This aircraft crashed in the early eighties and was the only airworthy Mk 22 Spitfire in the world at the time (nothing has changed sofar).
Does anyone know the story about him acquiring the Spit and the restoration or was it in such a good shape that it was fueled, serviced and took off?
Cheers
Cees
By: Prop Strike - 20th March 2024 at 18:33
All the old links on these threads seem to fail, but the Video is still available.
Pursuit of a Dream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WLxrePTYp0&t=1571s
”With the untimely loss of Captain Malloch and the Spitfire, it is a privilege to possess a permanent record of the culmination of the dream that came true – the magnificent obsession – the restoration and eventual flight of a beautiful, historic aircraft which was brought about through foresight and dedication. It is also a tribute to the man himself – his character, his tenacity under adversity, his love for mankind and the respect that was given to him by all who knew him.”
By: Steve_UK - 20th March 2024 at 18:12
I’m not sure which “version” of Pursuit of a Dream this is, but it’s marked up as “Master Copy”. 16mm I believe, but I have no means to project or copy it to digital format.
By: Black Knight - 12th January 2018 at 13:19
It was tucked behind the Beau last time I saw it afew years ago.
By: Arabella-Cox - 12th January 2018 at 07:34
I believe they do, though I can’t recall seeing it the last time I was in TFC’s hangar a couple of years ago – perhaps it’s stored elsewhere.
By: Zac Yates - 11th January 2018 at 21:19
This may be a silly question, but does TFC still have Mk.22 PK624?
By: CeBro - 11th January 2018 at 07:19
Just beautiful, let’s hope a twenties series Spit (or Seafire 46) will grace European skies again before too long. How about it Kennet, TFC?
Cheers
Cees
By: DazDaMan - 11th January 2018 at 06:42
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By: T J Johansen - 11th January 2018 at 01:22
While doing a Google photo search for a different Spit this one suddenly showed up:
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T J
By: David Lloyd - 8th January 2018 at 14:23
I was in Rhodesia with the Monitoring Force and saw the Spit fly. I later acquire a bookle giving the whole story, the final bit being that Jack Malloch disappeared into cloud.
By: Mustang51 - 4th June 2017 at 04:49
Very sad. I had a friend here in Oz who stated that he knew Jack well and that he believed Jack had been told that the Spitfire was going to be confiscated by the incoming Zimbabwe Govt. A totally uncorroborated and unsupported story to add to the vast array of such rumors and thought bubbles out there. The only person who knows why the aircraft was flown into that Cb is sadly no longer able to tell us why.
By: Rocketeer - 3rd June 2017 at 22:06
Sad stuff Peter
By: DazDaMan - 3rd June 2017 at 17:15
In case anyone hasn’t yet seen it….
By: Mark12 - 3rd June 2017 at 10:47
Was anything recovered?
The Spitfire was totally pulverised leaving a crater some 50/60′ in diameter and some 6′ deep.
A few residual smashed parts were recovered to Harare including a sprinkling of small pieces retained by Bill Sykes, the pilot of the Vampire.
Downsizing, Bill generously gifted a few pieces to me, including the firewall data-plate, in 2014. These are now a personal permanent record that I have seen it.
…and before you ask, don’t go there.
Mark
By: Mark12 - 3rd June 2017 at 10:28
A further interesting read is ‘Captain Jack Malloch – The Life and Times of a Rhodesian Entrepreneur – A sad tale from Africa’ by Dan Remenyi.
Rememyi worked on and off for Jack Malloch/Air Trans Africa for a number of years and gives an insight in to the state of Malloch’s companies and the possible state of his mind at the time of the crash.
Malloch is reported and recorded as flying directly in to a massive thunder-head cloud that ‘pebble-dashed’ the accompanying Vampire…if so one has to ask why.
Mark
By: Trolly Aux - 3rd June 2017 at 09:52
Did I see a very young Mark Hamment in white overalls? more commonly known as Mark 2 by the Harvard Formation Team
By: DaveM2 - 3rd June 2017 at 08:20
No need, there is an excellent book about it which was released a few years back which we reviewed – Mallock Spitfire by Nick Meikle
By: Sopwith - 3rd June 2017 at 08:04
Time to print that article now DaveM2?, still loads of interest.
By: Black Knight - 3rd June 2017 at 06:36
Was anything recovered?
By: iceni - 3rd June 2017 at 05:11
By: WV-903. - 17th January 2013 at 22:32
Jack Malloch’s Spitfire.
I don’t know about his ‘dodgy ticker’, but a pal who was there said that JM flew right into a TS. That’s a fact, I don’t think that there was any evidence that Jacks health was to blame. A very sad end to an all-round heroic effort.
Out in Oman (Airworks )in early 1980’s, we had a co- rigger (on Omani Hunters) who was in the Rhodesian Air Force and there when Jack Malloch was re-building and flying his Spit. He talked with Jack quite a lot and said to us that Jack had got hold of a Spitfire belly Ferry Tank because he was intending to move to UK before Rhodesia became Zimbabwi. So the intention was there but fate stepped in. This chap never mentioned anything about Jack having a “dodgy” ticker, but did say that he had run into a thunderstorm that either dis-oriented him or drove him into ground and yes it was a full throttle impact.
We did get hold of a manky video Copy of “Pursuit of a Dream”, which I think was the one with Ian Smith talking in it. And were fascinated by Jack’s and everyone else’s efforts to get PK-350 Flying. Shame about it all, but I’m very glad to see this piece of history resurrected in this thread. Great memories–Great man.
Bill T.
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