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[PhilRich]

Just been on Sky News. Spitfire crashed on landing at East Midlands Airport. No further news yet
Update: Seems the undercart collapsed, Pilot Ok plane not a write off!

[TheBoy]

Media trying to make mountain from molehill...  ...and you bit

[acope]

Shoot the pilot and save the Spit

[cleggy]

Agree with TB they even closed the airport rather than just move it from the runway, which I suppose wouldn't take much effort to lift it onto a low loader:(

[TheBoy]

I guess the runway needs to be checked...

[PhilRich]

Media trying to make mountain from molehill...  ...and you bit

[/highlight]




I couldn't give a toss how the Media portray it TB, There aren't that many Spits left in full flying condition and the loss of even one would be a damn shame. Hence my interest and concern 

[TheBoy]

There aren't that many Spits left in full flying condition and the loss of even one would be a damn shame.

Indeed

Although, hopefully, there will be a few more than can be made airworthy, either directly, or via parts, from those that (hopefully) will be dug up

[Marks DTM Calib]

Diverted to east Midlands due to under carriage fault, airport closed whilst debris is cleared and rain way checked (don't want a bit of spit being ingested by a Ryanair flight......well actually!)

[cleggy]

I was going to say why not divert to Tollerton but I don't suppose they have the same emergency facilities

[Marks DTM Calib]

Correction, it was the Rolls Royce one which is based at EMA

[cleggy]

Correction, it was the Rolls Royce one which is based at EMA

Yes, it was taxi-ing back to it's hanger when the undercarriage collapsed. It has just returned after extensive refurbishment at Duxford, and was an high flying air reconnaissence model stripped of armaments.

[PhilRich]

Correction, it was the Rolls Royce one which is based at EMA

Yes, it was taxi-ing back to it's hanger when the undercarriage collapsed. It has just returned after extensive refurbishment at Duxford, and was an high flying air reconnaissence model stripped of armaments.

Hopefully not a great deal of heavy damage then? though heaven knows it will still cost a reasonable lottery win to get the old girl in the air again. I wonder who will end up carrying the can for it when the dust settles & blame apportioned etc.

[Lizzie_Zoom]

I can just see those RAF aircraft engineers and fitters in 1940 patching them up, and returning the kites to action the next day when possible, which was a critical matter.

How long will in take the modern chaps / ladies to get this one back flying?

[Lizzie_Zoom]

Just read in today's Daily Telegraph that this indeed was the Rolls Royce Spitfire PS853, a MK 19 no less.

The highly informative Rolls Royce web site for this plane is worth a read:
http://www.rolls-royce.com/about/heritage/news_articles/article_spitfire.jsp

explains it was an unarmed, high altitude version, of a 79 strong batch, used by the  Central Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at RAF Benson in 1945, later moving to Holland and Belgium to provide photographic reconnaissance of German V1 and V2 launch sites.

Reports so far reckon no major damage has been done, and one would suspect that RR will make sure it is fully restored. Apparently PS853 was given it's first major overhaul in 2010 after 65 years, and 2300 hours service.

[Rods2]

Just read in today's Daily Telegraph that this indeed was the Rolls Royce Spitfire PS853, a MK 19 no less.

The highly informative Rolls Royce web site for this plane is worth a read:
http://www.rolls-royce.com/about/heritage/news_articles/article_spitfire.jsp

explains it was an unarmed, high altitude version, of a 79 strong batch, used by the  Central Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at RAF Benson in 1945, later moving to Holland and Belgium to provide photographic reconnaissance of German V1 and V2 launch sites.

Reports so far reckon no major damage has been done, and one would suspect that RR will make sure it is fully restored. Apparently PS853 was given it's first major overhaul in 2010 after 65 years, and 2300 hours service.

Well done Lizzie, and interesting page on the RR website.