I know there’s a few plane fans on here, so you may be interested to know that the first Spitfire flew for the first time 75 years ago today, 5th March 1936.
More here.

Woooo! Go Spitfire…

There were a couple of Mustangs (I think) mucking about together over our part of the Thames yesterday. The kids in the park were excited enough by this and kept shouting about the Nazis attacking! When an Army Puma flew low overhead a few mins later they went nuts.

Kudos to the Spitfire and it’s creators although the coming of the Hurricane which was, arguably, a more influential plane in the wider conflict seems to have passed unnoticed a couple of years back.

Ooooh I made a sex wee.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2nlGN6aS8g&feature=related[/video]

arguably, a more influential plane in the wider conflict

Not really. Although the BoB could not have been won without the Hurricane, an RAF of just unlimited numbers of Hurricane fighters would almost certainly have lost. An RAF of just unlimited numbers of Spitfires could have won. Additionally, the Spitfire holds the accolade of being the only WWII fighter to be production from day 1 to the end, and serve in front line duty in every theatre of operations. Post BoB the Hurricane was quickly relagated to a ground attack only aircraft where aerial superiority had already been gained. And talking of Mustangs, the Spitfire successor built to British specifications, is called Mustang in honour of it’s British ancestry (Mustang being the RAF name for the P-51).

Beautiful as it is, one thing I’ve never understood is how the **** did a spitfire pilot know where he was going before take-off, or when taxiing to park up…….there was a dirty great big merlin engine right in front of their eyes ffs

Anyone know ? 😕

Apparently the pilots had to ‘weave’ from side to side whilst taxiing, not by much, but just enough, so’s they could see where they were going!

Wasn’t Gracie flying over Southampton today in commemoration? Would love to see it, definitely one of my favourite planes as a kid

the pilots had to ‘weave’ from side to side whilst taxiing

So I was right……they couldn’t see where they were going ! 😀

I thought they might have had a clever trick like a little periscope or sumfink …..

Went to watch the flypast, great stuff seeing the spitfire swooping back and forth over Southampton waterfront. Amazing sound too, I’m whole heartedly in favour of the memorial statue. Southampton doesn’t champion it’s history very well and is a fairly bland city so this would be a great addition, far better than lasers out the guildhall clock tower!