"Broadback" wrote in message
...
John wrote:
On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:44:33 GMT, dave wrote:

Just a fume to say how pathetic was the sound BBC coverage of last
weekends
flypast by several Spitfires. What I was waiting to hear was the sound
of those
wonderful Merlins. What I got was two motormouth presenters with who
were
terrified of any silence longer than 0.1 second.
The OB pictures were excellent though, great to see those aircraft
flying.

I live just north of the Scottish Border. A couple of years ago, I
was having lunch and thought I heard that unmistakable sound of a
Merlin engine - once heard (and like so many folks now retired I heard
my first a very long time ago) never forgotten. Surely not a Spitfire
or Hurricane? I left my lunch and rushed outside, just in time to see
a lone Spitfire cruise overhead at no more than 1000 ft, heading
south. There had been an air show further north a day earlier, so it
was presumably heading home.

One of my neighbours saw me looking up and asked what was the matter -
I pointed to the Spitfire. He wasn't impressed - "What's all the
excitement? Just some bloody aeroplane, isn't it?"

I went into full Victor Meldrew mode, with the wife trying to quieten
me. The poor neighbour retreated down the street with my voice
getting louder as he retreated - "Some bloody aeroplane? SOME BLOODY
AEROPLANE???!! If it wasn't for that 'bloody aeroplane', matey -
you'd be speaking German and eating with chopsticks!!!!!"

I think the poor man crossed the street on his way back home.

Just a few months later, a B17 flew over at low level, again heading
south. A hugely impressive sight and sound. But apart from me, not a
single person in the neighbourhood even raised their eyes. There's a
monument in London that promises we'll never forget. Hell - most
folks have forgotten already.

John

Not in the same league, but years ago as a young man living on the Mendip
Hills in Somerset I used to watch the Brabazon flying overhead. To my
young eyes it seemed as though it was going to fall out of the sky it
seemed so slow.

The Brabazon project did fall out of the sky.