buzzbeurlingThanks,
I looked at a bunch of pics of the various aircraft and could not see any indicators except on the Vimy. A picture of any other aircraft with such a setup would be great.
buzzbeurlingThanks for the recommendations. It is much appreciated.
I ordered all the books listed above and my father has read about 2/3 so far(except The Lost Continent which is book about the Euro crisis and is being read by me).
Therefore, I was wondering if anybody has any other recommendations. This is more for high quality general overview books f the war instead of detailed airplane books(which is what I tend to read).
Thanks
buzzbeurlingThanks,
Just discovered a picture of my aircraft, almost ten years after being posted. Never throw out thos old pics. Get them on the internet.
buzzbeurlinghttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c18c7e4ed915d0c42ad6a7f…
Looks like a landing accident, not a taxiing accident. It was said that the runway was in poor condition. Not sure why they were operating on such a surface.
buzzbeurlingCould someone pass on the reason why the engine failed on this aircraft a few years ago leading to its landing in a field near Woodchurch. The AAIB report that I found has no details…..
buzzbeurlingI would suspect that the picture takers are the ones people should be least suspicious about. One can try to somehow make a connection between photos on social media and theft but suspect most crooks are going to stake out their prey with a visit to any random airfield in advance and probably has aviation experience(ie. an insider).
I appreciate the answers though and can understand the restrictions on indoor photography.
It certainly is interesting when one comes upon an exceptionally rare old airplane photo in a magazine that is much appreciated by the community even though it was likely taken “without authorization”. My photos will someday go on-line and I suspect there are some from more than 30 years ago that are somewhat rare already.
buzzbeurlingI have an update on the Prentice in America. I flew into El Monte, California(one of the many airports in the Los Angeles area) the other day and the Prentice was sitting outside in the sun. It pretty much looks the way you see it in the picture(ie it definitely needs work to get to flying condition). It certainly didn’t look like it was under restoration but that is just a guess on my part. I talked to the owner(very nice chap) who has several other types from this era and earlier and he said that it was for sale.
buzzbeurlingThanks for the comments.
I’m sure with the very long distance from the spectator area to the threshold of the long runway, somewhere could be easily found for these aircraft in order to be able to still have them close but completely clear from the view of the airshow. As you said, the Edwardians may on occasion be at the far right but as I have suggested subsequent to the first post, the GA aircraft could be partially to the right so that those interesting aircraft and pilots could still be close to the crowd.
That way, perhaps all people would “be fine” with the arrangements intead of a very few, which of course is always the goal. As we have seen from another poster, I am not the only one that was disappointed which means that there are plenty more out there who, while were no doubt interested in the GA aircraft, probably will never see another Edwardian anywhere on the takeoff roll and can see these GA aircraft and their “interesting pilots’ at just about any airport on any day of the week.
I’m sure that all can be accomodated by simply moving the GA aircraft out of the way and getting them out of there efficiently after being so graciously accommodated. A couple of replies here sound like the very tall thinking the “present arrangements are fine” when they are blocking the view for everyone behind them.
buzzbeurlingCompletely understand the last three responses(with the exception of the backdrop not being compromised, because it iscompromised). We all like these “interesting machines” and “well-known pilots” and would never consider stopping this. That is why I am suggesting ways to improve viewing and lessening delays, cancellations, missed “golden sun” photo opportunities and blocked viewing of the flight displays(especially the low level circus and takeoffs/rollouts of incredibly rare aircraft by modern GA aircraft), etc for which some people have come a long distance to see. I think it would be quite simple by moving these aircraft further along to the right, yet still easily accessible and within view of the spectators and they could taxi down to the far end of the runway at the same time as a display aircraft allowing a very brief departure window which could result in one or more of the airshow displays not being cancelled.
That way, we are all satisfied with the vast majority seeing all of the show and a few itinerant pilots still getting the highlight of their life.
So simple.
buzzbeurlingHopefully, they read these forums…..
https://www.air-shows.org.uk/2018/05/review-shuttleworth-collection-may-evening-airshow/
buzzbeurlingAmelia Earhart, Glenn Miller, the French Oiseax(sorry for mispellings). Interesting how donations are asked for searches that will take years and never be finished. Sounds like a well paid job for life. Maybe they will get a big government grant as well from various countries.
buzzbeurlingPlus, if you think this is anywhere close to everything or even a significant amount of the interesting stuff in this book, you are very wrong.
Hope you enjoyed.
Buy the book and read a few pages before bedtime.
buzzbeurlingOK, I strongly suggest that people purchase this book for Christmas, perhaps next year if it is too late for this year or to hand over to someone in the family so they can give it to you for your birthday. It is definitely worth a read.
buzzbeurling“The largest of the German Airfleets, Airfleet 2, was commanded by Albert Kesselring. He was born in 1885, the son of an academic and scion of one of Bavaria’s oldest families. Given a classical education, he joined the army in 1904, in part to assert his independence from his father, and was commissioned in the artillery. During World War I he served in France, distinguishing himself through his coolness and professionalism during the period of the Allied offensive in Artois in 1917. In 1918 he was given a General Staff appointment, and noted the value of control of the air.
In the chaos of post-war Germany, he helped to suppress the Communist revolution in Bavaria, and was amongst those officers selected to remain in Germany’s 100,000 man army. In 1933, he was singled out, despite his protests, to head the administrative office of the clandestine Luftwaffe, and quickly decided to make the best of the inevitable by learning to fly at the age of forty-eight. His energy and organisational talents were invaluable. He became Chief of Air Staff, and finally, on the outbreak of war, was given an operational command as Head of Luftflotte 1 for the invasion of Poland. In 1940 whilst he was engaged in organising Poland’s air defences, the Commander of Luftflotte 2 in France, Hellmuth Felmy, was sacked after one of his planes forced-landed in Belgium, carrying full details of the Wehrmacht’s invasion plans. Kesselring was appointed to succeed him.
Kesselring was one of Germany’s ablest field commanders, as he was to prove when he took over command of the Wehrmacht in Italy, and tied down superior allied forces in that tough and scaly underbelly of Europe until the war’s end. His commanding general in 1917 had written a glowing report of him, commenting on his intellectual power, his sound grasp of tactics, communication skills, tireless industry, his loyalty to his superiors, and his ability to inspire those below. He was in many ways, the model of a German soldier.
As an Air force leader, Kesselring’s intellect alone secured for him a reputation for competence. Theo Osterkamp met him on Nordeney in 1933, just after he had taken up his new post. Kesselring came over as a ‘chevalier of the old-school’, modest, eager to learn and with a charming smile. Despite his modesty, Osterkamp wrote, Kesselring had deep knowledge and a clear vision of the Luftwaffe’s future. ‘What a delight it must be to work with a man of such calibre’.
Yet despite the enormous amount of effort that he put into the Luftwaffe from 1933 onwards, he remained a soldier rather than an airman. In Poland and in France the Luftwaffe operated in support of the army, a role in which Kesselring felt quite at home. The Battle of Britain was something which had never been tried, and he was facing men who spent the best part of their careers working out how to defeat an enemy attack by an enemy air force.
As a man, however, he was a leader of high distinction. He was courageous, independent-minded and unusually amiable. He earned the sobriquet of ‘der lachelnde Albert’(‘smiling Albert’) and his organisational skills were matched by an understanding of human nature and a sure touch with his men. In the crisis he faced in 1917 he had restored his troops shattered confidence when they faced defeat. Easy-going on the outside, he was tough as nails on the inside and incisive in his decision-making. It is doubtful whether, the Germans could have found a better man anywhere in their armed forces to carry out the role allotted to Kesselring in 1940.”
buzzbeurlingAccording to the book, fateful consequences “were narrowly averted by the presence of mind of one of Dowding’s pilots who came, by a curious set of circumstances, to be taking a Gladiator to France.
In early 1939, the celebrated Harry Broadhurst had taken over 111 squadron from John Gillan. In common with most of the squadron, ‘Sandy’ Sanders took a dislike to his new C/O, whom he regarded as a prima donna, and having spent his childhood fighting for his rights against four beautiful sisters and his mother, all of whom he considered to be prima donnas, fighting prima donnas had become a bit of a habit. Broadhurst was an extremely good pilot, but his men disliked the way he would talk about his aerobatic skills, especially by doing a roll off the top of a loop after takeoff, as he had done at the 1938 Hendon Air Display, in a machine with the guns removed to make it lighter. So one grey Sunday morning in September, Sandy took off in a Gauntlet with the guns still in it to do the same thing, just to show that anyone could do it. Unfortunately, the war had just started and a number of senior officers were arriving at Northolt for an important conference just as Sandy was carrying out his stunt. Himself a very experienced pilot, he completed an immaculate roll off the top of his loop in the unmodified airplane. When he landed, in recognition of his skill and sense of timing, Broadhurst put him under arrest.
He took him the then 11 AOC Group, Air Vice-Marshall Gossage, to decide what to do with him. Gossage knew Sandy’s mother, so he just asked the young pilot what he would like to do. Sandy replied that he would like to go to France. ‘Off you go then’, the AOC replied. So, on 4 October 1939, Sanders was posted to 615 Squadron, which was earmarked for duty in France.
His punishment was what he had asked for, but it was in fact a double insult. Though an RAF regular, he had been posted to fly with auxiliaries. Also, despite being one of the most experienced pilots in the RAF, this meant he had to fly Gladiators. However, he did go to France, and on 15 November 1939, 615 lined up at Croydon along with 607 Squadron to head for Merville. There was an official inspection before they left, and, appropriately enough, 615’s Honorary Air Commodore, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, turned up with his wife to see the boys off.
Gladiators were armed with two machine guns at the sides of the cockpit and one under each wing, at about waist height. These guns could only be cocked for action on the ground. The pneumatic system that operated them was unreliable and even rocking the wings could set them off. As 615 were escorting their ground crews in two Ensign aircraft, and were expecting to fly into action, they had their guns cocked.
Sandy was leading the flight, so Churchill and Clementine naturally chose his machine for a close inspection. Churchill being Churchill, he showed a particular interest in the guns. His wife being a woman she sat in the cockpit asking ‘what is this?’ and ‘what is that?’ and as Churchill was bending over in front of the machine gun under the wing, she started fiddling with the firing mechanism. Fighter pilots need to have fast reactions, and Sandy was a very good fighter pilot. So it was that he may have saved the future Prime Minister from a premature demise at the hands of his spouse, and thereby changed the course of world history. The squadron took off and landed at Merville without further incident.”
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