Hi All,
These are not good shots but I hope tell a little story.
Taken at RAF Coningsby on the same visit this week as my Sunsets Take Two thread.
This Spitfire, a MK 16 with Clipped Wings, has not flown for nearly 60 years, it has been the subject of a 12 year restoration by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Engineers in their Spare Time!! all unpaid voluntary work, in lunch breaks, days off and holidays.
For many years it stood outside at RAF bases as a gate guardian, it eventually came to the BBMF as really a pile of bits, without even an engine.
This day was it's first "Official" test flight, piloted by the OC of the BBMF, Squadron Leader Duncan Mason.
The majority of the flight took place a long way off the airfield and the first shot is a very heavy crop from a very distant shot, it shows the Spit pulling out of a Loop.
The rest are obviously coming in to land, and again sadly he chose a left hand circuit so I only managed to get underwing shots as he banked on to finals.
1a by pelliott1954, on Flickr
2 by pelliott1954, on Flickr
3 by pelliott1954, on Flickr
4 by pelliott1954, on Flickr
As said, not high quality, but I hope they are of interest
Regards Paul
These are not good shots but I hope tell a little story.
Taken at RAF Coningsby on the same visit this week as my Sunsets Take Two thread.
This Spitfire, a MK 16 with Clipped Wings, has not flown for nearly 60 years, it has been the subject of a 12 year restoration by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Engineers in their Spare Time!! all unpaid voluntary work, in lunch breaks, days off and holidays.
For many years it stood outside at RAF bases as a gate guardian, it eventually came to the BBMF as really a pile of bits, without even an engine.
This day was it's first "Official" test flight, piloted by the OC of the BBMF, Squadron Leader Duncan Mason.
The majority of the flight took place a long way off the airfield and the first shot is a very heavy crop from a very distant shot, it shows the Spit pulling out of a Loop.
The rest are obviously coming in to land, and again sadly he chose a left hand circuit so I only managed to get underwing shots as he banked on to finals.
1a by pelliott1954, on Flickr
2 by pelliott1954, on Flickr
3 by pelliott1954, on Flickr
4 by pelliott1954, on Flickr
As said, not high quality, but I hope they are of interest
Regards Paul
was there any significance with the clipped wings.
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