Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Here's a view of the N.E. Aircraft Museum around 1982/83 when the museum was all out doors and located on Usworth airfield. Soon after the picture was taken, Nissan bought the airfield ( which dated back to 1917 ), and began to flatten it in preparation for the car plant. The museum was re-located over a road to where the wartime accomodation/admin sites were. Two of the Usworth hangars were also relocated onto the museum site. The large Lamella hangar, a listed building ( which would have housed the whole museum collection ), was left to rot and then pulled down in the last few years. Inside the Lamella hangar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Miles Messenger and Gemini at Old Warden, around 1984. Quite a grainy image taken on a Halina Disc camera, which only had 10mm square negs. Nimrod, either RAF Leuchars or RAF Finningley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Now for some of my favourite US fighter, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. The P-47 arrived in the UK in 1986, but since P-47 'No Guts No Glory' went back to the USA fairly recently, I've missed it on the show circuit. The Fighter Collection at Duxford are rebuilding another P-47 which should be on the show circuit in the next year or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 These two are from the North Weald Fighter Meet, in 1992 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevpol Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 very nice piccys, the shots of the B17's at Duxford bring back memories, I was on a Royal Observer Corps course that year at RAF Watton, on the day off we got the chance to go to Duxford and then into Cambridge, I took some piccys there. Also like the Harrier shots Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 If you still have the pictures, please post them in here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevpol Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I havnt had time to go through all my aircraft slides, but when I do......... Boscombe Down 1990 (50th Anniversary Battle of Britain)........various Great Warbirds (West Malling).......Fighter Meet...........RAF Mildenhall......... these where the main airshows I attended in late 1980's, early 1990's Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Looking forwards to seeing some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Mustangs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 F-4 Phantoms and a Phantom with a 'Phlat' tyre, being towed away after landing long at North Weald, breaking hard and ending up on the rim! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevpol Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 just a couple to whet your appetite Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 29, 2009 Author Share Posted November 29, 2009 Ah, Gary Newman's Texan and Sally B sometime between 1989 and '91 as its in its 'F' version from the 'Belle' filming before the chin turret was re-fitted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevpol Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I think both were taken at a Great Warbirds show Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 In the 1980's our area was allready used as a lowflying area. (Now only for Heli's like Apaches who fly very low above the river). I remember the following jets flying overhead. F15 F111 F4 F 16 A 10 (love that one!). Tornado AWACS F5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Now time for some more B-17 pictures ( I'm feeling self-indulgent ) B-17 'Sally B' in 1982 seen at Usworth, while wearing the 'Ginger Rogers' colour scheme. This was applied for the TV series "We'll Meet Again", filmed at West Malling airfield. Turrets were fitted for the first time for this filming. Prior to that, the aircraft was missing the top, chin and ball turrets which were just faired over with aluminium. Since I don't have a slide scanner, these two images were photographed held up against the window to allow the natural light to illuminate them. The camera was mounted on a tripod close to the slide, zoomed in and focussed as close as it would go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) In 1984, Sally B had another colour scheme change which lasted for five seasons. Flying overhead is Spencer Flacks all red Spitfire, seen close up in a previous picture. Edited November 30, 2009 by Jessie The Jeep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 As we have previously seen, in 1989, 'Sally B' was converted to a B-17F for the 'Memphis Belle' film which involved removing the chin turret, removing the glazing from the waist windows, and reconfiguring the tail turret from the short 'Cheyenne' type to the longer B-17F 'Stinger' turret. All the B-17's in the film were converted in this way except the genuine B-17F. The Ball turret was also replaced with a remotely operated version complete with blank firing 50 cals, so any scenes in the film where you see the ball turret firing was 'Sally B'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Bandits! The OFMC Buchon and 'Sally B' at RAF Finningley. The scene at the end of the film where the 'Belle' lands all shot up was done with a combination of models and 'Sally B'. The final approach and touchdown was a 1/6 scale radio controlled model. Stationary propellers were fitted behind the real ones so it looked like three engines had stopped because the model wouldn't fly on one engine. Once the model had touched down, the cameras cut to 'Sally B'. For this scene, the B-17's fin was removed and a badly shot up fibreglass version fitted instead. The outer two engines had their propellers feathered and the B-17 was accelerated along the runway using the two inner engines. Once up to about 50mph, one inner prop was feathered to simulate the B-17 only having one engine running at the point of landing. The cameras then followed the B-17 as it slowed, the tailwheel lock released and a kick on the brakes swung the B-17 off the runway and onto the grass as the last engine was shut down. Apparently it took several takes to get the shot they wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Now for a couple more dramatic pictures. The first, taking off at a wet Duxford, complete with faint prop vortices from all the moisture in the air. and a textbook short landing in the wet at Elvington. Rolling along the runway with the tail high creates more drag and puts more weight on the wheels which helps to prevent skidding when braking. I caught a video of a short landing at North Weald which can be seen here - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 Here's another example of the pictures I've been working with. Dusty and chipped emulsion on the first image, plus a bit over exposed reddening the image on the Kodak paper. Fuji films/paper always tended to be more blue/green sensitive. The second picture is the restored version. This picture was taken at the Fighter Meet at North Weald in 1992. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 And now for another four engined bomber, but this time post war, the Avro Shackleton, seen at Usworth. I always preferred the look of the taildragger version to that of the tricycle landing gear type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 While I was working at Newcastle Airport several lifetimes ago, one of the BBMF Spitfires dropped in to our hangar overnight on the way to a show. Several light aircraft had to be taxied around to the Bellman hangar to make space for it. Why it wasn't parked there in the first place I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 On a previous thread, I think on this forum, I posted the following two RNAF Sunderland flying boat pictures involved in a search and rescue exercise with my dad's ship..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie The Jeep Posted November 30, 2009 Author Share Posted November 30, 2009 .....while looking through some of my dad's photo albums, I found two more pictures of the Sunderland as it buzzed his ship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Wow, must have been great to hear these planes roar overhead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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