FLYER Forums

Yes, Guy really is one of aviation's last great characters.

His workshop is a total joy, though a lot smaller than the Biggin operation. But then his output tends to be WW1 and thus a bit smaller than the WW2 fighters.

Rob P

Hooligan wrote:I thought it was an excellent programme. Wonder if they'll be able to do a second series...

I guess that will depend largely on the viewing figures for this series.

CloudHound wrote:A programme on Guy Black would be just as interesting.

Me too, I just wonder if they'd ever get a series about rebuilding aeroplanes on mainstream TV if it didn't have the word Spitfire in the title.

Well the "Repair Shop" on BBC One gets huge viewing figures and they restore some really odd stuff.

This 2 seater boom perfectly displays the effects of what deregulation does especially where there's money to be made.

Did they mention running costs ? From what I read in a magazine when this boom first started that the main driver was as a means of keeping pilots current on the spit for free. However looking at cost differential between AT 6 joyride and a Spit flight I wonder whether they're making a fair clip more

So hundred dollar question: what does it REALLY cost to operate these spits hourly ?

I think we agreed on the Legends thread that the hourly cost of a Spitfire was about 4K.

JAFO wrote:Me too, I just wonder if they'd ever get a series about rebuilding aeroplanes on mainstream TV if it didn't have the word Spitfire in the title.

A series with the word Mosquito would definitely get my attention

rf3flyer wrote:

Highland Park wrote:...and I much prefer the Griffon-engined versions to the Merlin engined versions...

We had a guy who would come to our PFA (as was) strut meetings who, late in the war, had flown Spitfires. He told the story of how he went to collect a new one to ferry somewhere.
Apparently briefings were pretty much 'Here are the Pilots Notes, off you go.'
In he got, started up, taxied out, lined up and opened the throttle. Only at that point did he realise it had a Griffon as it turned the other way and he nearly lost it off the side of the runway!

That little foible could catch out even the most experienced aviator. Winkle Brown records how he - fully briefed and cognisant of the change in prop rotation (and therefore torque effect) occasioned by the adoption of the Griffon – sat in the cockpit of the Seafire XV for its first deck launch. Now ensconced in an otherwise familiar Seafire environment he promptly forgot about the change of engine. He then equally promptly wound on full rudder trim as usual for a (Merlin powered) Seafire and released the brakes………

Said Seafire XV ‘accelerated like a scalded cat ‘ but took up a deck run of something like 85 deg to the right of the intended direction and disappeared over the side of the ship in front of, and just missing, the deck island, much to the consternation of the deck handlers in front of and to the right of the aeroplane.

Just goes to show that familiarity can, indeed, breed contempt – that can then 'bite yo’ ass!'

Still think the Mk XIV was the best looking and effective Spit of all - even Galland was recorded as writing: "The best thing about the Spitfire XIV was that there were so [relatively] few of them." (my [ ] insert); and that's some accolade!

UK-built Ansons had Cheetah engines. Canadian-built ones had Jacobs or Wasps, which turned the other way. ISTR reading that pilots trained in Canada on Canadian-built ones would forget (or just not be briefed) on the difference when they returned to UK, leading to some mishaps on takeoff.

I didn't know Cheetah engines had enough torque to matter