Two-seat Spitfires – How many ?

GReat tread guys thanks for the great photos!!

RE Ex IAc spits …can we have one back please? !!!

Even more Spitfire pictures Here 😀 😀 😀

Brian

Photos of the four (from airliners.net)

MJ627 – http://photos.airliners.net/photos/7/7/5/876577.jpg
ML407 – http://photos.airliners.net/middle/4/8/1/617184.jpg
PV202 (IAC 161) – http://photos.airliners.net/middle/6/5/9/840956.jpg
The same aircraft in her previous incarnation – http://photos.airliners.net/photos/6/1/7/268716.jpg
PT462 – http://photos.airliners.net/middle/7/5/1/700157.jpg

More Pictures Of the Spitfire pt462 at Spitfire Pics

Glad it was not like that at Oshkosh last year 😎

Besides the current MJ772, TE308 also had this conversion during her history. As seen here while owned by Don Plumb.
Neil Medcalf

From www.warbirdregistry.org

I have a flying shot which, I believe, was posted originally by Mark12, but since I don’t know who took it, I won’t post it up.

Roobarb,
PV202/161 is maintained as is obvious to the highest standards. When delivered to the Irish Air Corps in 1951 it was specified gloss finish, that is what I was referring to and also the walkways were wider. No doubt our over supply of rain played havoc with the paint scheme and assisted by the salt air when operating from Gormanston airfield on our east coast.
Regards
Tony K

single seat two seaters

Besides the current MJ772, TE308 also had this conversion during her history. As seen here while owned by Don Plumb.
Neil Medcalf

DazDeMan,
Perhaps that is what Ollieholmes unwittingly was referring to (as in the back of his mind). Then he is correct. MJ772 converted to Type 502 for the Irish Air Corps had two cockpits. Then the rear cockpit was faired over which made it a unique? single seat Spitfire with a cockpit thirteen and a half inches forward of the standard location.
Tony K

It could well have been, it was something someone once mentioned to me but i cant remember any more details.

PDS,
161 has been restored to as was, when supplied to the Irish Air Corps in 1951, except for a slight difference in the paint finish, not the colour I might add, as I take cover!
Tony K

The difference in the paint finish is that it probably isn’t as rain stained as it was in service in its “native” environment! Actually we do try to keep it clean when we are released from the coalface 😉

Will have to look out for that one, Mark.

My air to air pics of Greenwood’s TE308 will be in the Feb. issue of ‘Today’s Pilot’ I’m told, along with an interview with Bill Greenwood that was conducted by Steve Bridgewater at Oshkosh last year….should be interesting, give it a read!

Mark

DazDeMan,
Perhaps that is what Ollieholmes unwittingly was referring to (as in the back of his mind). Then he is correct. MJ772 converted to Type 502 for the Irish Air Corps had two cockpits. Then the rear cockpit was faired over which made it a unique? single seat Spitfire with a cockpit thirteen and a half inches forward of the standard location.
Tony K

I seem to remember someone once saying the cockpit is in the wrong position on one of the examples. Is this true? If so which example is this?

Unless he means Spitfire Tr.9 MJ772, which was ‘restored’ to single-seater status by simply removing the rear canopy and fairing over the cockpit, resulting in a slightly odd one-man Spit!

(pic from www.warbirdsalive.com)

But, if not, I despair! :rolleyes:

but i just whanted to check.

Yeah right :rolleyes: You didn’t have a clue 🙁

I thought they all had been moved forward but i just whanted to check. That was obviously an overlook of mine.

I seem to remember someone once saying the cockpit is in the wrong position on one of the examples. Is this true? If so which example is this?

Ollie, Ollie, PLEASE read what has been written! In post #41 is the answer.

cockpit moved forward the famous 13 and a half inches

All two seat Spits have this modification, you just have to look at them to see that the cockpit is not in the right place 😮

Probably a seat.

No a couple of empty vodka bottles 😀

I seem to remember someone once saying the cockpit is in the wrong position on one of the examples. Is this true? If so which example is this?

UTI Spitfires

I’m not sure, but isn’t the Russian two-seater arrangement simply a second cockpit sunk into the fuselage, with no modification to the forward fuselage at all?

Yes, the Russian Two seaters just droped in a second seat behind the standard cockpit position of a MkIX. The Grace Spitfire ML407 and PV202/IAC161 (and all other surviving T9s) have the T9 arrangement of the front cockpit moved forward the famous 13 and a half inches.
It is still unsure what was installed in the rear cockpits of the Russian aircraft.
Neil Medcalf

As MkV has pointed out the seat fittings are identical between the low and high canopy versions however other major differences is that on the high bubble canopy versions a) the canopy is a wind back type a la P51 and b) the instrument panel is set higher up so that when the Instructor had the seat raised he still had a reasonable view of the instruments. The draw back apart from the lack of view forward on the low canopy is that even with the seat on its lowest setting you are hight resticted to a person of 6ft (certainly on longish transit flights).
It would of course be possible to re-engineer the seat mechanism however you would then run into the CAA regarding modifying an orginal fitting with all the hassle that would involve eg stress examinations would be required on the revised seat brackets and fittings, the necassary ton of paperwork to fill in etc etc.
MkV – God that was a hot day in those immersion suits!!