Yep – with a W-something serial – and the pilots spoke in frightfully clipped, WWII-style accents – ‘I say old chap’……………..

Ken

Never understood that particular complaint about the film (and lord knows there are plenty to be made). Plenty of RAF types I’ve met/overheard have very similar accents. It’s called being posh 🙂

I seem to remember that there was a real Tornado shown on one of the planning room style video screens. I think I assumed the Vipers were meant to be Dutch or something and that our posh pilots were operating from the same strip.

Damn. We were up to 42 views and no-one had bitten. I think we can create a new scale for the board now.

1) Making Stuff Up
2) Rumour
3) Speculation
4) Informed Speculation
5) Fact

What about a big cat? F-35 Sabre II, F-35 Jaguar etc.

Sabre? The original was named after the sword rather than the prehistoric tiger, surely?

I’d check out the Modern Military forum and do some Googling. I’m pretty sure the US Harriers have a worse record than the UK, especially in the early days which is understandable. Needless to say they also operate rather more of them, more regularly.

Ant,

The photos are mostly personnel/pilots of 111 Squadron with either JU-H or JU-E in the background.

The attached shot is interesting as it shows Treble One’s interpretation of the change to C.1 Roundel post May 1942.

Night flying began at the back end of 1941 and continued to the spring of 1942 by which time it was clear the Spitfire was not best suited for night-fighting and the unit went back to sweeps, Rhubarbs and bomber escort duties.

There were other black Spitfires. Personal markings. I seem to recall that TE199 was an all black RAF Spitfire.

It seems you rarely see a Spitfire night-fighter as the subject of a colour profile for model builders.

Mark

Superb, many thanks Mark12. I really might have known. Frustratingly, my screen is only showing the dreaded red Xs at the moment. Argh. Daz, thanks for your posted image; oh for a wartime colour photo of a black spit (assuming M12s isn’t of course).

🙂

I wondered who’d be the first…

Sorry, sorry. Couldn’t resist. I doubt many people are even aware where the band got their name. Anyway, I have to say that my first thought with phenomena like this (despite being an ex-avid X-Files viewer) is that there’s always a rational and usually mundane explanation (I have become Scully….). The most obvious in this case being pilot fatigue and boredom.

I hadn’t realised it had red radiator housings as well as the spinner and ‘go-faster’ stripe. It looks amazing. Almost wish Spits had made it onto nightfighter squadrons so there’d be more photos of black ones around! (This is where someone tells me that of course they did, and produces a dozen shots to prove it).

Much as I love Spits, I just can’t get on with those wings. Even the Mk.21 wings preserved the planform better.