October 13, 2024 • 44 mins
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
This time at the Spitfire factory. It's December and after
two years hard work, the Greek Spitfire is nearly complete.
But will she fly? As one project finishes, another arrives,
but not everyone's happy.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I'd like a new kitchen, but he's quite happy to
keep the old kitchen another twenty years.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
And veteran George Dunn returns to the hangar hoping to
see his Spitfire fly.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
You certainly had quite a war, George. You really did
quite a war and you survive.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
That was the main thing.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
We were lucky.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Who aren't we.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It's been eighteen months since MJ seventy five to five
returned to the UK from Greece to be restored to
flying condition a Mark nine Spitfire that last flew for
the Greek Air Force in nineteen fifty three. We've watched
as they reassembled the fuselage, added the tail, the wings
and the engine. They've restored and rebuilt almost seven thousand components,
(01:10):
and with just four weeks left to go, they're at
the snagging stage.
Speaker 6 (01:15):
All these hearts are handmade, you know, and they are
not done to a jig, so they all need final
trimming and maybe there's slight angle adjustments so it all
fits nicely. There's quite a lot of bods on it
at the moment because we're getting to the sort of
like the final stages of getting it.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Sort of finished.
Speaker 6 (01:33):
You just look at it and you think, oh, there's
still so much to do.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Panel specialist Mark is working on the four metal cowlings
that wrap around the engine, some of which he's having
to replace.
Speaker 7 (01:46):
Even though it came off with Greek aircraft. We've beamed
it not fit for flight. It's too short down here
around this area for some reason. But it looks like
it's had different rivets in which aren't the right specification
of its These holes here are all over size and large.
Speaker 8 (02:01):
They should be.
Speaker 7 (02:02):
There should be more this size for the fasteness.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
To go in.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
He's saving original sections whenever he can.
Speaker 7 (02:08):
This will fit to the underside of the Greek aircraft.
Speaker 9 (02:11):
There we had to.
Speaker 7 (02:13):
Make a new new bottom cow, new intake. This has
all been replicated and wow, as it would have been
done originally with ox Stelen and that this is the
new part grafted to an old original bottom.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Cown eighty years ago in the original Spitfire factories. Even
in the height of conflict. Every finished part was given
a stamp of approval.
Speaker 7 (02:40):
This is the original top cowling off the Greek Greek
hair bar. That is the original inspection stamp. You could
trace that right back in the data who held that
stamp and who inspected this panel when it come off.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
The production line.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Meanwhile, Gary is working on a part that is giving
the boss a serious last minute headache. One of the
radiator fairings.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
The other one we've sorted.
Speaker 8 (03:05):
We've got the original, it's been overhaored and it fits nicely,
so that's completed. This one today is standing here.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
We seem to have nothing.
Speaker 9 (03:13):
Ur J.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Mitchell's original design included an ingenious cooling system for the
Spitfire's Merlin engine. He moved the radiators out of the
wings and covered them with aerodynamically shaped fairings with controllable
flaps to regulate airflow to the radiators and the temperature
of the coolant circulating back to the engine. As part
(03:34):
of the aerodynamic design. They have to fit perfectly. But
one of the Greek spitfires radiator fairings needs major repairs.
Speaker 8 (03:43):
The options are, yes, we do repair the old one,
saving only seventy five percent of it.
Speaker 5 (03:48):
That's going to take us time.
Speaker 8 (03:49):
We're going to gain a week by using a new one,
We're going to lose money. But time is of the
essence when it's a quicker solution and one that we
need to take up to get the Serah plane out
the door on time.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Peter's already ordered a new fairing, but there may be
a third option stashed away in his storeroom. End to here,
at your peril.
Speaker 8 (04:15):
I spent days up here tidy in the place up.
Speaker 5 (04:17):
Look at it.
Speaker 8 (04:18):
The trouble is it when I tidy it up, it
looks bloody worse.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
I'm gonna have to list this in.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
There out of the weight cataloging systems Peter's memory.
Speaker 8 (04:30):
There's a whole massive panels here, which I've had for
donkeys' years. In fact, that's a bit of the radiator
firing there. That's the actual flap itself. Here is the fairing.
Of course, he hasn't been moved out of here in
a what could be a chance, I can see that
(04:51):
it's completely original.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Sounds promising.
Speaker 8 (04:55):
There's a death left in the right hand to it,
and this is the wrong hand.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Back to square one.
Speaker 8 (05:04):
I'm going to make a decision on this fairing and
make it today.
Speaker 5 (05:06):
Really, he just.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Can't give up on that damaged original.
Speaker 8 (05:11):
It's had some temporary repairs here. The airplane was in
a museum exhibit for some years, in fact decades, so
it didn't need airworthy repairs, just cosmetic, which is what's
happened here. So we'd have to remove this, so an
issue there. I've noticed that there's some very light corrosion
on the inside, which is what appears to be done,
isn't it's aluminium oxide, so corrosion. That's treatable bit of work.
(05:35):
But I think we're in good chance for saving.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
This decision made.
Speaker 8 (05:41):
Unfortunately, I'd already ordered the new one, so I've got
nine thousand quid to find.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
But we'll use that on.
Speaker 8 (05:47):
Something else and the original one will go back on
to perfect.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Peter will always go the extra mile to save an
original part. In the cockpit, Tony is putting the final
touches to the electrical system.
Speaker 10 (05:59):
When people visit the hangar, they say, oh, you are
so lucky. You've got a fantastic job. And this is
the bit they don't see when you're wedged in some
particularly uncomfortable position trying to do up a screw or
something else. My job is basically to rewire the entire aeroplane.
(06:19):
We're ninety five percent of the way through that now,
and in the next day or so I'll have power
on the aeroplane.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Franco is left to do all the really fiddly bits.
Right now, he's making spaces called fair leads for the
undercarriage cables. Right it's going to see if they'll fit.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Now.
Speaker 6 (06:43):
I estimated the gap and it's not quite enough, and
the cables are still touching, so I'm going to have
to take them off, make them more and.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Do it all over again. The Greek spit by us
combination of original and replacement parts is almost perfect. But
there's one part Peter's been wanting for years.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
The spitfire is British.
Speaker 8 (07:05):
We want to propeller on there.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
There hasn't been a British made spitfire propeller since the
nineteen fifties, but here at Hercules Propellers, Rupert Waysey is
working very hard to change that. He uses a combination
of authentic designs and materials with modern machinery to create
propellers from all eras.
Speaker 11 (07:30):
Traditionally, propellers were made using hand tools, which is very
time consuming.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
We use a computer controlled machine.
Speaker 11 (07:37):
Which will mil the propeller from our laminated block of wood,
and it's much quicker and much more precise. This is
the software which controls the machine and the tool is
this mark here, and this shows the paths the tool
is going to make over the block as it machines
the wood away to leave a aircraft propeller.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
If he doesn't have the blueprints, Rupert can sometimes replicate
original propellers from his collection.
Speaker 11 (08:07):
This is about the oldest propeller we have, which we've
got here for copying, and this is off a Blowrio
aeroplane from France, madely about nineteen ten.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
When Rupert was asked to make an authentic wooden spitfire propeller,
it's complexity meant he needed detailed original drawings to work from,
and that when fate stepped in.
Speaker 11 (08:30):
I got a phone call from a company about ten
miles from here, and they were refurbishing their offices and
found a whole chest full of original propeller drawings, and
they googled found me, and I raced over there and
found this amazing treasure trove of original spitfire propeller drawings.
This was the original pen and ink drawing on linen paper.
(08:54):
It was drawn on the twelfth of March nineteen forty two.
We've got various dimensions of the blade width and the
thickness of all the aerofoil shapes along the way. Importantly,
it tells us what the material the propeller was made
out of, and it tells us the density of the wood,
(09:14):
which is very important.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
In another stroke of luck, Rupert discovered that the extremely
rare material they used still exists today.
Speaker 11 (09:24):
This is called the hydlignum. It's basically made out very
fine veneers of beach less than one millimeter thick, coated
in a phonolic resin and compressed to make a very dense,
extremely strong composite. So where we have carbon, fiber and fiberglass, now,
this was the equivalent of the time. So these days
(09:46):
it's used for electrical insulators, and interestingly it's on the
belly pan of most Formula one racing cars, so when
they bottom out on the racetrack it doesn't cause sparks.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
The spitfast propeller needs this strong material because of the
immense forces it generates. Four separate blades attached to a
central hub with variable pitch to increase and decrease thrust
at full power. Phenomenal strength is required to simply keep
the blades attached. After four years work. This is Rupert's prototype.
Speaker 11 (10:21):
If a blade detaches and comes away from the hub
in flight, it will be catastrophic. The engine will be
sort out of balance, that will be shaken out of
the airframe, and the aircraft will crash.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
So Rupert has been stress testing his blades to breaking point.
Speaker 11 (10:34):
We calculated that the force throwing the blade away from
the hub when it's running at maximum speed is about
thirty tons, which is a huge force just for this
section of wood to take. But we've carried out extensive
tests and actually pulled a mock blade until it broke,
and actually broke at eighty tons, so we know it's
(10:55):
more than twice a strong enough.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
As the final touch the composite blade, it's are sealed
with a thick coat of impact absorbing epoxy.
Speaker 11 (11:04):
I feel immensely proud of this. It's been a huge project.
We've been working for many years to get to this stage,
and seeing it all together being tangible and ready to
go is a wonderful moment. I'm really ready to Now,
I want to see it fly, I want see it run.
It's going to be really exciting to see it take off.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
At the Spitfire factory, they're about to put the propeller
on the Greek Spitfire. The new British propeller isn't certified yet,
so they have to use a German made one. But
Franco is still pretty excited.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Very big moment.
Speaker 6 (11:36):
Here's what makes it go forward.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Isn't it really about the fan on the front.
Speaker 9 (11:42):
You don't go anywhere here.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
It's a job they only want to do once.
Speaker 6 (11:46):
Once it props on, unless we have a problem. You
don't like to take it off again. So we just
make sure that Felt embraces that everything's done.
Speaker 10 (11:58):
It's ready to go.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
The original little hub has been restored with new blades added.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
It's a bit like I'm wrapping a present, really anything is.
It's quite an expensive present, one hundred and fifty pounds there.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Now, first they need to attach a backplate.
Speaker 6 (12:18):
Why do you get the bat play on? You can
do it, but you can't do it for right up
we go.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
The hub should now fit directly onto the protruding propeller shaft.
Speaker 9 (12:33):
Ekosa push so done.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
It takes a delicate touch to get it on and
then a bit of brute force to lock it in place.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
My coat.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
It's a good day for the boss.
Speaker 8 (13:05):
It's another leap forward and actually convinced the owners that
were actually getting somewhere.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
That's the biggest thing for me, and.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
For very different reasons. It's also a good day for
his eldest son. Two years ago, Alex Mounk decided to
follow in his father's footsteps and join the restoration team.
But he doesn't just want to build spitfires. His dream
is to fly them, and here at Biggin Hill he
has the chance to follow in the footsteps of the
(13:37):
young men who learned to fly them in the heat
of war.
Speaker 12 (13:41):
Wartime pilots would have had many hours. The only difference
between them and me is that that was what they
were doing. They would fly a lot regularly. I don't
get to fly that regularly because I'm working on the airplanes.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Most aref pilots started their training in biplanes like the
de Havelan Tiger Moth, top speed one hundred and nine
miles an hour and pretty easy to fly. The next
step before getting in a spitfire was one of these
a North American Aviation T six Harvard, nicknamed the pilot Maker,
and fortunately for Alex, there's one available to use here
(14:17):
at the Spitfire Factory, with the top speed of over
two hundred miles an hour. It has many of the
features of a Spitfire, including adjustable wing flaps, a variable
pitch propeller, and a retractable undercarriage.
Speaker 12 (14:29):
They call it the pilot Maker because it's quite a
good aircraft. Got a lot of tendencies in it. If
you can overcome those, it puts you in good stead
for flying the next aircraft up from that.
Speaker 8 (14:39):
It's just getting used to wear the other carriage is
that's yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
And once he suddenly.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Jess Bridger, one of the regular pilots here, has agreed
to train Alex.
Speaker 12 (14:47):
I think I know where I'm going wrong with this,
with what caught flying in the Harvard all the rest
of it go on.
Speaker 13 (14:52):
I need a bigger watch. Has got a bigger watch.
You need a bigger watch. You want a bigger to watch,
the better the landing. He is exactly a training pilot
of back in the day in the nineteen forties.
Speaker 8 (15:02):
He's a young man, he's just turned twenty one, and
he's loving it.
Speaker 13 (15:05):
He's getting to play with amazing aeroplanes and this is
his first experience in a big Harvard, so it's a
big transition from his piper Cup to going into the Harvard.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
But Alex is not off to a great start.
Speaker 13 (15:19):
I'm just going to go tell Alex Brix flaptop.
Speaker 8 (15:21):
He's forgotten so he started up and left from hanging
down at the moment.
Speaker 13 (15:26):
He's put the flap down for the walk around check
and you've forgotten to put them back up again, which
is quite normal.
Speaker 12 (15:31):
And I've done it.
Speaker 13 (15:31):
We've all done it, and you just feel like a
bit of a tick when you realize that you haven't
done something.
Speaker 5 (15:35):
Everyone's watching it.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
One of the toughest challenges for any aircraft is take
offs and landings, which is what Alex will be focusing
on today.
Speaker 12 (15:45):
What bak off a piece of this for Alivia is
doing right. So al right, it goes off in a
straight line and keep it straight. It's the main thing.
Speaker 14 (16:03):
Kimasabling Squeeve's gear is going up and they're up.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Alex is flying the plane, but Jess is keeping his
hands and feet firmly on the dual controls.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
So you've got a power back to twenty eight years.
Speaker 7 (16:19):
Call the propbacks about two thousand and my name is
plain Yeah, very good.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Okay, where we go?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Then the right on my head off all seven eight.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
After a couple of circuits, Alex will start practicing landings.
He'll need to be fully focused. The Harvard can be
extremely dangerous. During the war, around eight thousand RF pilots
and aircrew were killed in training, many while attempting to land.
Alex is going to practice a type of landing called
(16:51):
a touch and go. He has to learn to take
the power off at exactly the right moment and then
pull away.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
We just keep it coming down.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
You're a.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Powering off.
Speaker 5 (17:07):
He's down, glad to comeing. Okata, I want to go again?
Speaker 9 (17:13):
Yep and clatter are up? Thank you?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
He's up again.
Speaker 5 (17:25):
I'm not going on.
Speaker 8 (17:26):
It's fine.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
So I guess that one was just a little witch
too much of a flair, wasn't it.
Speaker 9 (17:30):
Just hold it up a little bit high and it bounds.
Speaker 8 (17:32):
Yeah, okay, wat round you go.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Next time round he'll land it for real. During the
Battle of Britain, the demand for pilots got so high
that many had just a few hours of training before
going solo in a spitfire to get.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
On the center line. I can conferve your gears down.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
You have green lives.
Speaker 5 (17:51):
You just got to rome around.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Alex will probably need at least fifty before Dad lets
him fly one of his spitfires.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Oh yeah, beauty's great.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
You don't want anything to stupid straight. He's nailed it.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Very nice, Alex, very nice, well done.
Speaker 7 (18:23):
Identify the leaver with you, ad make sure it is
the Flat're not gonna pull the gear up?
Speaker 8 (18:26):
Yeah, put the flaps up, all right.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Yeah, they're traveling.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Is very good.
Speaker 8 (18:34):
That's it.
Speaker 5 (18:35):
Never again, never been to.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Stand it all my life.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
You did a great job.
Speaker 6 (18:41):
Oh thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Alex is a step closer to achieving his dream, but
now he needs to get back to work. The deadline
for the Greek spitfire is looming. But today there's a
bit of a spanner in the works because they need
to get the plane ready to be weighed as part
of its safety registration.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
We're just putting all the panels on the airpap because
it's going to be weighed. It's always quite interesting because
we have to get a tear it up to get
it in the FLI.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
It's going to be several hours work for a twenty
minute weighing.
Speaker 12 (19:13):
We are slaving all the bits and pieces that aren't
fitted finally on the aircraft. Well though it's also semi
frustrating to it all come on and then we've got
to take it all off again.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Afterwards, Franco needs to add some lead weights to the
tail of the aircraft to balance the way to the
engine at the front.
Speaker 6 (19:32):
No one in there.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Time for a game of guess the weight.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
I reckon. We'll weigh about three thousand, three and a
half thousand kilos. I'm making it up. I don't know
how much do you ottening?
Speaker 9 (19:51):
Get Alex out a quarter under that?
Speaker 5 (19:54):
Oh he wants to go a quarter under me.
Speaker 12 (19:56):
I'm going to quarter under just because we ain't got
wings tips.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
We'll just go with that.
Speaker 6 (19:59):
Yeah, So there a solid lead that is, it's heavy.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
You don't want to drop it.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
On your foot.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
The important parameter for a spitfire is not its overall weight,
but the balance. The center of gravity needs to be
close to frame five, where the engine, fuselage and wings meet,
and it can't move more than a few centimeters as
the fuel or ammunition load lights during the flight.
Speaker 6 (20:28):
I was looking for the weighing guy they're bringing the kitten.
Tom had Tom. It's Franco, the chief engineer. The guys's
just got a couple more panels to go on and
then we'll just have a sweep of the floor and
then we'll get it all ready for you to start.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
To get accurate readings. Everything has to be just as
it would be during a flight.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
He betting the door on a nice one.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Get almost ready.
Speaker 15 (21:01):
With vintage aircraft, especially when be built, they can be
quite out if they've had extra fuel tanks and it's
just put in them. With this one, I'm not expecting
anything to outrageous.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
First, it's weighed with all three wheels on the ground.
Speaker 11 (21:16):
Are we on them?
Speaker 9 (21:19):
Okay?
Speaker 6 (21:21):
I got two six two six and the back should
be three eight something. Now he's weighed it as a
free point. We're now going to lift the tail up
position the scales on the tailwheel and put it down
whilst it's in the flying position.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Go The overall weight shouldn't change, but the amount of
weight on each wheel will go on in they're lifting
about one hundred and fifty kilos right now. No hurry, Tom,
I'm on our height.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
There we go. That was effing heavy. That was I
think that was about three tons too heavy. That means
now he can do another calculation of all the weights,
add them all together to get the actual total weight
at the aircraft.
Speaker 9 (22:14):
Was that five six'? Ten divide that by two point?
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Two is that?
Speaker 3 (22:21):
All it?
Speaker 5 (22:21):
Is five hundred and fifty? Kilos what DID i? SAY
i don't?
Speaker 9 (22:26):
Know what did you?
Speaker 5 (22:26):
Say did? You?
Speaker 9 (22:28):
So you're the?
Speaker 5 (22:28):
Nearest?
Speaker 6 (22:29):
Right you make the?
Speaker 12 (22:29):
Tea?
Speaker 8 (22:30):
Oh, Join now he's just dropping plumbboards.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
And then you'll see that he'd be being chalk lines
across the floor to work out the scent of.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Gravity tom uses the plumb lines to calculate the exact
dimensions of the.
Speaker 15 (22:45):
Plane so the aircraft weighs five six hundred and ten,
pounds which is pretty much what we. Expected and the
center of, gravity, ever is a slightly burned forward than i'd.
Expect sommion netflix and ballast in the.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Back just to bring that.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Back now it's time to undo all the morning's hard.
Work it might feel like a day's work, lost but
they're a big rubber stamp closer to getting her ready to. Fly,
meanwhile team Historian robin is heading off to visit the
(23:21):
Last british pilot to fly, her ninety seven year Old.
Speaker 5 (23:24):
George.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Done once these gentlemen have, gone is their memories are not,
recorded then it is lost.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Forever before he flew, Spitfires george was a bomber.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
Pilot, Now, george who were these?
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Guys that was my? Crew your?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Crew they're all dead, now are they? Really you had
a good crew, there you really.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Did of the dozens of operations That george, flew one
of the most important and dangerous came on the seventeenth
Of august nineteen forty. Three we were told that.
Speaker 14 (23:59):
It was a research, station radar connected and was a
very important target from the country's point of.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
View the target was a military research facility WHERE v
one flying boars AND v two rockets were being developed
deep Inside germany on The baltic coast At. Pinamunda THE
v too fell without.
Speaker 14 (24:26):
Warning we had a speed of thirty three hundred miles
per hour and it could not be intercepted by fighter.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Aircraft or brought down by ana aircraft.
Speaker 14 (24:37):
Artillery we were told in the brief in if we
didn't do the job that, night we go back the following,
night and the night after and the night after until
it Was.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
George's halifax was one of five hundred and ninety six
bombers that took part that. Night he was fortunate to
be one of the first de floying with the element of.
Speaker 14 (25:02):
Spruance they decided that the raid was going to be
carried out in three. Waves we were originally going to
go in the last, wave the third, wave but they
moved us from the third wave to the. First, now of,
(25:25):
course as you, know all the losses were from halfway,
through so we had a fairly easy. Run we had
a bit of, flak but no fighters or, anything so
we got able to bomb and get away and get
(25:45):
back on our. Return whereas the people in this halfway
through the second and the third waves really copped. It
so again.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
This is where that came Into it absolutely.
Speaker 14 (26:00):
Hadn't if we'd have been in the third, way, yes you,
PROBABLY i might not have been talking to you.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Now george still has his log book from that.
Speaker 14 (26:08):
Day the following day they did a spitfire record and
saw saw the photographs that came back and decided that
it had been a.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Success it's thought the bombing raids put back THE v
two rocket program by a Vital two months after the,
War george was posted To egypt for a very different.
Speaker 14 (26:33):
Assignment suddenly found myself sent to one three to two
maintenance here and it is my lear right and reported
to the flight. OFFICER i, Said i've finished up. HERE
i don't know What i'm doing. HERE i, said, well
what do you what do you? Do he, said, oh
(26:53):
we fly speitfires here finally for a lot of them
going for sal To Greek greek. Airports SO i, said,
WELL i haven't flown a single engine aircraft since My Tiger.
Speaker 8 (27:06):
Mathos, YEAH i, said.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
You'll be all.
Speaker 14 (27:09):
Right shut me a set of pilot's. Notes, yeah he,
SAID i have a read of that and you'll be.
Okay see, here.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
Is that as easy as that?
Speaker 1 (27:18):
One?
Speaker 3 (27:18):
So how many did you actually?
Speaker 8 (27:20):
Ferry in?
Speaker 14 (27:21):
ALL i did two, trips, Right we flew ten at a,
time refilled At nicosia In, Cyprus lancaster did the navigation, right,
yes and then we all came back in the.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Lancash.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Yeah you certainly had quite a, War. George you really
did kind of war and you survived the.
Speaker 14 (27:41):
Thing we were, lucky weren't? We you?
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Know, yes.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Yes robin Leaves george with an invitation to come and
see His greek spitfire again when it's ready to. Fly
my friend.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
Back at the.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
HANGAR a Dry december day is an opportunity for a
big leap.
Speaker 8 (27:59):
Four hopefully we can get the aircraft to a state
where we can run. It the engine's already been. Checked
we've got to check the function of the propeller and
make sure that it's harmonized with the. Engine and we've
got the pipework to look. At there's lots of, joints
lots of, connections and we need to make sure that
none of those.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Leak but they've been having some problems with the fuel.
Tanks pill kock leak on the bottom.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
Tank hey, ho never.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Mind finally they get the main fuel tanks.
Speaker 8 (28:33):
Installed daylight is an issue for us today got about
an hour and a half before it gets. Start this
is a frustrating. TIME i don't want to have to
go back to the owners and say that things are
taking longer than they should do and ask for more,
money because that's not how we.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Work we never.
Speaker 8 (28:50):
Have so each day that it goes on now becomes
a little bit more of a worry and a few
less minutes sleep at. Night so, yeah we need to
get it.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Done The yale rons are going, on but the light
is fading.
Speaker 8 (29:04):
Fast we're not outside in probably twenty minutes we'll be
in it because we won't have we won't have sufficient daylight.
Speaker 5 (29:12):
And we want to be able to see.
Speaker 8 (29:13):
That all we's got. Leaks we don't be running out
and the artificial.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Light there's no.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Points time has run.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Out is a down up and meat AND.
Speaker 8 (29:22):
I can't put pressure on the GUYS i dent because
it's not the right thing to. Do so we still
need a job done. Properly so it is what it.
Is get the events with.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Well we do what we.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
Do he's failed. Today the boss hasn't. Failed we failed the.
Speaker 8 (29:37):
BOSS i feel very shut.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
It but it's not all bad news Because Peter's christmas
present to himself has. Arrived oh it's.
Speaker 8 (29:54):
Brilliant apart from being in the middle of winter and
freezing cold as a something just a hear us all.
Up we've got another spitfire, arrived another two, seater so
that gives us quite a number action to. Hang an exciting,
moment very exciting, moment.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Quite a big dent in the. Bank balance though.
Speaker 8 (30:11):
Sometimes it's excitement is sometimes it's waking up at three
o'clock in the morning, thinking what the bloody hell AM i?
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Doing more?
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Bits we'll just keep going.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
Sill it's a nineteen forty Five mark nine two, seater
complete with ready to fly burn an.
Speaker 8 (30:28):
Engine the engines of their overhauled In england are generally,
black so to see one.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
Gray, yeah it looks quite, different.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Shiny and. Beautiful but the handle.
Speaker 8 (30:41):
With, Care, no, no, no, no no. Doubt we're not
going to drag the. Engine it's too close to the. Side,
look if that touches the side, once that could just
destroy that.
Speaker 9 (30:52):
Kep.
Speaker 8 (30:52):
Coming he's not going to do. Anything it's going to
go straight out and put it.
Speaker 5 (30:56):
Down we'll do.
Speaker 8 (30:58):
It that's, it that's. Fine we're going to put it
over there beside that.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Wing now for the, Fuselage oh the. Joy If i'm
wrapping a new, toy fantastic another aeroplanes are put, together.
Speaker 9 (31:13):
Are we?
Speaker 5 (31:13):
In that would?
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Do?
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Then peter's a happy.
Speaker 8 (31:17):
Man oh looks to a good. Standard but this makes me.
Laugh something he's actually written on, Here well he actually
what it?
Speaker 5 (31:24):
IS i don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Why there's just one small. Problem he hasn't told the.
Speaker 8 (31:31):
Wife there might be one or two discussions With linda
later as to how much it costs and so, on
but we'll worry about that bit.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Later uh, oh look who's?
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Here?
Speaker 9 (31:42):
Good look like by?
Speaker 8 (31:45):
It, no there's another one.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Time for the third degree fly laugh a.
Speaker 5 (31:54):
Few years, ago ten, years ten years.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Ago so how long do you think this is going
to take before it's up a.
Speaker 5 (32:00):
Running i'm allowing six.
Speaker 8 (32:01):
Months it won't take six, months But i'm allowing six.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Months. Fly next thing is in.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
There oh, yeah it's not really What linda wants For.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Christmas i'd like a new, kitchen But pete's quite happy
to keep the old kitchen another twenty.
Speaker 8 (32:13):
Years, okay so when was It?
Speaker 5 (32:16):
Phil and then?
Speaker 8 (32:18):
When early ninety forty? Five but it did take part
in The battle Of britain Film peter seems to be.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Winning so you've.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
Got a give and, take haven't you And peter given the?
Speaker 8 (32:28):
Kitchen maybe? Not now that it's, here that subject will
come up over dinner.
Speaker 4 (32:35):
Tonight is all?
Speaker 8 (32:36):
Right how much did it? Cost when only two days
AGO i suggested that a figure that we could spend
on the, kitchen which is fifteen years old at, home
so and the doors are starting to fall off, anyway
who's worried about doors falling? Off the off the kitchen.
Units when you can have a, spitfire.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
You can never have too many. Spitfires after days of
setbacks and, snagging The greek spitfire restoration team has one
last chance of getting a running Before christmas.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
Day hopefully engine running.
Speaker 5 (33:10):
Day we said this last.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
And you Last friday Or, thursday Last. Wednesday since then
they've had to completely take apart the fuel, tank reseal
it and put it back together.
Speaker 6 (33:22):
Fingers, crossed no fuel, leaps and then we'll tie it
down and do some runs at.
Speaker 8 (33:26):
Nice to get it done now a couple of days Before,
christmas a wegn all break, away go home and enjoy
a bit of.
Speaker 6 (33:32):
Turkey got to do it, today otherwise we look like
a bunch of.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Idiots with the light starting to, fade they're ready to
push her out and fuel her up At leafs. Right,
yeah the tail is secured to the tarmac and the
fuel system checked for.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Leaks, no no.
Speaker 8 (33:52):
Leaks, NO i am just going to get some precautionary
fire extinguishers and, yeah we're.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Ready to give it a go as a qualified. Pilot
peter's doing the honors in the, cockpit but the temperature is.
Speaker 8 (34:04):
Plummeting you're going to put the cover on underneath it
a bloody draft and have come roll up my, trouser
leg around my.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
Nuts it's now or never.
Speaker 5 (34:23):
A bit?
Speaker 8 (34:23):
Slow is this three eight two's battery by any?
Speaker 5 (34:26):
Chance what we always do is just.
Speaker 8 (34:41):
Run it's just for a few, seconds and we need
to check to make sure that we've got no air
locks in the coolant.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
System the coolant is topped up and they're ready for a.
Second go, Clear.
Speaker 8 (35:01):
Barger i'm struggling at the minute to keep the engine.
Running just quite likely that the idling system is running
a bit.
Speaker 12 (35:07):
Lean it's not getting enough fuel to air, ratio which
we call lean. Mixture so thanks richening that up with
the mixture.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
Scroup so we'll give it another. Bash, now have you done?
Speaker 9 (35:18):
It?
Speaker 5 (35:19):
Okay clear, clere.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
That's more like. It the engineers crawl underneath to check for.
Speaker 8 (35:40):
Leaks, Right i'm happy with that for a first, run.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
Job done and a big sigh of relief all round
and satisfying.
Speaker 8 (35:53):
It that's what it's supposed.
Speaker 6 (35:54):
To got to another, milestone so then we can move.
On alex is being silly as, normal but you can't get.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
That it's the Perfect christmas present for everyone on the.
Team but Come New, year will she?
Speaker 5 (36:07):
Fly? Now do you stop? There it's the.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
Big day and the engineers are polishing up SPITFIRE mj
seventy five.
Speaker 16 (36:25):
FIVE i could go into A priori dealership them that's
out for you and it's all, polished so why shouldn't
you do the same for a.
Speaker 6 (36:32):
Spitfire here we are just going around getting all the
grubby engineer's hands, off, lips finger.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Marks alex is getting a bit emotional.
Speaker 12 (36:41):
With some pinnacle of the last sort of year and
a half of my. LIFE i guess it's all accommodated
into this, here so be nice and it.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
WORKS i lag the death end each ye makes it more,
unique it, does adding a little extra. Pressure the money
men have flown in From.
Speaker 8 (36:57):
Greece it's the most original spitfire that we've ever had
in the, hangar and it's the, only probably one the
most original would ever. Have they haven't seen, IT i
think for nearly a, year and the last time they
came through it was just in bits all over the. Floor,
no we need to fly some hours on.
Speaker 5 (37:13):
It how many?
Speaker 9 (37:14):
Hours?
Speaker 8 (37:15):
Twenty and if we, can we need your.
Speaker 5 (37:19):
Permission it's your.
Speaker 8 (37:20):
Aeroplane, okay we can't just fly the.
Speaker 5 (37:23):
Aeroplane, no you can't say.
Speaker 8 (37:25):
That, no we've done as much as we can to
make sure that we've mitigated all the possible risks and
it's ready to. Go but, yeah slightly.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
Nervous.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
George done has arrived.
Speaker 5 (37:43):
AND i understand you're flying.
Speaker 12 (37:44):
It it's very rare that you get to rebuild an
airplane and actually still meet the pilot of the.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
Aircraft how you.
Speaker 9 (37:51):
Doing he've done a sully good.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Job The greeks are keen to Meet.
Speaker 8 (37:56):
George he knows the way and he perhaps he should
fly it To greece.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Again, Yes i've got next veteran pilot meets modern day spitfire.
PILOT i know that you're going to take it back.
Speaker 14 (38:07):
Degree this is a.
Speaker 8 (38:08):
Plan, yeah, yeah setting off in more ten. Minutes it's
a tremendous responsibility for me to be standing out there
watching this scene.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Takeoff it's a Perfect january day for. Flying.
Speaker 8 (38:30):
George did you want to go up in the air?
Speaker 9 (38:32):
Van? Oh, yeah that big black and you want to do.
Speaker 8 (38:36):
That, yeah big, day very big.
Speaker 5 (38:40):
Day finally she gets here up on.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Again it could be great to see, it can't. Wait
it's it's a group effort for. Efer Peter kinsey is
an experienced test, pilot but flying in newly restored veteran
aircraft for the first. Time it's not for the faint.
Hearted alex is on ground crew duty. Today there seems
(39:23):
to be a, problem, fortunately just a seat belt.
Speaker 12 (39:31):
ISSUE mj seventy five five o'cake two.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
Chucks. Away george is already in position at two thousand
feet AS mj seventy five five starts her. Run about
seven thousand, parts most of them seventy five year old,
originals hundreds of them safety, critical, restored, rebuilt with no
(40:09):
room for.
Speaker 17 (40:10):
Error everything is at stake right, here right, now.
Speaker 8 (40:23):
There goes is airborne this way if your carriage to
go up now the carriage is.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
Up that's quite, something isn't.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
It tension gives way to relief looking back over how
it's got from the back of the container in, bits
dusty dirty, bits and there it.
Speaker 8 (41:12):
Is it's now flying on a beautiful, day blue, skies.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
And he's still up. There so he's obviously happy with
it and enjoying, it and why.
Speaker 5 (41:22):
NOT i wish it was?
Speaker 4 (41:24):
Me actually right NOW.
Speaker 12 (41:30):
I think that might be flying for the.
Speaker 5 (41:32):
UNEDUCATED i think that's. Flying what do you reckon? About it's.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
Flying it's a deeply emotional moment for everyone.
Speaker 8 (41:44):
Involved so it's a special, airplane that, one.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
But especially for a proud dad whose son is following
in his.
Speaker 8 (41:52):
FOOTSTEPS i Remember alex at two years, old running around
the fuse larger of The kent Spit fire before it
was thought it was, completed running around with bits in his,
hand knowing what what he got in his, hand and
the and the significance of those. Parts it is a
(42:13):
way of life for. ME i have no doubt about.
IT i can't see That i'll ever. Retire IF i,
DID i wouldn't know what to. Do here we are
first flight of The Greek. Spitfire the guy that originally
delivered it in forty seven as seventy three years. AGO
i sat, there think years AGO i was in that
(42:33):
same see.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
So welcome back To.
Speaker 3 (42:36):
George how was?
Speaker 9 (42:38):
That that was a lovely?
Speaker 4 (42:40):
Flight was it?
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Good that is so close to?
Speaker 3 (42:42):
Us there you, go there you, go, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
They've done. It a perfect flight and perfect bit of.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
Parking pretty.
Speaker 16 (43:09):
Good, yeah it goes, Well, yeah lovely everything, right, yeah pretty.
Speaker 5 (43:19):
Much, yeah very.
Speaker 1 (43:23):
Happy The greeks are keen for a full. Report it flies.
Speaker 8 (43:29):
Beautifully it's just a really nice, aeroplane nice, engine nice
and smooth for, parlors smooth on daylight today when the
air is smoothed as.
Speaker 4 (43:37):
Well it's just. PERFECT a few.
Speaker 8 (43:44):
Nervous moments, there but all went well and it's all
wrapped up. Today airplane flu pilot was, happy The greek
representatives were very, happy and we're just about to put it,
away put it to. Bed it's been a super, day
really has H.
Speaker 6 (44:01):
It's a lovely thing to, see you, know after you've
done all this. WORK i do get emotional Because i've,
seen you, know you go through it so many. Times
are you restore an aeroplane and see it fly for
the first, time and then we just move on to
the next.
Speaker 12 (44:11):
One we stopped the next one, already so factory never.
Speaker 8 (44:15):
Stops we've got to keep these things in the, air
So i've got.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
To keep going for a while longer.
Speaker 16 (44:21):
Yet, okay see you, soon.
Speaker 4 (44:34):
Mm.
Speaker 6 (44:35):
Hmmmm
This time at the Spitfire factory. It's December and after
two years hard work, the Greek Spitfire is nearly complete.
But will she fly? As one project finishes, another arrives,
but not everyone's happy.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I'd like a new kitchen, but he's quite happy to
keep the old kitchen another twenty years.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
And veteran George Dunn returns to the hangar hoping to
see his Spitfire fly.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
You certainly had quite a war, George. You really did
quite a war and you survive.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
That was the main thing.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
We were lucky.
Speaker 5 (00:43):
Who aren't we.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
It's been eighteen months since MJ seventy five to five
returned to the UK from Greece to be restored to
flying condition a Mark nine Spitfire that last flew for
the Greek Air Force in nineteen fifty three. We've watched
as they reassembled the fuselage, added the tail, the wings
and the engine. They've restored and rebuilt almost seven thousand components,
(01:10):
and with just four weeks left to go, they're at
the snagging stage.
Speaker 6 (01:15):
All these hearts are handmade, you know, and they are
not done to a jig, so they all need final
trimming and maybe there's slight angle adjustments so it all
fits nicely. There's quite a lot of bods on it
at the moment because we're getting to the sort of
like the final stages of getting it.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Sort of finished.
Speaker 6 (01:33):
You just look at it and you think, oh, there's
still so much to do.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Panel specialist Mark is working on the four metal cowlings
that wrap around the engine, some of which he's having
to replace.
Speaker 7 (01:46):
Even though it came off with Greek aircraft. We've beamed
it not fit for flight. It's too short down here
around this area for some reason. But it looks like
it's had different rivets in which aren't the right specification
of its These holes here are all over size and large.
Speaker 8 (02:01):
They should be.
Speaker 7 (02:02):
There should be more this size for the fasteness.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
To go in.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
He's saving original sections whenever he can.
Speaker 7 (02:08):
This will fit to the underside of the Greek aircraft.
Speaker 9 (02:11):
There we had to.
Speaker 7 (02:13):
Make a new new bottom cow, new intake. This has
all been replicated and wow, as it would have been
done originally with ox Stelen and that this is the
new part grafted to an old original bottom.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Cown eighty years ago in the original Spitfire factories. Even
in the height of conflict. Every finished part was given
a stamp of approval.
Speaker 7 (02:40):
This is the original top cowling off the Greek Greek
hair bar. That is the original inspection stamp. You could
trace that right back in the data who held that
stamp and who inspected this panel when it come off.
Speaker 5 (02:52):
The production line.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Meanwhile, Gary is working on a part that is giving
the boss a serious last minute headache. One of the
radiator fairings.
Speaker 4 (03:02):
The other one we've sorted.
Speaker 8 (03:05):
We've got the original, it's been overhaored and it fits nicely,
so that's completed. This one today is standing here.
Speaker 4 (03:11):
We seem to have nothing.
Speaker 9 (03:13):
Ur J.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Mitchell's original design included an ingenious cooling system for the
Spitfire's Merlin engine. He moved the radiators out of the
wings and covered them with aerodynamically shaped fairings with controllable
flaps to regulate airflow to the radiators and the temperature
of the coolant circulating back to the engine. As part
(03:34):
of the aerodynamic design. They have to fit perfectly. But
one of the Greek spitfires radiator fairings needs major repairs.
Speaker 8 (03:43):
The options are, yes, we do repair the old one,
saving only seventy five percent of it.
Speaker 5 (03:48):
That's going to take us time.
Speaker 8 (03:49):
We're going to gain a week by using a new one,
We're going to lose money. But time is of the
essence when it's a quicker solution and one that we
need to take up to get the Serah plane out
the door on time.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Peter's already ordered a new fairing, but there may be
a third option stashed away in his storeroom. End to here,
at your peril.
Speaker 8 (04:15):
I spent days up here tidy in the place up.
Speaker 5 (04:17):
Look at it.
Speaker 8 (04:18):
The trouble is it when I tidy it up, it
looks bloody worse.
Speaker 5 (04:21):
I'm gonna have to list this in.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
There out of the weight cataloging systems Peter's memory.
Speaker 8 (04:30):
There's a whole massive panels here, which I've had for
donkeys' years. In fact, that's a bit of the radiator
firing there. That's the actual flap itself. Here is the fairing.
Of course, he hasn't been moved out of here in
a what could be a chance, I can see that
(04:51):
it's completely original.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
Sounds promising.
Speaker 8 (04:55):
There's a death left in the right hand to it,
and this is the wrong hand.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Back to square one.
Speaker 8 (05:04):
I'm going to make a decision on this fairing and
make it today.
Speaker 5 (05:06):
Really, he just.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
Can't give up on that damaged original.
Speaker 8 (05:11):
It's had some temporary repairs here. The airplane was in
a museum exhibit for some years, in fact decades, so
it didn't need airworthy repairs, just cosmetic, which is what's
happened here. So we'd have to remove this, so an
issue there. I've noticed that there's some very light corrosion
on the inside, which is what appears to be done,
isn't it's aluminium oxide, so corrosion. That's treatable bit of work.
(05:35):
But I think we're in good chance for saving.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
This decision made.
Speaker 8 (05:41):
Unfortunately, I'd already ordered the new one, so I've got
nine thousand quid to find.
Speaker 5 (05:45):
But we'll use that on.
Speaker 8 (05:47):
Something else and the original one will go back on
to perfect.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Peter will always go the extra mile to save an
original part. In the cockpit, Tony is putting the final
touches to the electrical system.
Speaker 10 (05:59):
When people visit the hangar, they say, oh, you are
so lucky. You've got a fantastic job. And this is
the bit they don't see when you're wedged in some
particularly uncomfortable position trying to do up a screw or
something else. My job is basically to rewire the entire aeroplane.
(06:19):
We're ninety five percent of the way through that now,
and in the next day or so I'll have power
on the aeroplane.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Franco is left to do all the really fiddly bits.
Right now, he's making spaces called fair leads for the
undercarriage cables. Right it's going to see if they'll fit.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Now.
Speaker 6 (06:43):
I estimated the gap and it's not quite enough, and
the cables are still touching, so I'm going to have
to take them off, make them more and.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Do it all over again. The Greek spit by us
combination of original and replacement parts is almost perfect. But
there's one part Peter's been wanting for years.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
The spitfire is British.
Speaker 8 (07:05):
We want to propeller on there.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
There hasn't been a British made spitfire propeller since the
nineteen fifties, but here at Hercules Propellers, Rupert Waysey is
working very hard to change that. He uses a combination
of authentic designs and materials with modern machinery to create
propellers from all eras.
Speaker 11 (07:30):
Traditionally, propellers were made using hand tools, which is very
time consuming.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
We use a computer controlled machine.
Speaker 11 (07:37):
Which will mil the propeller from our laminated block of wood,
and it's much quicker and much more precise. This is
the software which controls the machine and the tool is
this mark here, and this shows the paths the tool
is going to make over the block as it machines
the wood away to leave a aircraft propeller.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
If he doesn't have the blueprints, Rupert can sometimes replicate
original propellers from his collection.
Speaker 11 (08:07):
This is about the oldest propeller we have, which we've
got here for copying, and this is off a Blowrio
aeroplane from France, madely about nineteen ten.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
When Rupert was asked to make an authentic wooden spitfire propeller,
it's complexity meant he needed detailed original drawings to work from,
and that when fate stepped in.
Speaker 11 (08:30):
I got a phone call from a company about ten
miles from here, and they were refurbishing their offices and
found a whole chest full of original propeller drawings, and
they googled found me, and I raced over there and
found this amazing treasure trove of original spitfire propeller drawings.
This was the original pen and ink drawing on linen paper.
(08:54):
It was drawn on the twelfth of March nineteen forty two.
We've got various dimensions of the blade width and the
thickness of all the aerofoil shapes along the way. Importantly,
it tells us what the material the propeller was made
out of, and it tells us the density of the wood,
(09:14):
which is very important.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
In another stroke of luck, Rupert discovered that the extremely
rare material they used still exists today.
Speaker 11 (09:24):
This is called the hydlignum. It's basically made out very
fine veneers of beach less than one millimeter thick, coated
in a phonolic resin and compressed to make a very dense,
extremely strong composite. So where we have carbon, fiber and fiberglass, now,
this was the equivalent of the time. So these days
(09:46):
it's used for electrical insulators, and interestingly it's on the
belly pan of most Formula one racing cars, so when
they bottom out on the racetrack it doesn't cause sparks.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
The spitfast propeller needs this strong material because of the
immense forces it generates. Four separate blades attached to a
central hub with variable pitch to increase and decrease thrust
at full power. Phenomenal strength is required to simply keep
the blades attached. After four years work. This is Rupert's prototype.
Speaker 11 (10:21):
If a blade detaches and comes away from the hub
in flight, it will be catastrophic. The engine will be
sort out of balance, that will be shaken out of
the airframe, and the aircraft will crash.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
So Rupert has been stress testing his blades to breaking point.
Speaker 11 (10:34):
We calculated that the force throwing the blade away from
the hub when it's running at maximum speed is about
thirty tons, which is a huge force just for this
section of wood to take. But we've carried out extensive
tests and actually pulled a mock blade until it broke,
and actually broke at eighty tons, so we know it's
(10:55):
more than twice a strong enough.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
As the final touch the composite blade, it's are sealed
with a thick coat of impact absorbing epoxy.
Speaker 11 (11:04):
I feel immensely proud of this. It's been a huge project.
We've been working for many years to get to this stage,
and seeing it all together being tangible and ready to
go is a wonderful moment. I'm really ready to Now,
I want to see it fly, I want see it run.
It's going to be really exciting to see it take off.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
At the Spitfire factory, they're about to put the propeller
on the Greek Spitfire. The new British propeller isn't certified yet,
so they have to use a German made one. But
Franco is still pretty excited.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Very big moment.
Speaker 6 (11:36):
Here's what makes it go forward.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Isn't it really about the fan on the front.
Speaker 9 (11:42):
You don't go anywhere here.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
It's a job they only want to do once.
Speaker 6 (11:46):
Once it props on, unless we have a problem. You
don't like to take it off again. So we just
make sure that Felt embraces that everything's done.
Speaker 10 (11:58):
It's ready to go.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
The original little hub has been restored with new blades added.
Speaker 6 (12:03):
It's a bit like I'm wrapping a present, really anything is.
It's quite an expensive present, one hundred and fifty pounds there.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
Now, first they need to attach a backplate.
Speaker 6 (12:18):
Why do you get the bat play on? You can
do it, but you can't do it for right up
we go.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
The hub should now fit directly onto the protruding propeller shaft.
Speaker 9 (12:33):
Ekosa push so done.
Speaker 1 (12:53):
It takes a delicate touch to get it on and
then a bit of brute force to lock it in place.
Speaker 5 (13:00):
My coat.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
It's a good day for the boss.
Speaker 8 (13:05):
It's another leap forward and actually convinced the owners that
were actually getting somewhere.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
That's the biggest thing for me, and.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
For very different reasons. It's also a good day for
his eldest son. Two years ago, Alex Mounk decided to
follow in his father's footsteps and join the restoration team.
But he doesn't just want to build spitfires. His dream
is to fly them, and here at Biggin Hill he
has the chance to follow in the footsteps of the
(13:37):
young men who learned to fly them in the heat
of war.
Speaker 12 (13:41):
Wartime pilots would have had many hours. The only difference
between them and me is that that was what they
were doing. They would fly a lot regularly. I don't
get to fly that regularly because I'm working on the airplanes.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Most aref pilots started their training in biplanes like the
de Havelan Tiger Moth, top speed one hundred and nine
miles an hour and pretty easy to fly. The next
step before getting in a spitfire was one of these
a North American Aviation T six Harvard, nicknamed the pilot Maker,
and fortunately for Alex, there's one available to use here
(14:17):
at the Spitfire Factory, with the top speed of over
two hundred miles an hour. It has many of the
features of a Spitfire, including adjustable wing flaps, a variable
pitch propeller, and a retractable undercarriage.
Speaker 12 (14:29):
They call it the pilot Maker because it's quite a
good aircraft. Got a lot of tendencies in it. If
you can overcome those, it puts you in good stead
for flying the next aircraft up from that.
Speaker 8 (14:39):
It's just getting used to wear the other carriage is
that's yeah.
Speaker 4 (14:42):
And once he suddenly.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Jess Bridger, one of the regular pilots here, has agreed
to train Alex.
Speaker 12 (14:47):
I think I know where I'm going wrong with this,
with what caught flying in the Harvard all the rest
of it go on.
Speaker 13 (14:52):
I need a bigger watch. Has got a bigger watch.
You need a bigger watch. You want a bigger to watch,
the better the landing. He is exactly a training pilot
of back in the day in the nineteen forties.
Speaker 8 (15:02):
He's a young man, he's just turned twenty one, and
he's loving it.
Speaker 13 (15:05):
He's getting to play with amazing aeroplanes and this is
his first experience in a big Harvard, so it's a
big transition from his piper Cup to going into the Harvard.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
But Alex is not off to a great start.
Speaker 13 (15:19):
I'm just going to go tell Alex Brix flaptop.
Speaker 8 (15:21):
He's forgotten so he started up and left from hanging
down at the moment.
Speaker 13 (15:26):
He's put the flap down for the walk around check
and you've forgotten to put them back up again, which
is quite normal.
Speaker 12 (15:31):
And I've done it.
Speaker 13 (15:31):
We've all done it, and you just feel like a
bit of a tick when you realize that you haven't
done something.
Speaker 5 (15:35):
Everyone's watching it.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
One of the toughest challenges for any aircraft is take
offs and landings, which is what Alex will be focusing
on today.
Speaker 12 (15:45):
What bak off a piece of this for Alivia is
doing right. So al right, it goes off in a
straight line and keep it straight. It's the main thing.
Speaker 14 (16:03):
Kimasabling Squeeve's gear is going up and they're up.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Alex is flying the plane, but Jess is keeping his
hands and feet firmly on the dual controls.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
So you've got a power back to twenty eight years.
Speaker 7 (16:19):
Call the propbacks about two thousand and my name is
plain Yeah, very good.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Okay, where we go?
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Then the right on my head off all seven eight.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
After a couple of circuits, Alex will start practicing landings.
He'll need to be fully focused. The Harvard can be
extremely dangerous. During the war, around eight thousand RF pilots
and aircrew were killed in training, many while attempting to land.
Alex is going to practice a type of landing called
(16:51):
a touch and go. He has to learn to take
the power off at exactly the right moment and then
pull away.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
We just keep it coming down.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
You're a.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Powering off.
Speaker 5 (17:07):
He's down, glad to comeing. Okata, I want to go again?
Speaker 9 (17:13):
Yep and clatter are up? Thank you?
Speaker 1 (17:19):
He's up again.
Speaker 5 (17:25):
I'm not going on.
Speaker 8 (17:26):
It's fine.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
So I guess that one was just a little witch
too much of a flair, wasn't it.
Speaker 9 (17:30):
Just hold it up a little bit high and it bounds.
Speaker 8 (17:32):
Yeah, okay, wat round you go.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Next time round he'll land it for real. During the
Battle of Britain, the demand for pilots got so high
that many had just a few hours of training before
going solo in a spitfire to get.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
On the center line. I can conferve your gears down.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
You have green lives.
Speaker 5 (17:51):
You just got to rome around.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Alex will probably need at least fifty before Dad lets
him fly one of his spitfires.
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Oh yeah, beauty's great.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
You don't want anything to stupid straight. He's nailed it.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Very nice, Alex, very nice, well done.
Speaker 7 (18:23):
Identify the leaver with you, ad make sure it is
the Flat're not gonna pull the gear up?
Speaker 8 (18:26):
Yeah, put the flaps up, all right.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
Yeah, they're traveling.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Is very good.
Speaker 8 (18:34):
That's it.
Speaker 5 (18:35):
Never again, never been to.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
Stand it all my life.
Speaker 4 (18:39):
You did a great job.
Speaker 6 (18:41):
Oh thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Alex is a step closer to achieving his dream, but
now he needs to get back to work. The deadline
for the Greek spitfire is looming. But today there's a
bit of a spanner in the works because they need
to get the plane ready to be weighed as part
of its safety registration.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
We're just putting all the panels on the airpap because
it's going to be weighed. It's always quite interesting because
we have to get a tear it up to get
it in the FLI.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
It's going to be several hours work for a twenty
minute weighing.
Speaker 12 (19:13):
We are slaving all the bits and pieces that aren't
fitted finally on the aircraft. Well though it's also semi
frustrating to it all come on and then we've got
to take it all off again.
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Afterwards, Franco needs to add some lead weights to the
tail of the aircraft to balance the way to the
engine at the front.
Speaker 6 (19:32):
No one in there.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
Time for a game of guess the weight.
Speaker 6 (19:40):
I reckon. We'll weigh about three thousand, three and a
half thousand kilos. I'm making it up. I don't know
how much do you ottening?
Speaker 9 (19:51):
Get Alex out a quarter under that?
Speaker 5 (19:54):
Oh he wants to go a quarter under me.
Speaker 12 (19:56):
I'm going to quarter under just because we ain't got
wings tips.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
We'll just go with that.
Speaker 6 (19:59):
Yeah, So there a solid lead that is, it's heavy.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
You don't want to drop it.
Speaker 5 (20:06):
On your foot.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
The important parameter for a spitfire is not its overall weight,
but the balance. The center of gravity needs to be
close to frame five, where the engine, fuselage and wings meet,
and it can't move more than a few centimeters as
the fuel or ammunition load lights during the flight.
Speaker 6 (20:28):
I was looking for the weighing guy they're bringing the kitten.
Tom had Tom. It's Franco, the chief engineer. The guys's
just got a couple more panels to go on and
then we'll just have a sweep of the floor and
then we'll get it all ready for you to start.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
To get accurate readings. Everything has to be just as
it would be during a flight.
Speaker 5 (20:54):
He betting the door on a nice one.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Get almost ready.
Speaker 15 (21:01):
With vintage aircraft, especially when be built, they can be
quite out if they've had extra fuel tanks and it's
just put in them. With this one, I'm not expecting
anything to outrageous.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
First, it's weighed with all three wheels on the ground.
Speaker 11 (21:16):
Are we on them?
Speaker 9 (21:19):
Okay?
Speaker 6 (21:21):
I got two six two six and the back should
be three eight something. Now he's weighed it as a
free point. We're now going to lift the tail up
position the scales on the tailwheel and put it down
whilst it's in the flying position.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Go The overall weight shouldn't change, but the amount of
weight on each wheel will go on in they're lifting
about one hundred and fifty kilos right now. No hurry, Tom,
I'm on our height.
Speaker 6 (21:58):
There we go. That was effing heavy. That was I
think that was about three tons too heavy. That means
now he can do another calculation of all the weights,
add them all together to get the actual total weight
at the aircraft.
Speaker 9 (22:14):
Was that five six'? Ten divide that by two point?
Speaker 5 (22:19):
Two is that?
Speaker 3 (22:21):
All it?
Speaker 5 (22:21):
Is five hundred and fifty? Kilos what DID i? SAY
i don't?
Speaker 9 (22:26):
Know what did you?
Speaker 5 (22:26):
Say did? You?
Speaker 9 (22:28):
So you're the?
Speaker 5 (22:28):
Nearest?
Speaker 6 (22:29):
Right you make the?
Speaker 12 (22:29):
Tea?
Speaker 8 (22:30):
Oh, Join now he's just dropping plumbboards.
Speaker 6 (22:34):
And then you'll see that he'd be being chalk lines
across the floor to work out the scent of.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Gravity tom uses the plumb lines to calculate the exact
dimensions of the.
Speaker 15 (22:45):
Plane so the aircraft weighs five six hundred and ten,
pounds which is pretty much what we. Expected and the
center of, gravity, ever is a slightly burned forward than i'd.
Expect sommion netflix and ballast in the.
Speaker 4 (23:00):
Back just to bring that.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
Back now it's time to undo all the morning's hard.
Work it might feel like a day's work, lost but
they're a big rubber stamp closer to getting her ready to. Fly,
meanwhile team Historian robin is heading off to visit the
(23:21):
Last british pilot to fly, her ninety seven year Old.
Speaker 5 (23:24):
George.
Speaker 3 (23:25):
Done once these gentlemen have, gone is their memories are not,
recorded then it is lost.
Speaker 1 (23:31):
Forever before he flew, Spitfires george was a bomber.
Speaker 3 (23:36):
Pilot, Now, george who were these?
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Guys that was my? Crew your?
Speaker 3 (23:41):
Crew they're all dead, now are they? Really you had
a good crew, there you really.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Did of the dozens of operations That george, flew one
of the most important and dangerous came on the seventeenth
Of august nineteen forty. Three we were told that.
Speaker 14 (23:59):
It was a research, station radar connected and was a
very important target from the country's point of.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
View the target was a military research facility WHERE v
one flying boars AND v two rockets were being developed
deep Inside germany on The baltic coast At. Pinamunda THE
v too fell without.
Speaker 14 (24:26):
Warning we had a speed of thirty three hundred miles
per hour and it could not be intercepted by fighter.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Aircraft or brought down by ana aircraft.
Speaker 14 (24:37):
Artillery we were told in the brief in if we
didn't do the job that, night we go back the following,
night and the night after and the night after until
it Was.
Speaker 1 (24:52):
George's halifax was one of five hundred and ninety six
bombers that took part that. Night he was fortunate to
be one of the first de floying with the element of.
Speaker 14 (25:02):
Spruance they decided that the raid was going to be
carried out in three. Waves we were originally going to
go in the last, wave the third, wave but they
moved us from the third wave to the. First, now of,
(25:25):
course as you, know all the losses were from halfway,
through so we had a fairly easy. Run we had
a bit of, flak but no fighters or, anything so
we got able to bomb and get away and get
(25:45):
back on our. Return whereas the people in this halfway
through the second and the third waves really copped. It
so again.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
This is where that came Into it absolutely.
Speaker 14 (26:00):
Hadn't if we'd have been in the third, way, yes you,
PROBABLY i might not have been talking to you.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Now george still has his log book from that.
Speaker 14 (26:08):
Day the following day they did a spitfire record and
saw saw the photographs that came back and decided that
it had been a.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Success it's thought the bombing raids put back THE v
two rocket program by a Vital two months after the,
War george was posted To egypt for a very different.
Speaker 14 (26:33):
Assignment suddenly found myself sent to one three to two
maintenance here and it is my lear right and reported
to the flight. OFFICER i, Said i've finished up. HERE
i don't know What i'm doing. HERE i, said, well
what do you what do you? Do he, said, oh
(26:53):
we fly speitfires here finally for a lot of them
going for sal To Greek greek. Airports SO i, said,
WELL i haven't flown a single engine aircraft since My Tiger.
Speaker 8 (27:06):
Mathos, YEAH i, said.
Speaker 4 (27:09):
You'll be all.
Speaker 14 (27:09):
Right shut me a set of pilot's. Notes, yeah he,
SAID i have a read of that and you'll be.
Okay see, here.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
Is that as easy as that?
Speaker 1 (27:18):
One?
Speaker 3 (27:18):
So how many did you actually?
Speaker 8 (27:20):
Ferry in?
Speaker 14 (27:21):
ALL i did two, trips, Right we flew ten at a,
time refilled At nicosia In, Cyprus lancaster did the navigation, right,
yes and then we all came back in the.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
Lancash.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Yeah you certainly had quite a, War. George you really
did kind of war and you survived the.
Speaker 14 (27:41):
Thing we were, lucky weren't? We you?
Speaker 5 (27:43):
Know, yes.
Speaker 1 (27:44):
Yes robin Leaves george with an invitation to come and
see His greek spitfire again when it's ready to. Fly
my friend.
Speaker 5 (27:55):
Back at the.
Speaker 1 (27:55):
HANGAR a Dry december day is an opportunity for a
big leap.
Speaker 8 (27:59):
Four hopefully we can get the aircraft to a state
where we can run. It the engine's already been. Checked
we've got to check the function of the propeller and
make sure that it's harmonized with the. Engine and we've
got the pipework to look. At there's lots of, joints
lots of, connections and we need to make sure that
none of those.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Leak but they've been having some problems with the fuel.
Tanks pill kock leak on the bottom.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
Tank hey, ho never.
Speaker 1 (28:28):
Mind finally they get the main fuel tanks.
Speaker 8 (28:33):
Installed daylight is an issue for us today got about
an hour and a half before it gets. Start this
is a frustrating. TIME i don't want to have to
go back to the owners and say that things are
taking longer than they should do and ask for more,
money because that's not how we.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Work we never.
Speaker 8 (28:50):
Have so each day that it goes on now becomes
a little bit more of a worry and a few
less minutes sleep at. Night so, yeah we need to
get it.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Done The yale rons are going, on but the light
is fading.
Speaker 8 (29:04):
Fast we're not outside in probably twenty minutes we'll be
in it because we won't have we won't have sufficient daylight.
Speaker 5 (29:12):
And we want to be able to see.
Speaker 8 (29:13):
That all we's got. Leaks we don't be running out
and the artificial.
Speaker 4 (29:16):
Light there's no.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Points time has run.
Speaker 5 (29:20):
Out is a down up and meat AND.
Speaker 8 (29:22):
I can't put pressure on the GUYS i dent because
it's not the right thing to. Do so we still
need a job done. Properly so it is what it.
Is get the events with.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
Well we do what we.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
Do he's failed. Today the boss hasn't. Failed we failed the.
Speaker 8 (29:37):
BOSS i feel very shut.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
It but it's not all bad news Because Peter's christmas
present to himself has. Arrived oh it's.
Speaker 8 (29:54):
Brilliant apart from being in the middle of winter and
freezing cold as a something just a hear us all.
Up we've got another spitfire, arrived another two, seater so
that gives us quite a number action to. Hang an exciting,
moment very exciting, moment.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
Quite a big dent in the. Bank balance though.
Speaker 8 (30:11):
Sometimes it's excitement is sometimes it's waking up at three
o'clock in the morning, thinking what the bloody hell AM i?
Speaker 4 (30:17):
Doing more?
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Bits we'll just keep going.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
Sill it's a nineteen forty Five mark nine two, seater
complete with ready to fly burn an.
Speaker 8 (30:28):
Engine the engines of their overhauled In england are generally,
black so to see one.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
Gray, yeah it looks quite, different.
Speaker 1 (30:38):
Shiny and. Beautiful but the handle.
Speaker 8 (30:41):
With, Care, no, no, no, no no. Doubt we're not
going to drag the. Engine it's too close to the. Side,
look if that touches the side, once that could just
destroy that.
Speaker 9 (30:52):
Kep.
Speaker 8 (30:52):
Coming he's not going to do. Anything it's going to
go straight out and put it.
Speaker 5 (30:56):
Down we'll do.
Speaker 8 (30:58):
It that's, it that's. Fine we're going to put it
over there beside that.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
Wing now for the, Fuselage oh the. Joy If i'm
wrapping a new, toy fantastic another aeroplanes are put, together.
Speaker 9 (31:13):
Are we?
Speaker 5 (31:13):
In that would?
Speaker 4 (31:15):
Do?
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Then peter's a happy.
Speaker 8 (31:17):
Man oh looks to a good. Standard but this makes me.
Laugh something he's actually written on, Here well he actually
what it?
Speaker 5 (31:24):
IS i don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:26):
Why there's just one small. Problem he hasn't told the.
Speaker 8 (31:31):
Wife there might be one or two discussions With linda
later as to how much it costs and so, on
but we'll worry about that bit.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Later uh, oh look who's?
Speaker 5 (31:41):
Here?
Speaker 9 (31:42):
Good look like by?
Speaker 8 (31:45):
It, no there's another one.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Time for the third degree fly laugh a.
Speaker 5 (31:54):
Few years, ago ten, years ten years.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Ago so how long do you think this is going
to take before it's up a.
Speaker 5 (32:00):
Running i'm allowing six.
Speaker 8 (32:01):
Months it won't take six, months But i'm allowing six.
Speaker 4 (32:04):
Months. Fly next thing is in.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
There oh, yeah it's not really What linda wants For.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
Christmas i'd like a new, kitchen But pete's quite happy
to keep the old kitchen another twenty.
Speaker 8 (32:13):
Years, okay so when was It?
Speaker 5 (32:16):
Phil and then?
Speaker 8 (32:18):
When early ninety forty? Five but it did take part
in The battle Of britain Film peter seems to be.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
Winning so you've.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
Got a give and, take haven't you And peter given the?
Speaker 8 (32:28):
Kitchen maybe? Not now that it's, here that subject will
come up over dinner.
Speaker 4 (32:35):
Tonight is all?
Speaker 8 (32:36):
Right how much did it? Cost when only two days
AGO i suggested that a figure that we could spend
on the, kitchen which is fifteen years old at, home
so and the doors are starting to fall off, anyway
who's worried about doors falling? Off the off the kitchen.
Units when you can have a, spitfire.
Speaker 1 (32:55):
You can never have too many. Spitfires after days of
setbacks and, snagging The greek spitfire restoration team has one
last chance of getting a running Before christmas.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
Day hopefully engine running.
Speaker 5 (33:10):
Day we said this last.
Speaker 1 (33:13):
And you Last friday Or, thursday Last. Wednesday since then
they've had to completely take apart the fuel, tank reseal
it and put it back together.
Speaker 6 (33:22):
Fingers, crossed no fuel, leaps and then we'll tie it
down and do some runs at.
Speaker 8 (33:26):
Nice to get it done now a couple of days Before,
christmas a wegn all break, away go home and enjoy
a bit of.
Speaker 6 (33:32):
Turkey got to do it, today otherwise we look like
a bunch of.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
Idiots with the light starting to, fade they're ready to
push her out and fuel her up At leafs. Right,
yeah the tail is secured to the tarmac and the
fuel system checked for.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Leaks, no no.
Speaker 8 (33:52):
Leaks, NO i am just going to get some precautionary
fire extinguishers and, yeah we're.
Speaker 1 (33:57):
Ready to give it a go as a qualified. Pilot
peter's doing the honors in the, cockpit but the temperature is.
Speaker 8 (34:04):
Plummeting you're going to put the cover on underneath it
a bloody draft and have come roll up my, trouser
leg around my.
Speaker 1 (34:09):
Nuts it's now or never.
Speaker 5 (34:23):
A bit?
Speaker 8 (34:23):
Slow is this three eight two's battery by any?
Speaker 5 (34:26):
Chance what we always do is just.
Speaker 8 (34:41):
Run it's just for a few, seconds and we need
to check to make sure that we've got no air
locks in the coolant.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
System the coolant is topped up and they're ready for a.
Second go, Clear.
Speaker 8 (35:01):
Barger i'm struggling at the minute to keep the engine.
Running just quite likely that the idling system is running
a bit.
Speaker 12 (35:07):
Lean it's not getting enough fuel to air, ratio which
we call lean. Mixture so thanks richening that up with
the mixture.
Speaker 4 (35:15):
Scroup so we'll give it another. Bash, now have you done?
Speaker 9 (35:18):
It?
Speaker 5 (35:19):
Okay clear, clere.
Speaker 1 (35:31):
That's more like. It the engineers crawl underneath to check for.
Speaker 8 (35:40):
Leaks, Right i'm happy with that for a first, run.
Speaker 1 (35:46):
Job done and a big sigh of relief all round
and satisfying.
Speaker 8 (35:53):
It that's what it's supposed.
Speaker 6 (35:54):
To got to another, milestone so then we can move.
On alex is being silly as, normal but you can't get.
Speaker 1 (36:00):
That it's the Perfect christmas present for everyone on the.
Team but Come New, year will she?
Speaker 5 (36:07):
Fly? Now do you stop? There it's the.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
Big day and the engineers are polishing up SPITFIRE mj
seventy five.
Speaker 16 (36:25):
FIVE i could go into A priori dealership them that's
out for you and it's all, polished so why shouldn't
you do the same for a.
Speaker 6 (36:32):
Spitfire here we are just going around getting all the
grubby engineer's hands, off, lips finger.
Speaker 1 (36:38):
Marks alex is getting a bit emotional.
Speaker 12 (36:41):
With some pinnacle of the last sort of year and
a half of my. LIFE i guess it's all accommodated
into this, here so be nice and it.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
WORKS i lag the death end each ye makes it more,
unique it, does adding a little extra. Pressure the money
men have flown in From.
Speaker 8 (36:57):
Greece it's the most original spitfire that we've ever had
in the, hangar and it's the, only probably one the
most original would ever. Have they haven't seen, IT i
think for nearly a, year and the last time they
came through it was just in bits all over the. Floor,
no we need to fly some hours on.
Speaker 5 (37:13):
It how many?
Speaker 9 (37:14):
Hours?
Speaker 8 (37:15):
Twenty and if we, can we need your.
Speaker 5 (37:19):
Permission it's your.
Speaker 8 (37:20):
Aeroplane, okay we can't just fly the.
Speaker 5 (37:23):
Aeroplane, no you can't say.
Speaker 8 (37:25):
That, no we've done as much as we can to
make sure that we've mitigated all the possible risks and
it's ready to. Go but, yeah slightly.
Speaker 4 (37:35):
Nervous.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
George done has arrived.
Speaker 5 (37:43):
AND i understand you're flying.
Speaker 12 (37:44):
It it's very rare that you get to rebuild an
airplane and actually still meet the pilot of the.
Speaker 4 (37:50):
Aircraft how you.
Speaker 9 (37:51):
Doing he've done a sully good.
Speaker 1 (37:53):
Job The greeks are keen to Meet.
Speaker 8 (37:56):
George he knows the way and he perhaps he should
fly it To greece.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Again, Yes i've got next veteran pilot meets modern day spitfire.
PILOT i know that you're going to take it back.
Speaker 14 (38:07):
Degree this is a.
Speaker 8 (38:08):
Plan, yeah, yeah setting off in more ten. Minutes it's
a tremendous responsibility for me to be standing out there
watching this scene.
Speaker 1 (38:17):
Takeoff it's a Perfect january day for. Flying.
Speaker 8 (38:30):
George did you want to go up in the air?
Speaker 9 (38:32):
Van? Oh, yeah that big black and you want to do.
Speaker 8 (38:36):
That, yeah big, day very big.
Speaker 5 (38:40):
Day finally she gets here up on.
Speaker 1 (38:42):
Again it could be great to see, it can't. Wait
it's it's a group effort for. Efer Peter kinsey is
an experienced test, pilot but flying in newly restored veteran
aircraft for the first. Time it's not for the faint.
Hearted alex is on ground crew duty. Today there seems
(39:23):
to be a, problem, fortunately just a seat belt.
Speaker 12 (39:31):
ISSUE mj seventy five five o'cake two.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
Chucks. Away george is already in position at two thousand
feet AS mj seventy five five starts her. Run about
seven thousand, parts most of them seventy five year old,
originals hundreds of them safety, critical, restored, rebuilt with no
(40:09):
room for.
Speaker 17 (40:10):
Error everything is at stake right, here right, now.
Speaker 8 (40:23):
There goes is airborne this way if your carriage to
go up now the carriage is.
Speaker 4 (40:37):
Up that's quite, something isn't.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
It tension gives way to relief looking back over how
it's got from the back of the container in, bits
dusty dirty, bits and there it.
Speaker 8 (41:12):
Is it's now flying on a beautiful, day blue, skies.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
And he's still up. There so he's obviously happy with
it and enjoying, it and why.
Speaker 5 (41:22):
NOT i wish it was?
Speaker 4 (41:24):
Me actually right NOW.
Speaker 12 (41:30):
I think that might be flying for the.
Speaker 5 (41:32):
UNEDUCATED i think that's. Flying what do you reckon? About it's.
Speaker 1 (41:39):
Flying it's a deeply emotional moment for everyone.
Speaker 8 (41:44):
Involved so it's a special, airplane that, one.
Speaker 1 (41:48):
But especially for a proud dad whose son is following
in his.
Speaker 8 (41:52):
FOOTSTEPS i Remember alex at two years, old running around
the fuse larger of The kent Spit fire before it
was thought it was, completed running around with bits in his,
hand knowing what what he got in his, hand and
the and the significance of those. Parts it is a
(42:13):
way of life for. ME i have no doubt about.
IT i can't see That i'll ever. Retire IF i,
DID i wouldn't know what to. Do here we are
first flight of The Greek. Spitfire the guy that originally
delivered it in forty seven as seventy three years. AGO
i sat, there think years AGO i was in that
(42:33):
same see.
Speaker 5 (42:35):
So welcome back To.
Speaker 3 (42:36):
George how was?
Speaker 9 (42:38):
That that was a lovely?
Speaker 4 (42:40):
Flight was it?
Speaker 1 (42:40):
Good that is so close to?
Speaker 3 (42:42):
Us there you, go there you, go, fantastic.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
They've done. It a perfect flight and perfect bit of.
Speaker 5 (43:00):
Parking pretty.
Speaker 16 (43:09):
Good, yeah it goes, Well, yeah lovely everything, right, yeah pretty.
Speaker 5 (43:19):
Much, yeah very.
Speaker 1 (43:23):
Happy The greeks are keen for a full. Report it flies.
Speaker 8 (43:29):
Beautifully it's just a really nice, aeroplane nice, engine nice
and smooth for, parlors smooth on daylight today when the
air is smoothed as.
Speaker 4 (43:37):
Well it's just. PERFECT a few.
Speaker 8 (43:44):
Nervous moments, there but all went well and it's all
wrapped up. Today airplane flu pilot was, happy The greek
representatives were very, happy and we're just about to put it,
away put it to. Bed it's been a super, day
really has H.
Speaker 6 (44:01):
It's a lovely thing to, see you, know after you've
done all this. WORK i do get emotional Because i've,
seen you, know you go through it so many. Times
are you restore an aeroplane and see it fly for
the first, time and then we just move on to
the next.
Speaker 12 (44:11):
One we stopped the next one, already so factory never.
Speaker 8 (44:15):
Stops we've got to keep these things in the, air
So i've got.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
To keep going for a while longer.
Speaker 16 (44:21):
Yet, okay see you, soon.
Speaker 4 (44:34):
Mm.
Speaker 6 (44:35):
Hmmmm
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