Supermarine Spitfire Mk FRXIVe, G-SPIT / 6S/649205, The Fighter Collection
This picture is © Martin Laycock and may not be used or published without permission.
Registration: G-SPIT
Construction Number: 6S/649205
Code Number: MV268 / JE-J
Model Supermarine Spitfire Mk FRXIVe
Operator: The Fighter Collection
Airport: Duxford (QFO / EGSU), UK - England
Photographer: Martin Laycock
Date Taken: 12/07/2008
Date Submitted: 19/04/2009
Wearing the colours of Air Vice Marshal James Edgar "Johnnie" Johnson, the Fighter Collection's MkXIV Spitfire taxies in at Flying Legends 2008. Built by Vickers-Armstrong at Keevil she was originally delivered to 33MU on 27 February 1945 and stored. On 20 August she was then transferred to 213MU for packing and shipment to India. She arrived in Karachi on 14 October for service with the Indian Air Force as No 48 from December 1947. Later coded T20, she was allocated to the IAF Technical College, Jalahalli. She was recovered from Bangalore in the early seventies by Doug Arnold and crated to Blackbushe where she formed part of his Warbirds of Great Britain collection. Her restoration was begun by Dick Melton and she was allocated the registration G-BGHB but this wasn't taken up. She became G-SPIT on 2 March 1979 and her restoration continued under the expertise of The Fighter Collection. She made her first post restoration flight at Duxford on August 14th 1992.
Picture ID:1168866