The Mick Freer Archives (Updated more photos added 07/12/17)

Photos older than five years old (preferably much older)
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AlexC
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added)

Post by AlexC »

Those were the days! :clap:

Looks like you've adjusted the Lightning shot a bit, or am I talking rubbish which wouldn't be the first time?!
Pte. Aubrey Gerald Harmer, R. Suss. R. (att. to the Sherwood Foresters) KIA 26/9/1917 Polygon Wood, aged 19, NKG. RIP

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bigcrow
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added)

Post by bigcrow »

Cheers, nope done nothing to the Lightning since it was first uploaded... :smile:

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Elwood
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added)

Post by Elwood »

Just stunning and wouldn't be complete without a wet Yeovilton! Will email you.
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RickIngham
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added)

Post by RickIngham »

I just love them Canberras! Unbelievable collection.

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Mad Dan
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added)

Post by Mad Dan »

Lovely... No other word... Must look at my lot one of these days...

I've got 600, so it might take a while!!!

And wasn't WV787 peachy? A definite odd-ball if ever I saw one...
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bigcrow
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added)

Post by bigcrow »

Thanks guys, yeah WV787 was a unique beast, even complete with 'Playboy' zap on the nose..

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Westy
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 20/08)

Post by Westy »

Yet another lot of class pics :clap:

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NAM Updater
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added)

Post by NAM Updater »

bigcrow wrote:Thanks guys, yeah WV787 was a unique beast, even complete with 'Playboy' zap on the nose..

The Playboy zap is still there and WV787 is nicely tucked up in Hangar 2 here!

An amusing story about the aircraft happened during a school group visit that I was taking round the museum about four years ago, when a child's voice echoed around the hangar - "Mummy, look that aeroplane has got a rabbit on its nose like those books in your bedroom!" :oops:

Great pictures - but where did the spray bar go??
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st24
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 20/08)

Post by st24 »

Lovely stuff. So much variety back then even in just one aeroplane type! Outstanding days superbly caught as ever. '867 was a particularly rare bird.. :worship:
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 20/08)

Post by corsair F4U »

Wonderful set of images does take me back can't wait for some more :clap:
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 20/08)

Post by Elwood »

Just superb Uncle Stu - thank you!

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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 20/08)

Post by Harlequin67 »

Lovely.

All fantastic shots of some truly historic aircraft, showing just how versatile the Canberra was.
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riatfuels
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 20/08)

Post by riatfuels »

Beautiful images Stuart .... I am so sorry I have been out of the loop for ages, I have only just learned of Mike's passing and I am so so sorry, he was an amazing man, used to love catching up with him at various airshows and when he worked at RIAT, a truly lovely man and friend, once again I am so sorry!

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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 20/08)

Post by BatmanIX »

Fantastic stuff Stu!

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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 20/08)

Post by bigcrow »

Firstly a Happy New Year to you all.. :smile: Dad always had a close affinity to test & trials aircraft due to him living near to RRE Pershore, here is just a small selection of his shots of the types & colour schemes that were to been seen during the seventies & eighties. It's very sad that now the only base left is Boscombe Down & QinetiQ's fleet of fast jets is down to a few Alpha Jets & Hawks... :sad:

#54

ImageXV814 Comet C4 Royal Aircraft Establishment, MOD (PE) Bedford. by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#55

ImageXV814 Comet C4 RAE, MOD(PE) Farnborough by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#56

ImageXS606 Andover C1 ETPS, MOD(PE) Boscombe Down by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#57

ImageXN817 Argosy C1 A&AEE, MOD(PE) Boscombe Down by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#58

ImageXX105 BAC-111 RAE, MOD(PE) Bedford by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#59

ImageXW987 Buccaneer S2B A&AEE, MOD(PE) Boscombe Down by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#60

ImageXV344 Buccaneer S2C Defence Research Agency, MOD(PE) Boscombe Down. by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#61

ImageXW988 Buccaneer S2B A&AEE, MoD(PE) Boscombe Down. by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#62

ImageXW930 HS-125 RAE, MOD(PE) Bedford by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#63

ImageXE601 Hunter FGA9 A&AEE, MOD(PE) Boscombe Down by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#64

ImageXL563 Hunter T7 RAE, MOD(PE) Farnborough by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#65

ImageZA947 Dakota 3 RAE, MOD(PE) Farnborough by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#66

ImageKF314 Harvard TIIB ETPS, MOD(PE) Boscombe Down by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#67

ImageXE531 Hunter T12 RAE, MOD(PE) Farnborough by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#68

ImageWF379 Varsity T1 RAE, MOD(PE) Bedford by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#69

ImageWL679 Varsity T1 RAE, MOD(PE) Farnborough. by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#70

ImageWL679 Varsity T1 RAE, MOD(PE) Farnborough by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#71

ImageXT575 Viscount RAE, MOD(PE) Bedford by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#72

ImageXT575 Viscount RAE, MOD(PE) Bedford by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#73

ImageXT661 Viscount RAE, MOD(PE) Bedford by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#74

ImageXT661 Viscount RAE, MOD(PE) Bedford by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr

#75

ImageXT597 Phantom FG.1 A&AEE, MOD Boscombe Down by Stuart Freer - Touchdown Aviation, on Flickr
Last edited by bigcrow on Mon 05 Jan 2015, 9:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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sdad
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by sdad »

I should love to see some places and dates in those captions!

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Tuckat
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by Tuckat »

Another great selection, thank you very much for the time taken to post, much appreciated :biggrin:
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Talldan76
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by Talldan76 »

Great selection there... Really like the green & white Hunter scheme

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AlexC
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by AlexC »

Great shots. I assume that they are all kodachromes?

Don't recall ever seeing Comets with those extra large dorsal fins, or perhaps better referred to as fin fillets?
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by Northdownaeros »

I think the fin fillet on XV814 was added when the large under fuselage trials pod was installed. I bagged a 5 hour passenger ride in '814 in May 1983 from RAE Farnborough and the fin fillet & front pod had been removed by then.
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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by The Flying Barrel »

Great post, love the images. The 'Yellow Peril' Buccaneer brings back memories of impromptu displays above its Brough birthplace, one other thing that struck me is the Argosy pic which looks like and was a 60's aircraft but there is a Chinook in the background which I regard as fairly modern! Tend to forget just how old the design is.

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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by AlexC »

Northdownaeros wrote:I think the fin fillet on XV814 was added when the large under fuselage trials pod was installed. I bagged a 5 hour passenger ride in '814 in May 1983 from RAE Farnborough and the fin fillet & front pod had been removed by then.


Thanks for that. :smile:
Pte. Aubrey Gerald Harmer, R. Suss. R. (att. to the Sherwood Foresters) KIA 26/9/1917 Polygon Wood, aged 19, NKG. RIP

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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by Stagger2 »

Another superb collection of immaculate images. The Mick Freer Heritage Collection looms ever closer?
Regarding the Argosy shown in Shot 57, I'm fairly sure that's taken at Middle Wallop IAS .... & 1984?? This show incorporated the International Heli-meet & drew spectacular rotary participation. IIRC there were several large fixed-wing a/c on the grass airfield that year including RAE Andover, Raf Hercules & a CAF CC-132 (Dash 7). The Harrier take-off from a grass-strip & subsequent hover demo' ensured a tonne of grass filling my Cortina through the sun-roof. Doh!

The Flying Barrel wrote:Great post, love the images. The 'Yellow Peril' Buccaneer brings back memories of impromptu displays above its Brough birthplace, one other thing that struck me is the Argosy pic which looks like and was a 60's aircraft but there is a Chinook in the background which I regard as fairly modern! Tend to forget just how old the design is.

Yep! time flies by. As I'm sure you know, the Chinook entered RAF service in late 1980 with 18 Sqn first to form in mid 1981. It's entirely possible an RAF example was on the field (perhaps the scribes can confirm?) But I can tell you there were 2 US. Army & 1 Italian Army CH-47c in attendance.
With regard to the Comet 'fin fillets' these were installed initially to counter the loss off directional stability from the addition of various forward ventral trials panniers. Subsequently, when the Nimrod tailfin & upper ECM fairing was added it gave rise to both Comet airframes being nicknamed "Comrod" by many in & out of RAE. Even when the AEW 3 nose was grafted onto XW626 it remained controversial, but both a/c were amalgamations of Comet & Nimrod, so that would seem fair enough?

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Re: The Mick Freer Archives (More photos added 05/01/15)

Post by NickB »

Wow - just wow again!

Love the Argosy picture - I'm 99% certain that is at Middle Wallop 'cos I used to work there! Looks like it is taxi-ing in front of the tower at the airshow there in 1984. Unfortunately I wasn't there and this particular aircraft escaped me and of course was written off shortly after this picture was taken. I know my cousin Mark S was at the show and saw it - IIRC he inadvertently cut the nose 'nipple' off his picture of it - I'm sure Mark will be along later to defend his position!!

Fast forward a few years and a lodger of mine knew I liked aircraft - turned out his wife's father was a Flt Eng on XN817 at the time of it's demise - small world!