The Spitfire: Britain's Flying Past

[P6 Driver]

Thursday 22nd September - BBC2 - 9pm*
:)

Former BBC reporter John Sergeant presents a 75th Anniversary Tribute to the Spitfire. Interviewing people along the way, he visits the former sites of the Castle Bromwich plant and RAF Hornchurch.



* Not BBC Scotland :\

[Spit161]

I have made a note of it on the Sky + Box.
Thanks for letting me know about it!

[treadigraph]

I shall be having a watch...

Just had a Griffon Spit fly over, unusual in this neck of the woods. Assume a BBMF Mk19 doing a flypast of the memorial at Croydon Airport.

[Spit161]

It could have also been the RR Spitfire?

[treadigraph]

Don't think so, I think G-RRGN is still undergoing some major work isn't it? And G-ALGT is still way off flying again. Other candidate might be TFC's Mk14, but I think this one was a high back and didn't appear to be clipped.

[Captivep]

Some lovely air to air filming in the programme, I thought. And the ATA lady (Joy?) was a bit of a looker in her day!

Like most of us, I suspect, I always appear to get a bit of grit in my eye if ever I see a Spitfire, especially on a late summer's day over quintessentially English countryside.

I have to admit one point niggled me, though. I think John Sergeant said that he'd learnt to fly in a Piper Aztec as an Air Cadet - that can't be true, can it?

[treadigraph]

I think he just meant a light aircraft - did he mention the Aztec by name, can't remember now...

Which airfield was that at the start, thought maybe Fairoaks, but it's so long since I've been there. Duxford certainly a little later, plus Woodbridge (Bentwaters?) with ML407.

Nice programme.

[FantomZorbin]

Captivep


... he'd learnt to fly in a Piper Aztec as an Air Cadet - that can't be true, can it?


It certainly can, via a Flying Scholarship.

[vulcanised]

I've recorded it and not watched it yet, but something is puzzling me.

I'm certain I saw JS doing this, or something very similar, only a couple of weeks ago. It's not listed as a repeat, so I'm a bit confused.

[Dave Clarke Fife]

Captivep



It certainly can, via a Flying Scholarship.

ATC or CCF cadets granted a RAF Flying Scholarships would most certainly not have been trained on a Piper Aztec which is a piston engined twin.Training would have been on Traumahawks, C152, PA28's or similar which are all single engined piston aircraft.

[FantomZorbin]

Dave Clarke Fife

You're absolutely right ... overlooked the second engine, DOH! :O

[Stu666]

Vulcanised, I watched it and got that distinct feeling I had seen it, or something similar, before.

[KING6024]

I think clips from this programme were used when John Sargeant was on BBC 1s 'One Show' recently.
Colin.

[JessA2]

I missed it as I had to work and my sky box decided it didnt want to record it :ugh:
I think I was born 40 years too late as I rather be up in aircraft from that era.

if it comes on again and someone spots it could they possibly post it here or pm me, muchas gracias amigos :)

[PPRuNe Pop]

I suggest you get BBC iPlayer - its free and you can watch almost anything after its broadcast.

[lightning_lad]

Just as AX 201 is THE Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, MH 434 is THE spitfire to me!
Lovely to see this one featured.
Shame it ended there, there is a lot more history to MYLCRAINE, and no mention of Ray Hanna, after all this was'nt just about the Spitfire, it was mostly about ZD-B.

[JEM60]

Personally, I thought the programme was oversentimental. I also found that Mr. Sergeant waxing lyrical over it's qualities etc.,, never having experienced them first hand a l;ittle false. I would much rather have heard from the frequent Spitfire fliers such as Messrs. Spink, Proudfoot, Walker, Brown, Ratcliffe, Romain et al, and, like a previous poster, was surprised that there was no mention of the late, great Mr. Hanna and his son in connection with the aircraft. It grated that Mr. Sergeant always referred to it as 'the MH434' I have never heard it referred to as such, always just MH434.
Perhaps, being lucky enough to live not far from Duxford, where it is based, I am used to seeing it and other Spits in the air, and I am getting a bit blase/ about them?

[P6 Driver]

I thought the programme could have been better - and could have been a lot worse.

It also grated with me with the presenter repeatedly used "the MH434" when referring to the aircraft. :ugh: