It's not every day (for Kittyhawk)

[Richard_C]

That you back into your drive, look up and see a B17 and a Lancaster fly over together.

(For those interested, the B17 is based at IWM Duxford, Sally B but has Memphis Belle nose art on one side because it was used in the film, the Lancaster is City of Lincoln, Battle of Britain Memorial flight and the only flying example this side of the Atlantic, the only other one is in Canada)

 

[Jameshow]

Amazing how the silhouette is remarkably similar!

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

In the late 80s early 90s I lived at Hinxton about a mile as the Lancaster flies from IWM Duxford. It was wonderful watching the Spitfires, Hurricanes, Lancasters and others flying over. I especially watched out for the flying boats: there was something magical about the Catalinas and Sunderlands.
Martin

 

[xy mosian]

When I was a nipper, I lived on the flight path of RAF Lindholme. One day a year there used to be an 'Open' day, which I went to more than once with the local Scouts later on, it was great fun watching the older planes. Newer ones tended to be heard but rarely seen due to speed and altitude of flight. Both Mam, and Dad had served and could identify most of the older aircraft. Of course there were a few more around in the fifties. In fact my Dad had started his working life at Blackburns, in Brough, labouring for the fellas making wooden aircraft propellors. We had a veneer leaf in the attic for a long time. Horrible stuff it was, nothing decorative about it.
Strangely when I began work, in Bradford, one of the older guys I got along with was an ex-rear gunner from a Lancaster. Very luckily he managed about four or five times the average number of sorties. His wife had been a Sheep Shifter, during the war, mainly on the roof of the Avro factory in Yeadon where many a Lancaster was built.
Great Planes, dare I say "Great noise".

geoff

 

[selectortone]

My father was stationed at RAF Scampton in the early 60s and a Lancaster stood as a 'gate guardian' while we were there. I was in my early teens, aeroplane mad, and I've always regretted not asking my dad to get me a look inside.

A spot of googling has revealed that this particular aircraft, R5868 S-Sugar, had an illustrious wartime career. It was delivered to Scampton in July 1942, making it one of the first of the 7000 or so that were built. It flew two or three missions a week throughout the war, was severely damaged on several occasions and was almost written off after one flight. S-Sugar is one of only 35 Lancasters to have completed more than 100 missions.

It was taken off gate guard duty in 1970, dismantled, refurbished at RAF Bicester, and delivered to the RAF Museum at Hendon in 1972, where it was reassembled for the opening of the museum, and where stands to this day. What an amazing story.

There's a dowloadable pdf (30 pages!) from the museum here listing all its missions, some in detail.

 

[stuart little]

When I was a nipper, I lived on the flight path of RAF Lindholme. One day a year there used to be an 'Open' day, which I went to more than once with the local Scouts later on, it was great fun watching the older planes. Newer ones tended to be heard but rarely seen due to speed and altitude of flight. Both Mam, and Dad had served and could identify most of the older aircraft. Of course there were a few more around in the fifties. In fact my Dad had started his working life at Blackburns, in Brough, labouring for the fellas making wooden aircraft propellors. We had a veneer leaf in the attic for a long time. Horrible stuff it was, nothing decorative about it.
Strangely when I began work, in Bradford, one of the older guys I got along with was an ex-rear gunner from a Lancaster. Very luckily he managed about four or five times the average number of sorties. His wife had been a Sheep Shifter, during the war, mainly on the roof of the Avro factory in Yeadon where many a Lancaster was built.
Great Planes, dare I say "Great noise".

geoff

What's a 'Sheep Shifter', other than a shepherd?

 

[Jameshow]

What's a 'Sheep Shifter', other than a shepherd?

There were fake sheep on the roof of the Lancaster factory just north of Leeds Bradford airport which had to be moved along with the fake tractor and hale bales too!

 

[treeturner123]

I project managed some work at RAF Bently Priory before it was sold. At the front was a Spitfire and a Lightning. They were, as the Pilot Officer said proudly, 'Real'. Unlike those at RAF Hendon which she referred to as 'Airfix Corner'!

 

[xy mosian]

Jameshow has it, above, the factory roof was designed not to cast shadows. At no time of day, or year, did the ridges cast shadows. This meant that reconnaissance photographs saw the roof as flat, as in a field. Now it would be unlikely that a field of such a size would not have sheep etc.. Hence theatrical type props, which needed moving to keep the pretence up.
geoff

 

[Richard_C]

The first place I worked, Hawker Siddely Dynamics, Lostock nr Bolton, in HR not engineering,1973, was built as a de Havilland propellor factory in the late 1930s. In countryside, there was still a country lane, fields and hedgerows painted on the roof.

Meanwhile, those 2 planes were pretty loud as they flew over. Made me think how terrifying the RAF night "1000 bomber raids" or USAF day "maximum effort raids" would have been to a civilian population. When we get jets going to displays you hear them mostly after they go by, with the piston engines you hear them for a good while before and after. A long time to wait and wonder if it's a delivery for your street.

Then again, flying into a wall of flak would be equally terrifying. (My father kept a 10cm lump of shrapnel dug out of the back of his pilots seat, he flew 81 operations in Italy in Baltimores. He rarely spoke of it.)

 

[Kittyhawk]

That you back into your drive, look up and see a B17 and a Lancaster fly over together.

(For those interested, the B17 is based at IWM Duxford, Sally B but has Memphis Belle nose art on one side because it was used in the film, the Lancaster is City of Lincoln, Battle of Britain Memorial flight and the only flying example this side of the Atlantic, the only other one is in Canada)View attachment 188205

That is a great photo - and being an intended recipient, sorry for the late response. Been head down bum up on a kitchen renovation that has escalated into a rebuild of monstrous proportions.☹
I would think that such a photo would be quite rare given that the Lancaster flew night missions and the B17 daytime ones. Seeing the two aircraft together raises a couple of interesting points. Dimensionally, the Lanc and B17 are within inches of each other, engine output more or less identical at 1200hp and 1208hp respectively per engine and yet, the Lancaster's range was 1000km more that the B17 and the ordinance payload of the Lanc was nearly 25% more. Presumably the B17 paid a price for all those 50 cal Brownings?

 

[xy mosian]

Then again, flying into a wall of flak would be equally terrifying. (My father kept a 10cm lump of shrapnel dug out of the back of his pilots seat, he flew 81 operations in Italy in Baltimores. He rarely spoke of it.)

Strange to think just how many "ordinary" folk were around in my youth who just never spoke of their war. I was lucky enough to learn that I guy I had been working with for at least eight years had been awarded the VC for his part in a mini-sub raid. I didn't like asking but he seemd to want to say something, "Well someone had to do it" was all he said. I suppose that was true for many.

 

[selectortone]

Strange to think just how many "ordinary" folk were around in my youth who just never spoke of their war. I was lucky enough to learn that I guy I had been working with for at least eight years had been awarded the VC for his part in a mini-sub raid. I didn't like asking but he seemd to want to say something, "Well someone had to do it" was all he said. I suppose that was true for many.

Indeed. My Dad flew Beaufighters in North Africa, one of my best mates' Dad was a rear gunner in Lancasters. Back in the 60s, when I lived on a succession of RAF camps, Dad's friends would come around for a beer and often reminisce about the war. Many had been on 'ops', but it was always about how bad the food was, or rationing, or funny stories about where they were stationed abroad. They rarely, if ever, talked about the serious stuff.

 

[HOJ]

Just had the Lancaster fly over me, bit of low cloud but the sound was unmistakable:

 

[Fergie 307]

Jameshow has it, above, the factory roof was designed not to cast shadows. At no time of day, or year, did the ridges cast shadows. This meant that reconnaissance photographs saw the roof as flat, as in a field. Now it would be unlikely that a field of such a size would not have sheep etc.. Hence theatrical type props, which needed moving to keep the pretence up.
geoff

Years ago I did some work on what had been the SKF works in Luton. It was apparently the biggest bearing factory in Europe outside Germany, and as such an obvious target.
It still has brick boxes on the roof which housed anti aircraft guns, and I was told that the roof had been covered over and had roads and so forth painted on it to disguise it.

 

[xy mosian]

Indeed. My Dad flew Beaufighters in North Africa, one of my best mates' Dad was a rear gunner in Lancasters. Back in the 60s, when I lived on a succession of RAF camps, Dad's friends would come around for a beer and often reminisce about the war. Many had been on 'ops', but it was always about how bad the food was, or rationing, or funny stories about where they were stationed abroad. They rarely, if ever, talked about the serious stuff.

My Dad was in North Africa too, on the ground. He told me of taking up smoking to keep flies away from his food. Then betting, with cigs, on the outcome of a match to see who could catch the most flies during a meal. Always knowing which way to go as there would be some bloke in front playing Bagpipes. Trapping fly eggs in dressings around bad wounds to eat rotten flesh as they hatched. Trying to hobble horses with camel hair rope, didn't go well. Using condensed milk in tea, it kept fairly well in tins. So no serious stuff.
geoff

 

[simonridout]

If anyone comments about fast jets flying low overhead, I usually reply: 'Yes, but the bomb racks were empty, so nothing to worry about'.