C-47's to Normandy
 

An interesting article with some good photography concerning seven of the Dakotas which will return to re-enact the 75th anniversary of the Normandy invasion. My childhood home was located on the mountain visible in the background of the Hartford skyline. One of my schoolmate's father was President of Pratt and Whitney! D-Day Anniversary

- Ed

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....baa8582c7b.jpg

Hoping to see the fleet and their escorts cross the coast at Eastbourne when they fly the re-enactment on 5th June. I believe at least one Mustang is also on its way across by air.

There are a few going to Prestwick for static display over this weekend. 24/26 May
 

Think they'll probably arrive Thursday for display Friday to Sunday. Www.tsia.scot/tickets

Sorry, not Sunday. A few arrived today. Lovely sound.
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The progress of the CAF C-47 "That's All Brother" can be tracked at https://share.garmin.com/TABtoNormandy

From what I've read elsewhere the formation is due to leave Duxford at 1405 on 5th.of June and pass Colchester at 1421 before heading for Southend.Times obviously TBC.

I'm with Treadigraph, Premier Inn booked at Eastbourne, Dakota's and the seaside, just good providing the weather holds.

As the formation will be passing through a lot of controlled airspace at fairly low level and in probably quite a long 'line astern', if you found yourself in the wrong spot they will be just distant dots. I am wondering if there will be a better indication of the exact course or way points they will be following other than the attached broad brush.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....95afadfdcb.jpg

A marvellous shot from the D-Day Squadron's FaceBook page:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....99d83c0a2b.jpg
The picture is captioned as Beachy Head, but these cliffs are at Seaford, with the Cuckmere River in the background.

Many more great pictures on the FB page, documenting the aircraft and their transit across the pond:
https://tinyurl.com/y59ekdrh

Reports were that they overflew Newhaven, Seaford, Seven Sisters and Beachy Head for the photoshoot/rehearsal flight today (1/6)
Don't think they got as far as Dover
Hoping that a more precise flight track/way point timings might be available.

With the Bomber Command Memorial also at Beachy Head, that may be a good viewing spot.

Did cheekily request they overfly our village with its hill where William raised his standard, as a link to the other Norman(dy) Invasion but no response....

I see the formation was allowed to overfly Washington on the way over.

I think it's a shame that on the day they will be dog-legging around London. It would have been stirring stuff to have gone right overhead the centre, as I believe many formations did on the day.

See you all at Duxford :)

Bit of a general question concerning this. Are there any websites detailing what flight commemorations there are for the anniversary? Mrs yt and me are keen to see some of the airborne celebrations but don't want to get caught up in horrific traffic in and around Portsmouth and Southsea etc. We're sort of looking to to drive somewhere, park up the car and stand on a beach of some sort and watch any sort of overhead display or re-enactment. Sorry to be so woolly.

(Dad went up the beaches around Arromanche, and yesterday we went to Lepe Beach in Hampshire and had a very good guided tour around the local beaches where some of the D-Day embarcations took place and where six of the original caissons for the Mulberry harbour were built. Dad was at the other end bolting them together - though he did have a hand from a few others!!).

I think Southend might be a better "beach" location than the cliffs near Eastbourne.

I am just guessing from the map above, but my hunch is they have used town names the public will recognise, and for routing from Duxford "Colchester" will be the VOR at Clacton (actually some way inland), "Southend" is the NDB on the airport there, "Maidstone" will be the VOR at Detling, and "Eastbourne" will be the VOR at Seaford. The great photo just above seems to bear this out - they have come directly above the clifftop Seaford one, which is just out of shot to the left.

I did go to Gosport beach for the 50th in 1994 (seems like yesterday), there was a significant ship display in Spithead, but I remember more a somewhat off-programme display of a formation of maybe 20 glider tugs, pulling about 20 gliders, nothing historic but likely from Lasham or somewhere, coming overhead about an hour before the official events started. Anyone here involved ? You got quite a cheer from the beach.

The NATS AIC document shows the corridor from Duxford turning SE over Sudbury, SSW over Colchester and west of CLN, overhead Southend, slightly east of Rochester, over DET and Maidstone, the turn S over Eastbourne, well to the east of the Seaford VOR. Hopefully as good a place as any to see the formation...

[QUOTE=cavuman1;10475665]An interesting article with some good photography concerning seven of the Dakotas which will return to re-enact the 75th anniversary of the Normandy invasion.[/url]

Marvellous irony:

"Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries."

Anyway, shooting props at 1/400th like that photo won't ever qualify for 'good photography'

[QUOTE=El Bunto;10485198]Marvellous irony:

"Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries."

Anyway, shooting props at 1/400th like that photo won't ever qualify for 'good photography'

Thanks I42. Here's the whole thing

https://www.aurora.nats.co.uk/htmlAI...7-M-en-GB.html

https://www.aurora.nats.co.uk/htmlAI...1-M-en-GB.html

It seems the second set of timings is not a second wave, but a precaution against passing poor weather affecting the main, planned wave.

Seems to have been a rainy day today, Tuesday, hope it hasn't spoilt things too much. Met looks better for tomorrow, Wednesday

I am confused as to what time they will be over Beachy Head. Are we talking GMT or BST ?

As the graphic in I42's post #16 clearly shows, timings are UTC.