Merlins over ?????- Arrival pics.

Okee doke, now what was the movie I saw a few years back that had loads of P51’s painted in Luftwaffe colours? (one of the advantages of having AMC on cable)

That could be ‘Fighter Squadron’ made I think in the late 1940s, about the 8th Air Force fighter escort missions.All the U.S fighters were P-47s and the film made good use of genuine colour gun camera footage that was shot in the Pacific.

Just to clarify, that really bad movie was the disappointing sequeal, The Philadelphia Experiment II. I bought it second hand thinking it was No. 1 – the denotation “II” is very well disguised on the front cover. :rolleyes:

Okee doke, now what was the movie I saw a few years back that had loads of P51’s painted in Luftwaffe colours? (one of the advantages of having AMC on cable)

Some of the QRA type hangars are still there & can be seen in some cheapo movie about an F117 going back in time & being used by the Luftwaffe :rolleyes: . …

Just to clarify, that really bad movie was the disappointing sequeal, The Philadelphia Experiment II. I bought it second hand thinking it was No. 1 – the denotation “II” is very well disguised on the front cover. :rolleyes:

That last shot could be Edwards or Oxnard/Camarillo. There are/were some big hangars at oxnard from when they had fighters based there. Some of the QRA type hangars are still there & can be seen in some cheapo movie about an F117 going back in time & being used by the Luftwaffe :rolleyes: . I think there are 3 of those standing.
Those aren’t in the pics tho as they are at the end of the filed, not the middle so I’m inclined to think that last pic could be Edwards.. except for those fuel pumps…. :confused: never seen those at a US AFB…
The mystery continues….

After some research by a UK Spitfire Historian, the original Code letters for its time in 126 Squadron, 5J-Z, were identified and full paint livery, drawings and chips were supplied including the repeat ‘Z’ on the rudder. Unfortunately Jerry Billings, a Malta serving Spitfire pilot (with Azure Blue still on his mind 🙂 ), convinced Bill Ross that the ‘Medium Sea Grey’ was incorrect and they painted it an obscure ‘greeny blue’ on the undersides that it carries to this day. The repeat ‘Z’ was not applied.

But when it’s your aircraft you can………..

Mark

If anyone is intrested in finding out a bit more about MK923,, look out for Gerry billing’s book ‘ A Knave among Knights in their Spitfires’. Published by Bunker to Bunker books.

Septic.

I think its a Spitfire… A Blue Spitfire…
BARNOWL

Really? when did they demolish that hill in the background?

ZRX61

18th May 1980.

That’ll be Mount St Helens. 😉

19th May 1968 Edwards AFB is what is clearly written on the reverse of the first post image. I had cropped the nose off a Military KC-135 or similar to right and most of the sport bi-plane.

Although I did not take this shot I do date and locate my shots religiously in this manner and tend not to challenge or doubt the evidence in this form, that said…however sometimes…

Here is a shot from a further bunch from another source at a photo processed date as ‘June 1968’ and could well be the same location/airshow/open day or whatever. A lousy image true but it does give clearer site of the the local geography.

Over to you.

I think Oxnard was the reported base at this time

Mark

The photo was actually taken at Edwards AFB on 19 May 1968.
Mark

Really? when did they demolish that hill in the background? I can see Edwards from where I’m sat, I can’t see that hill tho. :confused: You are talking about the first pic in this thread?
The other thing that makes it doubtful being Edwards is the amount of grass & the trees. Edwards had a major shortage of both.

Colour Police – 2

Dave,

A couple of interesting photos there. The second one would seem to be in the same location as my original posting.

The 126 Squadron scheme for MK923 was based on a couple of shots of (conveniently) MK126 5J-G. The rear quarter shot showed the code application on fuselage and fin to perfection and the front quarter shot here shows the spinner to be tonally lighter than the MSG. I would judge it to be ‘Sky’.

Mark

Mark12, would the spinner have been Yellow too?? seems i read some were that the 126squ. spinners would have been the medium sea grey.

Was at Bob Swaddlings house the other day and he has a nice collection of pictures of MK923 during D-Day

Dave

‘Colour Police’ – I like that.

Yes, Septic was mostly correct, it is MK923. It was a COGEA Spitfire but OO-ARF, not ARY. It did not participate in the Battle of Britain film.

The photo was actually taken at Edwards AFB on 19 May 1968.

This aircraft has had and continues to be plagued with a series of inaccurate paint schemes to this day.

Post COGEA civil schemes, the ‘Longest Day’ film livery, seen above, beggared belief. There then followed three versions of the ‘Blue’ scheme with large white N93081, large black N521R and latterly the OO-ARY, which one might assume was a US attempt at an RAF Code (any other suggestions welcome).

All this time in the ownership of movie actor Cliff Robertson, 22 September 1972 saw Jerry Billings ferrying the aircraft to the custodianship of Bill Ross in Chicago, who oversaw a complete as then restoration and repaint.

After some research by a UK Spitfire Historian, the original Code letters for its time in 126 Squadron, 5J-Z, were identified and full paint livery, drawings and chips were supplied including the repeat ‘Z’ on the rudder. Unfortunately Jerry Billings, a Malta serving Spitfire pilot (with Azure Blue still on his mind 🙂 ), convinced Bill Ross that the ‘Medium Sea Grey’ was incorrect and they painted it an obscure ‘greeny blue’ on the undersides that it carries to this day. The repeat ‘Z’ was not applied.

But when it’s your aircraft you can………..

Mark

MK923

I’d go for MK923, departed UK (as OO-ARF) in a Flying Tiger Line CL-44, 17 November 1963 en route to Santa Anna, Ca, for Cliff Robertson (must have been those Mossies in 633 Squadron!). Registered N93081 for first flight from US soil following overhaul, 1964. Flew very little and re-registered N521R by 1967 and located at Oxnard, Ca. It was eventually flown to Bill Ross in Chicago for a thorough rebuild; short test flight 16 Sept 1972 (by Jerry Billings) followed by 13 stage 14.20hr flight to Du Page County Airport, Chicago.

Photo taken during its time at Oxnard, reason for colour scheme & markings … given the owner’s occupation I’d suggest film or TV work. “OO-ARY” … who knows!

Compare with this Bill Fisher photo taken at Biggin Hill in 1963:

Its an interesting one. Talking to the people on the Merlins stand they were saying that paint was applied with ‘yard brushes’ and was indeed likely to be a US Blue which would have been watered down or even diluted with other colours such as grey/black, Fascinating stuff

[QUOTE=Mark12]Not the first Spitfire since the warbird era to be painted in Dark Mediterranean Blue.

Unlikely that the Spits from Wasp were painted in RAF standard colours. A/c were painted in transit and it is probable therefore that standard USN colours were borrowed from the ship’s paint locker. Hurried application techniques may have also altered the shades anyway. The consensus is that the colour should be “greyer” although nobody actually knows what’s correct. Anybody interested in USN camouflage colours could probably get the odd clue from this excellent website.

http://www.shipcamouflage.com/warship_camouflage.htm

whatever the colours police say still think BM looks nice in the new scheme

I have it noted from a slide that MK923 was wearing the marks ‘OO-ARY’ at Oxnard , California in 1968 .

Duxman

Sure looks like Oxnard given the local geography…. that bloody great hill in the background when all about is flatter than a pancake..

I have it noted from a slide that MK923 was wearing the marks ‘OO-ARY’ at Oxnard , California in 1968 .

Duxman

Mark12, is it MK923 way back in 1970-71, whilst in the care of Frank Tallman.

Septic.

I go with Septic on this one. There is/was a photo of MK923 in those colors minus the Belgian reg. on the Internet.

T J

Now thats just cheating 🙂

I know, but as I originally thought it was 415 after seeing the pic I thought… 😀

As you say though, we’ve probably all got it wrong! 😮

Cheers

Paul

O.k changing my mind. 😉

I think it is actually MH415.

The rest as above still!

Now thats just cheating 🙂

I didn’t go for MH415 because I don’t know whether she ever had clipped wings or not

I’ll stick with NH238 until Mark12 tells us all we are all wrong, then I’ll change my mind 😀 😀

When – I’ll also say that it is in the US in the 1969-1975 timeframe when with the CAF

Where – Texas ?

Maybe Not MK297!

O.k changing my mind. 😉

I think it is actually MH415.

The rest as above still!