Aviation Videos.

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
Had to put this pix up after I saw it on a shipping site (they do aircraft too) because it's so good. I'm no expert on these things (and I know some of you guys are) so I'll simply copy the caption that went with it in here and you can ponder the facts as you see them.

"Photograph of 41 Squadron Supermarine Spitfire F.XII aircraft based at RAF Friston in Sussex seen in flight over the South Downs.
The aircraft pictured are: MB882/EB-B, MB858/EB-D, MB794/EB-H, MB840/EB-J, MB862/EB-E, MB843/EB-K and one other partially hidden.
The mark XII was the first production Spitfire to be fitted with the more powerful Griffon engine and this necessitated a larger tail fin to counter the increased torque from the new engine.
A retractable tailwheel was also added. The Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing was also clipped at the outer edges to increase roll rate. A total of 100 Mark XIIs were built and they served with Nos 91 and 41 Squadrons."


supermarinespitfire.jpg
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Had to put this pix up after I saw it on a shipping site (they do aircraft too) because it's so good. I'm no expert on these things (and I know some of you guys are) so I'll simply copy the caption that went with it in here and you can ponder the facts as you see them.

"Photograph of 41 Squadron Supermarine Spitfire F.XII aircraft based at RAF Friston in Sussex seen in flight over the South Downs.
The aircraft pictured are: MB882/EB-B, MB858/EB-D, MB794/EB-H, MB840/EB-J, MB862/EB-E, MB843/EB-K and one other partially hidden.
The mark XII was the first production Spitfire to be fitted with the more powerful Griffon engine and this necessitated a larger tail fin to counter the increased torque from the new engine.
A retractable tailwheel was also added. The Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing was also clipped at the outer edges to increase roll rate. A total of 100 Mark XIIs were built and they served with Nos 91 and 41 Squadrons."

View attachment 9216
Another view.

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BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
Yeah I figured from the caption that the pix had been chopped. And by the look of it some processing to clean it up. But that wasn't me, I'm putting it up as downloaded from the site.

On second thoughts, those are two different pix ....

DUHHHHHHH .... my lack of observation. (I blame Rum.):teef:
 
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Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Things tend to 'wave' up and down* as you go along, and a few different shots is worthwhile after going all that way.


* And a bit of backwards and forwards, too.
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
Clearly though some processing of the pix is evident. I have some pix processing software myself ... these days ... who doesn't ? But it's pretty amateur.

That old adage about the 'camera doesn't lie' disappeared with the advent of software that could do all the professional photographers did back in the day and then some.
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
Here's one for the books. This is a picture of a Fairey Barracuda over the carrier HMS Venerable and escorting destroyer thought to be dated about 1944. I don't know anything about this aircraft other than the Fleet Air Arm had quite a few of them during World War Two. It's thought there aren't any of these aircraft left in existence, although the Fleet Air Arm Museum are thinking about building a reproduction of one.
I believe those devices mounted on the wing are an early type of ASV (Air to Surface Vessel) radar operating at metre wavelengths, later replaced by a centimetric version.
I visited the Fleet Air Arm Museum last year and wanted very much to see the infamous Fairey Swordfish (Stringbag) but alas they had it fenced off while they were doing some work on it.


HMSVenerableBarracuda.jpg
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Not the prettiest aircraft ever made.

And they had the unfortunate habit of spraying ether into the pilot's face. Perhaps why the chap above has the canopy slid back.

Can't be too careful...
 

Noah

Well-Known Forumite
That old adage about the 'camera doesn't lie' disappeared with the advent of software that could do all the professional photographers did back in the day and then some.

Back in the day the professional photographers could do a lot that most people can attempt with the advent of modern software. Not a particularly good example but this is an early postcard of Aldershot, used postally. The original photo was pretty boring so to make a more interesting postcard the car in the foreground was added, the soldiers on the left were added, the aircraft was added and most of the vehicles in the distance were added. In those days a photo shop was the place where people doing this sort of thing by hand worked.

upload_2020-9-4_21-24-50.png
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Something noisy over the Isobel trail at lunchtime, only glanced a few times as I was running but it was definitely hunting.

About ten years ago, I went to the Kbely Museum in Prague, where they have many things that, pre-1990, I would never have expected to get close to.

Including this used Mil 24 D.

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Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I have been blocked by one person on Twitter - for some reason, they got very upset when myself and a Spaniard attempted to help them. Anyway, this Spaniard and I maintain a mutual 'following' in order to celebrate our annual Block Day holiday - next week actually.

I get to see some posts that she likes and that brought up this South African regional airline, Kulula, which doesn't take itself very seriously...

kulh.jpg


kule.jpg


kulc.jpg
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
Nice pix I saw on a shipping site I visit regularly of the RAF's last fighter bi-plane. The Gloster Gladiator. These saw a fair bit of action early on in World War Two both in Europe, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean. They also flew from the airfield that was situated nearby to my current location and where I used to work (it's no longer an airfield, but there are bits and pieces of its former existence located beneath the undergrowth.)
I'll say this, bi-plane or not, it does look the business .... :lorks:

Gladiator.jpg
 

BobClay

Well-Known Forumite
The caption to this picture reads: 'The Curtiss airplane factory in Buffalo, in 1924 or earlier.'
That tall thing you see (obstructing the pilot's view I would have thought) is the cooling radiator for the engine.

CurtissPlane.jpg
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
The caption for this pix reads:

Hawker Demons before take off at RAAF Station, Richmond 1939

I have to say they look pretty sleek for biplanes.

View attachment 9542
There was a string of similar-styled Hawkers around that time, leading eventually to the Hurricane. Fury, Hart, Demon, Osprey - possibly others, too.

This Hawker Fury is the first thing that I made a glass case for.

Models 007.JPG


Having wired it, I didn't fancy dust becoming an issue...
 
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