolifically. Currently their Gladiator, Tutor and Tiger Moth all have the incorrect serials just for the sake of portraying something colourful. I have no objections to the colour schemes chosen, but think they should keep their original serials. If people keep avoiding the correct serial, there is a fear that future generations will forget the history of that particular machine and think the serial painted on it is the correct one.
I am very pleased that the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight have got it right, for whatever markings their aircraft adopt, the correct serials have remained on their Spirtfires, Hurricanes and the Lancaster throughout. They haven’t even been tempted to put a ‘period’ serial on their Dakota which flies correctly as ZA947.

Yep, absolutely right. I guess what I was really asking was for folks’ personal thoughts on representative colour schemes, not so much whether owners should be ‘allowed’ to do it!

I restore classic motorcycles. I had one twirp come up to me and state that the pinstriping on my 1930 BSA Sloper was too wide.

I asked him to go and get his, then we’d compare the two.

No answer to that, either……….

“Wrong” paint schemes

I remember this old chestnut surfacing in Flypast many years ago.

There was a bit of adverse reaction to (I think) a pink Spitfire. The (American) owner’s reaction was something like: “It’s my Goddam aeroplane and I’ll paint it whatever colour I like”.

Can’t argue with that.

Yes, owner’s perogative is a fair call. I guess if we took it to the nth degree, we could cry and moan about the BBMF Lancaster too! Above all, it is stunning to see more classic aircraft flying again than what there ever was. Thanks for your thoughts folks!

I am pleased to see alternative colour schemes provded they are authentic for the Type and Mark. However I would prefer it if the serial or registration shown was that of the actual airframe.. This is because after seeing Spitfire RW393 at Turnhouse every weekend for many years I find that after it was renovated it now appears as TB675 “4D-V”.
At least at Turnhouse there is a “plastic” FSM and at East Fortune a real one TE462 but it looks a bit non descript with no codes and rounded prop blades. It used to be in a diorama display in what is now the “Concorde” hanger but now sits in the “Military” hanger in such a way that its difficult to photograph

Owners prerogative.

Spencer Flack’s fleet of birds spring to mind…