UKC

Who else enjoyed the programme on BBC2 tonight?

Very well filmed. Carl Jenkins music in the background was perfect.

Lucky blokes who do that for a job!

In reply to Trangia:

Was a proper old fashioned BBC 2 documentary (Reminded me a bit of 'Rock Athlete' in the way it was put together).

In reply to Trangia:

ironic that single-engined planes are no longer allowed over London...

In reply to Trangia:
Saw it - excellent programme. Really brings it home to you what that generation did. Our maths teacher was (I found out many years later) a navigator in a Lancaster. He never spoke about it. Very intelligent dignified man. Must have required enormous strength of character. Sitting there being shot at, doing tricky maths in the dark and cold, with the price of one mistake being death for you and your mates. Night after night.

Makes you think.

Paul

In reply to Trangia: Yes a truly excellant programme. There should be mor e of them of this quality

In reply to scottiedog: The BBMF flew over my house a couple of weeks ago - the noise of that Lancaster was awesome!

It looked as aerodynamic as a breezeblock up there

In reply to gobsmacker:


My dad flew Lancs during the War. Inspite of its looks it had a suprisingly good glide capability, far better than a modern jet airliner.

In reply to Ian Hill:

You could sense the nervouness of the Spitfire and Hurricane pilots during the pre Queen's Birthday fly past briefing. They had instructions not to bale out in the event of an engine failure, but to ditch in the Thames!

Only the RAF's best and most experienced pilots are selected for the flight because the aircraft are priceless, like the guy with over 3000 hours of fast jet experience behind him who was visibly nervous the first time he took the Hurricane up. As he said there are no 2 seaters and your first flight in one is solo. He marvelled at how in 1940, boys of just 18 to 20 years old with only 10/15 hours experience on trainers behind them, were not only expected to fly them, but to fight in them!

In reply to Paul Evans:
Our maths teacher was (I found out many years later) a navigator in a Lancaster.

My late Great Uncle was as well. Took part in some of the biggest raids of WWII, as well as a stint in the Far East. He told me much the same thing, having to do dead reckoning etc night after night. The irony was he couldn't navigate at night in any sort of vehicle after he was demobilised: had to drive home before sunset!

In reply to Trangia:

In a time of GPS, Data Link, Link 16, colour moving maps etc which are present in most combat aircraft, it is good to know that when it counts the pilots can still navigate to the highest standards using dead reckoning (Speed, Heading, time).

It was a good programe and i think the BBMF serves to honour those who gave their lives so that others could live freely, and also act as a reminder for future generations.