Spitfire PR IB N3069

[Kingscoy]

Hi All,
Attached a photo of an early PR Spitfire at Heston Aerodrome. I have never seen this photo before. This photo was published in 1995 in a magazine of the Spitfire Society. As some of you might know I'm researching the crash of Spitfire N3069 for over 25 years now but have never found a photo of this a/c.
The a/c in the photo is certainly not Spitfire N3071 or seem to match other early PR Spitfires. I'm wondering what you guys think of this one...or perhaps someone knows it and can put a serial number to it. In the magazine was no mentioning of source. The caption says; One of the early Mk I PR Spitfires at Heston. The magzine paper is of poor quality and I have tried to enhance the photo somewhat.

Cheers,
Sander

 

[Gnomey]

Interesting shot!

 

[fubar57]

Maybe it's the way I'm looking at it but it looks like it has a Vokes filter similar to this PR Spitfire...

EDIT: I should have mentioned that this is a PR Mk.IV thought to be BP889 in Malta, Mar. '42

 

[Old Wizard]

 

[Wurger]

 

[stona]

I think that we are seeing a 30 gallon under wing 'blister' fuel tank, as on the PR IC, rather than a tropical filter. It's not easy to tell on that image though.
Cheers
Steve
That should be PR IF

 

[Airframes]

Yep, I think it is the slipper tank. The lower profile looks right, and the rear end extends back beneath the wing, further than the rear edge of the Vokes filter would appear at the angle the photo was taken.

 

[stona]

I think it's one of the under wing tanks on a PR IF (Not a IC as I wrote above...memory ehh!). The geometry of the photograph makes it look like it is under the fuselage, unlike this one.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Wurger]

I agree this is the underwing fuel tank. Especially the tank is covering the port side landing leg partially. The enlarged pic shows it quite nice, IMHO. If it would be the Vokes filter the view at the rear part was blocked out by the leg and bay door. So it means it is closer to a watcher than the landing leg and the Vokes filter that should be behind the leg.

 

[stona]

Now I've checked, the PR IC had a fuel tank blister under the port wing and a camera blister (2 x F.24s) under the starboard wing. The PR IF had a fuel tank blister under both wings, but also had a deeper nose, to accommodate a larger oil tank to cope with the extended range.
The original posted picture has managed to be taken from just about the only angle which shows neither detail well, and I'm not sure which version it is. I'm leaning towards a Type F on the grounds that nearly all the Type Bs and Type Cs were eventually modified to this standard.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Kingscoy]

Thanks guys Your replies have been more then helpful and I agree with you towards a F-type. So...my quest remains...finding a pic of Spit N3069