WW2 Weekend 2011

[AVGWarhawk]

My first lot goes to Jim. Mark 18 Spitfire:





Your's truly:













Eventually I had to let the pilot take his plane and power by me at 400kts. This Merlin is a screamer.

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q...t=Spitfire.mp4

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q...=Spitfire2.mp4

This aircraft is a absolute piece of work. I marvelled at it for quite sometime. The Merlin is nothing but raw power. Simply amazing! So much so I picked up a Spitty t-shirt.


Next up and one aircraft I have not seen operate...Wilcat/FM-2:







Here is this bird starting:

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q...WildcatFM2.mp4

Here is me and the wife eating the prop wash!!!

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q...ildcatprop.mp4

Next up...B-29 FIFI! New plane for me to see operate as well:








New this year is the Curtis Pusher. The first aircraft to grab a line on a flight deck!



Another aircraft of interest:





Steerman radial:






There was the other aircraft most of you have seen from my previous years postings of WW2 Weekend. All the trainers, Corsairs, P-51's, B-17's, B-25's and scouting aircraft. I found it interesting that a few from England and France came specifically to this event so they could take a flight on the aircraft offering flights. Which is basically all of them. Now that is true fan to fly across the pond to take another flight into the 40's.

[TarJak]

Nice shots AVG. Love the close ups! What rig are you shooting these days?

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by TarJak

Nice shots AVG. Love the close ups! What rig are you shooting these days?

It is a 5 year old $100.00 digital camera. The close up are great because I'm standing close up! When the aircraft operate you can be as close as 20 feet. You get full effect of exhaust smell, sound and propwash.

[CaptainMattJ.]

Well, ill be damned.

id put my 2 cents on the second to last aircraft being a C-47.

[Stealhead]

Nice pics AVG


The C-46 can fool an observer sometimes it has a more "greenhouse" style cockpit and the C-46 also has a much more rounded tail as well and fatter fuselage.The C-46 is also a bit larger than the C-47.

C-46 top C-47 bottom. The C-46 saw much more use in the PTO and CBI(the Hump) because it had longer range and better cargo capacity.

[Sailor Steve]

WOW! I haven't been to a good airshow in more than a decade. Great planes, great pics!

[QUOTE=AVGWarhawk;1677450]This Merlin is a screamer.[/quote[
Mk 18? Shouldn't that be a Griffon?

New this year is the Curtis Pusher. The first aircraft to grab a line on a flight deck!

Replica I hope. I did see a restored one at the San Diego Air Museum, but it didn't fly.

And it's good to see a Curtiss Commando. I built the old Williams Bros model once, but never saw a real one.

[Oberon]

Wow, don't see many C-46s still around, not to mention flying, very nice, and fantastic to see the B-29 flying too, and a Spitfire is always a treat Mark XVIII would probably be a Griffon engine though, I think they went over to Griffons after the Mk XI.

[AVGWarhawk]

@Steve:

This is a pic of the actual Spitfire at the show:



SUPERMARINE
SPITFIRE MkXVIII

SM969
SM969N969SMMk.XVIIIeJim Beasley, Pennsylvania, USA.

Built Keevil in mid 1945. To 6 MU on August 30th 1945. Shipped to Royal Indian Air Force as HS877 in 1946. Crashed during aerobatics killing pilot on December 12th 1946. Wreck returned to UK on July 1978. Sold to Doug Arnold and rebuilt at Blackbushe for Warbirds of Great Britain. First flight on October 12th 1985, registered G-BRAF. Left UK shortly after Arnold's death in late 1992 and sold to USA. To Flying A services on May 1998. This aircraft was aquired by The Fighter Collection at Duxford in April 2006 and shipped to Duxford to start its restoration to flight. Re-traction tests on the undercarriage on 4-5-08 in the TFC hanger (see photo). Restoration finished in 2008 and painted in No 28 Sqn markings. Sold to Jim Beasley (American warbird pilot) in late 2008 and to be registered as N969SM. SM969 made its post-restoration flight in Pennsylvania on 21.12.08. This Spitfire had not flown since 1992.
(photo taken in the TFC Hangar at Duxford on 4th May 2008 by Gary Watson)


Steve is absolutley correct! I heard the announcer wrong. I suspect he was talking about all of the engine offerings in the Spits over the course of the war.

Click link. On the right is list of videos. #3 is this exact bird and it states Griffon engine run up.

http://wn.com/Supermarine_Spitfire_Mk_XVIII

[Gerald]

Very nice picture,

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Nice pics AVG


The C-46 can fool an observer sometimes it has a more "greenhouse" style cockpit and the C-46 also has a much more rounded tail as well and fatter fuselage.The C-46 is also a bit larger than the C-47.

C-46 top C-47 bottom. The C-46 saw much more use in the PTO and CBI(the Hump) because it had longer range and better cargo capacity.

Yup, she was the top picture. Short and fat plane! Looked like a 47 on steroids.

[AVGWarhawk]

Replica I hope. I did see a restored one at the San Diego Air Museum, but it didn't fly.

And it's good to see a Curtiss Commando. I built the old Williams Bros model once, but never saw a real one.

Yes sir. Replica. She did fly and came sputtering by to her display area. Last year would mark 100 years since the pusher had flown off and landed on a deck of a carrier.

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news..._203574-1.html

[danasan]

Very impressive shots here. From what I have read a while ago, the B 29 "FIFI" could be the only one still in action.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

My first lot goes to Jim. Mark 18 Spitfire:

Your's truly:

Thanks Chris, I feel honoured mate

I meant to ask you the other day on my diecast thread if you were due to go to any displays soon because you always put up an excellent set of photos

[AVGWarhawk]

Pleasure was all mine Jim. My first thought was to get some nice shots for you.

This aircraft is a true piece of art in motion. The lines scream fluid motion. If anyone were to ask me what the British had built right I would immediately say the Spitfire. What an incredible machine. The owner/pilot Jim Beasley is not afraid to open her up either. His on the deck balls out pass is a sight/sound/feeling to experience. It climbs like a bat out of hell! It leaves nothing to the imagination that the Hun would run from this warbird. I was also astonished to see that the control surfaces are in fact canvas. Take a close look at the tail. What a gorgeous aircraft. For me the Spit is on the same level of cool/graceful scale as the P-40. Glad you enjoyed them!

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by danasan

Very impressive shots here. From what I have read a while ago, the B 29 "FIFI" could be the only one still in action.

Could be. I'm not sure. I can say she lumbers down the runway and the engines are extremely loud. It was great to see one inflight as with all the warbirds.