The Spitfire and Hurricane

Here's a few pics of some of the fleet of Spitfires and Hurricanes of the BBMF..

Hurricane LF363 - built at the Hawker factory in Langley nr Slough in Jan 1944.  It is believed to be the last Hurricane to enter service with the RAF. It served operationally with No 309 Polish Sqdn flying coastal protection patrols.  During training for D-Day it was used by Nos 63 and 26 Sqdns.
Here she is in the BBMF Hangar at RAF Coningsby

Supermarine Spitfire MkIIa P7350 - the oldest, original airworthy Spitfire in the world and the only Spitfire still flying today, which fought in the Battle of Britain.  Believed to be the 14th of 11,989 Spitfires built at the Castle Bromwich 'shadow' factory, P7350 entered service with the RAF in August 1940.

Spitfire Mk LFIXe Mk 356 was built at Castle Bromwich and served with No 443 'Hornet' Sqdn, Royal Canadian Airforce at RAF Digby, Lincolnshire. From there she moved to Bournemouth then to Westhampnett (now Goodwood) and later to Ford in Sussex. It's first operational mission was part of a 'Rodeo' fighter sweep over occupied France on 14 April 1944.  From then on she was involved in fighter sweeps and in attacking ground targets by dive bombing and strafing in the lead up to D-Day and in support of the landings and fierce fighting afterwards.

Spitfire PR Mk XIX PS915 - Built at Southampton in 1945.  She entered service just too late to take part in World War Two, joining No 541 Sqdn in June 1945.  Of the total of 20,341 Spitfires built, only 225 were built as Mk XIXs, making them quite rare beasts!  Today there are only four airworthy examples in the world with two of them flown by the BBMF.
She currently wears the colour scheme and markings of PS888, a PR XIX of 81 Sqdn based at Seletar in Singapore during the Malaya Campaign.

PS 915 in the Hangar at Coningsby receiving care and attention 

Spitfire Mk VVI TE311 built at Castle Bromwich and taken on charge by the RAF on 8th June 1945.  It is a low back/bubble canopy spitfire with 'clipped' wings.  This particular example was used in filming for the film 'The Battle of Britain'
The aircraft is currently painted to represent Spitfire Mk XVIe TB675 '4D-V' of No 74 Sqdn, the personal aircraft of Squadron Leader AJ 'Tony' Reeves DFC, the Squadron's Commanding Officer from the end of Dec 1944.

LF363 parked next to the Lancaster at RAF Coningsby

The iconic image of the 'Flight' a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane - Here pictured outside the BBMF hangar

The 'clipped' wing Spit making a pass over Coningsby

A sight that any Luftwaffe pilot feared during WWII, a Spitfire and Hurricane taking up firing positions to your rear..
I took this during a test display at Coningsby

Hurricane LF 363, canopy closed flying in the grey Lincolnshire skies

PS915 being tended to before a test flight

Hawker Hurricane IIC PZ865 - the last Hurricane ever built (from a total of 14,533). She rolled of the production line at Langley on 27 July 1944 with the inscription 'The Last of the Many' painted on her sides.
Hawkers were keen to preserve the last one ever built so bought it back from the air ministry and put her into storage.  She later participated in Kings Cup air races.
Currently she is painted to represent Hurricane Iic HW840, 'EG-S' of No 34 Sqdn, South East Asia Command, the personal aircraft of Flight Lieutenant Jimmy Whalen DFC, a Canadian pilot.

With the sun glinting on her, Hurricane EG-S lines up for landing at Coningsby

This picture reminds me of the poem 'High Flight' by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee Jnr who flew Spitfires out of RAF Digby.  I've reproduced the poem below.  The picture was taken on a gloriously sunny day at Coningsby

Hurricane LF 363 being worked on outside the BBMF Hangar

Hurricane PZ865 'EG-S' stands outside the BBMF Hangar alongside the Lancaster 

Hurricane PZ865 - a study

High Flight Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . . Up, up the long, delirious burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark, or ever eagle flew — And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God

The C-47 Dakota ZA947

The BBMF Dakota is currently in the colour scheme of No 233 Squadron 'Dak' FZ692 'Kwicherbichen', complete with black and white D-Day invasion stripes.  The interior has been returned to an original wartime 'Para interior'.   She was manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company in the USA in 1942.

The other Dakota in my shots is the one to be found at the Merville battery in Normandy.  This plane, 'The SNAFU Special' serial number 43-15073 actually took part in the D-Day invasion drop, taking and dropping paratroopers of the 501st parachute Infantry Regiment (101st Airborne) south of Saint -Mere Eglise.  She also dropped the 82nd airborne at Nijmegan to capture the bridge that led to Arnhem. A true veteran of WW2.

Here's my shots...

Gracing the skies of Lincolnshire..Kwicherbichen

Rolling in after a sortie at Coningsby

Coming into land at Coningsby

With dull dreary skies as a backdrop, the BBNF Dakota makes a pass

Late in the evening, she arrives back in Lincolnshire

straight onto the main runway at Coningsby

A sunnier day and training sortie over she heads back to the Hangar

Kwicherbichen snakes her way past a Spitfire and the Lancaster of the BBMF

The true vet...the SNAFU SPECIAL in Normandy

looking skywards...

Her final resting place, the Merville battery Normandy.
The Merville Battery in Normandy was a gun Battery assaulted and took by an understrength
unit of British Para's early on the morning of 6th June 1944.

Lancaster Bomber

Hello all.

The following posts are my tribute to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight BBMF.  The flight, based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire are the guardians of our old war horses from WW2.  From the spirited Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane they have the majestic Lancaster and the workhorse of the troop carrier command, the Dakota.

These planes are maintained and flown to remind future generations of the sacrifices made by 'the few' so we may enjoy our liberty today.  They also bring a lump to the throat to the older generation, including myself, when you hear the roar of the Merlins and see these wonderful icons fly overhead.

Living now in Lincolnshire I am privileged to be able to see the flight quite often.  During the summer display months they are a regular and welcome sight over my house as they transit to and from the various displays.  I also pop down to BBMF display and museum at Coningsby and enjoy a casual tour around the BBMF Hangar.  If you are lucky you can see them test flying !

I have no favourite, they are all special and a pleasure to photograph.  Here are a few of my photo's..

Todays post is all about the magnificent Avro Lancaster...

I love this picture.  My Son and my Father.
Dad is teaching Ollie about the famous Lancaster
This is actually 'Just Jane', the Lancaster housed at East kirkby airfield but i felt she belonged to the Lancaster thread.

'Just Jane' on the apron at East Kirkby
Looking skywards...where many had gone before

'Just Jane' hangared.

How many rivets ?

The BBMF Lancaster PA 474
This year she is wearing the colour scheme of 'Thumper Mk III' which flew
with No 617 Squadron from late 1943 until the end of the Second World War.
Here I've caught her on a murky grey day!

Here she is again captured on a test flight over Coningsby

You can almost hear the roar of those Merlins in this shot

Here it is the start of the display season and the BBMF are doing a test display to get their 'Display air worthiness certificate'.  'Thumper Mk III is just leaving the runway as the Dakota prepares for take off in the background

The Lancaster awaits taxying permission as the Dakota flys down the centre line

...permission granted she taxys to the end of the runway...the Dakota making another pass

The old and the new.
PA 474 Thumper MkIII parked infront of the ulta modern high tech Euro Fighter, the Typhoon

1944..?

Summer is here and she is wowing the crowds with low level passes

another display...another pass

The colour scheme is clearly visable in this shot as she fly's in a cloudless sky

Just Jane beginning a taxy run for 8 lucky passengers..

Just Jane inward bound at East Kirkby

The nose art on Just jane

Side profile

Cockpit window open on 'Thumper Mk III' with Pilot controls visible
This shot is taken at Coningsby