Category: Flight Simulator X - Scenery
RAF Elvington

File Description:
The station was originally a grass airfield within No. 4 Group. In the early 1940s the airfield was entirely reconstructed with three hardened runways replacing the grass. It re-opened in October 1942 as a station for 77 Squadron RAF and along with RAF Melbourne and RAF Pocklington was known as No "42 Base". The squadron had a strength of approximately 20 aircraft and initially used the twin engined Armstrong Whitworth Whitley medium bomber although this was quickly replaced by the Handley Page Halifax four engined heavy bomber which was being introduced. No 77 Squadron suffered heavy losses during its time at Elvington with over 500 aircrew killed, missing or taken prisoner and almost 80 Halifaxes lost as it played a major part in the Battle of the Ruhr and the bombing of Berlin. In May 1944 No 77 Squadron posted to the newly opened nearby RAF Full Sutton and was replaced at Elvington by two French squadrons, numbers 346 "Guyenne" and 347 "Tunisie" who both played a leading part in the bombing of Germany. Elvington was the only airfield in the United Kingdom used by the remainder of the Free French Forces, they also flew Handley Page Halifax heavy bombers until they moved to Bordeaux in October 1945 where they became the basis for the new air force of liberated France. In September 1957 a memorial was unveiled in Elvington village dedicated to the two French squadrons. While they were at RAF Elvington nearly half of the squadrons' members were killed. After the war the 400-acre (1.6 km2) airfield was transferred to No 40 Group under the control of Maintenance Command until 1952 when it was greatly enlarged and extended for use by the United States Air Force. United States Air Force use The United States Air Force (USAF) built a new 3,094 m (10,151 ft) runway, which was the longest in the north of England, and a huge 19.8 hectares (49 acres) rectangular hardstanding apron as well as a new control tower to turn Elvington into a "Basic Operation Platform" which would have operated as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) dispersal airfield. After spending £4 million the airfield never became operational as a SAC base and was abandoned by the US Air Force in 1958. Other uses In the early 1960s the Blackburn Aircraft Company, now part of British Aerospace used the runway for test flights of the Blackburn Buccaneer. Elvington retained its status as an RAF relief landing ground and was used by the RAF flying training schools at RAF Church Fenton and RAF Linton-on-Ouse until the airfield was finally closed in March 1992. Present day The airfield is now owned by Elvington Park Ltd. The adjacent buildings and control tower have been restored, and serve as the Yorkshire Air Museum which has many varied and rare aircraft and exhibits, including a complete Halifax bomber. Elvington is also a popular motorsports venue for motorcycle racing. Source:Wikipedia

Filename:	RAF_Elvington.zip
License:	Freeware
Added:	10th April 2017, 22:08:13
Downloads:	167
Author:	Terry Boissel
Size:	220.79 KB

Category: Flight Simulator X - Aircraft Repaints, Textures and Modifications
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress #43-97976 "A Bit o' Lace"

Images related to this file:

• Boeing_B17G_Flying_Fortress_4397976_A_Bit_o_Lace_1.jpg
• Boeing_B17G_Flying_Fortress_4397976_A_Bit_o_Lace_2.jpg
• Boeing_B17G_Flying_Fortress_4397976_A_Bit_o_Lace_3.jpg
• Boeing_B17G_Flying_Fortress_4397976_A_Bit_o_Lace_4.jpg

File Description: This folder contains a repaint for the accu-sim version of the A2A B-17G Flying Fortress. It represents #42-97976 "A Bit o' Lace", which was assigned to the 709th BS /447th BG. The nose art consisted of a cartoon by Milton Caniff. The co-pilot was Lt. John Bauman, a fraternity brother of Milton Caniff. He sent Caniff a detailed idea of the proposed artwork and the sketch was returned with Caniff's annotation: "A Bit-O-Lace for Lt. John H. Bauman, and the rest of the gang, with my best wishes - Milton Caniff NY, Oct. 1944". Nicholas Fingelly, an artist attached to the 709th BS, carried out the work and completed the painting in about six hours and gave Milton Caniff full credit for his his character. Her first crew flew 35 missions over Europe with no injuries, although returning with a good many holes, at times. The closest call was when a piece of shrapnel came up through Navigator's table and "Ike" Eisenhart's arms, but missed him. A surprise souvenir for Ike, which he still has. She flew more missions with different crews, until the april 4, 1945 flight. From the navigator, John Kirkwood: "Right over Kiel, and seconds before the bomb release, I heard the co-pilot say that "This airplane feels funny." Seconds later the tail gunner, who had regained his power of speech, blurted out something to the effect that part of "The tail was gone." A flak shell had gone right through the left horizontal tail, leaving only a partial surface, and completely removing the left elevator. We dropped out of the formation, and tried to drop the bombs, but the electrical system failed. We flew north a minute or so, the plane now in the hands of the pilot. The pilot did not want to drop over Denmark, so we turned out over sea, and dropped via screwdriver. Actually, we were over Schleswig-Holstein, according to my position, but it was close, and Tom did not want to chance killing danes. We flew on, at a reduced speed, far out to sea on a west-south-west course with occasional ETA's to the pilot. Several fighters joined us, and finally we got back to the base, and the runway was cleared for us. A decision had to be made by the pilot: To jump or ride her in.. Tom decided that he could land the plane, so we all congregated to the radio room, and that was that. I might add that none of us had any desire to jump. Most of the photos of 976 were taken after repairs, hence the dark colored rudder and left elevator. As you know, the color prior to the damage was silver. 976 flew one or two missions after that, but I never saw her again, other than in a color photo of the moth-balled fleet in Arizona." Repaint by Jan Kees Blom, based on the repaint kit by A2A.

Filename:	Boeing_B17G_Flying_Fortress_4397976_A_Bit_o_Lace.zip
License:	Freeware
Added:	20th August 2010, 22:14:46
Downloads:	721
Author:	Jan Kees Blom
Size:	19.95 MB

Category: Flight Simulator X - Scenery
RNAS Henstridge (HMS Dipper)

File Description:
Royal Naval Air Station Henstridge or RNAS Henstridge (HMS Dipper) is a former Fleet Air Arm base located 7 miles (11 km) west of Shaftesbury, Dorset (Now Somerset) and 12.4 miles (20.0 km) east of Yeovil, Somerset in South West England.

The main part of the land (355 acres) was purchased in August 1941, after which building of the airfield and the marsh lane accommodation site commenced, it was commissioned on April 1, 1943 as HMS Dipper, principally as number 2 naval fighter school, on the 11th September 1942, another 18 acres was acquired at the adjoining gibbs marsh area for an aircraft repair and maintenance site. The design and lay-out of the airfield was quite unique, having 5 runways, 2 of these being east west lay-out (07-25) both 1000 yards long, the northern runway incorporated a dummy deck landing strip, complete with under-ground arresting gear with four above ground arrestor wires, which was a duplicate of that installed on HMS Implacable for training of aircraft carrier landings, these mainly being carried out with the Seafire, a naval version of the spitfire with folding wings. The site also had its own cinema and stage hall

March 1952 the airfield became inactive and was placed under care and maintenance, during 1953 Air whaling (now Bristow group) used the facilities for repairs to the whaling fleet of helicopters until moving out in June 1958.June 1957 it was finally closed as a naval establishment, from 1958-1960 the entire site was sold off. 27 June 1980 the BBC purchased the whole site and applied for planning permission to erect at the airfield a shortwave radio station consisting of 21 self-supporting towers holding aerial arrays and ancillary buildings on a 300-acre site. The station would transmit overseas radio services to Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and perhaps South America the application failed and the BBC sold the land during January 1987 The airfield is also the home of the wessex strut, a general aviation club formed in January 1977, which holds an annual fly in and other events their first fly-in was on 17 April 1977 and attracted 107 aircraft. As of today the only usable runway is the north 07-25 runway, extant with the concrete dummy deck, and the underground machinery chamber, it is also the home to a large number of light aviation enthusiasts aircraft as well as the Yakolevs aerobatic display team and the Dorset and Somerset air ambulance

The current airfield is operated by EGHS and is an unlicensed airfield. The only usable runway is 07/25 tarmac/concrete 750 mts long x 6 mtr wide. Henstridge radio can be contacted on 130.250 MHz, it can be found at the south eastern stub of the Yeovilton MATZ

Source:Wikipedia

Filename:	RNAS_Henstridge_HMS_Dipper.zip
License:	Freeware
Added:	9th February 2017, 22:14:54
Downloads:	165
Author:	Terry Boissel
Size:	4.53 MB

Category: Flight Simulator X - Aircraft Repaints, Textures and Modifications
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX EN186 Bluebird

Images related to this file:

File Description: Spitfire IXc EN186 was the personal aircraft of S/L L.C. Wade, an American flying with the RAF. Wade was born in the small farming community of Broaddus, Texas in 1915. He was the second son of Bill and Susan Wade, who named him L.C. (only after the RAF demanded a forename did he call himself Lance Cleo Wade). After the family moved to a farm near Reklaw, Texas in 1922 he worked on the family farm and attended the local school. He was unable to join the US Army Aviation Cadet Program due to a lack of a college education. He began flying at age 17, at Tucson, Arizona. In 1934 at age 19, Wade joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Arizona. He joined the RAF in Canada in December 1940 and trained with No. 52 Operational Training Unit (OTU). Wade was then sent to the British aircraft carrier Ark Royal and flew off her deck in Hawker Hurricane to reinforce the depleted ranks of aircraft on the island of Malta. He was then sent to Egypt as a Hawker Hurricane Mk I pilot in September 1941, and was posted to 33 Squadron. The squadron's mission was to provide close air support for Operation Crusader, the British assault launched on November 18, 1941, against the German Afrika Korps. His first kills were two Fiat CR.42s on 18 November. He attained the rank of "ace" on 24 November 1941. He began flying Hurricane Mk IIs in April 1942, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). He had 13 victories as of September 1942. He spent the next several months back in the US on various RAF projects including evaluating some American fighters at Wright Field. He returned to combat as a Flight Commander in 145 Squadron with a Bar to his DFC, flying Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vs. Promoted to squadron leader, he had a busy 60 days, as by the end of April his score was 21, by then flying Spitfire Mk IXs. His squadron moved to Italy, and as a Spitfire VIII pilot he claimed two Focke-Wulf Fw 190s of Schlachtgeschwader 4 on 2 October 1943. His last claims were three FW 190s (again of SG 4) damaged on 3 November. Wade became a wing commander and joined the staff of the Desert Air Force but was there only briefly, as he was killed in a flying accident on 12 January 1944 at Foggia, Italy. In 30 fights for which he made claims he was credited with 23 victories including two shared), one probable, and 13 damaged. He is also credited with one destroyed and five damaged on the ground. Wing Commander Wade is usually listed with 25 victories but official RAF records show that he had 22 solo victories and half each of two more for a total of 23, not counting one probable. Regardless of whether his score is 25, or 23 victories, he is still the leading American fighter ace to serve exclusively in any foreign air force. Since he never transferred to the USAAF, or any other American Air service, Wade never got the publicity that other American aces received and thus is more obscure than his peers. The aircraft depicted in this repaint, EN186, started its active career with 249 sqn on Malta, who used it for high flying reconaissance, and who were responsible for replacing the dark green with Mediterranean Blue. The aircraft was then transferred to Tunisia, where it was the personal aircraft of W/C Gleed of the 244 wing. After his death, it went to L.C. Wade, who scored 5 victories with it in april 1943. He did not apply any codes to it, and referred to it in his logbook as BB, for Blue Bird. He flew it till august 1943, when he changed to flying Spitfire MK VIII JF472 Repaint by Jan Kees Blom, based on the paintkit by RealAir.

Filename:	Supermarine_Spitfire_MkIX_EN186_Bluebird.zip
License:	Freeware
Added:	11th July 2018, 16:54:01
Downloads:	103
Author:	Jan Kees Blom
Size:	3.59 MB