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Posted 7 months ago
Ted_Straub
(207 items)
These two photos were taken at an unknown location during The War.
In both photos the EAL planes are the famed DC3. The first picture's Warplane appears to be an English fighter. And in the second picture, though the plane's fuselage indicates that it is also a British craft, notice The Swastika on the rudder. Someone had told me that this actually was a German plane that had probably crashed, but was still airworthy, thus it was being remarked and pressed into service by The Brits.
The Warplanes in both pictures appear similar, maybe they are the same craft, but from a different perspective?
World War TwoThe events and battles of World War II played out on every continent of the…
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They are not the same planes.
Rob is correct on the Spitfire as the designation AA963, is on plane in first photo & on the images in the link provided.
Thank you both for you corroborating info on the Spitfire. Finding answers is always good! I appreciate both Rob's and Walksoftly's input very much....
I think the second plane is a Messerschmitt Bf 109
Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109
Most likely captured & being studied.
Yes, walksoftly, after reviewing your reference, it does seem to be a Messeschmitt Bf 109. Thank you!!
The Spitfire was glorified because of its looks but I read where the Hurricane shot down more German planes.
Well, blunderbuss, you are probably right, as often History gets distorted....thanks for your input, and for your love!
My Uncle Herman was a pilot for Eastern Airlines - beginning in the 1930s or 40s. i guess this is the kind of plane he flew...
Yes, ho2cultcha, these DC3s were the stars of Eastern Air Lines in those days. They were well designed and durable machines, with many still flying today!
Thank you for your comment...I'm glad to have brought back a family memory to you!
Those were/ are amazing well built planes, I love the sound of the radial engines. The fact that they are still being flown on a regular basis is a testament to their durability.
Parts are getting scarce, especially the exhaust manifolds.
I would love to go for a flight in one of those piston pounders
Ted...Thanks for this interesting post. The second Photograph is of a captured Bf109 repainted in RAF colours the repainted swastika is to identify the fact that it was undergoing battle evaluation by the RAF. No captured German (or Axis) aircraft were ever inducted/used by the RAF. On the other hand there is evidence the Germans organised a Luftflotte consisting of captured/rebuilt Allied aircraft (There has been some evidence/suggestion that the Nazi's actually intended using these ex-Allied aircraft in their original Allied livery, against the Allies, which was against convention)
P.S. For walksoftly.... the Supermarine Spitfire is once again being produced in Southern England!!!!
Being British my favourite plane should be the Spitfire or even the Hurricane (blunderbuss2 is right in his kill ratio claim above)...but my all-time favourite is the DC3 or Dakota as we termed it...... a truely unrepeatable aircraft!!!!!!!!!
I hadn't heard that the Spit was being made again! Great. I've worked on warbird restoration & the Spit was maybe the worst to do. They were built with magnesium alloy rivets which corrode fast so the restore the planes, every one of the thousands of rivets have to be drilled out & replaced. Not only that, but they had to be precision drilled out & a big pain in the r'ass. That is why you see so few originals flying. Found one in a Dr's collection in S. Afrika some yrs ago but the restoration was out of our reach.
These are all interesting and well appreciated comments. Thank you all for submitting them, and also for your loves on these photos!!!!
I believe two Spitfires have been built by a 12-strong team of engineers at "Historic Flying" a company based in Essex UK.
Each has taken about 20,000 man-hours to build. Original salvaged parts are used where possible, although about half the components have had to be hand-made from scratch. In all, about 25,000 new components had to be manufactured for the first of the new batch of Spitfires to take to the air, a Mk XVIII, which has a Rolls-Royce Griffon engine, producing 2,000 horse power from 37 litres.
It underwent its final tuning and air tests at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, Cambridgeshire, before it received its Civil Aviation Authority permit to fly as a "vintage" aircraft. The second new Spitfire is a Mk IX, with a Rolls-Royce 27-litre Merlin engine. The two planes are expected to fetch about £1,000,000 + each.
Also at least one has been made in Australia by a guy called Mike O’Sullivan.
The owner of "Historic Flying" is a very rich Dutch industrialist, Karel Bos both are following in the footsteps of the late Charles Church (killed in a fairly recent Spitfire crash) who founded "Charles Church Spitfires" in Southern England at Popham Airfield. Apparently there is a big waiting list for these new Spitfires!!!!
Karel Bos uses his Spitfire to commute accross the English Channel..BUT has got a bit fed up about the lack of "luggage space" on the "Spitty" (Poor him!)
;)
Hems, that is such great news. If you can, please keep me abreast of the progress of this Spitfire project...thanks for all of your input!!
I will do that! Though I believe it's a long, long and very slow process with a new Spitfire occasionally "popping" off the end of the production line after tens of thousands of man hours! Only to be anonymously grabbed by persons unkown who have the proberbial VERY deep pockets!
proverbial....even (sorry about the typo!)
Hey Ted, back off. You've had more than your "30 seconds of fame". Can't you see that you have lost ownership of your post! LOL! You gave a great post that has us going so watch & see where it goes. OK, it was your poste & we will let you make comments due to ownership. Having fun with this!
OK Steve, so the 1st 2 were made with mostly orig. parts with patterns being made? That's great. The mag. alloy rivets were to cut down on weight but turned into a nightmare for restoration.
On to "Goonie_Birds". Yeah I know them well in the past & love those radials. They don't quit even if the blow a cyl.. Until the oil runs out! When pilots would ask about the oil puddles under the engs., we would tell them it was a good sign because when you don't see a puddle, it means it's out of oil. Friend of mine with AA was talking about proping-off a radial last week from old war film he had seen. Explained to him that what he saw was ground crew walking the props. thru to get the oil out of the lower cyls as it would seep around the rings. Try to start a radial with oil in the cyls. is a hydrolic lock & will blow a cyl. off the eng.. That is also why they smoke so much when 1st started because the spark plugs are full of oil & it has to be burned off to get those cyls firing.
OK Ted, your turn.
Back to your Photo's Ted! The shots must be in the US as ROBinHawaii says above.
I have never seen a UK airfield with such wide open vista's..certainly not the small military 1940's era fields. I wonder if aircraft like this Spitfire did "tours" of the USA drumming up interest/support...just guessing!
Steve
Hope Ted knows I've been joking. Interesting point Steve & I hadn't thought of that. Could also explain the Eastern Airlines thing.
Hems & blunderbuss I thought the location was cleared up in comment # 1, you guys have got to get in the game here. ;-)
Thank you all for all of your thoughtful and informative comments! I am very grateful for all of your input...keep it up! The more informed one is, the better off one is!
Steve did you know the Dc 3's are still being used daily by a company in Northern Canada, one of them does a daily scheduled run, by the owner of the company.
They can quickly configure them for passenger or freight as needed.
Hems you should see them trying to walk the prop on one of them that has been left on the ramp at -30, the prop won't even budge.
“If you really want to experience flight in this life, then you have to strap a DC-3 to your ass, let the wings extend out, and that’s the closest thing you will come to a human flying.”
Joe McBryan
Walksoftly, thanks for the advice to get in the game, will-do! (Will try to pay more attention, but a bit hard at 05:00 bleary-eyed hrs. in the morning.....the only time I get any peace and quiet to enjoy CW without someone wanting a piece of me!) ;)
Re: The scheduled DC3 service in Canada....is that the McBride family outfit? The green painted DC3's? I'd just love to fly DC3...oneday!
Steve
Hey Hems, I've done the same thing at 05:00, mid-day, evening, sometimes things get missed, I was just ribbing you guys a bit.
Yup, the McBryan family owned Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
I was trying to find blunderbuss a online source so he could watch it, but had no luck.
The new season starts this week I think.
I would love to go for flight in one of them as well.
I think I was a pilot in a previous life... lol
Ahhhh Yes McBryan...those are the chaps I'd heard about, great stuff they are doing! Season?????????? Are they on TV?
:O
Ice Pilots, it's on Quest in the UK
You will be familiar with the dambusters, during WWII?
@ Hems
http://www.icepilots.com/
David
It's great that these photos have generated so much interest!!!!
They deserve it, it's always nice when a photo has a little mystery to it.
Thank you, walksoftly, solving mysteries is a challenge...and a good way to acquire & share knowledge!
I thought we had this figured out 7 days ago AR8, you must have been away that day :-)
Been a great conversational post, but we need to give credit where it is due. ROBin did give the correct info. in poste #1. We did ignore it but was great fun.
IT HAS BEEN A GREAT POST
oops cap locks on..
Rob does those hit & run comments & then just disappears..
One mystery gives rise to another!
Wright Field was air corp so would not be used for commercial operations. Special approval? They did do show & tell with the planes so it could have been taken anywhere. What does it matter as you can only speculate?
Hi Ted! Hope you and yours are well! Thanks walksoftly for the "Ice Pilots" link above (I'll check that out as soon as I get 5 mins). A REALLY big thank you to Kevin in comment .35 above...I have several colur photos of my own good self posed along with the Me109 at Duxford RAF Museum....I NEVER would have considered that it is the same one as in Ted_Straub's post here....what a coincidence!!! (This has added unbelievably important info to my own personal photo collection....THANKS for that Ted!!)
Steve
Hello, Steve....we are all well here and hope the same for you...thanks! And I am glad that we all have helped each other out on this.
I am impressed by the the exchange of ideas that this photo has engendered. This site has proven to be a grand forum in this regard.
And, Steve, I feel especially blessed to have had a part in enhancing your collection. Your compliments are well taken, and I am humbled by your comments. THANK YOU very much! Best wishes always, and keep in touch....