Battle of Britain display airplanes over southend
Battle of Britain display airplanes over southend
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mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Awsome. Saw two typhoons doing some manoeuvres over tesco earlier which made shopping there slightly more exciting. Just had two something's fly right over our house proper low at about 12:15. Prop planes with those kinda double tail wing things. They were so close I almost fell off the mower but by the time I got my phone out I only got a pic of two small airplane shaped blobs in the distance. Any ideas what they were? And are these things stopping off at southend on their way to london as there seems to be quite a lot going on here. The typhoons were that low they could have possible taken off from southend airport. The prop planes came over from the south heading towards the airport.

Eric Mc

125,606 posts

294 months

Friday 10th July 2015
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Aeroplanes please. We are talking "Battle of Britain" smile

Aphex

2,160 posts

229 months

Friday 10th July 2015
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Those typhoons woke up everyone in RBS hehe I was at tesco too, small world lol

mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Aeroplanes please. We are talking "Battle of Britain" smile
Answers please. And stop being such a tt about it.

Eric Mc

125,606 posts

294 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Just trying to preserve the Britishness of English. If you're American - all is forgiven.

aeropilot

40,526 posts

256 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Flypast over London today for 75th Anniversary of Battle of Britain.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33478940


mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
Just trying to preserve the Britishness of English. If you're American - all is forgiven.
Apologies for being so abrupt and frankly rude. Thing is. As I posted this I thought it's gonna go one of two ways. Either I will be told off for my spelling grammar or calling an aeroplane a plane or an airplane or not knowing from birth what I saw already.

Or

I will get an answer to my question, of which I am genuinely curious. Probably from Eric MC as he seems to have a keen interest in these things. I will go away slightly educated and much happier to know what the hell those things were that just strafed my house.

As I pressed submit I realised it was only ever gonna go the first way and it's disappointing to see it did. And always does.

mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
aeropilot said:
Flypast over London today for 75th Anniversary of Battle of Britain.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33478940
Yep saw it announced on the news this morning. Cheers for the vid. That typhoon following a spit looks like an f1 car following the safety car. Can't see my two unidentifieds on there though.

Eric Mc

125,606 posts

294 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Nice to see the Typhoon in Battle of Britain era camouflage. It's carrying the colours of Squadron Leader James Nicolson, the only fighter pilot to receive a VC during the Battle -






aeropilot

40,526 posts

256 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Eric Mc said:
It's carrying the colours of Squadron Leader James Nicolson, the only fighter pilot to receive a VC during the Battle
The only RAF Fighter Command pilot to receive a VC in WW2, let alone just the BoB!

Sadly ironic, that he was posted MIA, just a week before the end of VE day.

mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Just had something else come over. Big, square tipped wings with what looked like orange flash on the wing tips. Accompanied by a smaller aircraft. Too far away to get a good look but it's lovely to see something different over the skies here. Beats the usual easyjet offerings

tr7v8

7,620 posts

257 months

Friday 10th July 2015
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Here in Chatham just had the Red Arrows aircraft coming overhead. Good display for 5-8 mins, shame I was on a conf call & couldn't go out & see them!

mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
aeropilot said:
The only RAF Fighter Command pilot to receive a VC in WW2, let alone just the BoB!

Sadly ironic, that he was posted MIA, just a week before the end of VE day.
What's the story behind the vc?

Eric Mc

125,606 posts

294 months

mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Quote:

Nicolson was 23 years old and a flight lieutenant in No. 249 Squadron, during the Second World War when he was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 16 August 1940 near Southampton, Nicolson's Hawker Hurricane was fired on by a Messerschmitt Bf 110, injuring the pilot in one eye and one foot. His engine was also damaged and the petrol tank set alight. As he struggled to leave the blazing machine he saw another Messerschmitt, and managing to get back into the bucket seat, pressed the firing button and continued firing until the enemy plane dived away to destruction. Not until then did he bail out, and he was able to open his parachute in time to land safely in a field. On his descent, he was fired on by members of the Home Guard, who ignored his cry of being a RAF pilot.

Blimey. Nother world eh.

Eric Mc

125,606 posts

294 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
In reality, the summer of 1940 was full of dramas such as that. Dozens of VCs could have been awarded.

mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
Of course. Both in the air and on the ground. It's only when you hear the stories does it become real though eh. Just had two spits ( I think) fly over v fast and v low! Just imagining that back in the day that would have been a common occurrence. Not sure which is sadder really. The fact it was common or the fact it no longer is. Perspective and all that.

aeropilot

40,526 posts

256 months

Friday 10th July 2015
quotequote all
You could be seeing a lot of the vintage stuff coming over from Europe en-route to Duxford for Flying legends airshow this weekend.

If you want to see WW2 stuff in the air in piece of sky, that's the play to be.

mini me

Original Poster:

1,450 posts

222 months

Friday 10th July 2015
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Hmm interesting! I've been looking for something to do this weekend. Will look that up cheers.

Mutley

3,178 posts

288 months

Friday 10th July 2015
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I was just headed off to Duxford when the Typhoons arrived. Nicely delayed me while I stood taking photos, and enjoyed an improptu show

Southend area was also a transit point for aircraft heading to Duxford for Flying Legends.

The twin tail props at 1215, could have been the Red Bull P-38 and B-25


Edited by Mutley on Friday 10th July 21:44


Edited by Mutley on Friday 10th July 21:48