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Duxford 04/08/21 - 19 Squadron Spitfire celebration day - photo heavy

Omegafanman
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I made it to Duxford UK IWM with my 6B/159 for the 19 Squadron heroes Spitfire celebration day this week. 19 Squadron received the first active service spitfire in 1938.

A lot of the aircraft in these pictures saw action in the battle of Britain. One of the hurricane pilots was very accommodating and pulled up on the edge of the ramp, so for a Spitfire Day I took a lot of Hurricane shots. I had good chat with him and interestingly he wears a modern Laco flieger watch which he said had good legibility as a tool watch for his job which makes sense. In terms of re-enactment, he likes to say it was from a captured pilot he shot down…although the Hurricane he was flying actually got shot down by a Messerschmitt in 1940 and returned to the sky after restoration in 2018. Anyway, it was a great day and the museum is well worth a visit. You could go for a week and still not see everything. Also great to hear the Merlin engine..and great to keep the memory of those young men and the sacrifices they made alive.

The display was filmed for YouTube as well…
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Plenty of oil trays in the photos around so hats off to the modern pilots and ground crews that keep these birds in the air as well.

Have a good weekend everyone.
 
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MRC
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I was at the 50th anniversary show in 1988. I got there early and secured a place right on the flight-line fence.
The wind and rain were right on our faces and I got so cold I couldn't get my camera open to put in a new roll of film (remember film?). Had to go back to my car to warm my hands on a cup of coffee before changing the film and of course lost my place 🙁
 
Omegafanman
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MRC MRC
I was at the 50th anniversary show in 1988. I got there early and secured a place right on the flight-line fence.
The wind and rain were right on our faces and I got so cold I couldn't get my camera open to put in a new roll of film (remember film?). Had to go back to my car to warm my hands on a cup of coffee before changing the film and of course lost my place 🙁

I inherited this exposure meter (and some Minolta cameras) from my Father - I was a film guy early on but I have to say for my skill level this is one area that technology has been a life (and cost) saver for me :0).. although my digital camera equipment is all old now and I have to make the best with it (112 shots on a card which probably still beats your film role :0)
Edited:
 
01 - Copy.jpg Exposure meter 02 - Copy.jpg
MRC
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Zeiss, nice! My first camera was an early 1950s Zeiss Werramat with the lovely Tessar lens. That wasn't my original choice and it was definitely old-fashioned when I got it s/hand, but it opened my eyes to just how much quality mattered more than age or fashion. Somewhere (TM) I've got a Weston exposure meter used with my old Leica IIIf, but the Leica is gone now because I just didn't use it enough.

In 1988 I was using an Olympus OM4 and it took far better quality photos than my current Olympus OMD-10.
 
noelekal
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Oh man, Omegafanman! What a set of photos!!!

I'll keep returning to your thread just to admire them more.

Went to the airshow at Duxford in the late 1990s. Even flew in that De Havilland Dragon you showed us or one just like it. Oldest airplane I've ever flown in.
 
Omegafanman
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MRC MRC
Zeiss, nice! My first camera was an early 1950s Zeiss Werramat with the lovely Tessar lens. That wasn't my original choice and it was definitely old-fashioned when I got it s/hand, but it opened my eyes to just how much quality mattered more than age or fashion. Somewhere (TM) I've got a Weston exposure meter used with my old Leica IIIf, but the Leica is gone now because I just didn't use it enough.

In 1988 I was using an Olympus OM4 and it took far better quality photos than my current Olympus OMD-10.

My last mechanical film SLR and lens set got loan 'lost' to a lady heading to Antarctica for a year who was worried about battery fade...I found out that absence does not make always the heart grow fonder … and things do get very cold in the Arctic :0)
 
MCC
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Fantastic photos. I was driving up the M11 about 6 weeks ago and was astonished to see a Spitfire coming in to land right above the carriageway. A fantastic sight to see.👍
 
Twocats
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Miss Helen the P51 has an incredible history. I simply love warbirds and was fortunate enough to work for the Flying Bulls in Austria in 2001.
 
MRC
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MCC MCC
Fantastic photos. I was driving up the M11 about 6 weeks ago and was astonished to see a Spitfire coming in to land right above the carriageway. A fantastic sight to see.👍

There are two (I think) 2-seater Spitfires at Duxford offering flights, and their normal route seems to be Cambridge - Newmarket - Bury St Edmunds so anyone near that line gets to see or hear them quite frequently. There are two (TTBOMK) De Havilland Dragon Rapides offering flights too, mainly on the same axis. Cambridge Airport has a T-6/Harvard (heard it today) and at least two Tiger Moths for training -- and a Chipmunk or two as well. The Fens to the north east of Cambridge are a favourite place for practising aerobatic displays too. The aircraft around here are more vintage than modern 👍

Edit: forgot to mention the BBMF who are not that far away, and sometimes their Canadian cousin crosses the pond and joins in the fun.

Z8240264m.JPG
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MTROIS
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What amazing event! Thank you @Omegafanman for sharing your experience with us! 🥰👍

Reminds me of the good times spent with my older neighbor in France, he was a rear gunner on a Halifax during WWII.
He was stationed in Elvington and him and his crew had the number record of (mostly at night) missions over nazi Germany: 38!!! 😲
 
E
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Wonderful photos; thank you for sharing!

A couple weeks ago, I was running an errand near NAS Oceana, and as I drive past the runway I saw a SBD Dauntless circling to land.
 
MRC
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Omegafanman Omegafanman
Thanks for that. I have just that App and will have a play.
In this case I was walking to the postoffice and heard it doing mild aeros. I always have FR24 on phones & tablets. Curiously through a web browser it works differently and only seems to show commercial flights. My house is right underneath the old approach to Alconbury and the distinctive sound of a U2/TR1 passing overhead would have me rushing out -- even all I saw was the navigation lights.
 
Omegafanman
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@MRC Thanks again for the Flightradar24 info. I am having some fun with that. The Red Arrows came over low level this week (it missed them / maybe a security issue). It did pick up 2x Eurofighters who came over today today. They went on to have a dogfight over the wash by the looks of it. They can advertise their position I guess as it is the rest of us who need security (and ear defenders :0) - really good App / thanks again.
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Flightradar24 - Copy.jpg
Omegafanman
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The Typhoon boys from Coniningsby were at it again Yesterday ... not sure they can fly in straight line :0).
I imagine with modern radar it is hard to get 'bounced' but it looks like red leader just might manage it ..... ear defendars on again for the afterburners....
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Squadron Leader Skipper : [imitating a machine gun] DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA!

[flies past Simon]

Simon : Hello Rabbit Leader - thought you might come in from the sun!

Squadron Leader Skipper : DON'T THINK! Don't just glance! LOOK! Search for the bst...ards! OK, let's try it again.
.
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Red 1 - Copy.jpg Battle of Britain 1969.jpg
MRC
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Omegafanman Omegafanman
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Squadron Leader Skipper : [imitating a machine gun] DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA-DAKA!

[flies past Simon]

Simon : Hello Rabbit Leader - thought you might come in from the sun!

Squadron Leader Skipper : DON'T THINK! Don't just glance! LOOK! Search for the bst...ards! OK, let's try it again.

A historic WW1 hanger was destroyed to make that film. There's an article about finding and fixing up the aircraft in the most recent issue of The Aeroplane. Quite a decent film though.
 
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