Actor Cliff Robertson

[B-29 Super Fort]

Was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame on July 15th. Didn't he own a Spitfire at one time?

http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entne ... 32000.html

[airnutz]

B29SF..yep..a D-Day vet at that IIRC, former MK 929. As well as various
Tiger Moths, a Stampe(is it prounounced Stomp), Me-108, and others.
There are various articles on the web that repeats the following link almost verbatim..
www.go-star.com/antiquing/cliffrobertson.htm


But here is a better link in which he bios part of his life with aircraft. Particularly,
in responding to what he thought of the burned Mossie during the making of 633 Squadron...to his obviously veiled comment about whether he actually ever flew his Spitty, or was that Jerry Billings sole pleasure.
What an Artful Dodger!!! 2pages...
www.cliffrobertson.info/aviation.htm

Reallly one of my favorite actors when growing up!

[Tulio]

Wasn't he also, the actor who portrayed JFK in the movie PT-109?

Saludos,


Tulio

[frankspeaks]

Wasn't he also, the actor who portrayed JFK in the movie PT-109?

Saludos,


Tulio

yes! He was.

[wls3]

So I'm standing at the Wings of Eagles Airshow in 2001
at the National Warplane Museum and I turn around...

[Ontario-Warbird]

According to Jerry Billing Cliff never flew the Spit, but he did have time in a P51 ( not sure if he owned it thou )

B29SF..yep..a D-Day vet at that IIRC, former MK 929. As well as various

Actually it was MK923 5JZ

Cheers Dave C

[T J Johansen]

According to Jerry Billing Cliff never flew the Spit, but he did have time in a P51 ( not sure if he owned it thou )

I think he flew Gordon Plaskett's TF-51 N4151D around the time Steve Hinton broke the 3km record (Think he was part of documenting the record). Not sure if he flew the Red Baron team's stock 51 N5471V "The Flying Undertaker" or only rode in the back seat!

T J

[airnutz]

According to Jerry Billing Cliff never flew the Spit, but he did have time in a P51 ( not sure if he owned it thou )

B29SF..yep..a D-Day vet at that IIRC, former MK 929. As well as various

Actually it was MK923 5JZ

Cheers Dave C

You are correct Dave! Thanks!

A history of Supermarine Spitfire MKIXc MK923 5-JZ
www.angelfire.com/sd2/spitfirefactory/MK923.htm

I recall seeing this Spit at DuPage airport with Bill Ross in 1969. Wasn't it also in the EAA museum at one time also
Steve

[Paul281]

He still has the Stampe. I saw it at Santa Paula Airport, Ca this weekend while I was attending the 36th annual West Coast Ryan Reunion.

Paul Bretanus
President
International Ryan Club

[bdk]

I recall seeing this Spit at DuPage airport with Bill Ross in 1969. Wasn't it also in the EAA museum at one time also
Steve

Yes, I saw it there as well.

[JimH]

I remember reading my dads Sport Aviation magazines back in the late 70's and early 80's. In one of them was an article about Cliff's training in and subsequent solo in a P-51. Pretty good article as I recall...the last photo was him sitting in the Mustang (post solo) popping open a champagne bottle. I suspect I would do the same thing. Its sad to see his Spit in Seattle collecting dust. It made a couple appearances at the Akron Airshow and was always a treat to see fly.

Jim Harley

[Matt Gunsch]

I was able to spend about 90 min with Cliff at the Spitfire reunion that was held in Scottsdale, Az a number of yrs ago. It was a very pleasurable experiance, we talked about the planes we had flown, we both had flown Tiger Moths, and talked about Spits. A true gentleman.

[B-29 Super Fort]

Thanks for all the replys and the information on Cliff's Spitfire. I didn't realize MK923 had a WWII history, too bad it was rebuilt and on the airshow circuit again.

[k5083]

Thanks for all the replys and the information on Cliff's Spitfire. I didn't realize MK923 had a WWII history, too bad it was rebuilt and on the airshow circuit again.

Most surviving Merlin Spits have a WWII history. They weren't built half a world away from combat theatres like US fighters -- they were available, and needed, as soon as the test pilot checked them out, so except for a few built in 1945, they generally saw ops.

MK923 was never seen much on the airshow circuit. Cliff demanded high fees and Jerry tended to wear out his welcome quickly. However, I will never forget the one time it performed at Oshkosh (1987). Cliff was there, and Jerry pulled out all the stops for him. A Windsor native, I had seen Jerry's act many times, but the airplane and pilot were unfamiliar to most of the very sophisticated crowd at Oshkosh. By the end of the routine people were gaping and saying to each other, "Who is this guy and why haven't I heard of him?" They realized they had just seen something on a par with Hoover and Gardner, and in a different league than Pardue, Sanders, and the like. A great afternoon.

August