Spitfire/hurricane over Brighton
 

I heard that wonderful sound today as I stood in the middle of Brighton town centre.

Looked up to see the unmistakable shape of a Spitfire/Hurricane directly overhead.

Anyone know which it was and were it was heading for?

About what time?

You say unmistakable shape yet you can't say which one it was. They are both quite different especially when viewed from directly below. The wings are distinctively different for a start.

Sorry forgot to put time. 13.20.

I say unmistakable as I am not a military aircraft buff. I am civil aircraft savvy but do not have much knowledge of military.

That's why I asked the question!

I cannot help with identifying it, though a look on the BBMF flight might provide an answer.

Most Marks of Spitfire are distinguishable by the elliptical shape of the wings: the trailing edge is more curved than the leading one and they meet at a lovely tip with a "pointed curve" shape, but some did have the wing tips removed so there is just a straight edge. Hurricanes have a roughly semi-circular wing tip shape. Once your eyes are "calibrated" to these differences you can tell them apart even at failry great distances!

From the side the "humpback" identifies the Hurricane.

Had a look at FR24 as I have noticed the odd Spitfire pop on there occasionally (BBMF do show occasionally - noticed one of their Hurricanes heading along the south coast to Lydd recently!), but nothing showed in the area between the time in question (12:20 GMT).

A likely candidate would be one of the Boultbee two seat Spitfires from Goodwood - I was at a cricket match at Arundel a few weeks ago and we enjoyed several mild interruptions by Merlin noises and an unmistakeable shape a mile or two away descending towards the circuit at Goodwood.

Just took a look at some photos of Spitfire and Hurricane and can now see that, by the wing shape, it was definitely a Spitfire over Brighton.

Now still need to know what is was doing and where it was going. I would guess it came out of Shoreham and maybe heading towards Eastbourne to recce ahead of Air Bourne.

I thought that Caroline Grace's old 2 seater was unique (although not an original) but perhaps I heard incorrect info on a TV show which used it a few years back.

Think there are at least seven or eight two seaters in the UK.

Cheers, far more than I thought.