EAA aircraft maintenance staff at Kermit Weeks Flight Research Center are busy reassembling the Spitfire for a special D-Day 60th anniversary exhibit set to open in the Eagle Hangar on June 4-6. The aircraft (serial number MJ772, FAA registration No. N8R) will then be the centerpiece of an exclusive Spitfire exhibit.
The EAA AirVenture Museum took delivery of a Supermarine Spitfire MkIX, on temporary loan from the Museum of Flight in Seattle.
Manufactured in late 1943, MJ772 flew under command of the Free French during the June 1944 Normandy invasion. After the war it was converted to a two-place trainer for the Irish Air Force and then retired from service in 1960 with 1,402 hours of flight time.
During 1968, the Spitfire participated in the filming of the movie The Battle of Britain, along with the Spanish-built Messerschmitt 109 that currently resides in the EAA collection. In 1980, it was restored back to its original single-seat fighter configuration with RAF markings.
“Since this airplane did fly on D-Day in defense of the Normandy Invasion, it is very fitting that we will unveil it to the public as a part of our D-Day celebration weekend June 4-6,” said EAA Museum Director Adam Smith. “We’re really pleased to have it. It’s one of the great names in aviation history, certainly one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built.
Maybe not flying, but it is ‘off’ the ground 😀
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