Friday Night Flights (SPECIAL EDITION): 70th Anniversary of D-Day from England to Normandy

[Coast]

Friday Night Flight D-Day Event:

As it so happens this year is the 70th anniversary of D-Day, and June 6, 2014 is also a falls on a Friday!

So we plan take full advantage of this opportunity to do something different for Friday, June 6, 2014.

We have planned a group flight which will consist of transport and fighter aircraft which have D-Day stripes liveries.

1. On the transport side we would encourage the use of the outstanding Manfred Jahn C-47 and anyone of several D-Day stripe liveries currently available. The base C-47 package is available on Storm's oneDrive .

2. On the fighter side it is a little more open as to what aircraft you can use, but the fighter aircraft should be appropriate to the time of pre-1945, and hopefully have a D-Day stripe livery.

FRIDAY NIGHT FLIGHT BRIEFiNG NOTES:

This group flight will be a little different from what we have done in the past in that we will be flying TWO different but related flight plans. The transports and the fighters will depart from TWO different but historically important airfields, and meetup over Normandy. The combined group will then fly together, with the fighters on high cover. There will need to be a little bit of in-flight group coordination in order to make this work properly.

► FIGHTERS Flight Plan:

WarHawK has graciously accepted flight lead for the fighter group, and will be handling all aspects of this portion of the combined group flight

NOTE: The fighter's will not land at Odiham, but overfly it on their way to Cherboug. The flight time for both groups for the meetup is about 42 minutes. The fighters will be flying faster and higher, but also just that amount longer so both groups arrive over Cherboug at the same time. Any late joining fighters will have to depart from Odiham, or get left behind.

► TRANSPORT'S Flight Plan:

► Combined Portion of the Group Flight:

We will meetup over Cherboug in northern France where the transport will be flying lower than the fighters. The exact altitudes will be provided the day of the flight in order to maintain "operational security".

PS: Note WarHawK's official start date of this forum was just two short years ago, on June 6, 2012!

Edit by Storm: Corrected title typo.

SPECIAL NOTE: Almost all of us will be landing at LFOP/Rouen which has a sufficiently runway length for our aircraft, BUT a couple of the C_47 will attempt a landing at the adjacent parallel SOD airstrip known as ELS-1 Poupeville. It was 600 meters short, and only used as an Emergency Landing Strip, actually the first one built after D-Day.

Poupeville ELS-1 Reference Website

[Storm]

Good news for C-47 pilots: GPS mod now available. What this mod gives you: 1. TCAS radar for both GPSs. 2. Terrain shadows for top GPS. 3. Popup (Shift+8) for both GPSs, making GPS operation much easier. You'll find the mod in the C-47 folder of my Vintage Hangar.

Note: If you use Chrome as your browser, please also read the help file "Chrome has blocked it!" before you download the mod.

[Outlaw31]

Ill definately try to make it

[Storm]

BBC video of two Spitfires, in D-Day stripes over the Normandy town of Bayeux, commemorating today's 70th anniversary of D-Day landings.



We pass over Bayeux on our flight tonight, 8 nmi after Omaha Beach and 12 nmi before Caen. Bayeux is perhaps best known world-wide as home of the Bayeux Tapestry, a 230 ft long 11th century embroidery depicting the last time England was successfully invaded in 1066 CE.

[ak416]

Love those Spitfires! Here's another relevant video.

[Storm]

SPECIAL NOTE: Almost all of us will be landing at LFOP/Rouen which has a sufficiently runway length for our aircraft, BUT a couple of the C_47 will attempt a landing at the adjacent parallel SOD airstrip known as ELS-1 Poupeville. It was 600 meters short, and only used as an Emergency Landing Strip, actually the first one built after D-Day.

The landable length of the grass strip, now classified as 05-23 at LFOP, is much shorter than 600 meters as it has significant displaced thresholds. The usable landing length is only 1,400 feet.

The forecast at this runway for this evening's flight is for light surface crosswinds from the southeast at around 8-10 knots. Having tried the landing, I can confirm that a lightly loaded C-47 can touchdown and stop within the threshold markings that are separated by 1,400 feet.

If and only if you are really confident with the C-47, I recommend an into-wind wing-down plus opposite rudder slipped approach, at full flap, 80% prop, auto-rich, and a final approach speed of 75 knots with 70 knots over the fence.

[ak416]

Sorry for leaving without saying goodbye, I wasnt paying attention and my phone died and my girlfriend has the charger at work. It was a fun flight, thanks Coast and Warhawk for leading and organizing the flight. :wink-new:

[Storm]

Leaving the Cherbourg peninsula, en route Omaha Beach, catching up with the distant pack...




Following flight lead, en route Rouen...




Lined up at Rouen, looking from the tower...

[Prdude62]

Here Are Some Great Pictures ,hope ya like them.http://imgbox.com/g/I7x2K8kRpt

[ak416]

[Storm]

Outstanding ak! This shot in particular could be a poster...

P.S. You might consider putting hyperlinks around your images to get full-size, like I did for you!

[Karl]

Here is a link to the FS Flight Recorder associated files for a part of the flight. I started recording about the time that the fighter group met with the C-47 Group and continued recording until a little while after everyone had landed at CAEN.

http://tinyurl.com/KarlOneDrive