Battle of Britain flypast

Well, since we're doing the pics here's some aircraft flying together and other pics that will never happen again. Apologies for the quality but they are 46 years old.

A Hurricane, Spitfire, Gloster Meteor, Hawker Hunter in Black Arrow colours, and a Lightning trying not to go so slow that it'll fall out of the sky:



Here's another shot of them. They're quite unique photo's as they'll never fly together like this ever again.



Two Lightnings of Treble One Squadron disappearing at just under Mach 1 with reheat on.:




Another two Lightnings "steaming past" at great speed. I can still hear the noise and feel the vibrations when I took the photo.:



Even when Treble One Squadron moved onto Lightnings from the Hunters they still retained the role of being the RAF Aerobatics Team while the Red Arrows were being formed. The Lightning was not intended to be flying aerobatics at low level. It was designed for high speed, high level, pursuit and interceptions. Every day, and I do mean every day we were intercepting the Russian Bombers who were testing our defences.



A armed Treble One Squadron Lightning armed and ready on what was called QRA [Quick Reaction Alert]. The cone at front in the air intake was a Ferranti radar system and that was my job to keep serviceable.



The Hurrican, Spitfire, Gloster Meteor, Black Hawker Hunter, and Lightnings lined up together on the Front Line. Never to be seen again.



Our Steely Eyed Killer pilots lined up on show with the Squadron aircraft behind them, apologies for the quality of print.



This is one I've posted before for Capney. The Ground Crew, including me, standing in front of one of our aircraft.



I also have a large collection of colour slides which I took over the period I was with Treble One Sqqadron and in different countries, I must convert them to print.

Hope you liked them!!

 

Oh my, Miraflores, that's some heavy metal:D We ground crew got on with the job of keeping the Squadron aircraft serviceable and flying and weren't into the business of medals or so forth. I think the RAF was more relaxed in many ways, although if there was a medal going it was usually an officer who got it.!! I never went on a parade after I left apprenticeship because I was always on an Operational Unit so we were "too busy and needed for operational requirements" to march around on a parade square to the sound of a out of beat Band, perish the thought!! Were you the same, Capney?

Yep, Capney, seeing and hearing a Lightning taking off on QRA was a sight and sound never to be forgotten. The roar of the engines would vibrate and shake every atom in your body, while the sound was awe inspiring even wearing ear muffs. Even today I have never seen an aircraft that could climb almost vertically immediately on leaving the ground and, in reheat, go supersonic in the climb if allowed.

We did have one certain, well liked, and slightly mad, Flight Lieutenant who did a low level run along the runway and broke the sound barrier as he passed the Air Traffic Control Tower. He shattered the windows of the Tower, lifted the roof of the OC Flying Wing's hut, broke all the light bulbs inside, and warped the doors. Needless to say, the OC Flying Wing was not best pleased but saw the funny side of it later when our Boss offered him a few flights in our Lightning T4!! The Flt Lt got away with his low level run as "the air pressure figures given to him were incorrect". We all knew he was the best, most experienced aerobatic Lightning pilot around, he'd flown the Lightning from prototype, so it was no accident. We were christened "Trouble One Squadron" due to our antics, which are another story!!