Well done G-IRTY

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tankbuster
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Well done G-IRTY

Post by tankbuster »

just landed at Goodwood
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keithjs
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by keithjs »

...Rad shutters auto.

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cometguymk1
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by cometguymk1 »

A great achievement, sadly not promoted as well later on as it was to begin with. I look forward to the documentary.

Spiny Norman
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by Spiny Norman »

Nice touch with the Arrows formation.

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Tommy
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by Tommy »

This is a hugely hugely significant achievement, and yet they got their PR so wrong (or just absent), we all forgot about it. Did it attend or perform at any airshows all over the world? Or just hold public events?

Such a shame. Objectively, it’s really cool, but with zero public engagement hardly anyone remembered to care.

Does anyone know what the future holds for this Spit?

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LN Strike Eagle
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by LN Strike Eagle »

Tommy wrote:Does anyone know what the future holds for this Spit?

A repaint hopefully...
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Wissam24
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by Wissam24 »

cometguymk1 wrote:A great achievement, sadly not promoted as well later on as it was to begin with. I look forward to the documentary.


It's like as soon as it took off they just stopped posting about it entirely.
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Spotty_Jag
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by Spotty_Jag »

Has anyone seen anything published to explain, what the point of it all was?! Seemed a pointless exercise to me personally. :pinkwafer:

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DerekF
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by DerekF »

What is the point of anything then?

I'm not sure how much more publicity was needed - I had no difficulty tracking it around the world on Twitter and on Facebook.

LN Strike Eagle wrote:
Tommy wrote:Does anyone know what the future holds for this Spit?

A repaint hopefully...


Let's hope not. It looks great as it is. I don't think we need another grey/green Spitfire.

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starbuck
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by starbuck »

It's made it onto the BBC news website now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... world-trip

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HeyfordDave111
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by HeyfordDave111 »

Went completely under my radar, and unless your on facethingy or twatterverse, you wont know much about it.

Shame they weren't more pro active...for instance a sign up page so that you got daily updates, or being more available to photographers and enthusiasts around the world.

It felt to me, and no doubt i'll be jumped on by loads here, that it was almost a 'private' jolly jape rather than (to use a word that facethingy peeps will understand), reaching out to as many people as possible.

Great achievement, terrible P.R.
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Paul_Reflex
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by Paul_Reflex »

To be fair to them, aside from the social media and broadcast media, they also produced a whole podcast series about the project.

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BobL
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by BobL »

Spotty_Jag wrote:Has anyone seen anything published to explain, what the point of it all was?! Seemed a pointless exercise to me personally. :pinkwafer:



As the trip was sponsored by IWC watches, I suspect it was to increase brand awareness?

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Rick
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by Rick »

DerekF wrote:What is the point of anything then?

I'm not sure how much more publicity was needed - I had no difficulty tracking it around the world on Twitter and on Facebook.

LN Strike Eagle wrote:
Tommy wrote:Does anyone know what the future holds for this Spit?

A repaint hopefully...


Let's hope not. It looks great as it is. I don't think we need another grey/green Spitfire.


+1 :up:
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Spiny Norman
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by Spiny Norman »

Just been reading about Alcock and Brown. Selfish gits didn't do any flypasts (topside or bottom side) at Clifden and didn't even time it to coincide with RIAT!

Honestly what were they thinking about.

Come on, curmudgeons! Where's that Xmas spirit, eh.

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HuwJHopkins
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by HuwJHopkins »

Wissam24 wrote:
cometguymk1 wrote:A great achievement, sadly not promoted as well later on as it was to begin with. I look forward to the documentary.


It's like as soon as it took off they just stopped posting about it entirely.


Except that literally isn't true, is it?

I follow the Silver Spitfire social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and I saw regular content during the journey. The Telegraph had their own dedicated Silver Spitfire webpage, with regular video log updates. I really don't understand how people think the PR was awful and the coverage non-existent. Sure, it perhaps wasn't perfect, but it got a lot more media attention than the vast majority of historic aviation happenings do. Above having active social media channels and national media coverage, I'm not really sure what else people expected?

Aviation enthusiasts: "We want regular updates and content!"
*regular updates and content exists*
Aviation enthusiasts: "No! Not those regular updates and content!" :whistle:

I also don't understand the criticisms about not attending airshows and holding public events at their destinations. The journey alone was a vast challenge, let alone adding in organising their own regular public events en-route with a schedule that was understandably not set in stone. And attending airshows as they go!? Imagine having to get DAs in a variety of countries on top of the logistics of *flying the Spitfire around the world*.

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aviationanoraks
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by aviationanoraks »

PR aside, a fantastic achievement.
Reliability of the aircraft appears to have been incredible, and just happy they are all home safe.

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Brevet Cable
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by Brevet Cable »

starbuck wrote:It's made it onto the BBC news website now.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-englan ... world-trip


BBC news was covering it yesterday.
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FarnboroJohn
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by FarnboroJohn »

I took a day off to go to Goodwood yesterday and the sound of that Merlin running like a sewing machine after going round the world was a delight as the Spitfire ran in with a Red Arrows Hawk smoking off each wingtip. A run from the Spit and PC-12 was a nice touch as well. The pilots were understandably in a media scrum for a while after landing, but then took time to come right down the line of those who'd turned up, for handshakes and the odd selfie.

With time differences mostly I was just catching up after the fact as they went round but I followed recent flights via the tracker and one or two - crossing Saudi Arabia from Kuwait City to Aqaba, and then from Aqaba to Mersa Matruh via the Pyramids and Alexandria in one hop, not to mention several very long over water legs - were amazing.

Looking forward to the documentary whenever!

ZRX61
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Re: Well done G-IRTY

Post by ZRX61 »

HuwJHopkins wrote:I also don't understand the criticisms about not attending airshows and holding public events at their destinations. The journey alone was a vast challenge, let alone adding in organising their own regular public events en-route with a schedule that was understandably not set in stone. And attending airshows as they go!? Imagine having to get DAs in a variety of countries on top of the logistics of *flying the Spitfire around the world*.


They wouldn't have needed DA's to just show & park as a static display... but that would most likely forced the people involved to interact with the public, which they had absolutely no interest in doing. The week they spent in the LA area was a complete farce. At SMO it was parked by a fence the first day so people could actually see it, then they moved it across the field so you'd need binoculars to see it for the next 3 days. None of the aviation reporters with the LA news stations were contacted by the team. They actually taxied past most of the news helicopters during their unannounced 2 hour stop at VNY... which was right after their unannounced 15 minute air display/beat up off the Malibu coast (which was too close to the shore for an air display). Apparently either the FAA weren't privy to that or they did take the time to get a DA...

The fact that questions about flight schedules etc was totally ignored on the teams replies on FB tends to indicate they had a bot of some sort. When ever someone asked about it being at a certain place/time etc they were given a link to go buy a watch.

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