Turkish Spitfires: ML411 and MJ147

Ml411

Although my information is about two years out of date. It did come from Mervyn himself. Perhaps Mervyn may want to update us all since he now has the web site up. Anyway at that time, ML411 was in a container on a farm in Belguim with restoration preceeding on the fittings and other smaller parts. Reportedly MJ147 was sold to help pay for the restoration of ML411. Both aircraft were recovered from a area bordering the Soviet Union. And they were somewhat complete apart from everything forward of frame 5.
Neil Medcalf
Ps – I now have a stable website on my own ISP’s server at-
www.pacificcoast.net/~zoman
Type 509 Spitfires.

And as for an airworthy spitfire or any other aircraft of this era there arnt any flying with original body parts!

I occasionally work on one that still has the original paint on it… :rolleyes:

Dream on.

…and will ML411 be included in the new edition book on surviving Spitfires by Gordon Riley and Graham Trant?

Dream on. :rolleyes:

Mark

Turkey having used such a large variety of aircraft, it is strange to see that anything worthwhile hasn’t turned up (yet). What happened to all the Spits, Fw-190’s, P-47’s, Blenheims etc. There must be something left other than what’s on display at the Turkish museums? Are there no sections left?

Cheers

Cees

As far as im aware Bruce the 2 frames have paperwork for their identity but whats being sold cant be used for restoring an airworthy plane, more for fund raising. the frames have been stripped of all reusable pieces, hence no photos exsist of the complete planes.

As for who i am!
Im in France been here the last 11 years and im trying to find out more about these planes because i believe the remainder of the frames are still in W Europe!!

I would like to know more about where the served and how they finished up in a barn in Turkey. Iknow ML411 saw action a couple of days after the D Day landings at Caen, but like to know what happened after that. And can anyone come up with old photos of the aircraft?

If anyone could help i would be grateful.

Chris

That was before the CAA started to tighten up on restorations in the manner in which they have. In the five years since I have been away from Spitfires, I gather it has got MUCH moer difficult.

Without wanting to p*** on anyones strawberries, those frames for sale on the website have no value if there is no paperwork with them. The days of sneaking things in through the back door are now long over. Of course there may be paperwork with them, so I may be overstating the case!

Funny, the ten or so that I have been involved with over the years ALL have original frames and some of them have some original skins as well!

When it came to signing them off, we had to PROVE to the CAA that the aircraft sitting in the hangar was actually the one we claimed it to be in the paperwork.

Adieu

Bruce

Hello Zouzy86.

Welcome to the forum. Perhaps you’d like to indroduce youself a bit?

Perhaps you have some photos or data about ML411?

There are new pieces of plane for sale because they are surplus to requirements for a TRIX.
ML411 was a IX.
And as for an airworthy spitfire or any other aircraft of this era there arnt any flying with original body parts! The frame etc will be built on the IOW. Maybe some of the original is there.

Also this is listed for sale:

A huge collection of various corroded frames, skins etc, none of the parts are airworthy in any way and are offered for sale as souveniers only.

I’m guessing this is ML411 😀

and lots of brand new material for sale…..

ML411

This might shed some light on these aircraft http://www.spitfireflight.com/
ML411 is going to be a TRIX

Chris

Well there is a surprise.

Hardly a great flush of reports and sightings then? :rolleyes:

It must be about 8 years since the ads and flyers requesting parts for these ‘projects’ started to be circulated.

With a stand taken out at the Shoreham Aerojumble to advertise the projects, wouldn’t you think there just might be one little photo to show?

These projects are listed in some Spitfire registers including ‘Spitfires and Polished Metal’, but then perhaps that was the plan, to gain provenance credibility – this is concerning.

Respected Turkish researchers cannot believe these aircraft, in whatever condition, exist.

I would be delighted to be proved wrong, and I acknowledge that people have a right to privacy, but not one sighting or photo glimpse in 8 years……..c’mon.

Mark

Paul,

I have the RAF history of these machines but not a lot else apart from they were both apparently recovered from a farmer’s shed in Turkey.

Sorry but thats about it, as there seems to be a bit of a lack of any real info on these one’s chap

Best of luck and if you find anything out do share it 😉