RAF Norton Spitfire?

PK724

Here she is in September 1969 at Gaydon – this was the Friday evening before the BoB Day display on the Saturday.

Mark 12 Point taken, I understand wot you mean reading it agian.

Could the pictures that you have posted be in the Hangar I was in yesterday? the frame work at the top of the hangar looks very similar to me

Mark 12, I would say Cranwell is at least 50 miles from Norton by road may be more, from the Air may be 30 ish but theres no runway at Norton, have a look from google earth

Well ‘over 30’, ‘at least 50’, my point was that to create the Museum scene at Cranwell in ‘High Flight’, it may have been shot using the Spitfire 22 and Vampire at Norton rather than transport the two aircraft to the principal filming location – Cranwell….if indeed they are the aircraft.

Any comments from the airfield architecture specialists?

Mark

Mark 12, I would say Cranwell is at least 50 miles from Norton by road may be more, from the Air may be 30 ish but theres no runway at Norton, have a look from google earth

The double hangar at Norton, its not your typical type hangar, any ideas?

Could the Vampire in the ‘High Flight’ still be the Norton Vampire F1 VF281?

Indeed could the ‘Cranwell Museum’ in High Flight actually be a hangar at Norton?

By my reckoning Cranwell to Norton is a little over 30 miles, so no big deal for a second film unit from Cranwell, where the principal aviation filming was shot.

Mark

Mystery Spitfire

This one has puzzled me for some time – the photographer thinks it may have been taken at North Weald (he was based there for a time) but isn’t really sure.

If it was NW then the aircraft is probably PK624 but the photo isn’t clear enough to show a serial.

The fact that it is being moved with the prop in situ suggests a non-flyer.

Ideas anyone?

Last picture is of the main gate

Been up this morning to the old place, was very cold! Any how heres some of the pictures I took

PK724

Mark: You may be right that the PK724 respray was on its original silver finish. Thanks for the great photo of it.
I was at Bicester that whole week on a UAS “camp”, I got a lot of hours in, but not on the 17th, so had time to scour the Exhibition Flight, the RAFGSA hangar and the dump. There was a lot to be seen in all 3! The remains of Spit TB287 were on the dump in March, and I saw RR263 in May. TE356 was there, I think still on the gate. K9942 and X4590 were with the Exhibition Flight.
Wellington MF628 left in March 1961. Plus numerous more modern wrecks and relics.

Laurence

Mark: I am not sure. I was with Oxford UAS at Bicester and often used to look around the Exhibition Flight hangar. On 17.4.61 I noted PK724 “just resprayed”. I think it was camouflaged before, but am not certain.
They had also just finished Hunter 7422M which they had started a month earlier. It still had its ejection seat marked WT684. It went to Reading ATC later.

l.g,

The precision of your date, presumably your flight log, fits another little piece of the jigsaw of the ‘High Flight’ mystery Spitfire

I believe your repsray was from ‘Silver’ to ‘Camouflage’. Here is a shot by Graham Skillen taken while still at 71 MU Bicester in September 1961, prior to issue to RAF Gaydon in December. The inaccurate markings are of almost identical in style and colour to the then recent BBMF Mk XVI’s TE476 and SL574. This scheme is the first of two camou schemes it carried in the 1960’s up to the BoB film arrival at RAF Henlow.

Mark

Image:- Graham Skillen

Seems Norton and its aircraft have been discussed elsewhere before!

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8063&highlight=RAF+Norton+Spitfire
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-245.html

Chris

Mark: I am not sure. I was with Oxford UAS at Bicester and often used to look around the Exhibition Flight hangar. On 17.4.61 I noted PK724 “just resprayed”. I think it was camouflaged before, but am not certain.
They had also just finished Hunter 7422M which they had started a month earlier. It still had its ejection seat marked WT684. It went to Reading ATC later.

Mark
TB308 was still in the Bicester dump in March 1961.
PK724 was resprayed at Bicester in April 1961.

l.garey,

This respray of PK724 in April 1961. Would this be silver to camouflage or camouflage to camouflage?

Prior to my first sighting of PK724 at Henlow in 1968 as a potential for use in the BoB film, PK724 had been in at least two camou schemes at RAF Gaydon.

Mark

Yeah, right, thanks!
I must have been deeply in love with my future wife, as I don’t recognise anything!

I would like to see those, Yorkie, to refresh my fading memory! It was over 40 years ago!

PL,

Try here:-

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q51/norwichpaul/RAF%20Norton%2016%20BD/

Mark

TB308

Mark
TB308 was still in the Bicester dump in March 1961.
PK724 was resprayed at Bicester in April 1961.

I would like to see those, Yorkie, to refresh my fading memory! It was over 40 years ago!

Thats superb Mark 12 !!! the first shot I’ve ever seen of a spit at Norton.
Been thinking of going up to the old place and taking some pics

Yorkie & Atcham Tower

Here is a shot of TB308 at RAF Norton. As TB308 was camouflaged on the gate at RAF Bishopbriggs in 1957 and was in the Memorial Flight hangar at Martlesham in 1959 in silver, before they scrapped it off at Bicester, we can assume this image is circa 1958.

I am very keen to see any image of PK724 at Norton. I have a shot in silver dated 1957 BoB day but I suspect that PK724 in original camouflage is the mystery Spitfire that is seen in the Film ‘High Flight’ of that time.

Mark