Lion in Winter

I know it's not a great pic, but it was flying right over my head, looping over the Stour with that unmistakeable silhouette. I've never seen one outside of a museum before.

This is 1941-built (we looked it up on the flight tracker thing), Supermarine. Merlin engine, of course.

civilservant

One of the most iconic aircraft designs in history. Great catch!

Lion in Winter

I'm very glad I saw it. So much history.

Pulaski

Very nice, and always a great sight, and a great sound!

A few years ago, probably 12/2019, I had arrived in the UK with little Miss P to spend Christmas with my mother. After leaving LHR, grabbing the rental car and getting on the M4, we stopped at the Reading motorway services to grab a bite to eat. When I got out of the car I heard the unmistakable sound of a Merlin engine, and looked up to see not a Spitfire but a Hurricane overhead making various turns. It was a happy coincidence for me that I saw it right at that time, shortly after arriving back in the UK.

Lion in Winter

I completely get that.

This sounded like all those Sunday afternoon WWII films the BBC used to show. But flying right over my head. Talk about evocative.

BristolUK

Lion in Winter

Pretty much.

And

calman014

If you are anywhere on the UK south coast, most days there are spits around this time of year doing pleasure flights.

Always fun trying to spot the plane as you always hear them first…

Lion in Winter

We are on the Essex/Suffolk border on the Stour estuary, about 12 miles from the actual coast so we don't get the pleasure flights here. I once looked into those for my son (don't think my vertigo could handle it) but the cost is prohibitive by a very long way.

It was beautiful to see though and yes, def heard it first. It flew up the river and looped right overhead while I stood on tne river bank staring up like an idiot. Totally unexpected.

calman014

Pulaski

Nope! The idiots were the ones oblivious to the piece of history flying overhead.

robin1234

From a novel published in 1926. What, were aero engines especially noisy back then, or were they flying with the windows wide open?

Finknottle

Thumping pistons, bolted to an unforgiving, undamped airframe & noisy props!

Pulaski

Yes, noisy. All aero engines at that time were reciprocating piston engines, like your car engine, but bigger, probably a lot bigger. Also aero engines don't have any sort of silencer/ muffler system, just a short pipe to direct the exhaust away from the engine, somewhat similar to the exhaust venting arrangements on many racing cars and drag racing cars. On aeroplanes, those vent pipes are just long enough to protrude through the bodywork.

ddsrph

I owe much of my hearing loss to 54 years of flying small airplanes. As Pulaski said no mufflers and an airframe perfect for transmitting sound. Many think aircraft are leading edge technology but in reality piston engine airplanes are little changed from the 1930’s and 40’s. My engine was manufactured in 1950’s and originally designed in 1941.