Low back Spitfire MkIX’s

That’s interesting Mark12, so did Alfred Davies and the Hadly works build the complete Spitfires, fabricating them theirselves or were they doing the assembly of parts fabricated by other contractors?

Furthermore, high-back IXs continued to be built for some time (the brand new ones sent home with the Czech squadrons, for example),

You have to be a bit careful here.

The late build Czech Spitfires IX’s with TE and SL serials that have filtered out through Israel and Burma and still have their fuselage data plates were not made at Castle Bromwich.

The plates are prefixed with ’17’ indicating manufacture at Alfred Davies of Leicester and were test flown from Desford and ‘SH’ prefixes indicating that they were made at the Hadly works in Shropshire and test flown from Cosford.

Mark

I’m not aware of any record indicating how many IXs were built with the RV fuselage. The analysis that I’ve done indicates that the RV fuselage was given to XVIs initially (I presume because that was the standard for 2TAF at the time), and there was something like a two month gap before IXs started to emerge. Furthermore, high-back IXs continued to be built for some time (the brand new ones sent home with the Czech squadrons, for example), so I haven’t been able to make a very good guess.

I only ever saw TE308 at Sun ‘n Fun in 2002. Nowhere near as good a photo as yours Mark12!

TE308_SunNFun_080402 by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr

That’s a pity re. funds. Amazing how time flies excuse the pun.

26 April 2018 will see ten years since the unfortunate accident, deemed to be no fault of the owner, Bill Greenwood.

My understanding is that funds to repair it are the issue.

A special Spitfire for me, one in which I have made a number of flights.

Here a shot with Mrs Mark12, hands on, over Aspen.

Mark

Ok thanks, Andy, fingers crossed he reads this then.:)

I don’t have any first hand knowledge, though I understand it is progressing.
Ray Middleton does not allow photography in his shop, so I’ve not seen any images either.

A “Mr. XII” who frequents this forum likely knows a bit more 😎

Andy

Thanks for that, I didn’t realise that. Incidentally how is the rebuild going of TE308 do you know?

Bill Greenwoods TE308 was built as a low back IX.