RAF Forever

F/O Lewis E. Park Jr. (KIA 27/6/44) of 438 Squadron RCAF on his Norton motorcycle in front of Hawker Typhoon Ib R-D (MN518) the personal aircraft of W/C Robert Tremayne Davidson. RAF Funtington or Hurn, April-May 1944.

3 May 1943. Killed in action, Canadian 5 victory ace Wing Commander Howard Peter "Cowboy" Blatchford DFC (b. 25 February 1912). He achieved Canada’s first WW2 victory. Photographed with his 257 Squadron RAF Hurricane Mk. I at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk. in 1940.

The Hawker Hurricane, premier fighter with the Royal Air Force at the beginning of WW2. At the outbreak of hostilities, it was also the RCAF’s only modern fighter. This RCAF Hurricane has been preserved by the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

The original photo is a blurred, low resolution scrap. I think that in memoriam of this brave Belgian pilot it is worth to get acquainted with is story.

Here a synopsis of the Belgian pilot's story, from FB The Historian's Den:

Jean de Selys Longchamps was a Belgian aristocrat who fled to Britain after the Nazi occupation and joined the Royal Air Force as a fighter pilot. Though technically too old and inexperienced for combat roles, he pushed his way into active service, driven by a fierce sense of duty and a personal hatred of the regime that had overrun his country. His flying skills quickly earned him respect, but he remained restless, carrying the weight of what was happening back home.

In 1943, he learned that his father had been arrested, tortured, and killed by the Gestapo. The news shattered him, and hardened his resolve. Without authorization, de Selys Longchamps took off in his Hawker Typhoon, flew across the Channel, and descended low over Brussels. In a daring solo attack, he strafed the Gestapo headquarters on Avenue Louise, killing several officers and sending shockwaves through the occupation forces. As he escaped, he dropped the Belgian flag over the city as a final act of defiance.

Supermarine Spitfire Vb BM597 G-MKVB

Spitfire Mk XVIe RR255 9N-Y 127 Squadron RAF at Grimbergen 1944 pic.x.com/jpSpPfGgi4 pic.x.com/GMlagvGTbz

@ron_eisele via X

The Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR1. The stuff of childhood dreams. When this picture was taken in the 1970s, the V/STOL concept seemed to defy gravity. It was a testament to British aeronautical genius that inspired a whole generation of pilots.

Letter code 'FY' No. 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron.

(Two Spitfire Mk.IX of 611 Sqn. over Biggin Hill in 1943)👇.

Although this spitfire in the clip Serial No. RR 232 Built: Oct 1944 at Castle Bromwich.

Recovered from South Africa in 1976; extensively rebuilt (1976-1984).