TD314 – being rebuilt as a MkV? That doesn’t make much sense to me, but then I suppose the owner can do as they want with it…

…indeed, firewall-back there’s not much difference between a MKV and an early IX, though I know that this IX wasn’t originally an ‘early’ one 😉 As you say Daz, it’s the owner’s choice at the end of the day.

Tom

From Spadegrip’s list:

MV262 G-CCVV XIV Due to move to Florida shortly

NH238 G-MKIX IX FLYING A SERVICES, still at Greenham in her ‘Box’ last I heard

PP972 G-BUAR SEAFIRE L.III FLYING A SERVICES, Being finished in Norfolk at present, looking very complete when I saw her a couple of weeks back

RM689 G-ALGT XIV ROLLS ROYCE, wings due to be finished early next year, not sure on the state of the fuselage other than it’s structurally complete

RX168 G-BWEM SEAFIRE L.III Still listed as being owned by Chris Warrillow and Steve AtkinS on GINFO

SL611 – XVI MARK HARRIS, LONG term project

SM520 G-ILDA IX/TrIX PAUL PORTELLI, due to fly in ’07 so I was informed recently

TD314 – IX Matt Sattler, being rebuilt as a MKV I seem to recall, the fuselage was structurally complete last time I saw her, wings are next on the list.

then to add to the list there are these to follow:

ML119

RM694

RM927

TE517

…one of which has already started down to road to airworthiness.

Tom

…part of it has moved on again. The cockpit and wings are still in Norfolk, where they’ve sat for the past 5 years at least and they’ll have to be moved soon as the restorer’s workplace soon due to change. Poor old thing really does need some TLC but, so I hear, the Cadman brothers are more into their AFVs etc nowadays.

Does anybody know if this A-26 actually has a combat history as there must be some Invaders with history?

Tom

Serial Number 😀

Seriously though I can’t think of one as some IXs had pointed Rudders. Unless there’s some small difference in the shape of the top cowl, as I’m fairly sure that the RR and Packards used different shaped Charge/Inter Coolers. There was a big thing about this a few years ago when the various new 1:48 scale spits were released, maybe someone else has a more conclusive answer.

Tom

[QUOTE=Bradburger]One thing I did notice was that she was fitted with 85 gallon (I’m sure that’s what the stencils said) wing tanks and what looked like non standard skins (no gun bays) on the top of the wing.

Any one have any more info on this mod?
[QUOTE]

As far as I know she has ‘wet wings’, though YAK11FAN probably knows more on this with his experience of this Spit. If someone spots her at DX this weekend you’ll probably see root fairings and cowls etc off, so I was informed, so don’t expect any engine runs soon.

Tom

Ahhh a ‘close to home’ thread, well sort of 😉

As I recall, it involved the B-17 and 5 or so Spits arriving at West Raynham one Sunday afternoon at around this time of year in 1995, the 109s came nearly a week later and were based out of Swanton Morley because of the lack of suitable grass runways at Sculthorpe and Raynham.

The countryside between Raynham and Castle Acre was used for a number of scenes, this also encompassed Great Massingham, there was one scene where the RAF pilot/motorcyclist came across the USAAF Pilot/car driver and one ended up in a ditch, all of which took place on the road which follows the perimeter of what was Great Massingham aerodrome.

When the 109s arrived at Sculthorpe, on a Monday IIRC (I’d bunked off college on the rumour of them coming), I was in place at the eastern edge of the East-West runway at about 9am and just soaked up all the superb Daimler-Benz induced noises for the day, unforgettable!

I spent many a happy day being overflown by Sally B while she was on approach, of which there were quite a few. Ray Hannah carried out one of his trademark Spit displays at least twice.

…it’s always handy to go down to the ‘local’ whenever a shoot is happening in the area, there’s always a helpful crew member there propping up the bar once filming has finished for the day, happy to divulge info for beer!

The pic attached is of Sally B when they were filming interior shots of the guns being fired.

All in all a very memorable time. Will the BBC ever release it on DVD???? I hope so.

Tom