appropriateness of the battle of britain flypast.

whenever there is a major event in the UK you seem to get the Battle of Britain, etc doing a fly past.

This is not a knock about the past, but should the UK stop looking back at the war, something that is now 70 years ago, and start to look at the future? In some ways would it not make more sense for Typhoons to do the flypast, celebrate where we are and where we are going not where we have come from? Does beating one of our major trading partners represent the highlight of modern british history, and something that should be constantly referred to?

Like winning the World Cup in 1966?

+1 for OP.

slainte ➡ rob

What druidh says

Ssshhhhe…

Jubilee, blah…….

Like winning the World Cup in 1966?

But the ball never crossed the line…

We should have kept one Concorde flying for such an event.
Why the Dakota? Not exactly exciting.
Imagine a Harrier dipping in front of HRH. That would have been good.

I think you’re wrong.

Remembering the past might just help us postpone making the same mistakes again.

I don’t think kids today know enough about WW2 – the allied victory was an amazing achievement.
The principles of freedom and democracy that millions fought and died for can so easily be taken away.
They seem even more precious when you realise how close we came to losing them.

We need to be reminded of the cost of our freedom and of those who made the sacrifices that enable us to live in a society that is so much better than the alternative.

If they flew them over Dresden that would be pretty offensive.

As it is, it’s celebrating a UK/allies achievement, and AFAIK the Germans aren’t exactly shouting about the war.

You couldn’t have any modern war planes doing a flypast, that would just look like we were glorifying the illegal wars we have been fighting recently. I guess Harriers from the Falklands War would be OK, if we had any available. Or perhaps Jaguars from the Gulf War, ditto.

We should have kept one Concorde flying for such an event.
Why the Dakota? Not exactly exciting.
Imagine a Harrier dipping in front of HRH. That would have been good.

I can see why you might suggest those in some ways, but Concorde, first flight 1969, the harrier taken out of service and again first flight 1967, hardly the pinnacle of british technology?

Just thinking it might help the british mindset to stop thinking about the past so much, why is there so much effort over steam trains, maybe we should look at the rest of the world and develop the best electric trains? etc. Don’t focus on Spitfires but on what is coming through now?

I think Typhoons would be great as well. They knocked out an awful lot of panzers in northern France after all…….. 🙂

its a bit like north Korea!

Would you rather see an e type go past or a metro?
We have done some good stuff , I like to see it.

Would you rather see an e type go past or a metro?

For some, I think this would be more appropriate;

I can see why you might suggest those in some ways, but Concorde, first flight 1969, the harrier taken out of service and again first flight 1967, hardly the pinnacle of british technology?

Seriously!? I suggest you read up on aviation history if you don’t think both these planes aren’t significant in aerospace engineering history. The UK has an aerospace heritage that it can be rightly proud of (and still today! Not many industries you can say that about)

Bloody hell reading posts like this is like listening to Jeremy Vine and some of the daft scenarios and questions he poses. Nice bit of nostalgia watching planes like that fly over.

thekingisdead – Member
Seriously!? I suggest you read up on aviation history if you don’t think both these planes aren’t significant in aerospace engineering history. The UK has an aerospace heritage that it can be rightly proud of (and still today! Not many industries you can say that about)

The point is that they are still historic and that something a bit more up-to-date would be appropriate – if we had such a thing.

why a metro or an allegro, something british and a bit more recent?

Seriously!? I suggest you read up on aviation history if you don’t think both these planes aren’t significant in the aerospace engineering history. The UK has an aerospace heritage that it can be rightly proud of (and still today! Not many industries you can say that about)

They are very significant in HISTORY, that is my point, are you saying the best british plane ever built was in the 1960s and that since then we have done nothing that rivals them? Celebrate the past by all means but not if it means you loose sight of the future.

Probably got something to do that without those planes and more importantly the men that flew them we wouldn’t have a monarchy.

For the older generation like myself whose parents played an active part in WWII it’s a bit more poignant. My old ma lost both her parents in the blitz then joined the land army and my late dad served in Bomber Command.

They are very significant in HISTORY, that is my point, are you saying the best british plane ever built was in the 1960s and that since then we have done nothing that rivals them? Celebrate the past by all means but not if it means you loose sight of the future.

Fair enough! I read it in isolation and thought you were slating the harrier and Concorde! As you were 😀

why is there so much effort over steam trains, maybe we should look at the rest of the world and develop the best electric trains?

Are steam trains not generally maintained by volunteers/enthusiasts? I can’t imagine there is a massive industry keeping these things going.

Personally I like seeing the WW2 stuff, but I reckon the fly-past would have been even better today if they’d had a mix of old and new… (yes I know they had the ‘arrows but they are pretty 70’s) the WW2 stuff followed by a couple of Typhoons, and even some bigger modern stuff would be good.

I live near Biggin Hill and the last air-fair they did featured a Typhoon following a Spitfire – looked very cool.

Rusty Spanner – Member

I think you’re wrong.

Remembering the past might just help us postpone making the same mistakes again.

I don’t think kids today know enough about WW2 – the allied victory was an amazing achievement.
The principles of freedom and democracy that millions fought and died for can so easily be taken away.
They seem even more precious when you realise how close we came to losing them.

Helped in no small part by the Russian Communist regime, but as you say, kids today don’t know enough about it.

1

Out of interest, which bits of british history should kids be taught? i left school 20years ago, i seem to remember not being taught anything about modern history. It was taught chronologically starting with romans, maybe earlier and if you didn’t do GCSEs/A levels you didn’t do more modern history. What i know is through reading and talking about it.

So on the basis of time available, what matters? the Romans, Angles, William the Conqueror/Bastard, Magna Carta,Tudors/Bloody Mary, Lady Jane, the Cromwellian civil war, William and Mary, the Stuarts, georgians, victoria, the rise and fall of empire the commonwealth, the 50’s and 60’s? WW1 and WW2, it is fair to say the UK has a vast history, but should we limit history to merely ours? should it be extended to included those countries that have suffered/benefitted, or even further? Do we need to know why there are Ghurkas in the british army and why they are treated differently to those in the Indian Army?

Just seems to me that in some ways whilst kids should know about the second world war, is it the most crucial point in our history, how do you give it context, WW2 is in part the result of WW1 which is the result of the alliances set up through treaties and marriages between royal families.

How many people are taught about the slave trade, the reason why so many Caribbean’s came to the UK after the war, why Indians came over in the ’70’s etc.

Remembering the past might just help us postpone making the same mistakes again.

Then we should be remembering the politics that led to war, not the actions of war itself.

1) appropriate/innaproporiate is so misused it should be removed from the lexicon.
2) lots of our grandparents willingly gave their lives to fight tyranny and oppression, I’m glad they did, I’m glad I don’t have to. I also like to rmeber them as often as possible, if I marched off a landing craft at D-Day and got shot whithin a few seconds I’d like to think that people thanked me for it for a bloody long time to come.
3) They are fricking awesome aircraft.

freeagent – Member

I live near Biggin Hill and the last air-fair they did featured a Typhoon following a Spitfire – looked very cool.

That would’ve been good… I love that combo, the spitfire going absolutely flat out and the typhoon just doing its best not to stop dead and fall out of the sky.

That would’ve been good… I love that combo, the spitfire going as fast as they dare to avoid unnecessary wear and tear (i.e. part throttle low boost only) and the typhoon just doing its best not to stop dead and fall out of the sky.

FTFY

If and when I ever win multiple millions on the lottery I don’t play, I shall buy two Spitfires, and I promise to show one at an airshow flying at maximum throttle maximum emergency boost.

Beautiful sound……..gives me goosebumps and a lump in my throat, specially when heard over the rolling North Downs in Kent. That sound helped sustain morale and confidence during The Darkest Hour and struck fear right into Gerry’s heart.

struck fear right into Gerry’s heart.

Which was why he needed the Pacemakers?

LOL took me a few seconds to work that out drlex……..made me laugh though 😀

That would’ve been good… I love that combo, the spitfire going as fast as they dare to avoid unnecessary wear and tear (i.e. part throttle low boost only) and the typhoon just doing its best not to stop dead and fall out of the sky flying slowly with leading edge slats partially extended with its excellent low speed handling characteristics and FCS doing the work.

While we’re being pedantic…

You need to look up the word ‘pedantic’. I’ll give you a clue, it hinges on whether the level of detail is unnecessary or superfluous.

Regardless, the Typhoon actually IS doing it’s best not to fall out of the sky. Yes, is it using multiple computers with very sophistic flight envelope software and various aerodynamic aids to do so. Actually the Typhoon is ‘doing it’s best not to fall out of the sky’ regardless of speed, as are a great many modern software controlled aircraft.

Regardless of the appropriateness, there is NOTHING that could beat the sound of 9 Merlin engines flying overhead (5 Hurricanes/Spits & 1 Lancaster)!

speed12, not sure they were all Merlins. Think one of them had a Griffon.

Is that my anorak? Thanks…..

Regarding having modern aircraft in the display, apart from the Typhoon, what others have we got? C17 Cargomasters?
Only leased, and hardly our cutting edge tech. Jaguar? No longer in use. Harrier? Sold ’em off. Vulcan? Lovely, but the only one flying is privately owned. Tornado? Well, I think we’ve got one or two left.
Regarding the Typhoon, how many do we actually have available, that aren’t in the Falklands/in maintenance/ whatever? I’ve been told the Typhoon is something of a hanger queen, but that could be hearsay.

Hey, look, we both like planes and internet forums. Who cares? 🙂

Regardless of the appropriateness, there is NOTHING that could beat the sound of 9 Merlin engines flying overhead (5 Hurricanes/Spits & 1 Lancaster)!

Agreed 🙂

Regarding having modern aircraft in the display, apart from the Typhoon, what others have we got? C17 Cargomasters?
Only leased, and hardly our cutting edge tech. Jaguar? No longer in use. Harrier? Sold ’em off. Vulcan? Lovely, but the only one flying is privately owned. Tornado? Well, I think we’ve got one or two left.
Regarding the Typhoon, how many do we actually have available, that aren’t in the Falklands/in maintenance/ whatever? I’ve been told the Typhoon is something of a hanger queen, but that could be hearsay.

We’re just waiting for the F-35