B-17 Flying Fortress “Sally B” & the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
We’re now in the historical section. Sally B is the last airworthy example of a B-17 currently operating in Europe, flown in memory of the American airmen who lost their lives in Europe during World War Two.
As with all the other propeller planes I shot at a lower shutter speed, and again it affected the sharpness of the image.
As it did sprawling turns along the beach, we had a good chance to see its impressive wingspan.
Sally B wasn’t the only World War Two-era plane on show as the air festival, however.
.
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is the collective term for the Spitfires, Hurricanes and a Lancaster bomber operated by the Royal Air Force to commemorate those lost in WWII.
This first picture was taken at a higher shutter speed, capturing the propellers in time. Unfortunately it almost looks like they’ve stalled, so I had another go.
After their initial flypasts, the planes split off to do separate displays.
The Spitfire has one of the best engine sounds ever (aside from an Aston Martin engine, but that’s for another time). That said, a Lancaster with all four Merlin engines going at full tilt is something special.
The position we took for the flying displays – atop the East Cliff – meant that when the planes flew in low we were almost level with them. And from our angle, the Lancaster has a lot in common with the B-17.
As a final display, the Lancaster flew past with her landing gear down, showing off those massive front tyres.
It is still amazing that these planes, some over 70 years old, are still flying – albeit with a fair amount of restoration. It’s also fantastic that they can still fly to honour those lost in the wars.
Creative Splurges 
The Breitling Wingwalkers flew over Knaphill today (29th August) around 3.15, probably on the way from Dunsfold to Cardiff, but I didn’t have my camera at the ready 😦
LikeLike
I now have this image of the planes flying over with the girls still on top, reading newspapers…
LikeLike
Nice photos, thanks for sharing!
LikeLike