Seafire over Harwich today

[Champagne Murphy]

Was pottering about today at the confluence of the Stour and Orwell when a jet flew over which I identified as a Vampire. No, says my crew, that's a Seafire. He spoke with some authority having been in the RAF years ago when such planes were commonplace.
Anyone else see it?

 

[Colvic Watson]

A Seafire is propeller driven, the aircraft carrier version of the Spitfire, so if you saw a jet then it wasn't a Seafire.

 

[Sheff]

There was a Sea Vixen which had a similar outline to the Vampire. He may have meant that plane and said Seafire by mistake.

 

[PeterBoater]

OV-10B Bronco

 

[Champagne Murphy]

There was a Sea Vixen which had a similar outline to the Vampire. He may have meant that plane and said Seafire by mistake.

Aha! Anyway, I'd never seen one before so all very exciting.

 

[ex-Gladys]

There was a pair of Vampires at Clacton Air Show this year...

 

[nortada]

Was pottering about today at the confluence of the Stour and Orwell when a jet flew over which I identified as a Vampire. No, says my crew, that's a Seafire. He spoke with some authority having been in the RAF years ago when such planes were commonplace.
Anyone else see it?

Glad your crew wasn't in The Observer Corps

 

[Colvic Watson]

There was a pair of Vampires at Clacton Air Show this year...

Vampires are really cool aircraft. A massive manufacturing and export success for the UK, then we stopped supporting our aircraft industry and now we have to buy from overseas.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Glad your crew wasn't in The Observer Corps

He was a clerk! He also had a tendency to wander away from the channel when at the helm and I was making tea. I woke up screaming this morning, dreaming that we were neaped opposite Pin Mill. That'll teach me.

 

[johnalison]

Vampires are really cool aircraft. A massive manufacturing and export success for the UK, then we stopped supporting our aircraft industry and now we have to buy from overseas.

Not helped by Stafford Cripps giving the engine design to Uncle Joe.

 

[reginaldon]

Could they lend them the navy?

 

[Normalfornorfolk]

I am in deep admiration of anyone who can identify a Seafire in the air vs. a Spitfire - that is truly a mighty ability, but confusing either with a Vampire of all things is surely the diametric opposite! One is like discriminating between the same model of diesel and petrol car from 200m and the other a bit like confusing a train with a bus.

 

[johnalison]

Shirley, I imagine that a Seafire would be painted in Fleet Air Arm livery and look somewhat different to a reasonably keen-eyed observer.

I came across this picture I took at Shuttleworth yonks ago, probably 1979. One of them is a Vampire.

 

[Colvic Watson]

The one toward the bottom of the picture.

 

[johnalison]

The one toward the bottom of the picture.

It shows what a clumsy beast the Meteor was though.

 

[Stork_III]

I am in deep admiration of anyone who can identify a Seafire in the air vs. a Spitfire - that is truly a mighty ability, but confusing either with a Vampire of all things is surely the diametric opposite! One is like discriminating between the same model of diesel and petrol car from 200m and the other a bit like confusing a train with a bus.

Easy to identify the wings (and tail rudder) on the Seafire are different.

 

[Normalfornorfolk]

Easy to identify the wings (and tail rudder) on the Seafire are different.

They look like that in the air, do they?

"tail rudder? What on earth is that?

 

[Stork_III]

They look like that in the air, do they?

"tail rudder? What on earth is that?

Of course they do.

Tail rudder is the flappy thing at the back.

 

[Iainhax]

Don't mention TSR2..........

 

[Champagne Murphy]

TSR2..............