401st Bomb Group (H) Association
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Paul Bellamy


4/3/2008 1:02:51 PM
A few of us were involved in a photoshoot yesterday for an upcoming event to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the RAF. Just look what we got to play with! 😛



TTFN,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

donaldbyers


4/3/2008 4:13:32 PM
:shock: Neat Aircraft :shock:

Don

Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
Jackie Sharp Sheflin


4/4/2008 5:56:50 AM
Paul,

Great photograph! I am curious as to what plane that is? I wish I knew where to take the grand kids to see something like this.


Jackie


EDanaII


4/4/2008 8:21:44 AM
It's the Avro Lancaster, a British bomber and equivalent to the B-17.



Phoenix


4/4/2008 1:58:35 PM
Named "Just Jane" and owned by two farmers as a memorial to their brother, an air gunner killed flying with a Canadian Halifax squadron. It can be found at East Kirby in Lincolnshire the war time home of my first squadron, number 57 who flew Lancs and were the squadron memorial can be found. I was there on Easter Saturday to pay my respects and watch the aircraft taxi for the first time this year and Paul is a very lucky man. By the way the aircraft codes are for 57 sqaudron on the starboard side and 630 sqaudron on the port side who were formed from 57 squadrons 'B' Flight.

improvise, adapt, overcome
Paul Bellamy


4/4/2008 6:38:15 PM
Hi Dale,

Many apologies, I'd forgotten you were ex 57 Sqn.
The photoshoot was a bit hush-hush and short notice, most of us didn't even know the others were turning up until we arrived.
All being well there will be a nice article in the next issue of Flypast, which started as being an advert for the RAF90 event at East Kirkby 25-27th May, but may well grow into a full feature. Interestingly, it appears that it was the first time since the end of filming for The Dambusters in 1954 that there has been a full crew, in WWII kit, in a running Lanc.

I'll e-mail you after the weekend if you're interested in attending and I'll try to get a pass sorted out. Given the chance I'm sure we could find a set of Suits, Aircrew for you for the weekend, and I could do with a hand in the Instrument Repair Shop.

TTFN,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

win-win


4/8/2008 6:39:23 PM
Paul:
- - Cool! Did anyone get the Lanc's audio recorded - gotta know what it sounds like.
- - The 401st BlueBook has some photos of a Lanc visiting Deenethorpe. Lancs are so tall, they look like they're already flying when they're just sitting there. Anyone know why they're so tall?
- - Someday, hope to see video of a Lanc fly-over at the (Bomber Sq. CCVII Lanc crashsite near Deenethorpe now that the memorials in-place. Paul Knight took us to the site lase Oct.
Win


EDanaII


4/11/2008 9:03:04 AM
Go here: Lancaster takes off during Duxford Airshow, July 9, 2005. Probably not the best sound, but the best I can offer. 🙂

Ed.



Paul Bellamy


4/20/2008 1:56:30 PM
I got sent a photo earlier today, by someone who snapped me at the main annual show at Twinwood Farm on my birthday last year.

I'd popped out of the Aircrew Locker Room for a breather, after clambering into my late-44 era flight gear for the first time in its entirety and was caught unawares. (Ignore the specs, it was after-hours while we sorted a display for the next day. 😉 )
It shows a good comparison between the RAF flight gear of the same period at the top of the thread though.



TTFN,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

donaldbyers


4/20/2008 6:11:45 PM
Well that is struting your stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😛

Sgt. Donald C. Byers, 613th Bomb Squadron, Togglier, 42-97344 Carrie B II, KIA 08/24/1944.
Paul Bellamy


4/20/2008 6:36:27 PM
Cheers Don. 😉

All being well, at the Museum's opening day this coming weekend some of us in the group will be bringing what RAF and AAF flight gear we have with us for a photo session, in particular the 44-onward cotton and alpaca stuff as seen above, and the earlier shearling kit as used in the ETO '42-44. We hope to make a display of the developments across both forces throughout the period, especially as there was a lot of RAF kit used by the 8AF in the early days.

If it comes out as we hope I'll copy the info here for reference.

Someone commented that I looked a bit warm in the picture. Well, it was 9.30pm at the end of August, and I suppose the air temperature was about 18'C. In that photo I'm wearing about five layers of clothing underneath the Mae West and parachute harness, and the electrically heated suit wasn't even plugged in (The heated gloves are in the leg pocket, they clip to the flaps visible on my wrists). In combat flight add to that the flak suit and helmet, plus other bits and bobs. The handbook for using the heated suit says to avoid sweating before boarding the aircraft (to avoid it freezing at altitude), all I can say is that's not easy......!

TTFN,
Paul

Paul Bellamy

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