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Chock · 23 October 2009, 07:56 PM

There is quite a contentious one in the RAF museum, that being supposedly the control column from Spitfire R6753, which was flown by Colin Pinckney and shot down in the Battle of Britain by Herman Friedrich Joppiens.

I have some pieces of that aircraft recovered from the crash site in the 1980s, and they confirm the reports at the time of its destruction, that it was on fire in the cockpit area following hits on the fuel tank (Pinckney received some burns before bailing out). The aircraft drilled itself into the ground at high speed and the engine apparently exploded (I have some pieces of the engine which confirm that and also indicate the speed it was diving at). Yet the control column (which on the Spitfire can actually burn, since it is magnesium alloy) on display there is in perfect condition, which is a little unlikely since they also tend to disintegrate when buried in soil, leaving only the firing button, which is brass and therefore survives even when the main control column casting does not. So there you go, even the RAF can be fooled.

Al

23 October 2009, 07:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
Chock Scout Pilot Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The grim north of England Posts: 405	There is quite a contentious one in the RAF museum, that being supposedly the control column from Spitfire R6753, which was flown by Colin Pinckney and shot down in the Battle of Britain by Herman Friedrich Joppiens. I have some pieces of that aircraft recovered from the crash site in the 1980s, and they confirm the reports at the time of its destruction, that it was on fire in the cockpit area following hits on the fuel tank (Pinckney received some burns before bailing out). The aircraft drilled itself into the ground at high speed and the engine apparently exploded (I have some pieces of the engine which confirm that and also indicate the speed it was diving at). Yet the control column (which on the Spitfire can actually burn, since it is magnesium alloy) on display there is in perfect condition, which is a little unlikely since they also tend to disintegrate when buried in soil, leaving only the firing button, which is brass and therefore survives even when the main control column casting does not. So there you go, even the RAF can be fooled. Al __________________ Wiseman: When you removed the book from the cradle, did you speak the words? Ash: Yeah, basically. Wiseman: Did you speak the exact words? Ash: Look, maybe I didn't say every single little tiny syllable, no. But basically I said them, yeah.