Messages

1321

Combat Warplanes / Re: Captured Spitfire

« on: April 22, 2007, 07:40:40 PM »

Thanks right, LY would be at this time 1 PRU based at RAF Benson
The camera fit on this version was two F24 cameras pointing downwards mounted in a blister of the starboard wing, the blister on the port side was an extra fuel tank.

1322

Combat Warplanes / Captured Spitfires

« on: April 22, 2007, 10:02:16 AM »

Captured RAF Photo-reconnaissance Spitfire Type C, all other details are unknown at this time.

1323

Combat Warplanes / Re: RAF Photographers at War - WW2

« on: April 22, 2007, 09:29:51 AM »

Here's a great read about one of my RAF photographer friends who has swapped roles for 4 months.

RAF Photographers at war

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Combat Warplanes / Re: WW1 color

« on: April 22, 2007, 09:16:16 AM »

Great image No.1, 

Here are a couple I found on the web.

1325

Combat Warplanes / Re: The Avro Vulcan

« on: April 20, 2007, 03:28:23 PM »

Blue Steel was the result of a Ministry of Supply memorandum from 5 November 1954 that predicted that by 1960 Soviet air defences would make it prohibitively dangerous for V bombers to attack with nuclear gravity bombs. The answer was for a rocket-powered, supersonic missile capable of carrying a large nuclear (or projected thermonuclear) warhead with a range of at least 50 miles (90 km). This would keep the bombers out of range of Soviet ground-based defences installed around the target area, allowing the warhead to "dash" in at high speed.

The weapon (officially termed a Stand-off bomb) was developed primarily by Avro, with guidance electronics by Elliots. Its design period was protracted, with various development problems exacerbated by the fact that designers lacked information on the actual size and weight of the proposed boosted-fission warhead Green Bamboo, or its likely thermonuclear successor derived from the Granite series. The large girth of Blue Steel was determined by the 45 inches implosion sphere diameter of Green Bamboo.

Sorce - internet

1326

Combat Warplanes / Re: RAF Photographers at War - WW2

« on: April 20, 2007, 03:26:51 PM »

To me the RAF is not just about the pilots, don't get me wrong, they do an excellent job, but the workers that keep the planes flying and in my case the teams of photographers that produced the film so intelligence can be obtained from reconnaissance mission.

1327

Combat Warplanes / The Avro Vulcan

« on: April 19, 2007, 10:40:49 PM »

The Avro Vulcan was a British delta-wing subsonic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984. The Vulcan was part of the RAF's V bomber force, which fulfilled the role of nuclear deterrence against the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Although the primary weapon for the Vulcan was nuclear, Vulcans could carry up to 21 x 1000 lb (454 kg) bombs in a secondary role. The only combat missions involving the Vulcan took place in the 1982 Falklands War with Argentina, when a number of Vulcans flew the 3,380 nautical miles (6,300 km) from Ascension Island to Stanley to attack Argentine radar installations with missiles and bomb the occupied airfield there with conventional bombs in Operation Black Buck. Victor aircraft were used for air-to-air refueling in a complex scheme described here.

Five Vulcans were selected for the operation: their bomb bays were modified; the flight refuelling system that had long been out-of-use re-instated; the electronics updated; and wing pylons designed, manufactured, and fitted to carry an ECM pod and Shrike anti-radar missiles. The engineering work began on April 9 with the first mission on April 30–May 1, 1982. While only one 1000 lb bomb hit Stanley's runway, this first raid demonstrated the willingness and ability of the British to attack targets in the South Atlantic.

There were seven raids planned, but only five went ahead, with two scoring hits on radar installations. At the time these missions held the record for the world's longest distance raids. One effect was to force the Argentines to withdraw their Mirage III fighters from what had become their vulnerable position on the Falkland Islands to stand defence over the similarly at-risk Argentine mainland. The planning and execution of the "Black Buck One" raid has recently been described in Rowland White's book "Vulcan 607". Text source - internet.

On a personnel note, this was an aircraft we would all stop to watch take off, just the power of the jet engines as it thundered down the runway was out of this world. And the night that that the news got back to the UK about the attack on the Falklands will I think, be one of the turning points of my service career.

 Hopefully one will be flying over London on the 27 June this year and at the Waddington airshow.

1328

Combat Warplanes / Re: RAF Victor's

« on: April 19, 2007, 10:30:55 PM »

Some more shots of this great aircraft.

1329

Combat Warplanes / Re: De Havilland Vampire

« on: April 19, 2007, 10:28:52 PM »

An usually shot of the Vampire

1330

Combat Warplanes / Gloster Meteor

« on: April 19, 2007, 10:20:48 PM »

The Gloster Meteor was the Allies' first operational jet fighter. Designed by George Carter, it first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Gloster Meteor was not an aerodynamically advanced aircraft, nor even the world's fastest aircraft on introduction; its limiting Mach number in a dive was actually slower than the Spitfire's, but George Carter and his design team at Gloster had succeeded in producing an effective jet fighter that served the RAF and other air forces for decades. Meteors saw action with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the Korean War and remained in service with numerous air forces until the 1970s. - Text source - internet

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Combat Warplanes / De Havilland Vampire

« on: April 19, 2007, 10:14:16 PM »

Originally named the "Spider Crab," the aircraft was entirely a De Havilland project, exploiting the company's extensive experience in using moulded plywood for aircraft construction, as used in the Mosquito bomber. It was the last time composite wood and metal construction was used in high performance military aircraft. It had conventional straight mid-wings and a single jet engine placed in an egg-shaped, aluminium-surfaced fuselage exhausting in a straight line. To reduce the losses caused by a long jet pipe the designers used the distinctive tail with twin booms, similar to that of the Lockheed P-38.

It was used by some 31 air forces. Of the major Western powers, Germany and the US were the only ones not to use the aircraft type.
(Source - internet)

The two images below are form 247 Squadron 1946

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Combat Warplanes / Re: RAF Photographers at War - WW2

« on: April 19, 2007, 09:16:32 PM »

Some more images, the last one is a NAAFI (Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes) mobile canteen, driven out to the airfield so the workers can get a cup of tea. Date 1941

1333

Combat Warplanes / Re: RAF Photographers at War - WW2

« on: April 19, 2007, 09:07:55 PM »

Great to see "invisible" people which was important for every operation!!!  Is some of this people your friend?

Sorry No.1 but I'm not that old.

1334

Combat Warplanes / RAF Photographers at War - WW2

« on: April 19, 2007, 09:03:58 PM »

Four images of RAF photographers working with reconnaissance films during WW2.

The drying drum was still being used in the 1970's when I joined the RAF.

1335

Combat Warplanes / Re: Days of the 'Cold War'

« on: April 19, 2007, 08:43:52 PM »

Great!! is this images which all you have as a intelligence study of Soviet air power?

In the late 70's and early 80's we were tasked to photograph any Soviet equipment we came across. this was so that at this period in time, intelligence briefings on Soviet air power could be given to NATO ground and air forces in case the Russians came charging over through Germany.
Thankfully, those days have now long gone.