One for Evanglider

[Gnomey]

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

 

[Njaco]

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

 

[evangilder]

Good find guys!

 

[Glider]

Well found, I tried and failed

 

[Njaco]

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.

 

[thirtybg]

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...

 

[Njaco]

Thanks 30BG!

 

[wilbur1]

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.

 

[Njaco]

Oh, we have a mystery!

 

[wilbur1]

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

 

[evangilder]

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?

 

[wilbur1]

Very true evan, but still weird

 

[pbfoot]

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

 

[phas3e]

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

 

[Njaco]

Thanks pha3e!

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

Now onto the next mystery.