Posted on 05/11/2016 3:48:47 AM PDT by Da_Shrimp
I know there are some Spitfire fans here, so I thought you might like this vid. Footage from 'The First of the Few' coupled with music from Public Service Broadcasting, an eccentric English band.
Hope you enjoy. They also did a live session at KEXP:
Impressive! thanks for posting !
Nice. We have some old snaps shots of my dad with his RAF buddies.
He told us some great stories
Now, a question: I've heard the British Lancaster bomber and the US Mustang fighter used the same Rolls Merlin engine.
Did the Spitfire also use that engine, or something different?
Merlin engines sound bloody amazing. We had a Hurricane and a Spitfire doing circuits around our street a couple of years ago about 200 feet up. Words fail me!
I remember seeing some documentary on some WWII British fighter aircraft, the body was mostly wood, was this the fighter, could some one confirm this for me.
The Hurricane was mostly wood. It was a remodeled bi-plane actually.
The De Havilland Mosquito was known as the “Wooden Wonder”. Brilliant engineering allowed the sub-assemblies to be parsed out to wood working shops, which were under utilized in wartime production and metal workers were stressed to the max.
Youtube has a fascinating video on the history and making of the speedy Mosquito. Well worth the effort.
Any Mosquitos still flying in the UK currently?
But wasn't the Mustang's engine the improved version of the Merlin licensed to be built by Packard?
I believe Packard's Detroit engines were used on several of England's longer range bombers.
I owned seven different Spitfires.
Raced one for years in F-Production then HSR. Ranged from a Mark 1 through a couple 1500s
But mine were originally built by British Leyland.
This pic is not mine, but mine looked like this only British Racing Green
With apologies to Da_Shrimp :-)
And here I thought that the post was about this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOoiEbtf2w
regards Merlin engines, thee were many variations of the Rolls Royce merlin engine ranging in horsepower from about 1200 to 1600 HP.
The P-51 Merlin used a Packard built Merlin. Most of the parts from the Packard built Merlins were not interchangeable with the Rolls Royce versions.
One other quick note that when Packard got hold of the drawings and a few Merlins for production purposes, Packard discovered that the Merlins were all most hand built. Packard engineers almost redesigned the engine for mass production which is why the parts did not interchange.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
The Plywood wonder. :)
Have seen several on the static displays ,but not flying.
The Lancaster is still flying. Hope to see it in a few weeks time.
Spits and Hurricanes are plentiful, you can even buy a new one.
Here is a more modern video of a Spitfire. Its a short clip, but excellent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iOoiEbtf2w
Oldplayer
That spinning prop was a LITTLE too close for comfort!
Regards flyable Mosquitos, according to WIKI, there is one in the US and one in the UK being restored to flight status. I also believe there is one flyable in the UK but it is not on the list.
IIRC There have been several lost in Flying accidents in the last few years :-(
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_de_Havilland_Mosquitos
Regards
alfa6 ;-}
Thanks guys.
what sounds better than a merlin???? two
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBRR96vJvEI
mossie in canada
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