The Spitfire And The Flying Dumptruck

I heard that the THANK U NHS Spitfire was due to fly over the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance HQ at North Weald this morning so off Ollie and I went. I make no apology for posting another Spitfire pic so soon after the one I uploaded last Sunday.

Spitfires are in the news today as it's the eightieth anniversary of the first day of the Battle of Britain featuring these wonderful planes and their intrepid pilots.

It was Dame Vera Lynn's funeral in Ditchling today and two Spitfires saluted the forces' sweetheart.

Also it was reported today about how thirteen-year-old mathematician Hazel Hill helped her father to demonstrate that a Spitfire was capable of carrying eight guns. This proved to be decisive in The Battle of Britain.

While we were at North Weald a Douglas AD-4NA Skyraider was to be fired up so we waited until it happened. It made a terrific noise and shot out a cloud of smoke. Ollie barked, which is very unusual. These planes were piston-powered propellor-driven anachronisms in the jet age. The carrier-based dive/torpedo bombers saw service with the Royal Navy and were given many nicknames, including Flying Dumptruck.
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