Anyone with aviation in their blood will look longingly at a Spitfire and say what if…? Many people dream of the chance to fly in one, many people decide to do so and fulfill a lifetimes ambition. I know just such a person who recently came into a reasonable inheritance. He has booked a full hour, the day could not come soon enough.

With over 1500 hours P1 in light aircraft, I  intend to do the same I hope in 2025. My eldest son like me is mad keen on WW2 fighters, his generous wife has bought him a flight for his 30th. I have two brothers also keen for the experience, about to talk to the operators to see if a four ship flight can be arranged.  Watch this space

I landed just after the incident. A complete headache for recovering, and as others have said it will cost a fortune. Good opportunity for an RAF Chinook exercise to recover it to an airfield on the mainland where repairs can be made.

I’ve landed on Lundy four times, its a strip that takes absolutely no prisoners or accepts poor landing technique and handling. The runway is marked by large painted white rocks its one of these that caught the Stearmans port U/C wiping it off. In addition to the U/C damage the port lower wing is twisted and fabric punctured.

The runway is wide enough and if the pilot was not happy with his positioning on final he should have gone around.

A very expensive and to my mind avoidable mistake

Terribly sad. Myself and Planemike who posts here were at the very strip in Sweden a few week ago where the aircraft was based along with another 18 or so classics. We photographed most of the based aircraft including the accident machine RIP

Shame if it does go but nothing surprises me. Has to be a prime development site and over spill for Thame. The airfield was one of the first I intended to visit in Proctor LZ791 based here and White Waltham 1943 to 1945
A low pass will probably be the closest 791 gets back to her home from over 70 years ago.

Bank on anything from £45,000 to £60,000 for an airworthy example. Hangarage average cost around £2,800-00 per annum less if you have your own strip and hangar. Annual C of A £3,000, insurance £900-00, hourly fuel and oil £45-00 to £50-00
Fifty hour checks £350-00 to £400-00. On top of that allow for any of the usual incidentals, tyres, spark plugs etc. I don’t think these figures will be miles out.

These were a common lamp unit fitted to a lot of pre and post war British types. Green lens are still relatively common red not so. Reason being in the austere post war 1950’s a lot of specials were built using the likes of pre war Ford and Austin chassis. The red bulbs were in demand for tail and brake lights. I was able to purchase three pairs of brand new ministry examples at a Shoreham aero jumble, boxed, protected in straw and dated 1942