Airborne Ghost formations?

[John Dupre]

I read The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth recently. That got me wondering are there any recent stories of airborne ghost planes from WW2? Specifically of the large airborne armadas crossing continents. I am not interested in whether ghosts are "real" or not. I have read enough and heard enough to realize that some people can somehow make some connection with past events and their actors. Has anyone ever mentioned in the present day seeing the ghostly images of USAAF, RAF or Luftwaffe formations in flight.

[dirtysidedown430]

I can still hear the Huey blades going woop woop if that fits ghost sounds

[JohnB]

Like a Twilight Zone episode....I can still remember when airlines treated passengers with respect and not like cattle. That era must have been a dream!

[ALOHADAVE]

I have a couple of ghosts that are haunting old airfields. No ghost planes. Why would ghosts need planes anyway, they can fly around all by themselves.

[Lon Moer]

I read The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth recently. That got me wondering are there any recent stories of airborne ghost planes from WW2? Specifically of the large airborne armadas crossing continents. I am not interested in whether ghosts are "real" or not. I have read enough and heard enough to realize that some people can somehow make some connection with past events and their actors. Has anyone ever mentioned in the present day seeing the ghostly images of USAAF, RAF or Luftwaffe formations in flight.

Wow, spin me around in the wayback machine!

I remember reading that story in Readers Digest in '76~'77 and it had a big effect on me.
I later used the idea for a short story for a class assignment, using an F-86 and B-25.

thanks for bringing that up.

[Spectre_I]

We have a fairly famous haunted B-29.

[Tulio]

When was waaaaaaay younger, there was a Spanish-language (translated?) comic series with the title of "El Piloto Fantastma" (The Ghost Pilot)

It was a WW-I biplane, IIRC a Sopwith Camel, that appeared in different eras and delivered justice to evildoers, and capable enough to tangle with MiGs, Focke-Wulfs and Zeroes.

I think I have a copy of one of the issues someplace. It may be worth searching for it...


Saludos,


Tulio

Last edited by Tulio on Mon May 18, 2015 6:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Randy Wilson]

With the mention of The Twilight Zone TV series, I remember an episode where a WWI British pilot landed at a USAF base in France in about 1959. I had to Google it and it was titled The Last Flight from season one, episode 18.

Randy

[DH82EH]

I heard a story from the making of the "Battle of Britain" movie.

A Canberra crew, unaware of the filming taking place, climbed up through a cloud layer and stumbled across a formation of Spitfires and Buchons in Luftwaffe markings.

Pretty sure they thought they were looking at some ghosts!

Andy

[seagull61785]

DH82 - that actually happened. The Canberra was out of RAF Bassingbourne, and the pilot was of a wartime vintage so it brought some immediate gut reactions to see the black crosses quite near to them. They had been briefed on the NOTAM for the filming activity around Duxford and the Henlow area but the stark visual image of the 109's brought the 1940's immediately back into the memory banks.

The Shepherd was/is an excellent read. IMHO much too short.

Also wasn't there a movie that had modern day US Navy jet fighters from a carrier meeting a couple of WWII Zeros in cloud and splashing them? Can't recall the name but somebody else might help me.

Cheers

Barry

[Spectre_I]

Also wasn't there a movie that had modern day US Navy jet fighters from a carrier meeting a couple of WWII Zeros in cloud and splashing them? Can't recall the name but somebody else might help me.

Cheers

Barry

That was "The Final Countdown"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080736/

[Mark Allen M]

This formation looks a bit ghostly ...


1950's formation of: B-36, B-29, B-17, A-26 & P-51

[Lon Moer]

I read The Shepherd by Frederick Forsyth recently. That got me wondering are there any recent stories of airborne ghost planes from WW2? Specifically of the large airborne armadas crossing continents. I am not interested in whether ghosts are "real" or not. I have read enough and heard enough to realize that some people can somehow make some connection with past events and their actors. Has anyone ever mentioned in the present day seeing the ghostly images of USAAF, RAF or Luftwaffe formations in flight.

Wow, spin me around in the wayback machine!

I remember reading that story in Readers Digest in '76~'77 and it had a big effect on me.
I later used the idea for a short story for a class assignment, using an F-86 and B-25.

thanks for bringing that up.

Since this thread got bumped, I did end up buying a copy of "The Shepard" because of this thread.

[L-188]

Also wasn't there a movie that had modern day US Navy jet fighters from a carrier meeting a couple of WWII Zeros in cloud and splashing them? Can't recall the name but somebody else might help me.

Cheers

Barry

That was "The Final Countdown"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080736/

While the flying scenes were pretty good, IMHO, the movie was horrible. the Nimitz easily fit through the holes in the plot.

[p51]

I don't buy into ghosts at all. Never did.
That said, I have often wondered how many people over the years have seen WW2 planes going to an event, not knowing the details of where they're going, or maybe seeing someone like me with a WW2 Jeep going to a show (and I am usually wearing a WW2 uniform when I do so), and wondering if they just saw a ghost, not knowing that people do indeed own and operate stuff like that...