Warbird Information Exchange

Bill asked me to dig out some pictures from the Breckenridge air show days. I figured I'd start with a few shots of his plane. I'm also throwing in a slide from Oshkosh prior to his ownership and a few I took at Sun n Fun about two years ago.

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Brad

It has been said before...but ...I sure do miss the Breckenridge show...

Hey Brad,

Great stuff, I hope you don’t mind if I join in.

TE-308 at Toronto Island Airport with Don Plumb and Jerry Billing.


A single-seat TE308 taking off from Toronto Island.


TE-308 in good company with the Red Arrows during the 1972 North American Tour. The Red Arrows flew at Trenton and St. Catherines during the tour.


All photos were taken by my father. I remember seeing TE308 but it was a few years before I got my first camera.

Happy Landings,

Eric

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The air resounds from the Rolls-Royce roar!
To an enemy the warning is dire: here only eagles soar,
and the last thing he'll see is a mirrored Spitfire!

Mind if I join in too?

First Spitfire I ever seen fly was TE308 at Abbotsford. Don't remember the year but I think it was when the CWH Lanc & Hurricane were at Abbotsford.

Brian....

Mrs 'PeterA' in the back seat over Aspen taken from an accompanying T-6. August 1986.

PeterA

Okay, I'm in also. Sun-n Fun 2002.

Bill

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Bill


Website

Great pics Eric!

Any idea what the year was when the Red Arrows flew in St. Catharines?

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Remembering those that served in Bomber Command!

www.bombercrew.com

June 1972.

I flew up with Don and Gerry in the support plane from Windsor.

I was very proud, as a Brit, to be on station when the 'Reds' gave their display to an air show crowd who had never seen them before.

PeterA

I know my dad and brother were very excited to see the Reds, I was only six and could not go . They went to both Trenton and St. Kitts shows. Lots of good down on the deck shots. If I remember right there were was also some hot flying by Bob Hoover in the Rockwell P-51.

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The air resounds from the Rolls-Royce roar!
To an enemy the warning is dire: here only eagles soar,
and the last thing he'll see is a mirrored Spitfire!

My turn





I believe it was the first flight in North America.

Cheers Dave C

Sorry Brad , that first pic. was bugging me. A bit better

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Martin
Wide open & turning left.

Davey the view from the rear cockpit is not very good on the ground, but ok in flight. You really appreciate how much wing there is and the shape from back there, but you don't see that much over the nose. My is pretty much factory original dual version, with full instruments and controls. Remember, in the Irish Air Corp, the instructor was in the back, at least eventually. About all you can't do from the rear is start the engine, or work the radios. The view from the back seat is better than of a stock single 51D and a lot better than the back of a Corsair or P-47, but not as good as a full dual Mustang like Crazy Horse.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

During the filming of 'Battle of Britain' in 1968, TE308 was flown quite extensively solo from the rear seat.

In one set up, an upwards facing camera, directed at a 45 degree mirror, was used to get pilot view 'in cockpit' realism shots.

In another, the front cockpit was smoothed over with plywood and the canopy removed to permit a dummy to be ejected for the bale out sequence. This is thought not to have work too well as another system to just release a mannequin attached to the upper surface of the wing, on a single seater, seems to have been the solution.

PeterA