> On 25/06/2014 10:36, Ramsman wrote:
>> On 25/06/2014 01:35, John Szalay wrote:
>>> news:jaudnQEm7KB_TzTOnZ2dnUVZ_sudnZ2d@giganews.com:
>>>
>>>> various military and other aircraft for an annual event over one of our
>>>> seaside towns here in the West of England.
>>>>
>>>> Amongst the intended participants was a Hawker Hurricane, one of the
>>>> earliest monoplane fighter aircraft, which first flew in 1935 and
>>>> entered squadron service in 1937. This particular aircraft, military
>>>> serial number PZ 685, was the last of 14,533 Hurricanes produced and is
>>>> Britain Memorial Flight. Whilst the Spitfire, produced in greater
>>>> greatest ongoing aerial battles, The Battle of Britain, it was the
>>>> Hawker Hurricane that achieved 60% of all kills.
>>>>
>>>> I heard the roar of the Merlin engine and watched the Hurricane make a
>>>> perfect landing in the hands of Wing Commander Justin Helliwell. All
>>> was
>>>> not well, however, in that on lowering the undercarriage something
>>>> burst, showering the pilot with hydraulic fluid and rendering the
>>>> aircraft unserviceable for its intended flying display. There is
>>> picture
>>>> of Justin this series, picture 15, his flying suit still saturated with
>>>> hydraulic fluid, yet he still smiled and carried on with the PR work
>>> for
>>>> which these people are renowned.
>>>>
>>>> As is inevitable with such mishaps, a man with a clipboard appeared,
>>>> picture 16, to take stock of the situation and, having made his
>>>> assessment, the lads with the big toolboxes then wielded their hammers
>>> duty.
>>>>
>>>> Enjoy!
>>>>
>>>
>>> From the LIFE photo archives:
>>>
>>> British royal family aide, Capt. Peter Townsend, wearing helmet &
>>> goggles
>>> while sitting in cockpit of Princess Margaret's plane (a Hurricane), in
>>> which he finished 2nd in King's Cup air race.
>>> Location: Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
>>> Date taken: May 17, 1950
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> To be pedantic (again) it's Group Captain Peter Townsend. He was Equerry
>>
>> The Hurricane is the familiar PZ865, in its guise as G-AMAU. It (unless
>> there's another Mk.IIc with cannon fitted) flew a few circuits of our
>> village here a few days ago. No idea why, as we're more than a hundred
>> miles from Coningsby.
>>
>> http://www.asisbiz.com/il2/Hurricane/Kings-Cup-Air-Race.html
>
> Are you still down Yeovil way Peter?
>
> My pictures were taken on Saturday afternoon, so if it was then it could
> have been en-route to Bristol Airport for the Weston-super-Mare display.
> The BoBMF had been putting on displays from Sidmouth eastwards along the
> coast.
>
>
No, I left Yeovil to go to the land of windmills and clogs a long, long
time ago, before the Lynx first flew. I'm now in Central Bedfordshire.
Traffic heading for Duxford sometimes passes by, plus the occasional
Chinook, Merlin and Apache.
Thanks again for the photos. I've got lots, of all sorts of things at
airshows and in museums, but round tuits are in very short supply at the
moment.
--
Peter
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