RAF Cosford

[Frank 13]

Firbeck

Daughters Wedding coming up shortly and the suit fitting is in Cambridge on Saturday.

I've been to the American Cemetery - a few years ago now, but wow, what an experience.

Back in 1971 (Maggie May No.1 in the charts) I worked at Ciba Giegi at Duxford, way before the Museum was born, and lodged at both Great Chesterford (pub on the corner can't recall it's name presently) and in Saffron Walden (White Lion? White Horse?) Did a lot of sight seeing around there. Loved it.

Did you know that the film 'Battle of Britain' (Red Baron etc.) was filmed over Duxford? as in them days, there was a distinct lack of telegraph poles etc.

Just bought Battle of Britain on Blu Ray. Looking forward to seeing it.

Tell me more about Swavesey

[Beefsteak 305]

Spring Chicken to Shite Hawk in one easy lesson.

[firbeck 859]

Spring Chicken to Shite Hawk in one easy lesson.

Dagger, dagger, dagger, dagger...........

Beefsteak, look up on the net BBC Look East news for last night and look at that item on Stow Maries airfield, it's about 25 mins in.

I'm peed off because it's not far from here and I would have loved to have seen that Sopwith Camel fly in.

For the uninitiated, Stow Maries is probably one of the most perfectly preserved WW1 airfields in the country and a local group is intent on preserving it. I've lived down here for over 30 years and only recently found out about its existance, I must have driven past it many times and not realised what it was. It was set up to protect London from Zeppelin attacks, and abandoned at the end of WW1, unlike many such places, it wasn't developed as an airfield during WW2 and has basically remained untouched for 90 years. It's been used for farm storage ever since, but now they are going to restore it, despite the unhelpfull attitude of Maldon District Council, typical planning t@ssers.

Yesterday they flew in a Sopwith Camel, the first time that such an aircraft has landed there for 90 years, good luck to them, I wish I'd been there to witness this historic event.

[Beefsteak 305]

Somehow I missed your post Firbeck, sorry.

Any way,

1st site of her waitng to run in

Here she comes

[Beefsteak 305]

Loads more here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beefsteak44/s...57620681653566/

[rob237 89]

Who flew the display Martin Withers, Al McDicken or Tim Walker?

Your string of pictures suggest the routine is now back nearer to the original RAF display, as done by Joe Le Strange and Paul Millikin...seemingly less of Dave Thomas's restraint!

Cheers

Robt P.

[Beefsteak 305]

I didn't here who it was this time Rob , but we got two "Vulcan Howls" One half way through and another as she climbed out at the end , fantastic.

[firbeck 859]

I remember the display routines in the 80's and 90's, they used to do a wing over maneouvre that made us think they were about to roll the beast, it looks like they're getting back into that routine as they get more confident with the aircraft again.

You'll be able to go through it all again this weekend at Waddo, lucky boy, I still haven't seen it since it's next to last public performance at Finningley before retirement, perhaps it will make an impromptu appearance at Legends, but I doubt it.

Only a couple of weeks to go and they still haven't yet published a participation list for Legends, but they like to keep people on tenterhooks so it's no surprise.

[Frank 13]

I managed to dig out a few of the pictures of the American Cemetery at Madingley:

A very moving and tranquil place

[mick2me 3,033]

Nice Pics Frank

And Beefy. I like this one...

Nice Lighting.

I would clone some of that flame from the other image of the rear end on to this image.

[firbeck 859]

I would clone some of that flame from the other image of the rear end on to this image.

Sacrilage Mick, apply reheat to that extra lightweight Vulcan and it would probably end up on the moon.

Did you find the famous names on the wall Frank, Glenn Miller and Joe Kennedy, neither of their bodies were ever found. It's now thought that Glenn's Norseman was accidentally downed off the French coast by returning Lancasters jettisoning their bomb loads after an aborted mission.

Kennedy was piloting a B-17 explosives drone over Suffolk when it prematurely detonated near Woodbridge, the aircraft was vapourised.

[Beefsteak 305]

I nearly forgot , "THE BBMF"

http://www.flickr.com/photos/beefsteak44/s...57620726667092/

[firbeck 859]

Well done sir!

It's quite interesting how often I see the BBMF fly over here, wer'e obviously lucky enough to be on a transit route, amazing that Braintree should be on it, I feel very honoured. I saw them on their way down to the Biggin Hill Airshow last weekend, the noise from all those merlins is incredible, it seems to hang in the air for ages. Good luck this weekend at Waddo, just take a bit of time out to watch and enjoy things instead of wrestling with that mega lens all the time. give my regards to Rog.

[firbeck 859]

Good luck over the weekend, thankfully it won't be so hot.

For some reason we've had a lot of helicopter activity over here over the past couple of days. It started on wednesday afternoon with one of the yellow SAR Sea Kings from Wattisham flying incredibly low right over the house. Since then we've had quite a few overflghts by Wockas, sometimes in pairs. Last night one came over very low and slow at about 10:00pm, passing right across the face of the moon, it was like a scene from ET.

This morning, I heard one approaching at about 7:30, I got my camera primed but the cloud was very low and misty and it was difficult to pick it out, there must be an exercise going on somewhere, probably Thetford Forest as they were heading to or coming from the north rather than east towards Wattisham.