Battle of Britain Commemoration, Biggin Hill.

[claret50]

Eighteen Spitfires and six Hurricanes will gather at Biggin Hill on Tuesday 18th August 2015, 75 years on to the day from the ‘hardest day’ of the 1940 air battle to honour the courageous pilots, engineers, armourers, operations staff and ground crews who faced constant attack from the Nazi Luftwaffe on that day and during that period.

The Spitfires and Hurricanes will fly a commemoration sortie with three formations, starting with a stream take-off at 1pm.

First formation will head south to overfly the Solent, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth.

Second formation will head east to overfly Dover, the former RAF Hawkinge and the Battle of Britain Memorial on the white cliffs at Capel-Le-Ferne

Third formation will route over former Battle of Britain airfields at West Malling, Detling and GRAVESEND.
The three formations return to Biggin Hill for a stream landing to park in a line on the subsidiary runway.

Fighters engine start at: 12.45
Three flights of eight fighters take off: 13.00

Hamlyn Flight - To patrol Dover
Grice Flight - To patrol Isle of Wight
Mortimer Flight - To patrol 11 Group stations

Battle of Britain flying display – aircraft to be confirmed

Fighters return: 13.45 to 14.00

Would love to be there to witness this wonderful spectacle.

 

[SALTIRE]

Absolutely. My gran worked on Lancaster bombers during the war and she used to tell me stories all about her work back then.

The Spitfire, like one of the great old Man O' War first raters, weren't just an extremely deadly and effective instrument of war; they were immensely beautiful objects in their own right.

 

[Luke_1884]

Lucky enough to work next door to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight at RAF Coningsby so get to see these guys operate day in day out, it'll be quite a gathering with the sound of it.

 

[mowgli]

My Grandad was killed at Biggin Hill in 1940, he was a mechanic reparing damaged Spitfires and Hurricanes and died in an air raid leaving my Gran to bring up 2 children by herself, everyone at Biggin Hill were heroes not just the pilots.

 

[slaphead]

I will be there. My Grandad was a Rigger on 238 Sqn (Hurricanes) based at Middle Wallop during the BoB. It's where he met my Nan.