In article ,
Ian Stirling wrote:

Henry Spencer wrote:
In article .com,
wrote:
No, it doesn't count unless they actually *file a claim* for a record...

And is it too late to file the claim now if they have written verified
documentation of the flight.

Remember that just because they wrote a document saying they did it, that
doesn't constitute verification. :-) I think it would require, at the
very least, a third-party record of both ends of the flight... which seems
unlikely to be available for wartime fighter flights, since the
authorities of the time would probably have considered it espionage.

Gun camera footage?
Was there any?

I don't know what the FAI rules were in 1940, but as a glider pilot I
have some knowledge of what evidence the FAI require for badges now.
These include:

- a pre-flight declaration of what you are going to attempt to do

- a sealed barograph (altimeter that records a trace onto typically
smoked aluminium foil), to prove that the flight was uninterrupted,
placed in the aircraft such that it is in accessable to the pilot in
flight

- an FAI Official Observer to personally observe and sign the
declaration, make and sign the seal on the barograph, and observe the
takeoff to ensure that the declaration, pilot, aircraft, recording
apparatus and date and time and place of takeoff are all matched up in
the manner claimed.

- an FAI Official Observer to personally witness the landing and certify
the date and time and place of landing, inspect the seal on the
barograph and take posession of the trace and generally make sure that
the pilot, aircraft etc are all still matched up in the manner claimed.


You can't just go and make some random flight and then claim it for a
badge, let alone for a world record. Plenty of extremely good flights
where no one really doubts that the pilot did what he set out to do have
been disallowed for technical reasons.

--
Bruce | 41.1670S | \ spoken | -+-
Hoult | 174.8263E | /\ here. | ----------O----------