I think films like this are more about capturing the emotion, the Human side the suffering and the sacrifice. The more realistically this is done the better and bad language is part of this. Both Johnnie Johnson and Bader both swore like troopers and I am sure so did the majority of other pilots when in a stressful situations.
What made an impression on me was the loneliness of a Fighter Pilots existence, close friends being killed daily, restricted their willingness to get close to others and the fact that once in the air they were alone.
We all have to remember this was made for the general public not forum members 99% don’t know the difference between a MK I and a MK IX and don’t probably care.
I think they did their best to keep it accurate but at the end of the day it has to be entertaining to all, not just aviation enthusiasts.
As far as the BBC were concerned it was a success viewing figures were very good apparently.
Personally I enjoyed it despite not enough footage of the out of place MK IX. :diablo:

[QUOTE=kev35;1639119]Graham.

So yours was the grey and green model that looked absolutely and totally out of place? 😀

Thanks me 😮

Phillip Whiteman ( Editorial Team -Key Publishing ) is the brother of the Director and has makes the following obsevation on the Flyer forum

”The budget stretched to putting Sam Hueghan, who played Geoff Wellum, in the back seat of a Yak-52 for half an hour’s filming on one afternoon in May. The only Spitfires available for the money were the Mk XVI maintained at Booker by PPS and a fibreglass dummy MkI – that was it. There was nothing left over for air-to-air; all of that had to be done from selected unused B o B film stock, shot almost entirely in brilliant summer VMC.

The costume designer told me his total budget would just about have covered one pair of shoes for a feature film. Did anybody notice how the authentic dun-coloured summer 1940 Mae Wests were painted yellow in the later scenes, just as they were in real life?”

Sounds as though they have done a lot with pretty meagre funding, which makes it all the more creditable.

And a MK IX replica I was there??

Stringfellow proved that steam and flight don’t really go together, hours stood in cold wet fields in January waiting for some lump of metal to go past when I’d rather be anywhere else put me off for life, at least at airshows you get to see plenty of aircraft at any one time and the weather in generally tolerable.:dev2:

StringFellow live near me in Chard Somerset and is as far as I know credited with the first powered flight of an aircraft albeit not piloted, considering steam technology available at the time his aircraft worked remarkably well.
This brings to mind a much more sucessful steam powered aircraft.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw6NFmcnW-8
This is an amazing piece of engineering and certainly had allot of advantages over its petrol powered rival. The engine could be reversed for braking and was almost silent.
according to the this coment on utube steam is actually more efficient than petrol.:)

“It has been proven that external combustion systems are not only more efficient than their internal combustion counterparts, but can also maintain a higher fuel efficiency when applied correctly. More in my next comment.”

Large power plants running combined cycle ie gas turbine with exhaust heat recovery steam boiler and steam turbines are knocking on 60% Boiler and steam turbine power stations over 40% Huge 2 stroke turbo blown diesels around 50%”

Maybe the Spitfire should have been powered by steam :diablo: or imagine a Lanc with four steam engines, would have made an amazing stealth aircraft.
Either way they do work 😀

http://www.rexresearch.com/besler/beslerst.htm

Watch out for EN398 you might see the moment when my heart sank as I started the engine and the prop failed to spin the hydraulic pump blew as soon as they called action.:(

Anyone who doesnt get a shiver up their spine when they see one of these is either lying or mad. 😀 or is that afraid ?, Im confused maybe I have said to much 😮 If it had wings I am sure it could fly perhaps where I get this unatural fascination from, I need help 😮