Spitfire Fly Past – Nuneaton, Remembrance Sunday

I live in the village next to Bedworth and seen most of the flypasts over the last 10- years or so from the 3 TTTE Tornados .
The late Mark hanna in the 109 with a the spit that was one that sticks with me as the pair held over my house for about 10 minutes .
as for the spit and built up areas the park they fly over is on the hedge of a old mineing area now a country park and past that open fields so not built up area at all . the dc3 comes in from cov across the open fields as normal cannot see any problems with . it to be honest.shame really i get a great view of it all . think things are going to pc really will be no flypast or anything soon .

I heard that the DC3 poppy drop was being allowed, but the Spitfires were not. Maybe something to do with the fact that a Spitfire is operated on a Permit to Fly, and the DC3 is on a Cert of Airworthiness?

It’s perfectly safe to have an airliner flying over built up areas (if one of those came down, more would be killed than if a Spitfire came down)

Whilst not disagreeing with your sentiments I have to point out that in the event of an engine failing airliners generally have one or more ‘spares’ to fly them to a safe landing. Not an option in the Spitfire.

Spitfires over London? I think these are invariably BBMF = Military. Military flights are not bound by CAA regulation.

Anybody know if the proposed flights were by RAF or civilian aircraft?

I worked at Atlantique at the time of the very first poppy drop.

It isn’t a simple procedure in the DC3 which isn’t fitted with bomb doors. It basically entails shoving them out the main cargo door. So the pilot, operating on forecast winds, has to make his best guess as to where to drop, and then relies on verbal communication with the despatchers to initiate the drop. It isn’t simple, hardly suprising they don’t always get it right.

Moggy

I share the outrage that the CAA seem to have kicked the organisers in the b*lls. Bedworth British Legion (I think) say they are the ONLY town in the UK to have held a remeberance service on November 11th every year – and they usually have a flypast.

I think the “missed target” incident a couple of years ago (when Air Atlantique’s Dakota’s poppy drop didn’t fall on the service below) could be put down to wind effect. I imagine the pilot had to choose between flying over the service and the poppys drifting away or flying out of sight so the poppys hit their target. Perhaps a member from AA will comment.

Roger Smith.

I attended the Bedworth parade a few years ago to see a colleague from the Midland Air Museum on what was to be his last ever rememberance parade there… (some of you may have known Frank Wilkins).. That year the parade was overflown by not just a Spitfire but a Buchon (or ME109 – couldn’t tell ya which), which was a stirring sight for all on the ground… I’m ex-RAF, but I also respect the view that there were losses form both sides during WW2 – which made the joint flypast / display somewhat poignant to watch….

I can’t figure the CAA out on this ‘new ruling’ – I’ve seen Spits fly over Buckingham Palace etc, so why the sudden change of stance? It’s disrespectful to all those lost and remembered on this day, and someone ought to be brought to account for making this decision…

As for Atlantique’s Dak flypast / poppy drop – I heard that because of a previous bad drop (missed the target), it was not allowed to continue? Can’t help feeling that the CAA have a very narrow minded view on anything like this…. mistakes can happen? With proper regulations already in place for any historic flyer, where’s the problem suddenly appeared from?

Using Bedworth as the example – any technical hitches during a display there – should be easy enough to recover quite quickly to Coventry Airport???
😡

It isn’t actually Nuneaton that’s supposed to have the flypast – It’s Bedworth, a few miles away. I’ve done the Rememberance day parade at Bedworth before, i think it’s the only town in the UK to have the remberance day parade on the actual 11th of November. They normally have a Dakota from air atlantique, tends to miss the actual site of the war memorial though

It was probably someone with no respect for the aircraft or the people that flew her and continue to do so to this day 😡

Tt may be some political type not wanting to offend someone – isn’t that the “in” thing these days? :rolleyes:

These people need their heads examined.

It was probably someone with no respect for the aircraft or the people that flew her and continue to do so to this day 😡

I think that that is……….I am not allowed to describe how I feel on here (for obvious reasons) but I think that you should get the picture.

When is the Government going to quit giving us all this CRAP…….It’s perfectly safe to have an airliner flying over built up areas (if one of those came down, more would be killed than if a Spitfire came down) but not a Spitfire with an experienced display pilot…..what do they think will hapen…….it’s an outrage!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😡