dkCambridgeshire Posted October 16, 2013 Share #1 Posted October 16, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) The Leica Society arranged a trip to Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire yesterday. We had a good day out and there were lots of photo opportunities in the ten hangers. This is a Spitfire under construction. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Taken with X-Vario ISO 1600 f9 1/25 19.7mm (35mm FF equivalent) Best wishes dunk Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Taken with X-Vario ISO 1600 f9 1/25 19.7mm (35mm FF equivalent) Best wishes dunk ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/214788-spitfire-under-construction-at-old-warden/?do=findComment&comment=2442936'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 16, 2013 Posted October 16, 2013 Hi dkCambridgeshire, Take a look here Spitfire under construction at Old Warden. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stuny Posted October 16, 2013 Share #2 Posted October 16, 2013 Lovely. I recall an old movie in which the Spit featured strongly. The aeronautical engineer leading the development of the aircraft had heard from German engineers that they were building gliders. When the Spit was done the engineer in the film said something like, "I'll have to write him and tell him we have a glider of our own." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pauledell Posted October 16, 2013 Share #3 Posted October 16, 2013 An excellent shot of a new reproduction of an old favorite. A great fighter in its days. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rona!d Posted October 16, 2013 Share #4 Posted October 16, 2013 Way ahead of the other WWII fighters (except some secret prototypes). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted October 16, 2013 Share #5 Posted October 16, 2013 My late father-in-law has a connection with this MarkVc Spitfire AR501: Originally a 'clipped-wing' model, he saved it from being scrapped along with a Camm ship modified Hawker Hurricane which was sent to Duxford (I believe the Hurricane is still at Duxford). AR501 was sent to Loughborough College to be used as a teaching aid for training apprentices and technicians and then to Duxford for restoration. Following that, it was given to The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden and fully restored there to flying condition. It flew in the Battle of Britain film. Elliptical wingtips were added in 2001. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share #6 Posted October 16, 2013 Is this Hawker Sea Hurricane 1b the aeroplane to which you refer? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Photos taken with my D-Lux 5 at Duxford yesterday afternoon. The hangers are overflowing so it's quite difficult to frame entire aircraft. The lighting varies in each hanger and within parts of each hanger - so custom white balance was reset frequently. Best wishes dunk Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Photos taken with my D-Lux 5 at Duxford yesterday afternoon. The hangers are overflowing so it's quite difficult to frame entire aircraft. The lighting varies in each hanger and within parts of each hanger - so custom white balance was reset frequently. Best wishes dunk ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/214788-spitfire-under-construction-at-old-warden/?do=findComment&comment=2443614'>More sharing options...
Rona!d Posted October 16, 2013 Share #7 Posted October 16, 2013 Advertisement (gone after registration) With "way ahead" I was thinking of the late versions with the highly tuned engines. The german planes were on par and partly superior in the beginning, but due to the "multi purpose" thinking and poor tuning of their late engines, they were behind. Manoeuvrability was another advantage of the wonderful Spitfire. I knew one of the first Germans (if not the first) who was able to fly a captured late Spitfire and he was pretty impressed. He was a friend and colleague of my grandfather and they put some strong efforts into their flying wing prototypes to beat it. p.s. Fortunately history didn´t make that happen. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted October 17, 2013 Share #8 Posted October 17, 2013 Very likely the one. I will have to check. My wife's mother has some correspondence between her late husband and Sir Sydney Camm with regard to the Hurricane. Both are interesting variants, it would have been a significant loss if they had not been saved. I have seen the Spitfire flying several times but I've never seen the Hurricane in the air. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share #9 Posted October 17, 2013 This is an English Electric 'Wren' light aircraft originally built in 1924 as a two seater and then rebuilt several times up until 1931. It is powered by a 398cc ABC motorcycle engine giving a cruising speed of 40mph. A Wren aircraft managed 87.5 miles per gallon in the 1923 Lympne Trials. The aircraft is still in use for short flights and is launched using bungee elastic with aid of 11 people. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Best wishes dunk Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Best wishes dunk ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/214788-spitfire-under-construction-at-old-warden/?do=findComment&comment=2443677'>More sharing options...
Karl G Posted October 17, 2013 Share #10 Posted October 17, 2013 Lovely series of pictures. I love aircraft. These are very nice pictures and a joy to browse through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted October 17, 2013 Share #11 Posted October 17, 2013 A bit more on the Spitfire and Hurricane above. Tony (my wife's late father) bought both of these aircraft sometime in the late 50's (probably around 1958) from Loughborough College after it was decided they had both served their purpose for training technicians and apprentices and were they going to be scrapped. Neither aircraft were complete and Tony's intention was to keep them on some land by the house. Mother-in-law objected to having them parked at the bottom of the garden and Tony contacted the Shuttleworth Collection to enquire if they were interested in taking them in. Fortunately they were interested and both of aircraft were saved from scrap and restored. AR501's current restoration should be completed in 2015 and the Sea Hurricane Z7015 is the only one remaining of it's kind. Tony paid £50 for each of them when he bought them from Loughborough College. Following this, he had a close relationship with the Shuttleworth Collection over a number of years and was involved in sourcing other historic aircraft and parts for the Collection, mainly from France. He arrived home from Normandy after one of his trips with a wooden propeller and various other parts from a Sopwith Pup in the car, which I believe also ended up at Old Warden (the prop, not the Renault!).. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share #12 Posted October 17, 2013 A bit more on the Spitfire and Hurricane above. Tony (my wife's late father) bought both of these aircraft sometime in the late 50's (probably around 1958) from Loughborough College after it was decided they had both served their purpose for training technicians and apprentices and were they going to be scrapped. Neither aircraft were complete and Tony's intention was to keep them on some land by the house. Mother-in-law objected to having them parked at the bottom of the garden and Tony contacted the Shuttleworth Collection to enquire if they were interested in taking them in. Fortunately they were interested and both of aircraft were saved from scrap and restored. AR501's current restoration should be completed in 2015 and the Sea Hurricane Z7015 is the only one remaining of it's kind. Tony paid £50 for each of them when he bought them from Loughborough College. Following this, he had a close relationship with the Shuttleworth Collection over a number of years and was involved in sourcing other historic aircraft and parts for the Collection, mainly from France. He arrived home from Normandy after one of his trips with a wooden propeller and various other parts from a Sopwith Pup in the car, which I believe also ended up at Old Warden (the prop, not the Renault!).. Thanks Honcho ... all interesting history and worth documenting. I'll have more Shuttleworth Collection images to post just as soon as can spend time on post processing Best wishes dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted October 17, 2013 Share #13 Posted October 17, 2013 It would be good to see both aircraft flying together in a couple of years' time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted October 19, 2013 Share #14 Posted October 19, 2013 You mean reconstruction or refurbish or new from old plans? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted October 19, 2013 Author Share #15 Posted October 19, 2013 You mean reconstruction or refurbish or new from old plans? Reconstruction. dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Taylor Posted October 19, 2013 Share #16 Posted October 19, 2013 Durk wonderful series, and what an opportunity to be there to capture each one. A true delight to behold I'm sure. Hank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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