During 1990 (BoB 50th anniversary year) I was lucky enough to do various radio and tv programmes about the Battle, mostly for the Beeb. For one of them, a 25min 'Outlook' programme for World Service, I managed to blag a ride in Charles Church's 2-seat T9 Spit, flown by the lovely Reg Hallam. The idea was to record the opening and closing of the programme.
At the time, I reckoned I could record my own voice over any sound, just using a normal reporting microphone. (Just turn the gain right down, then shout loud enough to make the needle kick.)
Well..... At any throttle setting other than the minimum for level flight, the noise was so humungous that I couldn't even get the tiniest quiver out of the needle. So I had to ask Reg to keep it at that minimum while I did the two pieces - and even then, the recorded result has me very obviously shouting at the microphone.
I agree with Agaricus that the noise is totally different to the sweet sound you get when you watch from the ground. John E's lovely recording captures it very well.
As a matter of interest, I have also flown in a P51, and I thought the noise was pretty much the same - but then, they are both Merlins, even if one was built by Packard!
I was perhaps even luckier later that year, when I got to fly in the Lanc over Buck House for the memorial flypast. I was reporting live for Radio 4 and pre-recorded for telly, with Raymond Baxter. So it was a very good year for this lover of anything aeronautical!
Happy days
airsound