# One for Evanglider



## wilbur1 (May 28, 2008)

Ok im gonna try this again after my comp got hit with this virus i had to goto firefox and its hard to upload pics, anyway a buddy gave me this pic, cant really tell what it is but supposedly its being built/restored in chino area





Well crap! just found that its 35mb and im only allowed 5.0 well ill try another way


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## evangilder (May 28, 2008)

Yikes, 35MB!? Try to shrink it down and I can take a look.


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## Thorlifter (May 28, 2008)

A 35 meg pic? WOW!!!!


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## Njaco (May 28, 2008)

Wilbur, email it to me and I can shrink and post.

[email protected]


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## Trebor (May 28, 2008)

what about trying Photobucket or Image shack?


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## trackend (May 29, 2008)

Thorlifter said:


> A 35 meg pic? WOW!!!!



Thats not a picture, it's wallpaper


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## evangilder (May 29, 2008)

Or a billboard!


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## wilbur1 (May 29, 2008)

Yea i know my neighbor scanned it for me and i dont know what went wrong, i just emailed it to nj so well see if he can fix it. This plane is kinda weird, looks like a mustang but 2 seats and 2 intakes


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## Njaco (May 29, 2008)

Wilbur, got it. Cropped one section.

I think its a Spitfire 2 seat trainer.


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## wilbur1 (May 29, 2008)

Thanks chris never even crossed my mind about a spit what about the twin intakes though....


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## Njaco (May 29, 2008)

Not as well versed as others on here, so I don't know but it fairly screams Spit to me. Unless its an experimetal from Supermarine. Don't know.


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## wilbur1 (May 29, 2008)

Well we will have to see what eric says, maybe hes seen the plane in person.


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## Glider (May 29, 2008)

I am sure thats a Spitfire and it looks like a converted late production VIII, IX or XVI. Originally a 4 gun version almost certainly 2 x 20 2 x HMG.


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## Haztoys (May 29, 2008)

And in US markings no less ...That parts even stranger...???...


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## fly boy (May 29, 2008)

evangilder said:


> Or a billboard!



or a zepplin


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## evangilder (May 29, 2008)

The air intakes on the wings, tail shape and gun ports all look like a spitfire. But the American markings are what seems a bit odd. I haven't seen this one in person, so I'm not sure. I can check around. Do you have any other shots of it?


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## evangilder (May 29, 2008)

Fuselage code is WD, which would be the 335th Fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group, which was originally an Eagle squadron, so it could very well be a squadron trainer. The Eagle Squadron did fly Spitfires.


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## pbfoot (May 29, 2008)

Glider said:


> I am sure thats a Spitfire and it looks like a converted late production VIII, IX or XVI. Originally a 4 gun version almost certainly 2 x 20 2 x HMG.


Looking at the motor mounts and the ones in Trackends Spit pictures and the fact its in US markings I'm going to guess a MKV


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## Gnomey (May 29, 2008)

Certainly is a Spitfire. Never read anything about a MKV 2 seat trainer in existence, I only know of the 1 (or 2) MKIX 2 seater's that are in existence.


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## pbfoot (May 29, 2008)

maybe a IX as the motor mount are consistent with the one I see but I wasn't aware the USAAf flew the IX's but then again it might be artistic licence


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## Gnomey (May 29, 2008)

Yeah, there are 5 2 seat airworthy Spitfires in the UK - 4 MKIX and a MKVIII. The 2 based outside the UK are both MKIX based. Think it is this one though:

MH367 N367MH Tr.IX Peter Godfrey, Florida, USA.

Previously DM008 with Dick Melton Aviation. Restored for Peter Godfrey in Florida. Although substantially a new-build, the fuselage uses parts from ML417 and the front fuselage of the original MH367 (ex-F.IX) was acquired in the UK and stripped of all usuable components and structure and they were retrospectively incorporated into DM008. Adopted the identification of MH367. Painted to represent a Mk VB, ER570, flown by Major Robert Levine, USAAF, in Tunisia, June 1943. First flight was at Bartow, Florida, on 16 September 2006. 
Airworthy Spitfires


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## Njaco (May 29, 2008)

I think I found it. Its in NZ.


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwEQ3Yv8A4c_

and found this

A Supermarine Spitfire will make its South Island airshow debut at the Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow 2008. Making the announcement today, General Manager Gavin Johnston said "We are so pleased that an iconic Spitfire will again be seen at Wanaka".

Her new owner, Doug Brooker of Auckland, has imported the aeroplane from the USA after a lengthy rebuild. It made its maiden flight from Bartow, Florida on the 16th September 2007.

This particular Spitfire is a Mk IX and is fitted with two seats. It is the first time a Spitfire like this will have been seen flying in the Southern Hemisphere. After WWII, Supermarine developed a two seat trainer version of the Spitfire and the type was used by the Israeli and Irish Air Forces.

The aircraft is painted to represent the Spitfire flown by American Major Robert Levine of the 4th Fighter Squadron in the Middle East. Gavin said, "The Spitfire will perform both days of the Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow. It makes a welcome addition to the number of exciting aircraft that will appear at the show".

Warbirds Over Wanaka International Airshow 2008 will be held over Easter weekend (21-23 March 2008).

Latest News


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## evangilder (May 29, 2008)

Good find guys!


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## Glider (May 29, 2008)

Well found, I tried and failed


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## Njaco (May 29, 2008)

> Painted to represent a Mk VB,





> This particular Spitfire is a Mk IX



Controversy or are we missing something? Gnomey apparently has the right plane and from the stuff I found its the same. Or is it? I don't think that tail is right. Of course it did say it was manufactured _after _the war and _represents _an aircraft flown by the US.


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## thirtybg (May 30, 2008)

evangilder said:


> Fuselage code is WD, which would be the 335th Fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group, which was originally an Eagle squadron, so it could very well be a squadron trainer. The Eagle Squadron did fly Spitfires.


Strictly speaking, the 4th FG was not a former Eagle Squadron. It was _made up_ of three former Eagle Squadrons... 71, 121, and 133. When these three RAF squadrons were inducted into the USAAF, they became the 334th, 335th, and 336th Fighter Squadrons, respectively. Although the codes 'QP', 'WD', and 'VF' were used by the 4th FG for most of the war, they were also used by the 52nd FG... 2nd FS (QP), 4th FS (WD), and 5th FS (VF).

There was only one other such instance of duplicate codes within the USAAF... the 78th FG and 31st FG both used 'MX', 'HL', and 'WZ'.

While the 4th FG did fly Spits early on, (from September '42 to April '43) the codes used were those of the former RAF units... the 334th was coded with 71 Squadron's 'XR', the 335th with 121's 'AV', and the 336th with 133's 'MD'. To the best of my recollection, 'QP', 'WD', and 'VF' were not applied to the 4th's Spits... but I could be mistaken on that point.

In any event, as all the 2-seaters most of us are familiar with were post-war conversions, there were obviously no 2-seat Spits in use by the 4th FG. (or the 52nd FG, for that matter) During the war, I believe there was at least one rather crude RAF field-mod to make a 2-seater, and the Russians also made some conversions. But I think that's pretty much it for wartime 2-pit-Spits.


Back to the airframe in question...

Why these markings were chosen for a 2-seater is anyone's guess, and the same question can be asked of the Collings Foundation's 2-seat P-51C. But I guess it all comes down to the fact that the guy who owns the bird can color the feathers any way he wants.

Anyhoo, here's another view of this Spit while still in USAAF colors.





Harry Stenger photo


And the original ship after which it was marked...





Image credit: unknown


From what I understand, it was a bit of a job to balance the markings for a Mk.IX two-seater as opposed to the original Mk.V. Here's a look at some of the initial layout work, using ML407 at Duxford as a 'canvas'...





Image credit: unknown


And here's *what this Spit looks like today*...


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## Njaco (May 30, 2008)

Thanks 30BG!


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## wilbur1 (May 30, 2008)

Great find guys! wow it looks identical. this plane, from what ive been told by the guy who snapped the pic, is here in so.calif. and hasent been flown yet. that pic is 6 months old  i will talk to the guy who snapped it he was working on his own plane when he needed some tools that he stumbled across it. From what he told me a couple of days ago its still not done.


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## Njaco (May 30, 2008)

Oh, we have a mystery!


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## wilbur1 (May 30, 2008)

Plus look at 30bg photo, it has a single intake not dual......


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## evangilder (May 30, 2008)

It could be the angle of the shot as to why you don't see the second intake. I would think that they are the same. There aren't that many 2 seat Spitfires around. What are the odds that 2 would have the exact same markings?


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## wilbur1 (May 30, 2008)

Very true evan, but still weird


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## pbfoot (May 30, 2008)

one has MKV exhaust and one has MK lX (one I'm most familiar with)

I should have deleted this as I was looking at the original ww2 photo and new photos and thats not what was being discussed


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## phas3e (May 31, 2008)

In its new scheme of Colin Grey's MkIX NZ's highest scoring pilot


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## Njaco (May 31, 2008)

Thanks pha3e!

So in the 6 months since Wilburs pic the paint scheme was changed. Cool!

Now onto the next mystery.


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