Stoneleigh

[bunny]

Mangaged to finish work early yesterday and got to stoneleigh just in time to see these fly overhead, what are they Martin

photo (7).jpg

[grumpy2]

Here's what I think, the one on the left as you look at the picture is a ww2 hurricane. The one on the right looks like a recon spitfire with cropped wings

Others with more knowledge may well correct me though

Gary

[Stocky]

Left hand one in the picture is indeed a Hurricane. The other is probably a mark 5 Spitfire.

[grumpy2]

I think they cropped the wings on spitfires during the later stages of ww2 so they could fly low and fast taking photos of enemy positions, I believe the cropping wasn't as some think to allow them to fly in tight spaces but to make them mine agile at low altitudes

Gary

[bunny]

Then we saw this mgb v8

photo (8).JPG

[bunny]

I have no idea about the wings, but i know a guy who does, he is never around when you want him
vince

[Stocky]

The mark 5 was the first with clipped wings and was not a photo reconnaissance plane, it was a fighter. The PR marks usually had normal wings for better lift at altitude; photo recon was done at altitude not low down.

[Nauts]

They also flew over Little Gransden air/car show on sunday along with the lancaster and vulcan, 5 stags from Beds area

[Motorsport Micky]

Snap with the plane on the left being a Hurricane, plane on the right doesn't look to have Spitfire shape wings the front leading edge looks a little square to me and the prop angle and configuration makes me feel its a P51 Mustang "Cadillac of the Skies".

Micky

[Goldstar]

I think the one on the right is the BBMF MK LF XVIE tail number TE311 might be wrong though

http://www.raf.mod.uk/bbmf/theaircraft/spitte311.cfm

[Motorsport Micky]

Snap with the plane on the left being a Hurricane.

Plane on the right is I think a Mark 14 Spitfire built late in the war and although the photo image is too grainy to definitively say correctly, looks to have two undersurface radiator ducts (slightly darker square image on either wing towards the centre) which would likely mean a "hot arena" plane build and spec (extra cooling) which would tie in with Duxfords ex Indian spec Spitfire built 1944.

Micky

Micky

[Stocky]

Given that a Hurricane and a Spitfire flying together are likely to be BBMF, and the BBMF were flying this combination today according to their website, I suspect Goldstar has, erm, the gold star.
I can absolutely appreciate the P51 idea, but for me it's seeing these two together that suggest Spitfire.
Either way, it's always a pleasure to see and hear them.

[Matt]

I suspect that those are a pair of Battle of Britain Memorial Flight planes- lhs Hurricane, rhs Spitfire LF XVI (is that 16 or 14?); all Spits after the Mk V had two large radiators under the wings to cater for the increased cooling needed for the more powerful Merlin (and Griffon) engines fitted. The BBMF LF XVI (Merlin engine, essentially a bubble canopy Mk IX) has only just been restored; there was no changes to the cooling system for tropical planes but some marks (up to the Mk V I think) had 'tropical' filters for the air intake under the nose.

[martin]

Hi Vince, the left one, is one of the Battle of Britain flight Hurri's, the other is the Free Czek clipped wing Spit that usually lives at Old Warden (Shuttleworth) They both have Merlins, one of the few lumps that sounds better than a Stag.

[Goldstar]

Hi Vince, the left one, is one of the Battle of Britain flight Hurri's, the other is the Free Czek clipped wing Spit that usually lives at Old Warden (Shuttleworth) They both have Merlins, one of the few lumps that sounds better than a Stag.

Where did that info come from Martin?

AR501 (the Czech Spitfire) isn't now sporting clipped wings and wasn't due to fly today according to the Shuttleworth collection website. Being a Vc it only has a 3 bladed prop (the only flying Spitfire that still does) so I'm sure it isn't that one.