One might consider that in these economic times, that using anything to help pay the rent on hangers and aircraft might not be a bad thing 🙂

First Spit up close was then clipped wing Spit Vc AR501 at Duxford in 1980. That really set me down the Spitfire path, in particular clipped wing XIIs

I was lucky enough to get in the B of B flight Spit II P7350 at Coltishall in 1986 during the 41 Squadron reunion.

Got back England and to Duxford for Legends in 2005 and saw all those Spits in the air at one time. Talk about heaven.

Actually the first real Spit I saw was P9306 at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. I was probably seven years old. It was hanging from the ceiling so that doesn’t really count to me as up close and personal 🙂

Kind of makes me miss the days when no one cared about warbirds outside of a few die-hards who weren’t backed by big money and lots of lawyers.

Now it’s Non disclose papers and tightly kept secrets!

I’m with the mob on this one. What was the point of making this thread other then to apparently say “I know something the rest of you don’t, but I’m not telling!’ ?

It seems quite clear under the circumstances that no one has reached the point where they are willing to call a Spade a Spade.

That being said, they’ll be most willing to discuss the reasons why they are encouraged to think it’s a spade although they haven’t really seen the spade yet as all indications are that at one point there was a spade involved at some point.

Whether the spade can be found and who it belongs to, is still not clear but some have memories of the nice box the spade came in.

They also recall being told that the spade had it’s handle when it went into the box, but it’s possible the handle was separate from the spade so that it could be attached at a later time

A number of experts will speak on what type of spade may be involved in the search, although the suggestions that there are in fact more then one spade being discussed isn’t really clear.

A further press conference will be held when further evidence of the existence of the spade will potentially be provided and certainly discussed.

Mk XII EN224 EB-L.

Can’t wait. 🙂

Mark

There you go teasing us again! Not even a sneak peak yet? 🙂

So does anyone know what happened to TE357? That did seem to be the question asked 🙂

How many thousand views and posts were there on the thread about the discovery of the P40? Can anybody recall? Up into the high five figures, I think.

Am I alone in finding it incredibly sad that there seems to be comparitively very little interest in the pilot, although Flt Sgt Dennis Copping and his family are the only really important thing, here.

Instead, we have a situation where the authorities have clearly fouled-up big time and it all gets swept under the carpet and passed off with little more than a virtual shrug. Meanwhile, in case there is the risk of any ‘jeapordy’ to the precious aeroplane all discussion on that is placed into quarrantine.

I hope the P40 does come back here, although I rather feel that is all that is of any importance or interest in some quarters.

I hate to say it, but sadly there is no profit potential in the remains of the pilot Andy.

He’s not a Battle of Britain pilot. He didn’t fly a Spitfire or a Hurricane, he’s not an Ace, and he won’t be signing autographs at the next airshow.

There’s no story in that unless there is something scandalous as is appears there now might be.

It’s a bit like the never ending argument about providence vs new builds in Spitfires or other warbirds. To me the point gets missed. They’re just machines. It’s the people who flew and crewed them that matter. Without them, those machines are just inanimate objects.

We way too soon forget the people. I’m glad folks like yourself remember that and continue to put them first