Lancaster Bomber

[mad4slalom]

really interesting thread and shows what great affection is still held by so many for the planes and the real heros that crewed them

 

[mad4slalom]

really interesting thread and shows what great affection is still held by so many for the planes and the real heros that crewed them

 

[mad4slalom]

really interesting thread and shows what great affection is still held by so many for the planes and the real heros that crewed them

 

[TitanTim]

---------What do 19/20 year olds do today?

Let's not forget some of them are still on active service!

Different eras.

Tim.

 

[Ben Cole]

I was out on the Solent for that flypast. Fantastic stuff.

For that to be outside the office, where is your office and what do you do?

My office is at RAF Marham, I work in Logistics. It was our station open day on Thursday and the Battle of Britain Memorial flight were down for it. I watched them leave this lunch time, the spitfire turned back and buzzed us before heading home. What a fantastic sight and yes they do sound awesome

Cool. Get to see some Tornados then!

 

[Big Red Cat]

The house I grew up in was very close to RAF Northolt in west London. Every summer the Memorial Flight - Spitfire, Hurricane & Lancaster would spend a couple of weeks there & treat us to flying displays most evenings. I had a Saturday job in shop right under the flight path to Northolt (near to South Ruislip underground station) & you always knew when the Lanc was about because the whole shop would shake - amazing.
Loved seeing the Spitfires at Silverstone this year too.

 

[ronk]

I'm only surprised that while the Battle of Britain flight offer tv and radio celebs flights in these very special aircraft, they don't seem to honour the vets! The real celebs!

Rest assured, they get plenty of attention. There was a Dambusters ceremony recently with the remaining survivors.

I'm sure they do get attention from their sqn. etc, but while the top gear mob and people like chris evans are in the Lanc and flying, they are on the ground being interviewed. I only wonder if they do get a flight? Or have the health and safety lot got their say again?

 

[ronk]

---------What do 19/20 year olds do today?

Let's not forget some of them are still on active service!

Different eras.

Tim.

I was trying to say that all 19/20's are not glue sniffing / benefit taking/ pot smoking /binge drinking layabouts and that some are doing their bit albeit not in the same numbers as our parents (well mine anyway)
generation did.

Different era or not, it takes something special to risk life and limb when ordered to do so , or indeed to save a pal.

 

[Silverfox]

I was out on the Solent for that flypast. Fantastic stuff.

For that to be outside the office, where is your office and what do you do?

My office is at RAF Marham, I work in Logistics. It was our station open day on Thursday and the Battle of Britain Memorial flight were down for it. I watched them leave this lunch time, the spitfire turned back and buzzed us before heading home. What a fantastic sight and yes they do sound awesome

Cool. Get to see some Tornados then!

All the time

 

[markeg]

I'm only surprised that while the Battle of Britain flight offer tv and radio celebs flights in these very special aircraft, they don't seem to honour the vets! The real celebs!

Rest assured, they get plenty of attention. There was a Dambusters ceremony recently with the remaining survivors.

I'm sure they do get attention from their sqn. etc, but while the top gear mob and people like chris evans are in the Lanc and flying, they are on the ground being interviewed. I only wonder if they do get a flight? Or have the health and safety lot got their say again?

Depends on which vets. WWII vets aren't going to get a trip in a Typhoon for example (a lot of legal loopholes to go through, plus fitness levels to be met etc) and there will be certain restrictions on flying in the Lanc. Personally for me it's a case of been there, done that so not something that I would hanker to do again, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Remember that BBMF has to be paid for - it is not solely funded by the MoD, there is only one permanent serving RAF pilot on the staff, the rest come from surrounding airbases and maintain and fly these aircraft in addition to their day jobs. The BBMF is supported by charities (Lincolnshire Lancaster Association being one), and mainly flies during the display season. As well as the displays, any filmed flights for Top Gear etc are paid for, so not "jollies". They are also limited for the number of hours these aircraft can fly, but there have been occasions, not publicised, where people have flown on board the aircraft.

 

[ronk]

I only refer to ww2 vets here - and only if the old boys were fit for the flight.

A ride in a Typhoon would snap my neck!

I realise that BBMF is, like most things these days, run with aid and a lot of goodwill . However It would have been priceless to see the old boys faces in the air rather than the specimens we saw! It would have done their (Top Gear etc) PR no harm to allow them a piggy back ride if that was possible

The flight will certainly have been paid for and wasn't a freebie but it must have been a bit of a jolly day for the presenters - working or not!