An unexpected flying object (UFO)

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beachlion
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An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by beachlion »

Last Thursday I went to Sandy Hook. When I was still in the park on my way home, I saw a familiar silhouette in the air and I heard a familiar roar. I have seen it in many movies and at air shows but when you see it just there, you don't believe your eyes. It was a WW2 era bomber, a B-17 Flying Fortress. There was an air show in Atlantic City so I think it came from there. The B-17 was flying quite slow and made a turn over Sandy Hook. The sound of those four radial engines is as music to my ears. Just by coincidense I watched the movie Memphis Belle earlier today. And to finish it of, this afternoon I go to an open day at the local air field that was constructed during WW2 for an aircraft factory nearby.

Did I mention I was plane crazy?
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Sinned
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by Sinned »

With you there bl. I was once renovating a house and it was a beautiful, warm summer's day when I heard the nostalgic and unmistakable growl of the Merlin. It's an engine with a really unique sound. There's a RAF training base nearby and I presume the pilot was flying over it. I savoured a thirty minute spectacle of a Spitfire doing aerobatics and all work was stopped for the duration. The sight will be in my memory forever.
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by crfriend »

beachlion wrote:[...] I saw a familiar silhouette in the air and I heard a familiar roar. I have seen it in many movies and at air shows but when you see it just there, you don't believe your eyes. It was a WW2 era bomber, a B-17 Flying Fortress.
There's a group that visits Worcester on a reasonably regular basis, and they have a B-17 and a B-24. The first time I heard that unmistakable sound over where I used to live I immediately dove for the door and was rewarded with a remarkably low-level flyover of the -17. Last year I saw both the -17 and the -24 from where i live now -- and the sight just doesn't get old.
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beachlion
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by beachlion »

I was born in August 1944 in The Hague, the Netherlands. As a baby I must have heard those hundreds of bombers and fighters coming over on the way to Germany. For years after the war, they tested the air raid sirenes every first Monday of the month. And every time I felt my stomach cramping.

For the die hards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jtOigJ9PUE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ZoAKzVqaA
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by moonshadow »

One of these would occasionally fly over our house in Pulaski. It was low and slow, and yes, the sound of the engines was like nothing I've ever heard before. It was a wonderful experience. I've only seen it three times.
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Sinned
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by Sinned »

The North West of England is noted for the extent of cloud and rain coming in from the Atlantic. Manchester is a major city in the North West of England. So for those who were not aware I have set the scene for the following humour.

Announcement: A UFO [0] was seen in the skies over Manchester yesterday. It was later identified as the sun. :lol:

[0] We say an unidentified flying object yet we say a UFO. Quirky, huh?
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by weeladdie18 »

beachlion wrote:I was born in August 1944 in The Hague, the Netherlands. As a baby I must have heard those hundreds of bombers and fighters coming over on the way to Germany. For years after the war, they tested the air raid sirenes every first Monday of the month. And every time I felt my stomach cramping.

For the die hards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jtOigJ9PUE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ZoAKzVqaA
A couple of months ago I went to a WW11 memorabilia display at a heritage railway station. I was standing beside a hand crank air raid siren when a demonstration was given. The noise what one would expect to hear and the volume of the noise was deafening from a small mechanical machine.

A steam tank engine chuffed up two stations up the line and the passengers alighted in their forties and fifties attire.
American,and British Army and Air Force ..A Female Russian Soldier In her unusual uniform skirt...Various Agricultural Workers and a wee laddie in
his civilian Highland Dress with a Hairy Sporran and his Stag Horn Handled Sgien Dubh in his Kilt Hose........... My Sgien Dubh and sporran attracted
much interest during afternoon tea in the railway buffet car. weeladdie
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by weeladdie18 »

The Russian lady in her war time female Russian Army Uniform Skirt caught my eye......the skirt was a pencil skirt with a big box pleat
from each hip to the hem of the garment..... An unusual but practical position for a pair of pleats.

Her transport was a Russian Military Jeep . The story was that she had acquired the vehicle in Russia and driven it to the U.K.
With the vehicle she had her collection of Russian Military Equipment including a tent.... weeladdie
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by pelmut »

weeladdie18 wrote:
beachlion wrote:I was born in August 1944 in The Hague, the Netherlands. As a baby I must have heard those hundreds of bombers and fighters coming over on the way to Germany. For years after the war, they tested the air raid sirenes every first Monday of the month. And every time I felt my stomach cramping.
A couple of months ago I went to a WW11 memorabilia display at a heritage railway station. I was standing beside a hand crank air raid siren when a demonstration was given. ...
Last year I was at a similar event in Kidderminster when they sounded an air raid siren; I was caught completely unawares and burst into tears.  I have no idea why this should have happened because I was born after WWII had ended - but I can remember my mother's terrified reaction to a recording of sirens much later, so perhaps she had had a similar reaction when I was too young to remember.
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by skirtedbrit »

Sorry lads but I just have to boast.
I have just flown a Spitfire!!! My wife bought me a flight for my upcoming 70th in a 2 seat Spit. This was from Cumbernauld between Glasgow and Edinburgh and the route was across the Scottish Highlands to Corrievreckan (a huge whirlpool second only to the Maelstrom in Norway). on the way we divebombed a warship on the River Clyde. The air was cristal clear and we could see right across Scotland from the north sea to the Hebrides. One the way back we had a perfect rainbow around the aircraft and flew in between mountain tops. We finished off with aerobatics near to the airfield (loops, rolls, victory rolls etc). I am not a pilot but I flew the aircraft for about 20 minutes. It is said that you only need to think about turning and it does it for you and it is true. 2 or 3 millimetres on the stick and it starts to turn.
Very expensive but an incredible experience and there are no pockets in shrouds.
wow wow wow
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by skirtyscot »

That sounds absolutely fantastic, skirtedbrit! Was it today? My normal view of the Clyde was most definitely not available this morning: I could barely see the bottom of my garden. Cleared up in the afternoon; a trip out over the islands on a clear day must be out of this world, even before you add on the aerobatics.
Keep on skirting,

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beachlion
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by beachlion »

That Spitfire run is something I can only dream of.
My tally of non commercial flights is in a Sikorsky S-51 as a 9 year old, in a Dakota and a Harvard when I was serving in the Royal Dutch Air Force. No, I was not a pilot at all. I had my contacts. ;)
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by skirtedbrit »

My flight was on Wednesday 29th with Boulbee Air Training. They bring an aircraft up from their southern base usually for Ayr airshow but this year they were not participating. They might have been involved with a flight over Glasgow to mark RAF 100 (including Red Arrows) on Saturday.
Every year they have a week flying from Cumbernauld and even if you are not flying you can get close to the wonderful sight of a Spitfire and the lovely sound of the Merlin engine. Check out the Boultbee website.
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

Post by FranTastic444 »

Some pics from an airshow I went to back in July. Featured a Spitfire - unusual in that this craft saw active service. Apparently, most of the Spitfires still flying today were trainers or were built just as the war ended.
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Re: An unexpected flying object (UFO)

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I was living in Darlington just over the border in Durham, my early teens. So this would be 1966 to 1970/71. I used to go plane spotting at Middleton-St-George airfield [0] and got friendly with a lot of the pilots in the Aero Club there. As often as I could I would croggy a lift with one of the members if they were just going for a local jaunt or to another local airfield such as Manchester or Newcastle and they would be back the same day. The would unofficially let me take controls for a short while which was fun. Sadly, although I would have loved to have learnt while I had the desire I didn't have the money and now that I have the money at my age I don't really see the point.

[0] Middleton-St-George airfield was renamed Teesside International Airport although it was later renamed something else. It was a bomber station during the war.
I believe in offering every assistance short of actual help but then mainly just want to be left to be myself in all my difference and uniqueness.
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