RE: Aircraft identification required please

Same scheme Philo but the blue on her now doesn’t seem as bright as that one – maybe the light or the film!

regards David J Burke

RE: Hendon free entry

Erm – are they the same people who keep the BBMF ,Red Arrows and various other parts of the services going. After all it was these people who created the RAFM and sent Hercules all round the world looking for exhibits!

RE: *Restorations Update* Whats going on lads?

The Spitfires won’t become empty shell’s. The is no reason to strip them to that extent.
Regarding ‘beyond the comprehension’ in terms of the Tempest V for what reason would they wish to fly one again. The BBMF’s title
tend to indicate the prime reason for flying Hurricane’s and Spitfires.
They capture the public’s imagination in a way that a Tempest in airworthy condition will not ever. Secondly the is no spares supply to tap into for the Napier Sabre engine. Whatever people say about the later marks being reliable how many have run in the last 40 years
in an aeroplane ? I guess none – that tends to tell a story.The is no company in the aerospace industry that has overhauled a Napier Sabre in recent memory so all in all the chances look decidedly slim of it happening.

RE: Tempest

The are actually two former Autokraft machines not one. These are currently at Gamston under rebuild to fly with one not very far off.
Regards the rest the RAFM has two machines – a Tempest II and a V but neither of these are slated for any kind of airworthy restoration. The Tempest II is on view at Hendon whilst the ‘V’ is at Wyton. Regarding the rest of the machines from the Indian batch one is in France (ex David Martin machine) but is for sale and may indeed have sold. One went to the New England Air Museum in return for the Short Sealand which ended up in Belfast.
Other than that the are the two Kermit Weeks machines -the second prototype in Florida and the Tempest V with PPS at Booker.
The task to get the Tempest V airworthy is enormous because of the complexity of the Napier Sabre unit so I should be patient.

RE: What do we want in 2002

Philo – wise sentiments – I was told many years ago by an experienced pilot that it’s ‘not the ground that moves up – it’s the aircraft that goes down’ – he steers away from low level aerobatics and I think sensibly. If you want to see that leave it to the Extra’s.
This type of flying wasn’t a feature of combat – I think we need to try and return to displays like the Great Warbirds at West Malling – low level attacks but aerobatics kept to a minimum.

RE: *Restorations Update* Whats going on lads?

BBMF Hawker Typhoon ?????

RE: Lightnings

It might seem strange but I am sure the Shell logo on the side of the Lightning’s is a means of acknowledging the sponsorship of these machine’s by that company . Whether you agree with sponsorship or not
FlyPast has sponsored ‘Sally B’ this year and in plain and simple terms this gives FlyPast good publicity and also benefits B-17 Ltd
in terms that they can use the money to keep her up where she belongs.
Regards the registration this could well be connected to the SA CAA wanting them to wear a registration in a similar way to a Cessna 150 or a Boeing 747. This is a legal requirement and I should think in this day and age not many people are going to object to ex-military aircraft being clearly identified as civil , after all it’s not that long ago that a Strikemaster was a very front line machine in parts of Africa .