Posted on 06/25/2011 4:46:18 PM PDT by naturalman1975
>>> World’s only female Spitfire pilot nearly grounded . . . ‘too noisy’
They probably really should be grounded but not for this reason. The WW2 warbirds are just too rare to risk this way like the B17 lost last week. We need to protect and preserve the few we have left.
I’d love it though if someone would build proper 1 to 1 replicas and fly THEM. A world without the occasional Spitfire and B17 overhead would be a much poorer place.
>>> I am not all that knowledgeable about the Spitfire but it sure was a pretty one.
RJ Mitchell’s original designs that evolved into the Spitfire were Racers. It shows too.
If your dad was around, I would thank him and shake his hand.
Your dad was a hero.
Actually even had we lost the BoB, the Germans didnt have enough landing craft and would have had to land on a narrow front. The Kreigsmarine in summer 1940 conducted a wargame based on landing in Britain and found it wasnt feasible.
And the Royal Navy would have mauled a channel crossing, even if they took larger casualties due to loss of British air cover.
Radial Engine, not rotary piston. And yea, they were pretty hardy beasts.
Bears repeating.
It was the Men who did the work. Never discount the ferocity of Men fighting to defend their homes and families. The Spitfires performed better, the Hurricanes were more numerous, but the Men won the war. It’s too bad there aren’t Men like that anymore (in great numbers I mean).
Love the sound of those engines, nut unlike the Mustang.
Love the sound of those engines, not unlike the Mustang.
Better!
King George visited his squadron one day and shook every pilot's hand...so my old man liked to say "would you like to shake the hand that shook the hand of the King of England?"
Never considered himself a hero, but sure enjoyed lording it over all the Navy pilots due to his combat hours, kills, and awards.
The Merlin's achilles heel was being water cooled. The squarish bulge under the forward fuselage is a radiator, one hit to it and you lost coolant (got 'glycolled') and the engine would quickly seize.
It was the cause both times the old man went down, although he had a couple of holes in the ole leg and arm the second time.
Both shootdowns were over the Channel, Germans would often shoot you in the harness if you bailed out (pilots more valuable than planes), so both times he ditched near picket ships out there for precisely that task, but second one broke his back and he had to be pulled out.
Nope, just a guy who wanted to fly fighters and was able to.
In '38 he was already a private pilot, fresh out of HS, tried to join the Navy, then Army Air Corps as a pilot. Both times he was told "you're too skinny (was Mich HS 440 hurdles record holder), we're not in a war, and we don't need pilots.
So he went to Windsor ON & the RCAF said "we're gonna be in a war, we need pilots and you look great."
Being a pilot already, he went straight into fighter training at Flin Flon MB then on to Old Blighty in time for the festivities.
My definition of hero comes from him, and damned few make it, certainly not him.
His, and my, opinion was he was doing something really fun, that had some danger attached. Kinda like a F1 racer in the 50's - 70's. They too were doing what they loved, and many died.
I'm not sure what you would call it/them....macho?....overachieving?....or just living large.
Whatever it is, it's something many yearn for and few achieve...I guess he'd be OK with that explanation.
Not necessarily. The Spits tried to matchup against the escorting Messerschmidts while the less powerful Hawkwer Hurricanes attempted to breakup the bomber formations. Killing a bomber or a fighter counted the same but killing a fighter sometimes resulted in a difficult dogfight. The Spit pilot was a special breed.
I vote for Carolyn Grace and the Spitfire! Let it ROAR!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.