Thetownend.com

This morning at my sisters in West Swindon i am sure the Vulcan aircraft flew overhead,the noise was deafening and i shat myself it was so quick,all the local dogs went berserk,didn't see it but it was at Kemble yesterday so i can only think that is what it was :hmmm:

Anyone else hear it?

I heard something throaty, in the distance...I can usually hear the air tattoo, and B 52's at Fairford from where I am on top of OT hill.  Just thought it might have been that..

I'm not the patriotic type, but the Vulcan always brings a lump to the throat.

Fucking amazing bit of kit.

Sat in my mums kitchen in Toothill this morning and something mighty loud flew overhead. We don't know if it was the Vulcan but it sure as hell was not Ryan air.

I know what you mean.  It's the Hurricane that does it for me.

[url width=800 height=600]http://www.airmuseumsuk.org/airshow/2004/Rougham2004/800/images/316%20Hawker%20Hurricane%20XIIa%20Z5140%20G-HURI%20HAC.jpg[/url]

Are you the people that stop to look at planes as they fly past?

Its fucking weird,its like they've just been invented or its the Second World War and you're making sure they're our boys.

It's purely sentimental for me.  May have mentioned this once before on here, but my late Grandpa was one of 'The Few'.  He died a few years ago aged 91.  What he went through in the summer of 1940 is something that I can only imagine...very grateful I never had to experience it myself.  His name is one of the 2,936 names on the Battle of Britain memorial on the Embankment in London - and was one of the very few to witness its unveiling in 2005.  I'm rather proud of him.

(I know there are a few German posters on here, so hope you don't think I'm being at all insensitive for mentioning this.  For the record, he was quite reticient about his experiences - as many of his generation were - and claims that he scared a few of your lot, but never 'got' any.)

I'd stop to listen if a Spitfire, Hurricane or even Vulcan flew over. So impressive it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, so many things to be thankful for. I'm not particularly patriotic, but these three can cause me to shed a tear or two. Three things that make me proud to be British unlike our shiiite football side

Phew,thought i was losing it.......was like a fucking missile.

That must've flew over Highworth on it's way to the show the other day. Quite early in the morning.

I'd just woke up and thought I was about to die.

I saw the Vulcan at Kemble yesterday but it was not planned to be there today. After it did its bit it went off to the Margate Airshow. I don't know where it is based

On the subject of being patriotic/lumps in thorat/hair standing up - I used to work for the Airshow at Fairford (RIAT) and whilst I am not a spotter I saw some pretty amazing things - yes the Red Arrows and their French/Italian equivalents along with the Jordanians and all are impressive you cannot beat a spitfire/hurricane/Lancaster for sheer nostalgia or a vulcan for noise and excitement.

In 1995 we did a special VE Day show which involved 2 Red Arrows burning a red smoke "Victory V" in the sky in front of the crowd line and then a Lancaster, a Spitfire and a Hurricance flew through the "V" over the top of the crowd in the missing man formation representing those who did not return home. There were many lumps in throat, hairs standing up and tears that day.

http://www.vulcantothesky.org/ - for those who know and want to keep in flying. Apparently in costs £38k per day to run and maintain.

It's only a plane...

it was the Red Arrows, I shat myself when they flew over. I didn't see them myself by my old man did.

Yep - but one with soul

Yeah, it was the Red Arrows.

They flew over Wootton Bassett whilst I was at my in-laws having dinner this afternoon too.

The Vulcan was back in Doncaster (Robin Hood) after doing Kemble and Margate yesterday, so it wasn't that.

I thought the Sparrows were due 'back home' in Kemble at 11ish? Did see 3 somethings fly over Blunsdon on my drive to Fairford about 8:40ish. Not sure what the 'somethings' were, other than jets :)

Incorrect

Maybe the big man upstairs was playing with his new areoplane model :D

Red Arrows it was then.

Never get bored of the fact the first Vulcan test flight was in 1952, just 11 1/2 years after the first test flight of the Lancaster Bomber.

does it also make tea then?

The hurricane is the unsung hero of WWII.

Many think of the Spitfire that saved us whereas in reality the Hurricane took down more planes than any other. With a frame made almost entirely of wood, it could get shot to fuck and still fly.

But although the Hurricane is a good looking plane, the Spitfire was sex on wings.

I love old planes. The sound of a Lancaster bomber's 4 engines roaring is hairs on the back of your neck stuff.

Not forgetting that old workhorse the Lancaster.

That is a amazing fact Batch. Had they had listened to Frank Whittle back in the 30's it may well have been a lot sooner

BR - agreed on the Hurricane - apparently it flew better than the Spitfire as well. Its one of those facts that got lost in the midst of time/war - a bit like the fact that 3000 fighter crews lost their lives compared to 44000 bomber crew.

Trying not to sound like spotter but I also loved the Mosquito.

Me too,it gave me a real buzz ;D

Of the the Lancaster should not be forgotten and as Ralphy so rightly pointed out, the drone of those engines is a spine tingler.

This discussion has been had before, but my Nan lives directly underneath the flight path to RAF (the one where the hold the old plane tattoo)

Every summer my nan's back garden is basically a free front row seat to some of the best flyovers you could imagine. One in particular I remember was Spitfires, Hurricanes, Lancasters and Mosquitos all in formation. Shortly followed by Messerschmitts and Heinkels.

We'd even get treated to mock RAF v's Luftwaffe dogfights.

Has anyone ever been to Duxford? Used to love going there as a kid.

Messerschmitts are the Darth Vader/Darth Maul of planes - you know you shouldn't like them but they are cool.

The Stukas were mean

They had those air sirens for no other reason than to scare the shit out of people.

My father, who had been a carpenter in the railways, built Hurricanes frames in Gloucester, for Gloster Aircraft Company....rather than having to go and fight, he was sent to GAC, from GWR because of his skills.

The Stukas actually sounded like an angry mosquito when dipping in for the kill. ;)

Do you know the actual place in Gloucester Reg?

You know I only found that out a few weeks back whilst watching a WWII Prog i had sky +'d

Jap Zeros too.

Could outrun most other aircraft.

Great innit

Evilness just for the evilness' sake.

Liked them,could never understand the need for a helmet though when they went Kamikaze :D

Because the helmets held the radio kit, they had to communicate with each other.

The kamikaze bombers were actually a huge failure, most of the planes were just shot down before they hit the target or just missed their target altogether.

Banzai!!!!!!!!!!!!

place bets now ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banzai_charge

What the japs would scream as they dived in for the kill.....or on land when attacking.

GAC's factory was in Hucclecote/Brockworth...as a kid I recall the old man talking about it, we'd go to ICI Fibres to play bowls which I think was nearby.

Cheers Reg,probably close to where Walls factory is now.

Closeish....I seem to think the Walls factory is on a big arse roundabout/by-pass sort of thing, whereas GAC and ICI Fibres were more alongside the Roman Road heading into the City....memory a bit vague here though.

Isn't Swindon Supermarine something to do with a Spitfire factory

Or did my mind just make that up for me?

There was a Vickers factory at South Marston.

No some Spitfires were produced at South Marston, although relatively small numbers, the idea was to spread out production, to allow for any bomb hits.  Southampton and I think Castle Bromwich? were the main Supermarine sites.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Aircraft_Company

Think as you come down Birdlip Hill the new Gloucester Industrial Park to the left of  the main road is its location.

Bangkok................Swindon Supermarine helped to build Spitfires near South Marston at the North end of Swindon heading towards Highworth,,,,later it became Vickers Armstrong and stayed there untill the 70s or maybe into the early 80/s.
The main Supermarine plant was in Southampton.