"New" 2-seater Spitfire

Is the 2 seat Spitfire project ongoing?

Welcome to the forum. The project was completed last year with the first flight taking place on 17 October 2008. The aircraft was sold at auction last April.

Is the 2 seat Spitfire project ongoing?

Ah go on TJ, you know you want to :p

TJ

On its wheels in Dutch H-99 livery. The engine is in.

I would say a year away from flying by my judgement.

Mark

A year away you say… That would be around July next year… Nah, I’m not gonna ask the mandatory Flypast forum question! 😉

T J

Alex–

Check Neil Medcalf’s site which is devoted to the dual-control Spitfires…

http://www.pacificcoast.net/~zoman

(I think that’s the current URL…will check and edit the post if not…)

S.

Just to confirm that Paul has sadly passed away after a long battle with ill health earlier this year. Just to echo the comment of an earlier post, Paul was an absolute gentleman in all respects and I remember the day he managed to persuade a 2 seat Spitfire owner to give him a flight to experiance a long held dream of his. After the flight he just sat in the aircraft alone for some 15 mins after taking it all in – shortly afterwards he became the owner of SM520.

He asked that SM520 be completed and to fly which I understand is what will happen.

TrIX’s

Hello All,

Thank you for this most excellent thread on the status of a “new” Tandem Spitfire.

Can you please tell me just how many original Tr.IX’s there are still around ?

Thanks

Alex

What is the status of SM520 as we speak?

T J

TJ

On its wheels in Dutch H-99 livery. The engine is in.

I would say a year away from flying by my judgement.

Mark

He founded a successful tile company (Topps Tiles perhaps?) and sold it a few years ago to indulge his interests.

Propstrike,

I think it was ‘World’s End Tiles’, catering for the very top end of the market.

So what will happen to the restoration I wonder?

Mark

Sorry to drag up a really old thread but…

Just flicking through the current ‘Loop’ in which Bob Davies evaluates the MK 26 Spitfire replica, and the mentions the ‘late’ Paul Portelli, who ‘had a two seat Spit on rebuild’

Assuming this is not an error, this is sad news indeed, as Paul was a very generous and friendly figure on the White Waltham scene, and many people enjoyed the use of his aeroplanes.

It is such a shame Paul never got to fly his Spit, and as it approached completion his circle of friends got wider and wider! He founded a successful tile company (Topps Tiles perhaps?) and sold it a few years ago to indulge his interests.

What is the status of SM520 as we speak?

T J

Sorry to drag up a really old thread but…

Just flicking through the current ‘Loop’ in which Bob Davies evaluates the MK 26 Spitfire replica, and the mentions the ‘late’ Paul Portelli, who ‘had a two seat Spit on rebuild’

Assuming this is not an error, this is sad news indeed, as Paul was a very generous and friendly figure on the White Waltham scene, and many people enjoyed the use of his aeroplanes.

It is such a shame Paul never got to fly his Spit, and as it approached completion his circle of friends got wider and wider! He founded a successful tile company (Topps Tiles perhaps?) and sold it a few years ago to indulge his interests.

Blimey I have forgotten that I had some photos on that web site in Canada. Nice to see your old work crop up from time to time.
Phil

Hi Mark 12,

Yes, thinking back, the two lower seat pick up brackets on 13A were in the original positions but your head was lower than in the original T9 (such as TE308), the triangular extension at the top of the frame was cut off and the normal fuselage top profile continued. It must have been either a restriction on the seat height range as you suggest or a mod to the seat frame itself. I will try to establish which is the case and report back.

Mark V,

My understanding is that the ‘Grace Mod’ did not lower the seat position fixing in the rear cockpit. The seat has considerable vertical adjustment and you just have to keep it low.

Perhaps the adjustment has been restricted.

Mark

If I may interject. Yes you are right, the front cockpit is moved forwards 13.5 inches. There are two additional fuselage frames introduced in intermediate positions, frames 10A and 13A and these have the two seats mounted on them. About 6 inches above the original datum longeron a second reinforced and braced longeron sytem is introduced which connects the two new cockpit areas and stiffens this area which is weakened due to the removal of full height frames.

The fuselage fuel tank capacity is reduced because of the ommision of the lower tank and the reduction in size of the upper tank and additional wing tanks were installed to make up the shortfall. The original frame 13A and seat mounting position was higher than on several current trainer Spitfires to allow the instructer some forward view. 1980’s restoration/conversions such as ML407 and PT462 omitted the original pattern rear bubble canopy and substituted a lower seat position and new canopy similar to the forward one to improve the aesthetics. This resulted in a curious high rear control column. The relative methods of this modification have been debated. The latest T9 restoration PV202 at HFLwill revert back to the original canopy pattern.

WarbirdUK – can you explain to us please why the front cockpit is so different? Is it because they have had to move it forwards?

Originally posted by DazDaMan
How’s she looking now?

Any word on a flight date?

I would think a very long time!;)

How’s she looking now?

Any word on a flight date?

Cheers, Mr Arnold will like that! 😀 😀

I have a whole load of pics I took of SM520 The front cockpit is so different from the single seat It’s a wonder pilots could convert to the single seat after training!
I have just finished fitting out Peter monk/Mike Simpsons TA805 Wings which have now gone to ARCo at Duxford.

Sorry, I shall edit the first posting 😉