From display to flying

Sadsack,

Fifty-three of the seventy Spitfires & Seafires that have flown since the Battle of Britain film of 1968, broadly fit in to your group.

Mark.

This is by far and away my favourite:-

Forgive my ignorance regarding this photo – but can you please enlighten me on the history behind that particular Spit? 😮

Hello,

Sorry for the late reply, but here are a few additions you might interest :

Spit IX MK912 (ex SM29 Belgian AF) : gateguard at Saffraanberg Technical School between 1955 and may1988
Now flying as C-FFLC with Ed Russell in Canada (

Spit XIV RN201 (ex SG31 Belgian AF) : gateguard at Beauvechain since mid50s until april1990
Now flying as N201TB with Tom Blair in the USA (ex G-BKSP)

Spit XIV NH904 (ex SG108 Belgian AF) : stored with Oscar Dewachter, with wing ‘chopped off’ between 1956 and 1966
Now preserved at Planes of Fame Museum as NX114BP (airworthy ?)

I hope this is off interest to someone.

Best regards,

Laurent

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/spitregistry/spitfire-nh904.html

Spitfire XIV NH904 better known as Spencer Flacks G-FIRE was displayed through the 1960’s with its wings hacked of on top the roof of Oscar Dewachters scrap yard business.

Forgive me if i seem a little out of touch but where is G-FIRE and is she still flying…? way back in the dim and distant past i painted 1/48 Mk22 in her colours…. always loved that bright crimson with blue+white cheat:)

I was under the impression that Black 6 is “flyable, but nailed to the ground”?

I was referring to the first time around rather than the second, enforced, rebuild

I think one or two around who used to post on here a fair bit, but are perhaps not now so prolific, would have a very considered view about the description of the starting point for Black 6 as “near-flyable static”.

I think that significantly underestimates the achievements of those who restored the Messer to flight status

I was under the impression that Black 6 is “flyable, but nailed to the ground”?

I am curious to know which aircraft that were put on display on poles or suspended from roofs, seemed at the time most unlikely to ever fly again, but have been restored to fly?

Ones I can think of are Spitfire TD248 and Comet G-ACSS Grovenor House.

Last i herd on the Comet it was awaiting some work to resolve the ground looping issues it had. I dont know if the work has been carried out yet.

The Kemble gate guard, Spitfire TE392, is now flying in the USA somewhere. Anyone got a recent photo?

Pic via www.militaryairshows.net:

Sadsack,

Fifty-three of the seventy Spitfires & Seafires that have flown since the Battle of Britain film of 1968, broadly fit in to your group.

Mark.

This is by far and away my favourite:-

The Kemble gate guard, Spitfire TE392, is now flying in the USA somewhere. Anyone got a recent photo?

Spitfire XIV NH904 better known as Spencer Flacks G-FIRE was displayed through the 1960’s with its wings hacked of on top the roof of Oscar Dewachters scrap yard business.

I understand that a Grumman Albatross that was on static display at the lackland Air Force Base parade ground was traded and flown out after 20+ years.

Also the Boeing 307 Stratoliner was on satic at the Pima Air Museum and D-M (while holding for the NASM) for about the same length of time before being flown (and ditched and flown again) before finally ending up in the NASM annex.

[QUOTE= Not quite in the same vein, but Bf109G “Black Six” went from near-flyable static to (at long last) flying again…then back to near-flyable static!

S.[/QUOTE]

I think one or two around who used to post on here a fair bit, but are perhaps not now so prolific, would have a very considered view about the description of the starting point for Black 6 as “near-flyable static”.

I think that significantly underestimates the achievements of those who restored the Messer to flight status

Our local Lancaster, CWH’s FM213, spent 15 years in the open atop tall jacks at Goderich as a display airframe…thankfully she was not mutilated for placement on a pylon like some others, but still, returning her to flight was an epic project. Incidentally next year is FM213’s 20th anniversary as a flying restoration…

Not quite in the same vein, but Bf109G “Black Six” went from near-flyable static to (at long last) flying again…then back to near-flyable static!

S.

Quite a number of Spitfires – RN201 was, I think, pole-mounted in Belgium, and RW382, but I can’t name many others off the top of my head.

BM597. Actually never plonked on a pole or suspended from a ceiling but I do vividly remember a Flt Lt Dobbs telling me that it would never, ever fly again. Ha!