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Old 11th Aug 2015, 04:51
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chevvron
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Wildest Surrey
Age: 75
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Sometime in 1961, on my way home from school in Chesham, I heard a sound similar to the familiar Dakotas based at Bovingdon but a bit 'heavier'.
Looking through a gap in the trees, I saw the underside of a 4 engined aircraft which a friend walking with me asked what it was. I replied 'if I didn't know better, I'd say it was a B17 Flying Fortress'.
As we all know now, it was a B17 (one of 3 based at Bovingdon to film 'The War Lover') and they were frequent sights in the sky for the next few months.
I was still too young to join the local ATC Squadron then, but the next film to be made at Bovingdon (633 Squadron) I was a cadet and visited once or twice during filming, the only problem we encountered being to figure out who was an actor/extra and who was a real RAF Officer whom we had to salute!!
Splendid shots of the low flying sequences in an area where 4 engined aircraft were not even supposed to taxy!
A few years later (late 1966 I think), on a 613 GS detachment from Halton, I landed a Sedburgh glider through that gap between the control tower and the hangars and believe me, it felt narrow even in that!

Last edited by chevvron; 11th Aug 2015 at 07:35.
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