Bucanneer DVD’s

Hi Martin ,

[QUOTE=topgun regect;1054159]I have a copy on video that I liberated from my old Air Cadet Squadron. IIRC it was 8 Sqn Flying down to Gibraltar then taking part in an exercise. The soundtrack was Vangelis’ ‘To The Unkown Man’ from the album ‘Spiral’

That is the RAF promotional film that is part of the Bucanneer DVD that I mentioned above .

Steve 964

Nice pic Baz

Just imagine that sort of flying on video !!!:D

Thats what its like on my video,

Steve 964

Hi,

You didn’t record the tribute I suppose ? Planned to watch it but was sidetracked and only saw the last five minutes 🙁
Had the pleasure of meeting Raymond at the last Friends of the Fighter Collection hangar open evening where as guest speaker he had lost none of his style despite his apparent frailness.
I still watch old airshow tapes/DVD’s partly to remember old airshow acts that we no longer have and partly for Baxter’s commentary’s.
Indeed I feel that those two commentators they used at Duxford on Sunday could learn a lot from watching them.

As a television Airshow commentator nobody has ever come close to being as accurate and setting scenes or relaying the importance of the aircraft and crews he was commentating on.

Steve 964

Time to appreciate !!

I can’t believe you guys are unhappy with the sale of the B-25 and the advertising of the Beaufighter and Tigercat.

Stephen Grey is a very devoted enthusiast to who we should be very grateful.
I can remember when having 2 Sptires at an airshow was a real luxury ,the continued growth of The Fighter Collection has seen an array of beautiful aircraft that I never imagined I would see flying.

Now let me ask you this ,imagine you have a car on your driveway and your driving licence is for some reason withdrawn so you can no longer drive it,
what would you do with it ?

1. maintain it regardless of cost, MOT, tax ,insurance ,servicing etc,or

2. sell it and use the funds elsewhere .

This all that Mr Grey is doing,difference is ,you don’t get howls of protest if you sell your car ,so i’m saying look forward to seeing what TFC are preparing next rather than whining when one is put up for sale -the line up is impressive

Gladiator,Sea Fury,Fiat ,Spitfire XVIII ,P-40 ,P-47,no doubt an amazing collection on its own and apart from that where would they keep them all?
Read the post by Beaufighter VI about the struggles the week before legends and take that into account as well, Hmmm more respect for the work of Mr Grey and his engineers required I think .

Steve

p.s enjoy them while they are here ,WE never appreciate what we have until its gone!!!

Legends Saturday

I’m interested in all the comments about chairs chained up and all the shanty town windbreaker camps etc.
I ‘m coming clean on the chair issue ,I always try and get there early so I can claim a place by the fence,i chain my chair in place because some of the low life that attend these shows have in the past thrown my chair away or worse its been stolen.
Before you all start saying you shouldn’t chain your chair ,i will say this,years ago you could turn up at 11.00 go for a walk then come back get your deckchair and lunch etc and go and find a place by the fence to watch from,no problem.As these shows have grown there has been a big reduction in available crowd line with more exhibits corporate tents and viewing areas and press enclosures (why do they need those when the press usually wander around on the live side anyway??)
Apart from all this everyone can get thereselves to Duxford early and claim a place(the chap who sat next to me had driven from Southampton Saturday morning and was at Duxford by 7.00am !!)
I had a 90 minute drive and got there at 8.30 and got in one of the last available gaps well beyond the tank museum.
I am prepared to let kids in if they want to see,but one year they raced in en masse trampled my camera lunch ,the lot and proceeded to climb on the fence,as soon as they went for an ice cream the gap closed and i didn’t let them back,i also sit as much as possible so people behind can see.
I do think the people who set up big camps with windbreaks etc are being a bit selfish though ,but they got there early ,and we could all get there earlier if we don’t like it.
The one thing that really got my back up was a so called enthusiast berating a Fighter Collection engineer because the Beaufighter was up for sale and others have been sold .
There are people who post on here who seem to forget that The Fighter Collection is the result of many years of hard work and dedication,its also a very expensive HOBBY/PASSION for Mr Grey and one that I feel very lucky to have seen grow.But never forget that Mr Grey might also fancy a change now and then,and is also a very clever business man,so if an opportunity to improve the collection arises its likely that he will take it.
This guy who was saying his bit,was moaning that it was an out rage that this national treasure could end up with a wealthy american collector,well i’d say ‘PUT UP OR SHUT UP’ Get the money ,get a licence get it finished and you fly it,but don’t criticise a man who has done more for the warbird movement in the UK than most of us ever dreamed could happen,just make the most of what you are seeing.
Finally ,Well done to everyone who makes ‘Legends’ happen ,in my opinion it simply can’t be beaten,a truly awesome show .

Steve

Shame about the DB5

Well,there seems to be plenty of comment in this thread about the Porsche 911.
People saying its ugly,overrated,bad handling owned by the wrong kind of people in the late 80’s etc,etc.

Personally as an owner/driver/Porsche enthusiast I would say they are typical comments from people who are generally jealous ,or who have never experienced a 911 properly,or just go on what they read by idiots like Clarkson.

1.I would agree that maybe the look is an either love it or loath it look,but it is a classic design that has stood through time and still is loved by so many.

2.Overrated can’t see how ,they deliver exactly what they claim too,and mine although 16 years old still delivers like it did when new(still achieves its 0-60,6.5 seconds and still achieves its top speed 162 mph easily -manufacturers specifications for a 1990 Carrera 2)

3. Bad handling is down to bad driving techniques,not the car.If you drive it properly its a better drive than any other car i can think of at any speed.Maybe the comments about bad handling come from someone who can’t drive properly ,or who drives an easy front wheel drive.

4. Its true the late 80’s brought the yuppies into the Porsche showrooms and they thought it was a wonderful car and they bought them,but while the cars were getting questionable owners,the owners were getting superb build quality,reliabilty second to none,and top performance even if they couldn’t drive them fast enough to be rewarding.
The marque’s image may have been tarnished by these customers ,but the marque has survived and the yuppies have gone.

Hairyplane, I share your distress in selling a DB5, I have driven one of those at a driving experience and it was a truly awesome drive .
I wouldn’t swap my 911 for one for the driving but it was a great experience all the same and I would have one if money permitted.
Still the aircraft must make up for it I would think.

Steve (a biased 911 owner !!)

Warbird Fan,

Firstly this thread is dedicated to Ray and I personally dont want to mislead it into other discussions.

I think you maybe misinterpreted my post when i said Ray was lucky,what i meant was that he was an exceptional pilot with ideal experience(low level/formation) to join and later lead the Arrows.
As for Stefan Karwowski,yes I did see him perform in the Bearcat(infact I was watching him only the other evening on an old video)and while he was very good IMHO no better than Stephen Grey’s displays.
Mike Currill understood what i was trying to say,so i’m going to leave this now and hopefully enjoy more pics and memories from Rays amazing career as a display pilot par excellence.
Apologies if anyone was/is offended ,it certainly wasn’t meant,

Steve