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Good shots guys!
- Thread starter
- #283
Jeff Hunt
1st Lieutenant
Cheers,
Jeff
Crimea_River
Marshal
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Great selection chaps !
Somehow, I missed getting an individual shot of TD314 (Spitfire 'FX-P').
Somehow, I missed getting an individual shot of TD314 (Spitfire 'FX-P').
Great shots
- Thread starter
- #289
Jeff Hunt
1st Lieutenant
Cheers,
Jeff
Great, Jeff
Love that pic of the flight line
Love that pic of the flight line
Great shots guys!
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Good ones, and I agree with Karl.
Lineup of Spitty's is awesome!
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
The Spitfires.
Spitfire MkIX (T.9) ML407.
This two-seat T.9 started life as a MkIXc, built in 1944, and from 1st May until 31st December of that year, it served as 'OU-V' with 485(NZ) Sqn, RAF, being the personal mount of Johhnie Houlton up to 1st October.
With Johhnie at the controls, ML407 was credited with the destruction of the first enemy aircraft on 'D-Day', a Ju-88 over the beach head, and shared in the destruction of a second. This was presumably on the second patrol of the day, with the aircraft being repaired as, when taxiing out for the early morning patrol on 6th June, ML407 collided with a wooden chair, on which was placed the field controllers telephone, shattering the chair, and the Spitfire's prop tips !
Johhnie had to dash back to dispersal and take a spare aircraft, before catching up with the Squadron over the Channel.
In the eight months of service with this New Zealand Squadron, ML407 destroyed a further two Me109's, and damaged another, and completed a total of 137 sorties, being flown by 15 other New Zealanders, apart from Johhnie Houlton.
Brief service with 341 (French) Sqn followed, in early January 1945, before the aircraft moved briefly to 308 (Polish) Sqn, then 349 (Belgian) Sqn, 345 (French) Sqn, and finally 332 (Norwegian) Sqn.
The total operational sorties flown whilst in service with 2 TAF was 172, and from May 1945 until July 1950, ML407 was in RAF storage, before being sold to Vickers Armstrong, who converted her into a T.Mk.IX for the Irish Air Corps, where she wore the codes '162', and served until 1960, when she was retired and put into storage at Baldonnel.
The aircraft was purchased, in 1968, as a back-up airframe for the BoB movie, although she never appeared in this, and moved to the Strathallan Collection in 1970.
She was then purchased, in 1979, by the late Nick Grace, who restored her to flying condition, and fitted what has become know as the 'Grace Canopy' over the rear seat, thereby maintaining the lines of the Spitfire without the raised cockpit of the 'normal' T.Mk.IX. The Spitfire was re-painted in her original 485 Squadron colours and codes and, following the tragic death of Nick Grace, in a car accident in 1988, it has been owned and operated by Nick's widow, Carolyn, and, today generally referred to as 'The Grace Spitfire', it's regularly displayed by her son, Richard, and is a favourite, genuine 'war bird' on the airshow circuit.
For the 70th Anniversary of 'D-Day', in 2014, ML407 was re-painted with the AEAF stripes, and the smaller 'V' code letter, as she appeared in 1944, as shown in the pic taken at the 'Flying Legends' last year.
Spitfire MkIX (T.9) ML407.
This two-seat T.9 started life as a MkIXc, built in 1944, and from 1st May until 31st December of that year, it served as 'OU-V' with 485(NZ) Sqn, RAF, being the personal mount of Johhnie Houlton up to 1st October.
With Johhnie at the controls, ML407 was credited with the destruction of the first enemy aircraft on 'D-Day', a Ju-88 over the beach head, and shared in the destruction of a second. This was presumably on the second patrol of the day, with the aircraft being repaired as, when taxiing out for the early morning patrol on 6th June, ML407 collided with a wooden chair, on which was placed the field controllers telephone, shattering the chair, and the Spitfire's prop tips !
Johhnie had to dash back to dispersal and take a spare aircraft, before catching up with the Squadron over the Channel.
In the eight months of service with this New Zealand Squadron, ML407 destroyed a further two Me109's, and damaged another, and completed a total of 137 sorties, being flown by 15 other New Zealanders, apart from Johhnie Houlton.
Brief service with 341 (French) Sqn followed, in early January 1945, before the aircraft moved briefly to 308 (Polish) Sqn, then 349 (Belgian) Sqn, 345 (French) Sqn, and finally 332 (Norwegian) Sqn.
The total operational sorties flown whilst in service with 2 TAF was 172, and from May 1945 until July 1950, ML407 was in RAF storage, before being sold to Vickers Armstrong, who converted her into a T.Mk.IX for the Irish Air Corps, where she wore the codes '162', and served until 1960, when she was retired and put into storage at Baldonnel.
The aircraft was purchased, in 1968, as a back-up airframe for the BoB movie, although she never appeared in this, and moved to the Strathallan Collection in 1970.
She was then purchased, in 1979, by the late Nick Grace, who restored her to flying condition, and fitted what has become know as the 'Grace Canopy' over the rear seat, thereby maintaining the lines of the Spitfire without the raised cockpit of the 'normal' T.Mk.IX. The Spitfire was re-painted in her original 485 Squadron colours and codes and, following the tragic death of Nick Grace, in a car accident in 1988, it has been owned and operated by Nick's widow, Carolyn, and, today generally referred to as 'The Grace Spitfire', it's regularly displayed by her son, Richard, and is a favourite, genuine 'war bird' on the airshow circuit.
For the 70th Anniversary of 'D-Day', in 2014, ML407 was re-painted with the AEAF stripes, and the smaller 'V' code letter, as she appeared in 1944, as shown in the pic taken at the 'Flying Legends' last year.
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fantastic Terry!
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Thanks Wayne - more to come on the individual Spits.
Excellent shots guys!
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