Yikes .. It happened at South Cerney too, 20 odd years ago, I guess there will always be a real element of danger with these things, I guess exercises have to be as close to real world situations as possible, or there simply isn't the training value to them..
When a young boy living in Moose Jaw I remember the Golden Hawks visited and flew the routine over the Willowdale Golf Course. One flew down the "valley" which isn't very deep and I remember looking eye level with the pilot, he was pretty low. Couldn't do that nowadays would cost you your job.
The good old days when men were men and the (fill in the blank) knew it!
Why use a 50 pound bomb when a 500 pound bomb will do?
During WWII the British Commonwealth Air Plan had a facility in Davidson SK, think pilots from there were infamous for flying under the bridges in Saskatoon over the South Saskatchewan river.
Why use a 50 pound bomb when a 500 pound bomb will do?
#26 E303 ~ They were young men in charge of a powerful machine and no doubt dares went out, thing is when you look at both wars they were all very young and very naive, you either learned the ropes or died pretty simple lesson.
Due to the strain on fighter command many pilots only had a few hours on the Hurricane or Spitfire and the basic 3 vic was flawed as one always became separated like the weaver at the rear in one pilots words "You either got promoted from that position or died." The Schwarm (finger 4 formation) was much better tactically as they could then split into a Rotte (a pair) of fighters so each plane attacking has someone covering their 6 o'clock, besides most of the German pilots had years of experience from the Spanish civil war but flip side allot were also battle weary as well the Germans never had a rotational system like the Brit's or the USA you flew till the war ended or died simple as that.
Lastly the Battle of Britain may have had a different outcome had not "Stuffy" Dowding stopped sending squadrons of fighters over to France pre Dunkirk.
Sadly a P51 owned by IWM at Duxford ended up in a cornfield at the weekend during one of there flying weekends, luckily the pilot walked away. The aircraft has now been recovered and does not appear to be terminal, the starboard wing tip is missing and the prop is bent as you would expect but I think she landed wheels up so fingers crossed that she can be put back into flying condition.
Sadly a P51 owned by IWM at Duxford ended up in a cornfield at the weekend during one of there flying weekends, luckily the pilot walked away. The aircraft has now been recovered and does not appear to be terminal, the starboard wing tip is missing and the prop is bent as you would expect but I think she landed wheels up so fingers crossed that she can be put back into flying condition.
I seen that P51 when I was there a few years ago, it was in the air just after the spitfire had greeted me with a roar of its Merlin .......
PM
Originally Posted by Buccaneer
