Spitfire trainer

Yep – also trained Carolyn on ML407.

Originally posted by MontyP
Hi all. First time poster:)

You’re spot on Dave. It was ML407. We have the programme recorded on cassette here in the house and when I read your post it sounded familiar. It was for a programme called Airport 90 which ran for a weekend live from Gatwick. The Spitfire was flown by Peter ? I couldnt make out the last name sorry.

Hope I’ve been of some use:)

Not bad for a first post Monty, not bad at all. 🙂

Reckon the guy you’re thinking of would be Pete Kynsey. I’m pretty sure it was he who flew ML407 follwing Nick’s passing and before Carolyn got her type rating and DA.

Mark 12
Once, in the dim and distant past, I had an Ian Allan Civil Aircraft spotters book. I’m sure I marked the Spitfire in it, and since I never throw anything away (!) it must be around somewhere.
There’s still some of my stuff in my Mum’s flat that I haven’t found yet. She’s a worse hoarder than I am. I’ll go and ransack the place in the next month or so.

I didn’t know the Henlow visit was 1968 but I’m confident the Spitfire at Elstree would be at least a couple of years before that.

Re: There are some really jammy people in this world!

Originally posted by Mark12
Daz,

Jammy?

I suspect they would say words more along the lines of – dedicated, enthusiastic and focussed. 🙂
Mark

Yeah, that too! :p 😉

Living in the wilds of Penicuik, near Edinburgh, means that one rarely gets to see a ‘live’ Spitfire (or any warbird, for that matter!) unless you go to East Fortune once or twice a year! 🙁

Sorry, complete and utter brain failure.

dhfan,

Well you certainly have confused me!

However if it was RAF Henlow during the time of the engineering build up to the BoB film, 1968, then the only combination we have not aired here is the arrival of TE308 at Elstree in Irish Livery and UK civil registration.

With apologies and due credit to the un-named who took this shot.

Mark

Mike,

Clever this PSP7. 🙂

Mark

Seen at Duxford 1975

Sorry, complete and utter brain failure.
For Hendon, read Henlow.

It was the aeroplanes they were collecting for BofB.
Amongst numerous Spitfires, there was a real He111, which I’ve always assumed is the one now at Hendon, a real ‘109, presumably Black 6 (or Hendon again?) and a few Hurricanes.
My Dad had escorted XR220 there a few weeks earlier and got talking to the guardhouse. We were allowed in to have a nose around.

………….and enhanced repost number 2.

🙂

Mike J

I have applied a little bit of PSP7 to your TE308 shot.

May I repost it?

Mark

Love the shot of the P51’s Mike, they look fantastic.

There are some really jammy people in this world!

Daz,

Jammy?

I suspect they would say words more along the lines of – dedicated, enthusiastic and focussed. 🙂

Here is that ‘English bloke’ again after a full airshow practice routine with John Fairey in MT818/G-AIDN – July 1969.

He looks a bit ‘green’ to me. :rolleyes: I guess we have to allow for inflation but he told me the cost was only £20 to cover the fuel!

Mark

Some really fabulous shots from the past as usual Mark.

Keep on postin’!

🙂

Cheers

Paul

…………and finally 1973, in the ‘God Almighty’ paint scheme and with the rear cockpit panelled over. It never looked right from ‘day one’ but this was all long before the handsome ‘Grace conversion’. Thankfully after a short ownership change, with the sad loss of Don Plumb in his P-51, the new and current owner had her repainted and the rear cockpit re-established.

Mark

Personal memories and photos, such as the ones on this thread, make this forum what it is. Fascinating.

Thanks all 🙂

………..here with the aircraft now painted in a very non standard RAF livery is Don Plumb on the right with that ‘English bloke’ having just ‘straffed’ the Billings residence at a seriously low altitude – 5 June 1972 🙂

Mark

Thanks guys,I remembered reading about it in Leonard Moseley’s book a while back and couldn’t remember which one it was. 🙂 Looks like Connie made a brillant job of the belly landing 😎

…… back on the TE308 stream here she is as CF-RAF on an early test flight post a full restoration at Windsor Ontario – 30 July 1971. Pilot/owner is Don Plumb up front with Gerry Billings in the rear keeping an eye on things. Gerry flew Spitfires in WWII in Malta and 2nd TAF and continued flying them right up to 2/3 years ago but had to call it a day with the sale of MK923 – quite a character and a real fun guy.

Mark

MJ772/G-AVAV – think the pilot was ‘Connie’ Edwards?