V.I.P. DAY OUT

an interesting day as a VIP at the battle of Britain memorial flight, have you ever been somewhere and watched as VIPs get up close to things while you stay behind the barriers? well today i had that chance to go to the battle of Britain memorial flight and go around and inside the famous planes.
even though the pics are back to front in order of being taken they give a good idea of the day out.
the aircraft need no intro as everyone knows what is what, so the lancs nose art 'phantom of the Ruhr' from 100 squadron with some interesting missions on the side, yellow bombs are for normal missions, red for over Berlin and if you can see them ice cream cones for Italy missions


this shot was from a service hatch behind the top turret, i did get into that one but my friend who invited me on this jolly took those pics and i have not seen them yet.

this shot is looking the other way

this is the front turret taken from the bomb aimer's position

a view from the bomb aimer's spot viewing the hanger.

taken from the cockpit

the drivers seat, don't the controls look basic

this is a view from mid section next to the radio ops position

and again looking the other way

taken from a service hatch above the radio position

my Friend Ian sitting in a spitfire, i am waiting for his photo of me in it one to remember, and how cramped it is inside when the door is shut and the canopy closed

these are the flight being very well looked after

the spit we got to sit in, wonder if they would have missed it lol.

inside the flights Dakota dc3 very much how it would have looked and on the walls is writing from the para's dropped in the war name numbers etc still there they get masked over if it gets a repaint to keep them there.

and the last spitfire ever built it is nice to be able to get up close to these old planes and to see how badly they are made, gaps every were dints on panels etc

they were made to fight not to look good

and now they just look good.

one interesting point we were told today is that when the lanc is doing the poppy drops, it takes 3 ground crew 7 days to fill the bomb bay with Poppy's, and so far it has done 5 drops