The first Warbird you saw fly!

Posted by Chris B

“- B52s and B47s flying round the clock from Brize Norton in the early ’50s.”

Me too Chris, and Fairford, Greenham Common and Upper Heyford. Nor fogetting the occasional B-58 of course! And the KB-50s, which really do qualify as “warbirds” and lasted well into the 1960s out of Sculthorpe.

– a flight of Avro Lincolns at RAF Lindholme B of B airdisplay in 1956, just before they went out of service.”

Actually, Watton’s Lincolns soldiered on until 1963-ish from memory. I certainly saw them at the brilliant Upavon show in 1962. This was probably the first show I went to that had a significant “warbird” content (although of course no-one used the term then). Amongst the flying items were the Farnborough SE.5a in it’s all-over silver scheme, a 3 CAACU Mossie T.3, Old Warden’s 504K, Pup and F2B, etc, and best of all, Lossiemouth’s Fulmar.

Two He111’s, about half a dozen Buchons and the same number of Spitfires and a Mitchel camera ship over Romney Marsh in 1968, I was about 9 years old. I also witnessed a 3rd scale Spitfire being dropped from a Helecopter, the Spit was on fire and the wings came off just before it crashed onto Dungerness beach. The wreckage was there for years after, it had a huge concreat weight in the nose.
My Dad took me to Hawkinge aerodrome (now a housing estate) where there were loads of Spitfires and Hurricains lined up, also some replicas for blowing up. A few days later I saw Spitfire MH434 being displayed at Lydd by the late Neil Williams, I have been hooked ever sinse!

Correction:Sally B was seen at LTQ in May 1977 and not earlier as I thought before checking. likely flying back from La Ferté-Allais.

So first encouter should be amended to 1971 with AB910 still fitted with a four-blade prop. (Likely from a Mk.IX)

Mark 12,

To be honest I do not know what specific airshow the planes I mentioned were going to but, in thinking back, 1972 sounds right. I cut a photo of the P-51 that I saw out of the newspaper and hung above my bed for a very long time.

It was years before I saw my next warbirds, right before me moved out of the area my father took me to the museum at Quantico, Virginia where they had just finished restoring a Wildcat. The plane I remember most from that trip however, was the Corsair they had there. Having just met Col. Greg Boyington a few months prior to seeing it, I stood transfixed in front of the plane for close to an hour just trying to imagine how something so massive could fly, much less be an effective weapon of war. I was 13 at the time and it left a mighty impression upon me.

As for photos of planes that appeared there, yes I would LOVE to see them!

The first warbird I think I saw as a kid, was at the bomber gas station in Milwaukee Oregon. There was a B-17 propped up over the gas station. Everytime we were in the neighborhood whoever was driving would have to stop because the little kid in the back seat would go wild until we stopped so I could go over and look at it. The first flying ones were at a Portland Air National Guard base airshow in 1976 or 77. F-4 Phantom directly overhead. There was also an F-86 that had flowers painted all over it, a messershmitt trainer, and a F6F Hellcat. I loved that Hellcat. It crashed the next day on it’s way home. Theres pictures of it over on Ronsarchive. I guess the owner still has the plane and has been trying to restore it since then.

Finningley about 1963

a scramble by 4 Vulcans 😀 those were the days…………

and ASJV in her blue civilian scheme down low 🙂

Thanks Mark 12 for the reply,I thought it was sold for that reason but I couldn’t remember the full facts.Its a pity that all three spitfires that have flown in this country in seac colours have gone abroad,I’ve always had a soft spot for the scheme,could be because of my earlier reply!

Yes please mark,its always good to see old photo’s.One early sighting that sticks in my mind is the Wickenden bros mkxiv spitfire,NH749 being displayed at the Weymouth, dorset carnival!It was curving all around the bay and looked and sounded magnificent!I’m not sure of the year(early 1980’s?),but I don’t think it stayed in this country long after it’s restoration

Alanl,

The reason for the Spitfire being sold was because of the death of Keith Wickenden in the crash of a Dove he was piloting from Shoreham.

Here is a shot I took of NH749 on the first post restoration flight, 9 April 1983 out of Cranfield, with Angus Mcvitie at the controls. Note the tail wheel not fully retracted.

I will post the Transpo photos on another thread in a day or so.

Mark

Transpo-72 Washington

Which A-26 did the CAF field at Transpo?

TJ.

N6101C

Mark

Yes please mark!

Transpo-72. At Dulles field?

The first time the Confederate Air Force had ventured out of Texas.

For me, as a Brit, the first time sighting let alone airborne of so many types.

I do have a full suite of B/W everything if their is any interest.

Mark

Yes please mark,its always good to see old photo’s.One early sighting that sticks in my mind is the Wickenden bros mkxiv spitfire,NH749 being displayed at the Weymouth, dorset carnival!It was curving all around the bay and looked and sounded magnificent!I’m not sure of the year(early 1980’s?),but I don’t think it stayed in this country long after it’s restoration

Transpo-72. At Dulles field?

The first time the Confederate Air Force had ventured out of Texas.

For me, as a Brit, the first time sighting let alone airborne of so many types.

I do have a full suite of B/W everything if their is any interest.

Mark

Which A-26 did the CAF field at Transpo?

I can’t remember the exact date, or even the year, but it was in the mid-70’s. A P-51 and an Me-109 flew over my neighborhood (a suburb of Washington, D.C.) .”

Transpo-72. At Dulles field?

The first time the Confederate Air Force had ventured out of Texas.

For me, as a Brit, the first time sighting let alone airborne of so many types.

I do have a full suite of B/W everything if their is any interest.

Mark

Haven’t seen the A-26 for some time, but at the last “encounter” the plane still had the Yellow tail band! Someone within SHF claimed the reason for changing to a ETO paint scheme was in order to get more airshows. Don’t know if this is correct though!

T J Johansen

And this was when the 26 still had the very nice Korean era colors. They were so much nicer than the current one.

Another one from Zoersel, 1991. And La Ferte in 1993, is she still in these colours then?

The French B-17 was all Silver with a Red tail if I’m not mistaken. Think it wore this scheme at West Mallimg in either 1985 or 1986. It was called “Lucky Lady” at the time. Also Sally B was bare metal until 1984. It also had a red stripe going diagonal down the tail. Don’t know if it got the blue stripe back before going OD!

Third shot is the SHF Invader, taken at Zoersel (Belgium) in 1991 I think

And this was when the 26 still had the very nice Korean era colors. They were so much nicer than the current one. Remember seeing that plane the first weekend it spent in Oslo. What a beauty!!!

T J Johansen

My earliest memory is vert limited. I know that I cried 😮 as a kid because a 4 engined piston plane flew over my head at low altitude. It must have been a metalic shemed B17. This was in the early 1980ties. I think it could be the french based example (did it have a metalic sheme in the eighties? :confused: ) If anyone could confirm this, then I would be shure that Pink Lady is my earliest live warbird memory.

J.V.

I did some thinking and came to the conclusion that the first warbird I ever saw flying was probably the DBAF B-25. The photo below is the first time I visited the DBAF, I think it was in 1990, and just as I was about to leave they pulled the aircraft out of the hangar for an engine test, providing me with this shot. I think I first saw her flying a few weeks later.

Next one is the first time I ever flew in her: 1993 going to the La Ferte Airshow. And no, I won’t post the photo that shows me grinning like a fool!

Third shot is the SHF Invader, taken at Zoersel (Belgium) in 1991 I think.`

Edit: rescanned and reuploaded second photo, quality now acceptable! 😉

June 1981

Martin / Swiss Mustangs

CAF??

I can’t remember the exact date, or even the year, but it was in the mid-70’s. A P-51 and an Me-109 flew over my neighborhood (a suburb of Washington, D.C.) about a minute apart from each other at about 500 feet. The sound was what hooked me, and it my love for warbirds has not diminished one iota since. In fact it’s grown into what my girlfriend describes as an “obsession” and my “second job.”