The Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, with their Avro Lancaster, a Spitfire and a Hurricane, give another superb display on the first day of The Biggin Hill Festival of Flight 2019.
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb, AB910:-
Built at Castle Bromwich, AB910 came off the production line in August 1941.
AB910 flew 143 operational missions Initially allocated to 222 (Natal) Squadron at North Weald in August 1941, the aircraft was damaged during a forced landing at Lympne within days of arriving. After repair, it was re-allocated to 130 (Punjab) Squadron, at Perranporth, Cornwall, flying convoy protection patrols and escorting daylight bombing raids.
In June 1942, the aircraft was delivered to 133 (Eagle) Squadron at Biggin Hill. ‘AB’ flew 29 ‘ops’ with this unit, including four sorties on 19 August 1942 during the fierce aerial battle in support of Operation ‘Jubilee’, the Dieppe Raid. One of her pilots, Flight Sergeant ‘Dixie’ Alexander, was credited with destroying a Dornier 217 bomber in AB910 during these combats.
AB 910 continued to fly operationally up to July 1944, serving with 242 , 416 and 402 (RCAF) Squadrons, flying numerous cover patrols with the latter over the D-Day invasion beach heads on 6th June 1944 and afterwards.
From mid-July 1944, AB910 was relegated to support duties initially with 53 OTU at Hibaldstow and later 527 Squadron (a radar calibration unit). On 14 February 1945, whilst at Hibaldstow, ‘AB’ famously flew with a girl on the tail!
LACW Margaret Horton, a WAAF ground-crew fitter, was sitting on the tail whilst the aircraft taxied out to the take-off point (standard practice in rough weather) without the pilot, Flt Lt Neil Cox DFC, realising her presence. He then took off with Margaret still there. The combination of her weight on the tail and her grip on the elevator very nearly had disastrous results but fortunately Neil was able to maintain control and one circuit later landed with a considerably shaken WAAF still wrapped around the fin!
Post-war ‘AB’ was ‘demobbed’ and flew as an air racer for 6 years before being returned to Vickers- Armstrong for refurbishment in 1953. After this it was displayed regularly by the renowned Spitfire test pilot Jeffrey Quill until being donated by the company to the BBMF in 1965.
After undergoing a complete refurbishment, with the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford, AB910 returned to the BBMF at Coningsby in 2015.
It is now painted in the colour scheme of Spitfire Mk Vb BM327, ‘SH-F’, named “PeterJohn1”, a 64 Squadron Spitfire at the time of ‘D-Day,’ with full invasion stripes. At the time it was the personal aircraft of Flight Lieutenant Tony Cooper, one of the flight commanders.
Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC, PZ865 :-
The last OF 14.533 Hurricanes ever built, PZ865 rolled off the Hawker production line at Langley, Buckinghamshire, in July 1944 carrying the inscription ‘The Last of the Many’ on her port and starboard sides. Keen to preserve the last Hurricane ever built, Hawkers purchased the aircraft back from the Air Ministry and kept it in storage at Langley.
Since 2012 this famous Hurricane has faithfully replicated Hurricane Mk IIC HW840, coded ‘EG-S’, of 34 Squadron, South East Asia Command during 1944, the personal aircraft of Canadian pilot, Flight Lieutenant Jimmy Whalen DFC.
Avro Lancaster PA474:-
The Avro Lancaster is the most famous and successful RAF heavy bomber of World War Two. The prototype Lancaster took to the air for its first flight from Ringway, Manchester, on 9th January 1941; the first production Lancaster flew later that year on 31st October.
PA474 is one of only two Lancaster aircraft remaining in airworthy condition out of the 7,377 that were built (the other is in Canada with the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Hamilton, Ontario). PA474 rolled off the production line at the Vickers Armstrong Broughton factory at Hawarden Airfield, Chester on 31 May 1945, just after the war in Europe came to an end, so she was prepared for use against the Japanese as part of the ‘Tiger Force’. However, the war in the Far East also ended before she was deployed and she did not take part in any hostilities.
She now wears 2 colour schemes - That of 460 Sqn. Royal Australian Air Force 'AR-L' 'Leader' on her portside and 50 Sqn. VN-T on her starboard side.
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